Milwaukee, Wisconsin, December 9, 2016 – Brady Corporation is investing $50,000 to support the AIM of Playworks to bring safe and healthy play to 3.5 million children in 7,000 schools nationwide. In addition to supporting Playworks in Milwaukee, the donation will support programming in Southern California and Massachusetts, where Brady Corporation also has a presence.
“Brady Foundation is happy to support Playworks’ programming in the communities where Brady Corporation has a presence. Playworks’ mission aligns with the Brady Foundation values of 'Protect Our Future' and 'Be Better Every day.' We were impressed with Playworks’ positive outcomes over their 20-year history and are eager to be part of their ongoing success,” said Kate Venne, Director of Corporate Communications.
Playworks, the leading national nonprofit leveraging the power of play to transform children’s social and emotional health, has already impacted 15,000 students in 25 schools in Milwaukee and Waukesha. Their vision in Wisconsin is for 100,000 kids in 250 elementary schools to experience safe and healthy play every day by 2020.
"As part of our scaling efforts, new flexible and creative services allow us to bring Playworks to significantly more schools and youth-serving organizations around Wisconsin. For example, we partnered with the Mequon-Thiensville School District, where another 1,200 students will benefit from the power of play,” shared Deborah Lukovich, Executive Director of Playworks Wisconsin.
According to a 2015 study published in the American Journal of Public Health, students who develop strong social and emotional skills are twice as likely to graduate from college and 46% more likely to have a full-time job by age 25 compared to their peers.
“When I saw the mission in action and learned when Playworks comes to a school bullying goes down, feelings of safety go up, physical activity goes up, student engagement throughout the day goes up, and teachers get measureable teaching time back, I knew I wanted to be part of this exciting time of expansion and scaling of the reach of Playworks,” stated Wisconsin Region Board Member, Billie Jean Smith of Michael Best & Friedrich.
Brady Corporation is an international manufacturer and marketer of complete solutions that identify and protect people, products, and places. Brady’s products help customers increase safety, security, productivity, and performance. Their products include high-performance labels, signs, safety devices, printing systems, and software. Founded in 1914, Brady Corporation has a diverse customer base in a variety of industries including electronics, telecommunications, manufacturing, electrical, construction, medical, aerospace, and others. Brady is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and as of July 31, 2016, employs approximately 6,500 people in its worldwide businesses. Brady’s fiscal 2016 sales were approximately $1.12 billion. Brady stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol BRC. More information is available at www.bradycorp.com.
