5th Grade Students from Hart Magnet Elementary School Visited the Park to Receive Free Books and See the Power of Community Service In Action
STAMFORD, CT – June 8, 2015 – On Friday, June 5
th, Stamford Public Education Foundation (SPEF) coordinated a successful community improvement project (playground & park improvements plus a book give-away) at Barrett Park, Newfield Avenue, Stamford. This project was done by more than 25 Deloitte employees as part of Deloitte’s 16th annual day of service, Impact Day. The day celebrated Deloitte’s year-round commitment to making an impact that matters in the communities where their employees live and work, and enabled students in SPEF’s Service-Learning mentoring program to see community service in action.
A child’s education goes beyond the classroom. Playgrounds and parks, especially in the summer time, provide a special, social learning environment. SPEF is a non-profit agency that cares deeply about all the children of Stamford, but it focuses much of its work on the underserved, low-income students in Stamford. With that in mind, SPEF requested that employees of Deloitte invest in this population with us for Impact Day, by helping create a welcoming and fun Barrett Park on Newfield Avenue in Stamford.

In addition to the park being used by the community at large, this year, for the first time, this park will also host the Stamford Recreation’s “Barrett Park Playground Camp” for kids 6 – 12 years of age, running June 29 – Aug 14. Each day children will be involved in arts & crafts, sports, board games, water games, special events and other creative activities. The Barrett Park improvement project will ensure the park is ready for the community and the campers.
Impact Day project at Barrett Park had two elements:
Playground and Park Improvements: Deloitte provided the funding and the manpower to significantly improve Barrett Park, from both beautification and safety perspectives. Armed with gloves, rakes, shovels, paint and more, Deloitte employees cleaned up the picnic pavilion, made significant general landscaping improvements. At the playground wood chips were distributed, grounds were cleaned of litter, and swings were repaired. The project planning was carefully orchestrated by SPEF and the City of Stamford.
Reading is FUNdamental Book Give-A-Way: Eighty-four 5th grade students from Hart Magnet Elementary School who are enrolled in SPEF’s Service-Learning mentoring program arrived at the park at 11:15 for pizza, play — and free, new books to kick-start their summer reading.
“We were thrilled that the 5th grade students from our Service-Learning Program were part of Impact Day,” said SPEF’s CEO Matt Quinones. “During weekly mentoring sessions, mentors and mentees discuss topics related to service-learning, such as civic engagement, community service, and leadership. Deloitte’s Impact Day at Barrett Park provided the kids with a real-life example of how students can apply what they’ve learned in their sessions.”
About Deloitte’s Impact Day: Deloitte’s 16th annual day of service, Impact Day, was held on Friday, June 5, 2015. The day celebrated Deloitte’s year-round commitment to making an impact that matters in the communities where we live and work.
- More than 950 community service projects are locally coordinated by Deloitte employees each year based on the specific needs of more than 80 communities where Deloitte has US offices.
- Deloitte’s community service on Impact Day—and every day—focuses on helping undervalued talent reach their full potential, particularly through youth education and programs supporting veterans transitioning to civilian careers.
- Since 2005, Deloitte’s Impact Day projects have touched more than 1.6 million lives in the U.S.