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| CHANGE
WALNUT CREEK, Calif., April 12, 2016 – AAA Colorado is joining CSAA Insurance Group, a AAA insurer, to volunteer on behalf of The Crayon Initiative, a California-based nonprofit that collects and remanufactures unwanted crayons and donates them to children in local hospitals and art therapy programs.
To commemorate The Crayon Initiative’s inaugural arrival in Colorado, employees of both AAA Colorado and CSAA Insurance Group will volunteer in a crayon sorting and recycling event Tuesday, April 12 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The event will take place at the CSAA Insurance Group Regional Center at 5775 Mark Dabling Blvd., Bldg. III, Colorado Springs, CO.
“AAA Colorado is pleased to welcome The Crayon Initiative to Colorado and support the organization’s altruistic mission,” said Linda Cavanagh, president and CEO of AAA Colorado. “We recognize the importance of giving back to our community and are grateful for the opportunity to provide volunteer support.”
AAA Colorado has been collecting discarded crayons at its 11 retail locations across the state. The Crayon Initiative, established in 2014, remanufactures the discarded crayons and provides new packs to hospital pediatric wards. Crayons offer hospitalized children a creative outlet for self-expression, which may provide needed psychological support, alleviate feelings of anxiety, and contribute to maintaining a sense of childhood normalcy.
“The work we do has a significant impact on local communities, and we are excited to visit Colorado for the first time,” said Bryan Ware, founder of The Crayon Initiative. “Our mobile crayon recycling trailer advances our mission of ensuring that children have the tools they need to enjoy the healthful benefits of art and creativity, while reducing waste in landfills.”
Unwanted crayons collected by The Crayon Initiative also reduce negative impacts on the environment. Crayons are not biodegradable and create a waxy sludge that may not break down for centuries. To date, The Crayon Initiative has diverted nearly 750,000 crayons – thousands of pounds – destined for landfills.
About The Crayon Initiative
The Crayon Initiative is a Northern California based-nonprofit devoted to promoting the arts for children by providing them access to the resources they need. We believe that in order to grow and learn, children need to have the freedom to be creative and express themselves through art. The Crayon Initiative organizes crayon collections that accept unwanted crayons, remanufacture them, and provide them to hospitals that are caring for our kids. For more information, visit www.thecrayoninitiative.org.
About AAA Colorado
AAA Colorado has more than 630,000 members and is an advocate for safety and security for all travelers. As North America’s largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA provides more than 54 million members with travel, insurance, financial and automotive related services, as well as member exclusive savings.
About CSAA Insurance Group
CSAA Insurance Group, a AAA Insurer, offers automobile, homeowners and other personal lines of insurance to AAA members through partnerships with AAA clubs in 23 states and the District of Columbia. Founded in 1914, CSAA Insurance Group is rated A+ by A.M. Best and is one of the top 20 personal lines property casualty insurance groups in the United States according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. The company was also named one of the 50 most community-minded companies in America by Points of Light in 2014.