ING DIRECT USA Lends Over Two-Thousand Helpful Hands Toward Community and Conservation Projects in Delaware

WILMINGTON, Del., Aug. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Associates at ING DIRECT USA, the nation's largest direct bank, believe strongly in giving back to their communities. To put their beliefs into action, more than one-thousand Associate volunteers from the bank's east coast offices in Delaware, Philadelphia and New York, will lend a helping hand at ten different locations throughout Delaware on Wednesday, August 17. The Associate projects are part of ING DIRECT's fifth annual Orange Days of Giving and just one of fifteen volunteer projects this summer to be completed by ING DIRECT Associates nationwide.

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"ING DIRECT holds the belief that while no one person can do everything, everyone working together can make great progress," said Arkadi Kuhlmann, President and CEO of ING DIRECT USA. "Our Orange Days of Giving and the transformations they achieve for the physical structures and yards of our Community partners are the high point of the year for many of our Associates who take great pride in the design and execution of these community outreach projects."

Last year during the Days of Giving ING DIRECT partnered with local schools in Delaware that empower children and at risk youth. This year, ING DIRECT has expanded its community outreach to include revitalizing schools, parks, community centers, baseball recreation fields and will complete several housing projects at ten different locations around the state including:

• Bellevue State Park;
• Brandywine Community School;
• Claymont Community Center;
• East Side Charter School;
• Elbert Palmer Elementary;
• Friendship House;
• Milford Housing Development Corporation;
• Piedmont Baseball Field;
• Prestige Academy; and
• Serviam Girls Academy

More than 300 ING DIRECT Associates will be painting, landscaping, cleaning and repairing both the interior and exteriors of the Claymont Community Center. Originally built in 1924, the Claymont Community Center operates out of the former Claymont High School and is historically known as the first school in the nation to have legal integration in 1952.  Today, the Claymont Community Center services more than five-thousand clients and is home to several other community partners including: Headstart, Girls Inc., Brandywine Child Care Center and the Claymont Public Library.

Nearly 200 ING DIRECT Associates will be sent to Bellevue State Park to rehabilitate and re-deck a five-thousand square foot band stage used during the park's summer concert series. Additional activities at the Park will include installing several activity panels throughout the park for special needs children in addition to sprucing up and landscaping park grounds.

The remaining 500 volunteers from the Bank's high-energy volunteer team will be divided among each of the various community locations to complete the following conservation projects:

• Painting hallways, classrooms and murals;
• Building and replacing worn classroom furniture, air conditioning units and tiling;
• Upgrading school PC operating systems and mounting dry-erase whiteboards;
• Constructing pavilions, picnic tables and refurbishing baseball field dugouts;
• Installing siding, deck and flooring, insulation and framing to houses; and
• General landscaping (pulling weeds, spreading mulch, planting gardens).

To date, ING DIRECT Associates throughout the East Coast, Midwest and West Coast locations have dedicated more than 64,000 hours during the Orange Days of Giving toward charitable causes that support the bank's mission of assisting communities through economic empowerment, financial education and life skills.

About ING DIRECT USA

ING DIRECT, the nation's largest direct bank and largest thrift, is dedicated to inspiring Americans to become a nation of savers. Since its inception in 2000, more than 7.7 million Americans have entrusted their savings with ING DIRECT, building the bank to nearly $91.4 billion in assets.  ING DIRECT has developed a comprehensive social media Savers Community, including Twitter, Facebook and its We, The Savers blog.  For more information about ING DIRECT call 1-800-ING-DIRECT, and for information about its commitment to financial education visit Planet Orange(SM).  

Style note to Editors: ING DIRECT is always capitalized and never referred to as ING.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Kendall Roy, ING DIRECT USA
(302) 255-3619
[email protected]

SOURCE ING DIRECT USA