Helping Revitalize Midtown Omaha, Neb., Two Local Chrysler Jeep(R) and Dodge Dealerships, Chrysler LLC and KaBOOM! Representatives Build Playground at Jackson Elementary School

- Performance Chrysler Jeep(R) Dodge and Baxter Chrysler Jeep Dodge dealership employees spearhead effort to provide a safe place for neighborhood children to play - Playground builds on the message of Destination Midtown and the plan of Mayor Mike Fahey and the Omaha City Council to raise the quality of life in Midtown


OMAHA, Neb., July 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Today more than 250 volunteers from
Performance Chrysler Jeep(R) Dodge; Baxter Chrysler Jeep Dodge; The Chrysler
Foundation; Omaha Schools Foundation; Omaha Public Schools; organizers from
KaBOOM! and residents of the community joined forces to build a new and secure
playground at Jackson Elementary School in Omaha, Neb.


Tal Anderson, Dealer Principal - Baxter Chrysler Jeep Dodge and
Performance Chrysler Jeep Dodge, led the volunteers in building a
state-of-the-art playground to serve the needs of the community. This new,
updated playground will serve the hundreds of children who attend Jackson
Elementary and provide them with a safe and enjoyable place to play.


"Performance Chrysler Jeep Dodge and Baxter Chrysler Jeep Dodge became
involved in this project to provide support to strengthen Omaha's
neighborhoods and to provide a clean, fun environment for children," Anderson
said. "Contributing to our community is important to our employees and we are
proud to participate in this effort to revitalize Midtown Omaha."


Performance Chrysler Jeep and Baxter Chrysler Jeep Dodge representatives
are working to raise the quality of life in Midtown by furthering the goals of
Destination Midtown and the plan of Mayor Mike Fahey and the Omaha City
Council.


Planning for the playground began at a Design Day held in May when local
children and community leaders met with organizers from KaBOOM! and Chrysler
to develop their "dream" playground. The children's drawings were used to
create the final playground design.


"The Jackson playground will contribute to students' cognitive and
intellectual development while providing them the opportunity to exercise a
sense of wonder, exploration and creativity," said John Mackiel,
Superintendent - Omaha Public Schools.


The playspace is the sixth of 25 scheduled to be built this year by
KaBOOM!, The Chrysler Foundation and Chrysler, Jeep or Dodge dealerships
across the country to provide more than 70,000 children with a great place to
play. The playspace is also one of more than 225 builds KaBOOM! will lead
across the country in 2008, in an effort to provide a great place to play
within walking distance of every child in America.


"KaBOOM! is committed to bringing play back to the neighborhood one
playground at a time," said Darell Hammond, CEO and Co-founder - KaBOOM!.
"Every child deserves a place to run, jump, have fun and just be a kid. We are
proud to work with Chrysler to give the children at Jackson Elementary School
a great place to play."


Destination Midtown is a unique partnership linking neighborhood
associations, businesses, public and private institutions, Omaha city
government and the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce. Destination Midtown is
in an unprecedented collaborative community development effort working to
raise the quality of life and return Midtown to prominence.



About Performance Automotive Group


Baxter Chrysler Jeep Dodge and Performance Chrysler Jeep Dodge are part of
Performance Automotive Group based in Omaha, Nebraska. Tal Anderson is
Chairman of the eleven dealership group located in the Omaha, Lincoln, and
Kansas City metro areas. With an automotive history dating back to 1957,
Performance Automotive Group employs more than 800 people.



The Chrysler Foundation


The Chrysler Foundation is the primary source of charitable grants made by
Chrysler LLC. The Foundation annually supports hundreds of charitable
organizations with an emphasis on community growth and enrichment, arts and
culture, education and youth development programs throughout the United States
and, increasingly, the world. The Foundation's Good Neighbor, Good Citizen(R)
programs make a positive, lasting investment in local communities where our
employees, customers and neighbors live. Visit www.thechryslerfoundation.com .



KaBOOM!


KaBOOM! is a national non-profit organization that envisions a great place
to play within walking distance of every child in America. Since 1995, KaBOOM!
has used its innovative community-build model to bring together business and
community interests to construct more than 1,400 new playgrounds, skate parks,
sports fields and ice rinks across North America. KaBOOM! also offers a
variety of resources, including an online community, regional and national
trainings, grants, publications and the KaBOOM! National Campaign for Play,
which includes Playful City USA and the Playmaker Network -- a national
network of individual advocates for play. Headquartered in Washington, D.C.,
KaBOOM! also has offices in Chicago and San Mateo, Calif. For more
information, visit www.kaboom.org .



SOURCE  Chrysler LLC