WILMINGTON, Del., Sept. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- To enrich the lives of Wilmington residents and students, Barclays today dedicated two new playgrounds, a football field, baseball diamond and three basketball courts to East Side Charter School as part of the Barclays Spaces for Sports initiative.

East Side Charter School is the first location in the United States to benefit from the Barclays Spaces for Sports initiative, a global program first launched in the UK in 2004 that focuses on revitalizing communities.

The new EastSide Sports Center has been made possible by a $500,000 grant from Barclays plus additional support from Yaverland Foundation, Edgar A. Thronson Foundation and Rodney Robinson Landscape Architects.

The dedication day commenced at 11:00am, as the students of East Side Charter entered the new "EastSide Sports Center" fields for the first time and participated in sports clinics conducted by Boys & Girls Club of Delaware and former Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets stars, World B. Free and Darryl Dawkins. The dedication ceremony commenced with remarks from local dignitaries, including Wilmington Mayor James Baker, New Castle County Executive Chris Coons, Gubernatorial candidate Jack Markell, and Barclaycard Global Chief Executive Officer Antony Jenkins. Following the dedication remarks, the East Side Charter school choir performed and comments were made by members of the student body.

"I am incredibly excited to dedicate these new fields and playgrounds to the students of East Side Charter School, and to the residents of our local, underserved, community. I know that the activities conducted and the sports played on these fields will foster a sense of camaraderie, partnership and community among our students and our surrounding neighborhoods. Those sports activities and that sense of community will be an essential part of the mental, physical and social development of our students," said Charles McDowell, Chair of the East Side Charter Board.

"Once again, we are very blessed to have this magnanimous support from Barclays, a company that has continuously played a large role in mentoring our students, educating them about fiscal responsibility, and helping them learn and grow in both the classroom and now on the playing fields."

Since its inception, Barclays Spaces for Sports has created more than 200 sustainable sports sites and awarded more than 4,000 coaching packs in the UK. Following its success in the UK the program was expanded globally in April 2008, with sites already open in South Africa and now the United States. The expansion of the program reflects Barclays role as a global business leader and as a supportive member of the greater global community.

"Barclays Spaces for Sports has given over half a million people globally the opportunity to benefit from sports and the opportunity to break the cycle of deprivation," said Lloyd M. Wirshba, Chief Executive Officer, Barclaycard US, the credit card business of Barclays PLC in the United States. "We are especially delighted that our own East Side Charter School was chosen as a Spaces for Sports site in the US. Barclays has a proud global tradition of fostering community spirit among its employees, and this spirit is reflected in the work that has gone into these fields and through the countless hours that we have spent nurturing the growth and development of the East Side Charter students."

Barclays has been an active supporter of East Side Charter School since 2003. Each year, Barclays participates in "Make a Difference Day," during which more than 1,000 students from East Side Charter School, Kuumba Academy and Thomas Edison Charter School, also located in Wilmington, visit Barclays US headquarters to learn simple concepts of saving money and get a tour of the bank.

The 2007 Barclaycard USA Cycle Challenge, a nine-week, 3,000 mile cross-country charity ride raised more than $70,000 for the East Side Charter School's new Computer Learning Center. Earlier in 2008, Barclays was honored by the Delaware Mentoring Council with the Governor's Award for Youth Mentoring. The award was bestowed for Barclays outstanding model of corporate community service, and the dedication of its employees in one-on-one mentoring and empowering the youth of the East Side Charter School.

About Barclays Spaces for Sports
Barclays Spaces for Sports has delivered more than 200 sustainable sports sites, awarded more than 4,000 coaching packs and given more than half a million people the opportunity to benefit. It is the single biggest investment in grassroots sports ever by a private company in the UK. As part of Barclays commitment to the long-term future of existing sites it has invested pounds Sterling 5million via the Football Foundation, who will work to build the capacity of the sites until 2010, by which time they will be self-sustaining. Barclays Spaces for Sports is part of Barclays global community program which invested pounds 52.4m across 52 countries in 2007. Barclays Spaces for Sports has operated via a successful partnership between Barclays, the Football Foundation and Groundwork. For more details, see http://www.barclays.co.uk/spacesforsports

About the East Side Charter School
East Side Learning Center, the first charter school in the country to be founded within a public housing authority's property, is located in the economically deprived neighborhoods of East Lake and Riverside. According to the 2007 Wilmington Kids Count Fact Book, East Side mirrors the socioeconomic profile of the City: 60% of families are headed by single parents; 31% of children live below the poverty line; and 90% of its children receive free or reduced price lunch. Census data also indicates that this East Lake area has the highest percentage of high school drop outs who are 25 years of age or older compared to the rest of the state, 55% and 17% respectively.

East Side currently enrolls 400 students from 3 year olds through Grade 8, with the addition of more classes of 1st through 8th grades.

About Barclaycard US
Headquartered in Wilmington, Del., Barclaycard US creates customized co-branded credit card programs for some of the country's most successful travel, entertainment, retail and financial institutions, including US Airways, Best Western, Carnival Cruise Lines, Travelocity, L.L.Bean, Barnes & Noble, BJ's Wholesale Club and UBS. The company employs 1,200 associates and was named a Top Employer in Delaware in 2008. For more information please visit http://www.barclaycardus.com.

Globally, Barclaycard provides credit cards in the U.K., Germany, Spain, Italy and Portugal. In the Nordic region, Barclaycard operates through Entercard, a joint venture with Swedbank.

Barclaycard is a division of Barclays PLC, a major global financial services provider engaged in retail and commercial banking, credit cards, investment banking, wealth management and investment management services. With over 300 years of history and expertise in banking, Barclays operates in over 50 countries, employs 135,000 people and services accounts for over 27 million customers and clients worldwide. For further information about Barclays, please visit "http://www.barclays.com

Barclay's PLC

Barclay's PLC

More from Barclay's PLC