Conshohocken, PA (June 18, 2004) – What do real estate developers, a bank and a non-profit organization for disabled children have in common? - A clear commitment to the community and improving the quality of life for children in the Delaware Valley! On Saturday, June 12, 2004 at the Variety Club Camp located at 2950 Potshop Road, Worcester, PA, the Variety Club, Firstrust Bank and several of its real estate customers were engaged in their first Blitz Build. Thirteen different recreational enhancements were completed during this ambitious two-day build project through the volunteer efforts and financial contributions of several generous local real estate firms.

“As you can imagine, it takes quite a bit to maintain an 80 acre facility with more than 25 buildings,” said Andrew Pack, Executive Director of the Variety Club. “We can’t thank Firstrust and the real estate community enough for arranging this two-day event that completed more than $50,000 of improvements to our camp.”

Firstrust Bank, the only family-owned and privately held bank in the region, has been a proud supporter of the Variety Club for over 14 years. This year, after learning about the Variety Club Camp’s apparent need for adaptive and age appropriate recreational equipment that will allow each child to participate to the highest level of his/her respective ability, Firstrust Bank was compelled to respond. The Real Estate Finance division of Firstrust worked to assemble a group of real estate customers with a mutual interest in helping the deserving youngsters of the Variety Club – thus, the ‘Firstrust Real Estate Blitz Build’.

“The real estate community is very committed to improving the communities they serve so it was easy for us to identify customers like Amity Builders, Gambone Brothers, Iacobucci Homes, Orleans Homebuilders, Elite Structures, Tim Schaeffer Communities, C&M Painting, The Flower Station, and the Pagano’s to support this project, “ said Mark Duffy, Senior Vice President of Real Estate Finance at Firstrust.

All thirteen of the themed improvement projects that will enhance and enrich the children’s experience at camp were completed through the volunteer efforts and material donation of these real estate firms. The work began on Friday, June 11, 2004, and the labor of love was completed on Saturday, June 12, 2004.

“Philanthropy and volunteerism have always been a part of the Firstrust culture,” said Richard J. Green, President and CEO of Firstrust Bank. “I commend our Real Estate department for living our mission and enriching the lives of people.”

Below is a list of the projects that were completed:

1. Amity Builders’ Off Road Finger Park and Orleans’ Playville Finger Park – two ADA friendly finger play stations were donated.
2. C&M Painting’s Dreams of Color - the entire playground was repainted in a colorful scheme and the baseball field fencing was re-sprayed.
3. Elite Structure’s Playhouse and Tim Schaeffer’s Playhouse – two sheds were theme painted and turned into playhouses.
4. Fairmont Bark Park – donated bark to cover the surface of the playground, which will improve safety.
5. Firstrust Bank’s Work Stations – donated tables, chairs, a modified workstation and several filing cabinets for the corporate offices of the Variety Club.
6. Firstrust Bank’s Sweet Sixteen Tournament – donated 30 basketballs and installed new safety pads on poles.
7. Gambone’s & Bursich Engineer’s Toll Bridge – demolished and rebuilt the ramp to the main camp playground with wood decking that with time and weathering has become unsafe. A tollgate was added to make accessing the playground fun.
8. Gambone’s Race Way – a widened sidewalk, stripped with racetrack lines to encourage play. The new sidewalk will also help the children avoid going through the parking lot – a major safety concern for the camp.
9. Iacobucci’s Field of Dreams – re-sanded and stripped the baseball field. In addition, the Phillies donated new bases, 2 sets of catcher’s equipment, 12 helmets and a half dozen gloves.
10. Martin’s Quarry Picnic Area – donated red modified stone to resurface the picnic area.
11. Pagano’s Seaside Sand Station – a 4x8 sand box with a cover, a sandbox corner table and an ADA approved double bowl sand and water table were donated and installed at the playground.
12. URS’s Structural and Engineering Report – donated volunteer hours to provide a full report on fire and safety issues, functional obsolescent and replacement costs and useful life analysis to assist the Board of Directors in taking a long-term approach to maintenance and fundraising.
13. The Flower Station’s Bouquets of Color – donated significant amounts of flowers and small shrubs. In addition, the camp’s greenhouse was supplied with items for the Horticultural programs of the camp.