District Five Intermediate School Students Recipient of AFL’s Take Root Program

02/12/2012

Spartanburg, SC – AFL partnered with District Five Schools and provided a longleaf pine tree in honor of fifth grade students in the area. Over 600 trees were donated to students at Beech Springs Intermediate and Berry Shoals Intermediate in Duncan, South Carolina. The initiative is part of AFL’s Take Root program which has a goal to plant 12,000 trees in five years (by 2015).

"Our students are very aware of the social and community issues that surround them. They are also environmentally conscious and committed to helping our environment through activities such as recycling,” said Michael Powell, Berry Shoals Intermediate Principal. “Our fifth graders were very excited and thankful when they learned that they would each be receiving their own tree to plant at home. Many of them quickly made the connection between planting the trees and helping our environment."

Daniel, a student at Berry Shoals, stated: "I think today was fantastic!  I will celebrate Arbor Day by planting my tree to make the Earth better."

AFL recently exceeded its goal of planting/providing 5,000 trees by 2010. The new goal accounts for one tree per associate per year for five years and equates to 12,000 trees. AFL hosts Take Root events on its campuses both domestic and international and with various organizations in communities where AFL has operations.
 
"Education provides a substantial part of the root system each child needs to be a productive citizen in life. With these trees, students will in a sense get to experience planting and nurturing new life,” said Chad Dowden, Beech Springs Intermediate Principal. “As they replace one of the many trees that have been cut down over the years, they get to watch the one provided to them by AFL grow to maturity. As educators, we hope that ALL of our students will thrive in school and then mature into adults which contribute positively to society." 

AFL has an extensive Community Outreach Program that provides grants to nonprofit organizations, encourages associates to serve in their communities, provides disaster relief and sponsors various events in the community, plus much more. For additional information on AFL and its community initiatives, visit www.AFLglobal.com.


About AFL
AFL provides industry-leading products and services to the electric utility, broadband, communications, OEM, enterprise, wireless and transit rail markets as well as the emerging markets of oil and gas, mining, nuclear, avionics, medical, renewable and intelligent grid. The company’s diverse product portfolio includes fiber optic cable, transmission and substation accessories, outside plant equipment, connectors, fusion splicers, test equipment and training. AFL’s service portfolio includes market-leading positions with the foremost communications companies supporting inside plant central office, EF&I, outside plant, enterprise and wireless areas.

Founded in 1984, AFL is proud to offer engineering expertise, exceptional products and reliable service that help our customers improve their critical and electrical infrastructure. AFL has operations in the U.S., Mexico, Europe and Asia. The company is headquartered in Spartanburg, SC, and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fujikura Ltd. of Japan. For more information, visit www.AFLglobal.com. 


Contacts
Corie Culp
Public Relations Manager
AFL
864.433.5409
Corie.Culp@AFLglobal.com