FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Julissa Gonzalez
ph 407.218.4300 ext. 4368
fax 407.218.4301
jgonzalez@questinc.org

www.questinc.org

BB&T Partners with Quest to Launch New Playground

Orlando, Florida (September 29, 2009) – Quest’s dream of providing a playground to children with disabilities became a reality, thanks to a partnership with the Central Florida Region of BB&T.

Nearly 30 volunteers from the BB&T team spent their Saturday morning on September 26 painting a colorful mural, building benches and hauling and spreading mulch to complete a new playground for the QuestKids program, which provides services and therapy to children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and other learning and behavior concerns.

The partnership is part of BB&T’s company-wide community service initiative in August and September called the BB&T Lighthouse Project. The philanthropic effort is the largest in BB&T’s 137-year history, bank officials said.

"We are proud to be able to support the communities in which we live and work and to show there is a 'beacon of light' in these tough economic times,” said Deborah Fussell, vice president and business services officer at BB&T in Orlando. “Partnering with Quest on a project that will provide additional forms of therapy to help children with autism become mainstream has been a very rewarding experience for us all."

In addition to supplying the nearly 100 children served annually at QuestKids with a chance for fun and play, the new playground will also help them work on challenges characterized by autism and related disorders, such as interacting with their peers, learning to follow instructions and etiquette, improving fine and gross motor skills, and increasing their language acquisition.

“BB&T has provided these children and their families the gift of learning, fun and communication, genuinely impacting their lives,” said Katie Porta, president of Quest. “This kind gesture demonstrates how truly committed BB&T is to their community, and Quest is honored to have been chosen for their annual Lighthouse Project.”

Other contributors to the QuestKids playground included The Changing the World Charitably Group; The Chicone Family Foundation; Michael and Kelly Jenkins at Precision Play Media Inc.; Doug and Wendy Olin; and Robert and Tracy Lattanzi.

About Quest, Inc.:
Quest helps people with disabilities achieve their dreams of going to school, having a job, living on their own, and experiencing summer camp. As Central Florida’s largest provider of these services, Quest makes a difference in the lives of more than 1,000 people each day and has been part of our community for nearly 50 years. For more information about Quest, visit www.questinc.org.

Attached Photo: Greg Porter paints a fox on the mural designed for the new playground at Quest. He is one of the nearly 30 volunteers from BB&T who helped launch the playground on September 26 as part of BB&T's annual Lighthouse Project.