Taking Recess for the March of Dimes

Remember what recess was like back when you were in grade school? If the weather was nice, you probably couldn’t wait to race outside to romp and play. Fun was usually the order of the day.

A team of FedEx employees recently rekindled those days of yore with a few twists. Instead of a schoolyard playground, the fun and games will take place in the corner of a parking lot at the FedEx World Technology Center in Collierville, Tenn. Instead of young children, the participants were gleeful FedEx employees on their lunch break.

The unusual scene was part of a special fundraising event for the March for Babies, the biggest benefit campaign for the March of Dimes. In exchange for a suggested donation to the charity, employees competed in dodge ball, hopscotch, Double Dutch jump roping, tricyle racing, basketball and other outdoor activities that children might associate with recess.

The event was the idea of Bridget Jones, an administrative assistant in the Digital Access Marketing group at FedEx Services.

“This is the first year for the “Recess” event and we’ve had an overwhelmingly positive response,” Jones said. “Most people get excited about one of the activities that were a personal favorite from their youth and can’t wait to see if they still have it” in terms of mastering that activity.

Most of the equipment was donated by Jones and her co-workers. But participants were asked to bring their own skates, skateboards, bikes and safety equipment.

FedEx employees have supported the March of Dimes for more than 30 years. FedEx has been a corporate contributor since 2004 and is currently a national March of Dimes sponsor. Thousands of FedEx employees across the U.S. are participating in events in support of the 2009 March of Dimes campaign, which kicked off on March 1 and will run through April 30.

Last year, Jones and other members of the Digital Access Marketing team at FedEx Services staged a hugely successful Nintendo Wii boxing challenge to raise money for the March of Dimes. This year’s “Recess” event is their response to the challenge to top that. Stay tuned to see what creative idea they’ll come up with next year.