Axalta, LP Building Solutions partner with The Crayon Initiative and Jeff Gordon's Children's Foundation to donate crayons to hospitalized children

GLEN MILLS, Pa., Nov. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Axalta (NYSE: AXTA), a leading global supplier of liquid and powder coatings, and LP Building Solutions, a leader in high-performance building solutions, recently partnered with The Crayon Initiative and the Jeff Gordon Children's Foundation to donate crayons to children hospitalized at Atrium Health Cabarrus. During the event, volunteers were joined by former NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon.

Volunteers from both LP Building Solutions and Axalta worked in teams to sort used crayons that would have otherwise been discarded. Once sorted, the crayons were melted down and poured into large crayon-shaped molds. The volunteers packaged the new crayons, then donated them to more than 300 children receiving care at Atrium Health Cabarrus in Charlotte, North Carolina.

"For more than a decade, Axalta and LP Building Solutions have partnered together to support not only the needs of our shared customers but also the needs of our local communities," said Wade Arnold, Vice President of North America Wood Coatings at Axalta. "Through our partnership and shared values, and the support of The Crayon Initiative and the Jeff Gordon Children's Foundation, we were able to brighten the day of some children that are facing health challenges."

"LP is proud to give back by supporting families within the communities our employees live and work in with meaningful causes like The Crayon Initiative, as well as prioritizing sustainable practices within and outside of the building manufacturing industry. This initiative gave our employees the chance to do both, and we are grateful to Jeff Gordon and Bryan Ware for this uniquely rewarding opportunity," says Mike Blosser, senior vice president of manufacturing services for LP Building Solutions.

"The Crayon Initiative is a great example of an effort to give back some of the childhood joy that can be lost when a child gets sick," said Jeff Gordon, four-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion and founder of Jeff Gordon Children's Foundation. "I'm especially excited to be a part of today's collaboration with Axalta and LP Building Solutions to help make a difficult hospital stay brighter for a child."

Since its founding, The Crayon Initiative has collected more than 44.2 million crayons, produced 615,000+ packs of eight-to-the-box crayons and donated to 265+ hospitals in all 50 states touching the lives of pediatric patients nationwide. Additionally, more than 315,000 pounds of crayons have been diverted from landfills through the efforts of The Crayon Initiative.

About LP Building Solutions
As a leader in high-performance building solutions, Louisiana-Pacific Corporation (LP Building Solutions, NYSE: LPX) manufactures engineered wood building products that meet the demands of builders, remodelers, and homeowners worldwide. LP's extensive offerings include innovative and dependable building products and accessories, such as Siding Solutions (LP^® SmartSide^® Trim & Siding, LP^® SmartSide^® ExpertFinish^® Trim & Siding, LP^® BuilderSeries^® Lap Siding, and LP^® Outdoor Building Solutions^®), LP Structural Solutions (LP® TechShield^® Radiant Barrier, LP WeatherLogic^® Air & Water Barrier, LP Legacy^® Premium Sub-Flooring, and LP^® FlameBlock^® Fire-Rated Sheathing and more), LP^® TopNotch^® Sub-Flooring, and oriented strand board (OSB). In addition to product solutions, LP provides industry-leading customer service and warranties. Since its founding in 1972, LP has been Building a Better World^™ by helping customers construct beautiful, durable homes while our shareholders build lasting value. Headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, LP operates 25 plants across the U.S., Canada, Chile, and Brazil. For more information, visit LPCorp.com. 

About Axalta
Axalta is a global leader in the coatings industry, providing customers with innovative, colorful, beautiful and sustainable coatings solutions. From light vehicles, commercial vehicles and refinish applications to electric motors, building facades and other industrial applications, our coatings are designed to prevent corrosion, increase productivity and enhance durability. With more than 150 years of experience in the coatings industry, the global team at Axalta continues to find ways to serve our more than 100,000 customers in over 130 countries better every day with the finest coatings, application systems and technology. For more information, visit axalta.com and follow us @axalta on Twitter.

About The Crayon Initiative
The Crayon Initiative was born one night when Bryan Ware and his family went out for dinner. While his boys sat coloring on the menu, Bryan couldn't help but wonder where restaurant crayons end up when all the people go home. It turns out it's the landfill—making a big waxy mess that never biodegrades. Why? Bryan thought, couldn't they be re-purposed to create more joy in the world? He took the crayons home and got busy—figuring out the art of collecting and sorting old crayons, melting them down, and remanufacturing them in a bright, clean, paper-free form. Consulting an occupational therapist, he even gave his new crayons a unique design—large and three-sided, not round—so they're easy for kids to grip and can't roll off hospital trays. Finally, he crafted a network for sending free crayons to kids in hospitals all over the country. Our mission is to bring happiness to children who are facing the stress of hospitalization by giving them the freedom that comes with creative play.

About the Jeff Gordon Children's Foundation
Jeff Gordon Children's Foundation (JGCF) was founded in 1999 by the four-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion to improve outcomes for kids diagnosed with cancer. Cancer is the number one cause of death by disease for children and up to 90% of survivors will develop one or more chronic health conditions because of their diagnosis and treatment. JGCF has raised more than $25 million to fund promising research into curing childhood cancer and preventing lifelong damage caused by it, as well as opening the Jeff Gordon Children's Center in Concord, NC. To learn more go to www.jeffgordonchildrensfoundation.org.

About Atrium Health
Atrium Health is a nationally recognized leader in shaping health outcomes through innovative research, education and compassionate patient care. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Atrium Health is an integrated, nonprofit health system with more than 70,000 teammates serving patients at 40 hospitals and more than 1,400 care locations. It provides care under the Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist name in the Winston-Salem, North Carolina, region, as well as Atrium Health Navicent and Atrium Health Floyd in Georgia and Alabama. Atrium Health is renowned for its top-ranked pediatric, cancer and heart care, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. A recognized leader in experiential medical education and groundbreaking research, Wake Forest School of Medicine is the academic core of the enterprise, including Wake Forest Innovations, which is advancing new medical technologies and biomedical discoveries. Atrium Health is also a leading-edge innovator in virtual care and mobile medicine, providing care close to home and in the home. Ranked nationally among U.S. News & World Report's Best Hospitals in eight pediatric specialties and for rehabilitation, Atrium Health has also received the American Hospital Association's Quest for Quality Prize and its 2021 Carolyn Boone Lewis Equity of Care Award, as well as the 2020 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Health Equity Award for its efforts to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in care. With a commitment to every community it serves, Atrium Health seeks to improve health, elevate hope and advance healing – for all, providing more than $2 billion per year in free and uncompensated care and other community benefits. 

Contact
Jessica Iben
M +1.267.398.8163
jessica.iben@axalta.com

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SOURCE Axalta Coating Systems Ltd.