Fundraising has begun in the hopes of receiving enough money for a playground at Lou McNarin Elementary School.
Teacher Kelly White says the grades 3 to 5 students no longer have an outdoor place to play.
“We now have 830 students, and because of that growth, we needed to add some portables to one side of the school. Unfortunately, when that happened, we had to remove the playground that was there, so one side of the school did not have anything, and that’s mostly for grades three to five. On the other side, there is a bit of playground, but honestly, that also needs to be replaced as well, just because of how long it’s been there,” Teacher and Chair of the Fundraising Committee Kelly White told our newsroom.
The goal is to raise $600,000 for an accessible community play space.
“We want it to be a community playground so that everyone can benefit from it. It’s a lofty goal, but we’re trying to do what we can to make it there because we’d also like to add some things to the playground as well, like a community garden, as well as some outdoor learning spaces for children and it can be costly, ” White adds.
The committee began collecting funds last year, with an online auction, dances, snack sales and a few other events.
They’re currently organizing a ball for parents and their kids to attend, and they are also looking for sponsors.
All donations over $25 qualify for a tax receipt, and there’s also a callout to the business community.
“Our big push right now is to get out to the community and help them realize that our kids right now at our school are playing in a field, ” White says.
A sponsorship package is currently available online and donations can be made through school cash online.
