The school community of Ladner Elementary needs your help to realize its dream of a new all-inclusive playground.
More than $250,000 has been earmarked for the project, which would see new playground equipment, resurfacing and replacing two courtyards at the 44th Avenue school.
According to playground committee fundraising coordinator Natascha McGregor, the project really started gaining momentum in March.
“We really started looking at the state of the equipment and the area in general,” McGregor said. “We decided that we didn’t want to piecemeal by just replacing some of the play equipment. This needs to be a fun place for the kids during school hours, but also for the community as a whole to utilize after school hours.”
After several brainstorming sessions, a committee was struck through the help of the school’s PAC looking to build a new natural playground.
“We are trying to create a playground that will be the footprint for all new playgrounds right across Canada,” she said. “We want to create a space that is inclusive and where all children of all abilities can come to play.”
McGregor said they have had great discussions with the Delta school board as well as the Corporation of Delta about possible funding.
In order to be eligible for next year’s round of funding at both the school district and municipal levels, the playground committee must raise at least 25 per cent of the budget. The committee is actively fundraising in the community and has applied for six community grants.
One of the grants is through Envision Financial, which is awarding a $50,000 grant to one organization to further a community-focused project.
Community members can get involved with this granting project by registering at volinspire.com via Facebook, Linkedin or email address. Once that is done, then click on the Ladner Elementary page at: https://volinspire.com/post/11070 and click on any one of the emojis at the bottom of the page. Voting takes place from now until June 23. The 10 organizations that receive the most votes will be reviewed by a selection committee with the winners announced on June 29 just in time to celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary on July 1.
“This is a local grant, which is fantastic, and it would be a real boost to us to get the 25 per cent we need to get us in line for further funding from Delta and the school district,” said McGregor. “We really appreciate any support we can get from the community. This is a special project that can really be a huge benefit for everyone.”
