George Freeman School fundraising for playground

Posted on: Staff Writer

From edition: December 13 2019 Strathmore Times

By Christine Foshaug Times Contributor

Junior high leadership students Vaughn Hoffman (14), Koby Oickle (13) and Matthew Michaud (14) manned the admission table at George Freeman School’s movie night on Nov. 29. More than 170 people attended and they raised $1,300 that will go toward the playground loan. Junior high leadership students Vaughn Hoffman (14), Koby Oickle (13) and Matthew Michaud (14) manned the admission table at George Freeman School’s movie night on Nov. 29. More than 170 people attended and they raised $1,300 that will go toward the playground loan. Christine Foshaug Photo

Junior high leadership students Vaughn Hoffman (14), Koby Oickle (13) and Matthew Michaud (14) manned the admission table at George Freeman School’s movie night on Nov. 29. More than 170 people attended and they raised $1,300 that will go toward the playground loan.
Junior high leadership students Vaughn Hoffman (14), Koby Oickle (13) and Matthew Michaud (14) manned the admission table at George Freeman School’s movie night on Nov. 29. More than 170 people attended and they raised $1,300 that will go toward the playground loan.
Christine Foshaug Photo
Raising $73,000 sounds like a daunting task but the staff, students and parents at George Freeman School (GFS) have come up with a number of creative ways to raise funds.
The Keith Schneider Community Playground at GFS, which features a merry-go-round, a beehive/spider web, slides, flipping bars, tall trees and a parkour course, was completed in time for the start of the 2019-20 school year. However, the school had to borrow $73,000.
In total, the playground cost $420,000. A government grant of $250,000 and a $50,000 sponsorship from the Town of Strathmore were instrumental in seeing the project come to fruition.
“It is truly a community playground, not just a school playground,” said associate principal Jill McDonald. “It’s accessible with pour-in-place rubber surfacing to allow strollers, walkers and wheelchairs to use it.”
McDonald and a parent committee are responsible for coming up with fundraising campaigns and implementing them. In September, they had a Welcome Back Family Barbecue and a Sobeys gift card fundraiser. In October, they sold meat (bacon, beef, chicken and pork). And they’re holding a Christmas Craft Night on Friday, Dec. 6.
Students are also involved in the fundraising efforts. Junior high leadership classes hosted a movie night on Friday, Nov. 29.
“Movie night was great,” said McDonald. “We had over 170 people in attendance and made a profit of $1,300 through admission and concession sales. The money will go toward the loan we have for the playground. Home Hardware donated their popcorn machine and popcorn, which was very kind and helpful.”
Between January and August, they raised $97,000 through fundraising and sponsorships. Fundraising will continue for the rest of the school year, since the loan has to be paid off by the end of June.
Meat sales, which are the most profitable school fundraisers, will be held again in February and May. Students will participate in a walk-a-thon in April, and there will be a paintball event in June.
From December to March, the school will be selling tickets for a cash raffle, with a grand prize of $10,000. The fundraising committee’s goal is to exceed the $73,000 loan payment so they can incorporate a picnic patio into the playground. Swings are also on the wish list.
“It is amazing seeing how busy the playground is,” explained McDonald. “There are consistently members of the community using it, and it has become a meeting place. It allows everyone to be active, which is one of the main pillars of our school and is designed to meet the needs of all ages, from toddler to adult. Our junior high students also love to use it. The social and physical learning that happens when students are on the playground is important and you really can see them grow and change.”