Penticton school seeks helping hand with new playground
It wasn’t too long ago, in 2007, that the Penticton Christian School officially moved into their new buildings on Edmonton Ave. Now, they’re beginning the drive to replace the older wooden playground next to the building.
“The wooden playground structure in the PCS play yard has served its purpose for the school’s students and children in the surrounding community, but it is time to replace it,” said Principal Karl Boehmer. To do so, the K-12 private school has joined forces with Let Them Be Kids, an international volunteer organization with operations in nine countries, including Canada.
“The parent support group did the research and found them,” said Boehmer, adding that last year, OK Falls was the recipient of a Helping Hands award from the organization, helping a community group replace the aging wooden playground in Kenyon Park with a modern, safer structure.
“They have decided they would like to support a Christian school in replacing their playground structures,” said Boehmer. The school is the recipient of one of a 100 Helping Hands playground awards the organization is making in 2010, matching funds with money raised in each community to build playgrounds.
Started over a decade ago by Ian and Gina Hill in an attempt to help the homeless children of their own community Let Them Be Kids was named by the World Leisure Congress as one of the four most innovative leisure programs in the world.
According to the organization’s literature, each award will help schools, community based organizations and neighbourhood groups build needed playgrounds, skate parks and fitness parks, all while building the capacity of communities to take on their own challenges.
PCS has named several goals for their project, including encouraging a healthy lifestyle that includes outdoor physical activity, promoting youth leadership, bringing community partners together for the greater good of the community.
Perhaps the most important goal, however, is to bring joy to kids inside and outside the school.
“When we build our playground, it is open access for people living around the school as well, on the weekends and after school hours,” said Boehmer, who added that the playground is just the start of a three-year project that will see the area neighbouring the KVR trail developed with exercise equipment and benches.
The design of the playground will be the result of choices made by the school's students through a process called “dot-mocracy,” as the children vote the bits and pieces by placing coloured dots next to their favourites.
“The kids identify elements of what they would like to see and then Let Them Be Kids provides the knowhow to put it all together,” said Boehmer. “Then they design a playground that would be suitable to the location and is based on the kids’ feedback.
Build Day has been set for Saturday, June 5, when volunteers from the entire community will complete the playground project and celebrate working together. To get there, however, the school’s playground committee has to raise half the funds for the $30000 project, with the other 50 per cent coming through matching funds from the Helping Hand award.
While the committee is already planning fundraising events, including a walkathon for early April, they’re also appealing to their existing donor base as well as individuals, businesses and groups throughout the community that are willing to partner with PCS on this project.
If you would like to make a contribution, volunteer for Build Day, or receive more information, you can contact the school at 250-493-5233 or send a cheque to Penticton Christian School, 102-96 Edmonton Ave., Penticton, BC, V2A 2G8. All donations of $20 or more will receive a tax receipt.
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