Moose Lodge Supports Union Local Elementary Sensory Playground Project
Carri Graham Union Local Elementary School will soon have a new sensory playground for special needs students after raising around $50,000 in donations from the community for the project.
On Thursday, Lafferty Moose Lodge members met with project organizers and students to present a $1,000 check for the project, bringing the school's total donations to $50,000.
Marsha Butler, administrator for the Lafferty Moose Lodge, said supporting community projects is what the lodge is all about.
"Anything that our lodge can do to reach out to help anyone in the community, and especially a project like this. This is going to help so many of the kids in our community and in our school district, it's going to be great. It warms my heart, and I know it warms our members' hearts when we can do stuff," she said, adding that the lodge donates every year to a variety of programs, projects and residents in need. "We do try to really reach out and participate as much as possible in community things. This one here, this has to be one of our biggest things to be proud of to donate to."
Butler said the lodge recently secured the funds through a marketing program offered by Moose International that aims to assist community projects.
"It was something that we felt would be a great benefit to everyone, and (we're) hoping that more people see this. I don't think enough people have been able to see what they're trying to do here at Union Local, so hopefully this will help them make it further out to people so they can get more donations to complete their project," she said.
Elementary Principal Dana Kendziorski said the school is grateful for all the community's support in raising funds for the project.
"It wouldn't be possible without the community's donations," she said.
Kendziorski said the idea for the project was sparked two years ago by her daughter, elementary school intervention specialist Jessica Anderson. They have been working since then to raise the money needed to construct the playground, which will include equipment such as a slide, wobble sphere, a quiet grove to limit sounds, animal sound panels, conga drums and a merry-go-round with wheelchair access. The total cost to complete the project is around $96,000.
"It's a huge undertaking, but we've started the collection and we've been able to come up with $50,000. We've ordered the sensory equipment, so we still have to collect to get the extra equipment," she said.
Anderson said she has been working with special needs students at the school for more than four years and has learned much from them. She said she wants them to be able to enjoy their time spent outside with their peers. The sensory playground will enable them to do just that.
School officials are hoping to have some of the equipment they have already been able to purchase set up by spring. A sign will be placed near the playground including names of those who donated toward the project.
Anyone interested in donating can send checks to: Union Local Elementary School, 66699 Belmont-Morristown Rd., Belmont, OH 43718. Designate the gift for "sensory playground" in the memo line.