Keenooshayo students got a new playground over the weekend, thanks to the generosity of a local company and the dedication of parent volunteers who rolled up their sleeves to help build it.
In August, the playground was destroyed in a fire. Most of it was removed at the beginning of September.
The old playground was built in 2007 after members of the Keenooshayo Parents’ Association raised approximately $30,000, which was matched by a grant from the province.
“The parents were obviously really upset because it was really important to our community,” Principal Michael Erikson said earlier this month.
“But now it’s going to be great because it’s going to be all of us once again working together to put the playground back in for the students of our school but also for our community,” he added.
“When the playground is destroyed, it does have an impact on the community.”
On Friday and Saturday, a number of parent volunteers were on hand to help install the new playground, including city councillor Cathy Heron, whose three children attend Keenooshayo.
According to her, a local company, Peak Playgrounds, offered to help the school with their $10,000 deductible.
“In their quote they had about $8,000 set aside to hire labour to put the playground in but they offered, if we could get volunteers to do the playground, to donate that portion back to the school to pay the deductible on the insurance,” Heron explained.
“In the end, we had to raise a couple of thousand dollars, which wasn’t that hard to do.”
Heron said parents raised the money through bake sales and parent donations.
“It was a disappointment when the playground was vandalized this summer but in the end, it just provided another opportunity for the community to come together.”
