What is it like to send your child to a school with no playground?
“Interesting” says one parent who joined the fundraising society last year to help raise funds for a playground for RancheView School, which opened last fall.
“You hear about it a lot – (the kids) are always looking for things to do during recess,” said Aaron Gertzen, president of the RancheView Fundraising Society.
As a father to two children at the school – one in kindergarten and one on Grade 3, Gertzen said the society is hopeful to be able to raise half of its $300,000 goal by mid-June in order to qualify for an Alberta grant that would match $150,000. If there are no delays, construction on the new playground would start by the fall.
“Hopefully, prior to the school year,” Gertzen said.
“It is challenging being such a large school and such a large project with parents responsible for it.”
New schools in Alberta do not come with a playground leaving the $250,000 (minimum) responsibility up to parents.
But with the help of community support, private donors and as funds from the Monumental Tournament of Aces last October, the president said the society is at approximately 80 per cent of its goal to raise half of the money by June.
Over the last year, the society has also been “fairly aggressive” with the fundraising strategy, Gertzen said.
From bottle drives, to shopping nights, to raffles, the society just unveiled its latest big-ticket raffle last week. With only 500 tickets printed at $100 each, prizes include a Caribbean Cruise, trips to New York, Punta Cana, Disneyland, and Cuba, and eight chances at cash prizes.
The society is hopeful to sell all the raffle tickets, sale ending June 9, and get one step closer to their goal.
For more information, check out the society’s Facebook page at ‘RancheView School Fundraising Society’ or go to the website at rancheview.rockyview.ab.ca/fundraising.
