A $5,000 donation and challenge from Peavey Mart inspired a Sept. 11 announcement of a new playground at Father Gorman Community School.
“Father Gorman thinks of itself as a family. And it's times like this where that family really comes alive in our community,” said Nigel McCarthy, director of education for the Lloydminster Catholic School Division.
Since an Aug. 22 fire destroyed the playground, people have been actively calling to show support and ask how they can help. It started with former student, Jest Sidloski, hours after they heard the news. Sidloski is now the vice president at Peavey Mart and is based in Red Deer.
“He called me up the next day, so you can imagine you're dealing with a loss, and one of the first phone calls you take is, 'How can I be a part of this,'” recounted McCarthy of the conversation.
That first $5,000 donation became a challenge for other community members to step up and help rebuild the playground. Furthermore, the goal is not only to rebuild the old structure but also to make it more inclusive to the community.
This morning, Tammy Clark, the acting manager at the local Peavey Mart, was on hand to present the cheque. Additionally, she highlighted the importance of community involvement in the project.
“We want to see the rebuild done as fast as possible and we're happy to support it in this way,” said Clark. “We are challenging other companies to step up and follow our lead with this."
Playground peaks thanks to community
This morning's announcement outlined an ambitious timeline, aiming to have a new playground built by Thanksgiving. Additionally, they announced other community members have already come through with their support.
- Sveer Maintenance has made an in-kind donation of trucking services
- Feldspar has donated the P-gravel
- Iron Will Metalworks has donated $5,000
- the City of Lloydminster made an in-kind donation of labour valued at around $10,000
Jordan Newton, the city's senior manager of parks and green space, emphasized the importance of actively engaging with community partners when situations like this arise. Since the area around the school is so diverse, he hopes the project helps everyone, not just the school.
“Having good, safe green spaces in our community is important. Not only to families but children and their development,” said Newton. “Having the ability to get out and play ultimately leads to positive development for kids. That goes for both the students and the residents of this area.”
Father Gorman's principal, Scott Young, described how they quickly completed the process through multiple consultations. After speaking with students, teachers, and other community partners, they feel confident they've created the best possible structure. Additionally, he expressed how deeply the community's outreach has touched him so far.
“We see this as an opportunity to make something bigger and better for our kids. So, there's been a lot of people involved,” said Young.
“Huge thanks go right back to the beginning with emergency services, the school division, the community, our staff and our students. Everybody's involved in making something even bigger, seeing this as an opportunity for our Father Gorman family.”
In the end, that was the overall message from this morning's announcement, summed up by McCarthy, who talked about the board slogan for the year of “building the kingdom” and how this fits.
“How can we build this back for a community?” asked McCarthy. “That's what Father Gorman is about. It's about building community.”
The board still seeks in-kind donations, especially lumber and other contributions, to support the project. Peavey Mart and the LCSD encourage anyone interested in helping to contact them directly.
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