By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
The parents and teachers at Jefferson Elementary School decided it was time for some new playground equipment, so they went out and raised the funds to get it. Ashley Klein, parent point person for the Jefferson PTO, said the community helped raise nearly $40,000 for the new equipment, which was installed in October.
“The Jefferson PTO decided it was time for the playground to get a new piece of equipment,” she said. “We actually have the oldest playground in all of the district. We decided to do a fundraiser, and 100 percent of the money we raised would go to the new piece of equipment.”
Letters were sent to area businesses, community members, parents, and other people with ties to the school. The PTO communicated with parents on Facebook and at meetings, and new equipment was researched at several meetings. The PTO narrowed the search to a Kansas City-area company.
“From there, we worked with one of their specialists,” Klein said. “Based on our budget, she gave us an array of options. I think we narrowed it down to five or six, then we did some voting both with some of the kids in the school, the teachers, and the PTO.”
Klein said it has been a rewarding experience to be a part of the process, from recognizing the need for new equipment, to fundraising, to purchasing and installing the new piece.
“There are lots of areas of play on the one piece,” she said. “It allows lots of kids to be engaged at the same time, which is a huge bonus for any playground.”
Major contributors to the project include: Dan & Alicia Lear & Family, Jefferson School, Josie Lin, Bauer Pike Law, 2023-24 STUCO, Chism Trash, Wheatland Electric, and Earl & Judy Fox.
