A message from Kate Avinger, Jenifer Borg, and Jenifer Marquardt. Kate is currently a
member of the Vestry; all three are very involved with the spiritual and physical welfare
of the children of St. Gregory the Great.
Capital Campaign Playground Improvements
Introduction
The future of St. Gregory’s and the broader beloved community can be found in the
faces of our children. Families are an integral part of a thriving parish life. Our current
playground needs improvement, so that we can offer a safe and welcoming place for
our families with children.
A playground is a wonderful space to build relationships. Both children and parents can
bond when a playground provides safe areas for playing, supervising, and visiting with
one another. Hopefully, too, a safe and attractive play space will be a draw for families.
Our children dream big! Suggestions from children include a football field, basketball
court, and batting cage! We adults have the challenge of balancing our budgetary
constraints against our desire to give the children back some of the joy they bring to us.
Kate Avinger, Eddie Van Giesen, our shepherds, Sunday School teachers, and our
Vestry have researched and considered ways to make our children’s outdoor space
safer and more appealing, and we have tons of ideas. Depending on funds raised, here
are the needs that have been identified.
First, A Safe Playground Surface
Children can be brave explorers! Sometimes … too brave and too creative in how they
explore playground equipment. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety
Commission, most playground injuries occur when a child falls from the equipment onto
the ground. Did you know that grass and dirt are not officially considered safe landing
surfaces? An improved surface such as sand, rubberized tile playground flooring, or
rubberized, shock-absorbing mulch is needed to minimize injury risk.
A Surrounding Fence is a Must
In addition to providing fencing to fulfill a legal requirement to discourage unauthorized
use of the playground, fencing would safely separate the playground area from the
dangers of the parking lot and the street. A fence would also delineate what is play
space and what is not, both for the safety of our children and for the safety of
parishioners trying to navigate the adjacent sidewalk. Using high-latching gates would
also keep small children from leaving or entering on their own.
At present, many of our children feel completely safe moving from building to building
to patio to playground all on their own. Though it is wonderful that they feel safe here at
St. Gregory’s, a fence would facilitate easier supervision for the safety of our beloved
children.
What The Children Really Want Is Improved Play Structures
The play tower we have now was designed and built with love by beloved members of
our own community and has served us for many years. On a shoestring budget of
about $20,000, we could both attend to safety concerns and do some things to make
our play tower more fun and reduce the risk of splinters. For example, we could add a
roof, replace the wooden side panels with cargo netting, replace the wooden handrails
with pvc, put little benches under the platform for a clubhouse feel, and add a rope or
net climbing feature. We could also shore it up with some more beams running from
ground to platform.
If we had more capital improvement funding, like the full $30,000 we’re requesting or
beyond, it would be nice to acquire one or more pieces of certified safe play equipment
which are specially designed to avoid a variety of hazards. Different pieces would offer
play opportunities for various skill levels, age groups, and interests. Climbing features,
a more appealing slide, and more swings would be fun for the children. A swing that
would work for any person with disabilities, child or adult, would be great!
We Would Like To Provide Shelter From The Sun And Inclement Weather
There are a number of advantages to shade structures. For instance:
- Children can play longer and at various times of the day without overheating
- Equipment will be cooler to the touch
- Users are protected from harmful ultraviolet rays which increase the risk of
cancer later in life
- We extend the life of the playground equipment itself
Some shade structures also provide protection from rain, allowing play during mild
weather conditions. While we are shading children from the sun, sheltered seating
would also be welcome for adults and others who supervise children.
Naturally, those of us who work most closely with the children long for an improved
playground to entertain, inspire, and give the children a place to build relationships and
make memories with one another. We hope that all members of our congregation see
that improving the playground is also an investment in St. Gregory’s that increases our
numbers and secures our place in the Athens community for future generations.
If improving the playground is important to you, the way to do it is through a donation to
the Capital Campaign. It’s one way to nourish our people so we can grow our church.
We do this by generating excitement about coming to church for our existing members
and making the church a more appealing place for those who are looking for a church
home. We’d like to be able to say, to even more families with children, “Welcome home."
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