Planning a Playground

Introduction: A group of community residents are meeting for the first time to discuss raising funds for a neighborhood playground.

Betty: I’m Betty. Hi. Betty Wilson. Hi David.

Phil: Phil Farmer.

Betty: Hello.

Phil: Hello.

Betty: Hi, Betty.

Aisha: Hi, Betty. I’m Aisha.

Betty: Aisha.

Aisha: Nice to meet you.

Ray: Hi. Ray Wentworth.

David: Hi.

Ray: I’m a teacher. David, Phil, Alicia?

Aisha: Aisha.

Ray: Aisha? Aisha?

Aisha Aisha. Yeah, like I-esha.

Betty: I’m new here. My kids just started. We moved to, in over the summer, and so

Aisha: Congratulations.

Phil: Oh. Welcome.

Betty: I try to be helpful here, but I just joined to meet people, really.

David: Well, I think that’s great. But I think why everyone else is here is for this meeting on the playground. And we’re here to come up with a way of funding that. And maybe we can start with coming up with a budget. Does anyone have an idea as to how much to spend?

Aisha: Just after hearing that this was going to be discussed tonight, I did a little bit of research online. For a very basic playground is 5,000 and it goes all the way up to 50,000. And when I looked at the apparati that I thought would be good for kids K through six, I think 35,000 would be a good target budget.

Phil: Well – go ahead.

Ray: I was just going to say, I’ve looked around a bit, and 35, I don’t know. I guess that’d be good, but I think we should just aim as high as we can.

Phil: Okay. Because I was – I was thinking the opposite, kind of, that we should aim lower, you know, aim for functionality, safety of course.

David: Well, Phil, I think that you’re right that we certainly need to make it functional and a safe place and a fun place, as well. And maybe for the time being I think that there’s a middle ground. Let’s start out with a-a target budget of maybe 35,000, as Aisha described.

Aisha: Okay, great.

David: If that’s okay.

Betty: Yeah.

Phil: Sure.

David: Let’s move on to the second big issue why we’re here and that’s to come up with the $35,000. Does anyone have any ideas?

Aisha: Like fundraisers, obviously.

David. Yes. Betty?

Betty: Well, it worked at our church in the other town where I, we lived. We had a great bake sale twice a year. It raised quite a lot. So I could organize that. Usually, you know, it’s a big success.

Phil: Like, you know, cupcakes and cakes and

Betty: Oh, anything.

Phil: Bake sale.

Betty: Yeah.

Ray: That’s great. It really is. But I just don’t know if it’ll raise enough. Will it?

Phil: Yeah, probably not.

Ray: You know? I mean, not to

Phil: Yeah.

Ray: come off with any [indiscernible].

Aisha: Okay, well, so there, are there other things?

David: In my experience in working with the school committee, in past committee work that I’ve had is that we’ve done grant proposals for things that we’re involved in.

Aisha: Foundations.

David: Or approach – exactly. Approaching foundations.

Aisha: Does anybody know, do any of us here know anybody on a foundation possibly?

Betty: Well, and this is total long shot, but I have an old friend who is a member of a family. Her name is Wendy Clark and we go way back.

Aisha: The Clark Foundation.

Betty: Yes. You know it?

David: With Clark Furniture.

Betty: Yes. Yes, yes. Well, they’re old friends. And I mean, I’d be happy, if it’s of any help at all, to give her a call and see if this would maybe fit in their guidelines?

David: Betty, this would be phenomenal.

Aisha: This is great, right?

Phil: That is a great idea.

Ray: No, that’s definitely, maybe she could help out with the bake sale? Joking.

Betty: I’m the baker.