By Rich Eldred
Wickedlocal.com
Nov 17, 2008

BREWSTER - Wouldn’t it be nice to build the town a playground while sitting down at breakfast, munching a quick lunch or lounging in front of “Dr. Phil”?

Well, it’s a possibility provided you’re a healthy organic diner such as administrative assistant to the town administrator, Doreen Contrastano.

“I eat yogurt every single day, sometimes twice a day and mostly it is Stonyfield (Farms),” she recounted. “I also read everything I eat so one day I was looking at the top – Stonyfield – always has different programs, and this time you could get a playground for your town.”

The Stonyfield contest is in conjunction with KaBOOM! (a nonprofit) and the school or youth group that sends in the most specially marked yogurt tops (from 6-ounce or 32-ounce containers) can win a $50,000 grant toward construction of a playground. [More]

Learn more about the Stonyfield Farms grant opportunity.

By Nanci G. Hutson
Danbury (Conn.) News-Times
Oct. 28, 2008

NEW MILFORD -- Michelle Sanford and Michelle Johnson want neighbors, friends and residents to eat a lot of yogurt between now and Dec. 20.

Not only will it be a healthful addition to their diet, but it could help them build a replacement for the town's Creative Playground. The wooden playscape is considered unsafe and will soon be dismantled.

Stonyfield Farm is offering the school-based organization or youth group that collects the most of the specially marked lids on its 6-ounce and 32-ounce organic yogurt a $50,000 grant to build a volunteer-organized playscape. [More]

Learn more about the Stonyfield Farm-KaBOOM! grant opportunity.

 

By Nancy E. Serrand
Code Enforcement Officer/Chairperson, Playful City USA Committee
City of Canton, Ga.

In order to build a playspace, you need a design that suits your budget. In an economic crunch, it requires that you think about minimum requirements, lots of volunteers and a great deal of creative begging. Here are a few ideas:

1. Build benches and tables using 2 X 6 pressure treated-lumber and 4 x 4 posts.

2. Consider using a "living fence" -- a hedge or fence made out of shrubs. Most large landscapers, when doing corporate jobs, order far more than they need. Depending upon the type of shrub, 50 - 60 of them placed 4 feet apart will go a long way.

3. When pricing out equipment such as swings, slides and other play equipment, get at least three quotes. Make sure you let the vendor know your financial position in order to create competitive quotes and possible donations...

Did you know?

Organic yogurt-maker Stonyfield Farm is teaming up with KaBOOM! to provide much-needed places to play for two deserving schools or youth organizations!

One winner of the Stonyfield KaBOOM! "Double Play" program will win a $50,000 grant to build or improve a playground, skatepark, basketball court, sports field or other type of playspace.

That school or organization will then help select a second $50,000 grant recipient from a list of KaBOOM! applicants, chosen on the basis of their financial need.

Learn more.

Stonyfield Teams with KaBOOM! to Fund Play Spaces for Two Communities
Fundraising and Grants Blog
Organic yogurt maker Stonyfield Farm is teaming with KaBOOM!, the national nonprofit dedicated to bringing play back to the lives of children, to provide much-needed places to play for two deserving schools or youth organizations.
 
Stonyfield Teams with KaBOOM! to Fund Play Spaces for Two Communities
Arizona Afterschool Blog
Organic yogurt maker Stonyfield Farm is teaming with KaBOOM!, the national nonprofit dedicated to bringing play back to the lives of children, to provide much-needed places to play for two deserving schools or youth organizations.

Learn more about the KaBOOM! and Stonyfield Farms partnership.

Organic yogurt-maker Stonyfield Farm is teaming up with KaBOOM! to provide much-needed places to play for two deserving schools or youth organizations!

One winner of the Stonyfield KaBOOM! "Double Play" program will win a $50,000 grant to build or improve a playground, skatepark, basketball court, sports field or other type of playspace.

That school or organization will then help select a second $50,000 grant recipient from a list of KaBOOM! applicants, chosen on the basis of their financial need.

The Double Play Program is being promoted via Stonyfield Farm yogurt lids.

Schools, clubs and other organizations can collect specially-marked 6-ounce and 32-ounce yogurt lids and mail them with an entry form to Stonyfield Farm. The group that collects the most lids will be the winner.

The program ends Dec. 31, so get started collecting lids today!

Learn more.

Stonyfield Farm, celebrating its 25th year, is the world's leading organic yogurt company. Its all natural and certified organic yogurt, smoothies, milk, cultured soy, frozen yogurt and ice cream are distributed nationally. The company advocates that healthy food can only come from a healthy planet. Stonyfield donates 10 percent of its profits to efforts that help protect and restore the Earth. For more information about Stonyfield Farm, its products and initiatives, visit www.stonyfield.com.

Selling food is always a good way to raise funds. Consider selling subs at sporting events. Better yet, have a three-foot sub sale on the day of a special sporting event, like World Series games or Superbowl Sunday. [Learn more]

Add your own fundraising ideas to the wiki.

For once, being arrested, escorted to and locked up in jail is fun and beneficial to your community!  Popular “jail and bail” fundraisers involve arresting citizens and playspace supporters on trumped up charges, escorting them to a public space (jail) and having them make calls to friends and families for “bail.”  All bail money supports your project!

The event usually begins with someone calling “criminals,” informing them of their “arrest.”  Off-duty police officers or volunteers “arrest” the unsuspecting participant, serving them with a warrant. He or she is then whisked off to “jail."  An alternative is to have people make a donation, thereby earning the right to choose someone who will go to jail.  That person then has to either raise enough contributions to match their friend’s donation, or match bail set by a judge.
 
When the participants arrive at the “jail," their bail is set by a volunteer judge. With telephones and telephone books, the jailbirds make pledge calls to friends, relatives and co-workers to earn their bail. Most incarcerations last for one to two hours. [Learn more]

Add your own fundraising ideas to the wiki!

Know someone whose cooking gets rave reviews? How about someone whose desserts are out of this world!? Invite them to host a course of your progressive dinner party. Recruit host and hostesses that live in a close proximity to one another to open up their home in support of your playspace build. The amount of courses you have is endless. Go to one house for soup, then mosey to the next for salad. Don’t forget about appetizers. Then there’s dinner and, most importantly, dessert! [Learn more]

Add your own fundraising ideas to the wiki.

By Amy Lea
The Camden (Maine) Herald Reporter
Aug. 15, 2008

First-graders at Rockport Elementary School took fundraising for a new playground into their own hands when they combined their efforts to create and raffle a quilt.

Each student in Kim Wickenden’s class made their own unique fabric square this spring. And with assistance from parent volunteer Carrie Hedstrom, the quilt was pieced together, with each student's name sewn on the finished product.

“We wanted to do something as a class where all the children felt like they contributed to the playground and produce something that would also raise money,” Wickenden said.

A total of $801.95 was raised in raffle ticket sales, to fund the new playground at the West Rockport Campus. [More]

Learn more great fundraising ideas!

Non-events have become very popular fundraisers. With so many choices and event ideas available, you’ll be surprised at the number of people who will donate just for the opportunity to stay home! 

What is a non-event? It’s a made-up event that doesn’t really exist. What is great is that 100% of the proceeds go directly to your playspace! [Learn more]

Add your own fundraising ideas to the wiki!

By Rachel Warner Blosser

Our best fundraiser to date has been a murder mystery dinner called “Montana Marie Gets Gunned Down at 3!”

Many participants wore their best western apparel for the event. The performers greeted the guests in character at the “chili bar.” Following their western buffet dinner of pulled pork, barbecue ribs and chicken, the show began. With props, sound effects and tremendous ad-libbing, the performers presented the show while interacting with the dinner guests. The guests kept track of various clues throughout the show, and prior to intermission, the audience was given the opportunity to question the cast and determine the murderer and motive. After intermission, the murderer was revealed, and prizes were given to the super sleuth who figured out “whodunit” as well as the best-dressed cowboy and cowgirl.

With Scrabulous currently disabled on Facebook, people are looking for ways to show off their vocabularies and word-game skills...and this fundraising event will let them do just that! 

Register individuals and assign them to a team, or register whole teams of four, six or eight. Seated at different tables (each with a Scrabble board and all the letters available), each team starts with the same opening word, and has 20 minutes to fill the board with high-scoring words. [Learn more]

Add your own fundraising ideas to the wiki!

The American Academy of Dermatology's Shade Structure Program are grant awards ($8,000 each) for the purchase of permanent shade structures designed to provide shade and ultraviolet (UV) ray protection for outdoor areas.

Applications for the 2009 grants are now available to download. Only 501(c)(3) organizations that serve children and teenagers, ages 18 and younger are eligible. You can apply anytime between now and April 10, 2009. [More]

By Kim Lawrence
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
July 31, 2008

A gift from a soon-to-be second-grader and the complaints of a group of parents have prompted Moon Area School District to send a maintenance crew to J.A. Allard Elementary School to draw up a "to-do" list of repairs. In addition, the superintendent has e-mailed parents to schedule a meeting to address more long-term concerns.

Leah Baker, a pupil at Allard, turned 7 years old June 21. She chose to celebrate her birthday by giving rather than receiving.

The youngster donated $200 of her birthday money to the school district to fix her favorite slide in the school playground. [More]

Learn lots of great fundraising ideas in our Fundraising Ideas wiki!

Parents and Kids Want Goods to Sell That Do Some Good
By SIMONA COVEL
Wall Street Journal

For decades, children have hawked candy and cookie dough to friends and family to help fund extracurricular activities and school playgrounds.

Now a handful of entrepreneurs have set out to change that paradigm, offering ecologically friendly products for kids and parents to sell for school fund-raisers. From recycled wrapping paper to fair-trade coffee, the business owners are pitching the products as viable fund-raising alternatives for schools. [More]

Learn more about fundraising ideas and opportunities.

This hilarious, interactive game can result in huge donations for your playspace project. Community members such as students, parents, etc., pay to have a big pink flamingo in their neighbor’s or schoolmate’s front yard. In order to have the flamingo removed, the person that received the flamingo has to pay $5 to have it removed and placed in another yard. You’ll need more than one flamingo to start this game, or you can use your school’s mascot or anything else that has meaning to your community. Folks will love going out in the morning to see who got “flamingoed” the night before. [Learn more]

Add your own fundraising ideas to the wiki

Get local celebrities to dance for your playground! One playground committee had a disco theme and paired their event with a silent auction, raising $15,000! Encourage collaborative dances from various city officials. Choreography isn’t necessary – a lot of people know (but may not admit they know) how to do the Electric Slide, the Hustle, and the Macarena! [Learn more]

Add your own fundraising ideas to the wiki!

Children LOVE trucks—their flashing lights, big wheels, loud noises! Bring the excitement of real trucks to children in your community. Families will appreciate the opportunity to let kids see and touch for themselves! [Learn more]

Add your own fundraising ideas to the wiki.

Every one loves balloons and prizes. Put the two together and you have a “popping” good time! Insert a slip of paper into each balloon. Some slips of paper will be blank while others list a prize the lucky popper has won. Prizes can range from the very simple, like candy or small toys, to money. It’s up to you! [Learn more]

Add your own fundraising ideas to the KaBOOM! Fundraising Ideas wiki.

Ask your local grocery store to support your project by allowing you and other volunteers to bag groceries for an afternoon and collect tips for your playspace. Give each bagger a tip jar and display signs to tell customers what you are doing by the check-out aisles and the front of the store. This is a great way to heighten your community’s awareness about your project. [Learn more]

Add your own fundraising ideas to the KaBOOM! Fundraising Ideas wiki.

One of the biggest challenges facing any community-build playground project is fundraising. That is why KaBOOM! offers communities occasional grant opportunities to begin or complete playspace projects.

Here are our two current grant opportunities:

KaBOOM! - Grable Foundation Grant
The Grable Foundation and KaBOOM! are joining forces to offer an exciting grant opportunity to qualifying organizations in Allegheny; Butler; Beaver; Washington; and Westmoreland counties in Pennsylvania. This grant program demonstrates the Grable Foundation’s commitment to supporting community-based groups with a desire to build fun and healthy community playgrounds, and exemplifies how KaBOOM! empowers communities with the tools, knowledge and the inspiration necessary to create great places to play. There are two grants left! Download the application here.

Yet another reason to attend a WE Play! near you - $7,500 grants available! (Sponsored by KOOL-AID)
Do the kids in your community need great places to play? If your answer is YES, then sign up for one of our FREE Workshops Entirely on Play (WE Play!).

At select WE Play! events sponsored by KOOL-AID, (Atlanta, Los Angeles, Houston and Cleveland), applications will be available for five $7,500 grants toward building a playground in their community! Only WE Play! attendees are eligible to apply.

At WE Play!, you’ll learn how to plan, fund, and complete a community-build playground project AND advocate for more play in your community.

With the generous support of our partners KOOL-AID and The Home Depot, we've got FREE trainings scheduled across the country including Houston (July 10), Cleveland (Aug. 7), and Atlanta (Aug. 21) in the coming months. Get started on the path toward building a great playground today!

At select upcoming WE Play! events sponsored by KOOL-AID, five attendees will receive $7,500 grants toward building a playground in their community! These grants are available at the following events:

• Houston (July 10)
• Cleveland (Aug. 7)
• Atlanta (Aug. 21)

Learn more and register here.

Make your playspace dreams come true with the help of our webinars! From ideas for promoting play in your community to fundraising to working with the media, we've got you covered.

We've just announced some great new (free!) webinars. All you need is a phone and an Internet connection to participate!

Webinar topics for this summer include:

• Revitalizing Playspaces, Becoming Part of the Urban Parks Movement
• FUNdraising 101
• Becoming a KaBOOM! Community Partner
• Making the Ask: Getting Business Sponsorships
• EXTRA! EXTRA! Read All About It! Working with the Media during Your Playground Project
• Grant Writing 101

Register today!

KaBOOM! Web team + Bloxes, cups, and wads of paper = fun for all!
The KaBOOM! web team has set up a fun game in their pod using Bloxes, cups, and little wads of paper. How do you and your coworkers have fun? 
 
You can't spell "Forums" without "Awesome posts"
Among the highlights:

• Looking to volunteer? Help out tcla!
• Ideas for summer fundraisers
• Advice on how to ensure play exists in your community 

Did you know?
When viewing someone's profile, you can send them a private message by clicking this button: 
 

Want to check your own messages? Login and click the "My KaBOOM!" button on the top of every page. On the left side of the page, you'll see something like this:

Simply click those buttons to check your messages!

Beacon residents raising funds for playground equipment
By DUANE NOLLEN
The Oskaloosa (Iowa) Herald
May 9, 2008

OSKALOOSA — The city of Beacon needs some new playground equipment at the City Hall grounds, and Jennifer Thomas-Maxwell has been working for about a year to make it happen.

...

Thomas-Maxwell said there will be many family activities during the two-day fund-raising event at City Hall. There will be carnival rides, games, concessions, a bake sale, face painting, a street dance and an auction.

“We’ll also be doing family pictures,” she said. Bubbafly Photography will do the family portraits.

“We’ll have small games. … There will be a greased pig contest Saturday … and a street dance Saturday night,” she said.

Almost 30 local businesses are contributing $4,494 of merchandise for the auction.

...

Read the full article

Check out the fundraising section of our Toolkit for more ideas!

Do the kids in your community need great places to play? If your answer is YES, then sign up for one of our FREE Workshops Entirely on Play (WE Play!).

At select WE Play! events sponsored by KOOL-AID, (Atlanta, Los Angeles, Houston and Cleveland), applications will be available for five $7,500 grants toward building a playground in their community! Only WE Play! attendees are eligible to apply.

At WE Play!, you’ll learn how to plan, fund, and complete a community-build playground project AND advocate for more play in your community.

With the generous support of our partners KOOL-AID and The Home Depot, we've got FREE trainings scheduled across the country including Charlotte (May 13), Chicago (May 16) Los Angeles (June 5), Houston (July 10) and New Orleans (July 25) in the coming months. Get started on the path toward building a great playground today!

Kids help raise funds for playground
San Carlos children holding joint birthday party for Burton Park

By Mark Abramson, San Mateo County (Calif.) Times

April 27, 2008

Two San Carlos children are holding a joint birthday bash Sunday to help raise funds for a new playground in Burton Park.

Chase Wienckowski and Natalie Williams, along with 30 of their friends, will set up lemonade stands during their 11th birthday party in the park. They plan on holding a competition to see which stand can sell the most lemonade and raise the most money for the playground.

"They wanted to help," San Carlos Parks and Recreation Director Barry Weiss said. "We are getting close."

About $76,000 is still needed for the new playground, Weiss said. The city has contributed $415,000 for the $850,000 project, another $253,000 has been raised by selling naming rights to parts of the future playground and an additional $106,000 has been collected.

...

Read the full article

Discuss fundraising in the Forums!

Dance, auction boost Stratham playground plan

Monday, April 21, 2008
Foster’s (N.H.) Daily Democrat

PORTSMOUTH — Stratham residents and town officials brought out Afro wigs, fake handlebar mustaches, pastel dresses and knee-length stockings for the second Dancing with the Stratham Stars fundraiser Saturday night in the Sheraton Harborside hotel ballroom.

The event, put on by the Stratham Playground Committee and Stratham Recreation Commission, featured disco dancing, a silent auction and a raffle, with proceeds going to the second phase of construction for a children's playground at Stevens Park.

Claire Ellis, a mother of four and a member of the playground committee, led the ceremonies Saturday night. She said the group was hoping to raise $15,000 to cover the costs of adding a large playstructure maze to the existing playground.

...

Saturday's disco-themed event featured a collaborative "hustle" dance by town officials, including Recreation Department Director Tara Barker, the Rev. David Dodge of the Stratham Community Center, Assistant Fire Chief David Emanuel and Selectmen Kirk Scammon. Auction items on display included jewelry, handbags, sports memorabilia, artwork by local artists, pottery and gift certificates to local restaurants.

Read the full article
Find more fundraising ideas
Discuss fundraising in our Forums

Don't miss out: The KaBOOM!/The Home Depot Grant applications are due Tuesday, April 15!

KaBOOM! and The Home Depot have once again partnered to offer $4500 grants to communities building playgrounds by June 1, 2008. Forty grants are available. All playgrounds must be built by June 1, 2008 and must follow the KaBOOM! Community-Build Model. Download the application form here. Applications are due April 15th.

Check out the new "Community Involvement" section of the KaBOOM! online Toolkit, where you can learn how to find great resources in your community for volunteers, fundraising, tool donation, and more!

"Community Involvement" complements all the other Toolkit sections by guiding you through the Asset-Based Community Development process, which helps you and your planning team identify people, associations, institutions and businesses in your community that can help with your playground project.

Share your wisdom with others! If your team comes up with a great idea for an individual, association, business or institution that can help with your playspace project, you can add it to the "Community Involvement" lists of individuals, associations, businesses and institutions to seek out. Each of these sections of the Toolkit can be edited or added to by anyone!

Read the "Community Involvement" section of the online Toolkit.