Schools

Woody's Helps Launch Campaign for New Strawberry Point Playground

Woody's Yogurt Place presented a $2,600 check to the elementary school, which announced a fundraising campaign to replace its aging play structure.

Strawberry Point Elementary School is $2,600 closer to getting a new playground, thanks to a check from Woody’s Yogurt Place.

Owner Brian Woodson and his father Michael Woodson wrapped up the over-sized check and presented it on stage during the end of year International Potluck. Student council officers West Hauser, Ben Reade, Sam Blair and Serafina Carlucci tore through the paper to reveal the amount.

“Our fundraiser was more than double what Woody’s Weekends have produced in the past,” said Strawberry Point PTA President Jennifer Forbeck.

The money was raised during Saturday May 11 and Sunday May 12, when Woody’s placed a bucket on the counter. When a customer mentioned the elementary school their receipt went into the bucket. Woody’s added up the receipts at the end of the weekend, and wrote a check to Strawberry Point for the total.

Including the recent check, over the past year the school has raised nearly $18,000 toward the cost of a new playground, which is estimated at $75,000 to $100,000. The current playground is reaching the end of its 10-13-year life span, and safety codes have changed so the structure is out of date.  The district’s insurance company could order its removal at any time, without notice.

However, the equipment is still up to par, for now. They’ve been told there’s no rush and it’s not unsafe, but it’s aging, Forbeck said.

“We have a couple more years, but we’re trying to be prepared,” she said. The school officially launched its campaign for the new playground on Friday, and hopes to raise enough in the next two years to have a new structure in place by the spring of 2015.

The playground will be build within the current footprint, but with enrollment at 425 students, the new design will accommodate more kids. The playground also benefits the greater community.

“There are a lot of people who come to Strawberry Point in the afternoon and evening to use the playground,” Forbeck said.

She hopes fundraising efforts extend beyond Strawberry Point School and include residents and businesses, with Woody’s setting a good example.


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