Skip to content

Parents rally for new playground at Keating Elementary

Keating Home and School Association Playground Committee seeking $150,000 for Keating Elementary to get a playground makeover

A group of parents who formed the Keating Home and School Association Playground Committee have applied to win up to $150,000 for Keating Elementary to get a playground makeover.

Trisha Oates, one of the parents on the committee, said the playground structures at Keating are in major need of an overhaul.

“The playgound is in desperate need of fixing up, so applying for this money was a great opportunity for us to possibly be able to fund the upgrades on our own,” Oates said. “The playground isn’t just for the school, it’s for the good of our community so this would be a great thing to win.”

The committee applied for the grant through Aviva Insurance’s Community Fund Program which sees the company donate thousands of dollars each year to winners selected from hundreds of submitted proposals.

“Our playground committee was started last year after we realized it really needed upgrading,” Oates explained.

“We held a spring fair last year which raised $20,000 towards the playground upgrades but costs for only one play structure can run $70,000 to $120,000 and Keating has three.”

The group submitted their application to Aviva on Sept. 24 and supporters have until Oct. 15 to vote online for their choice of who will win the grant.

“If we get enough votes to get through the first round, there will be two more rounds of online voting and then a judging panel to pick the finalists,” Oates said.

“People can vote online everyday and the more votes we get the better chance we have of winning.”

People who wish to vote for the Keating Home and School Association’s proposal can visit http://www.avivacommunityfund.org/ideas/acf13520 and click on the vote link. One vote per person per day is allowed.