A remote northern B.C. town needs all the help it can get to build a new playground for the only school in the community.
The old one had to be shut down because of safety concerns.
The Nus Wadeezulh Community School has 21 students, from kindergarten to Grade 8. The entire community of Takla Landing is only about a hundred people strong.
School principle Elaine Dickinson says she had to make a tough decision to close down the playground because it was just not suitable for children to play at.
“The boards of the jungle gym are damaged and rotting, the paint is peeling, and some of the bolts are missing,” says Dickinson. “The basketball court is a danger zone which uneven bricks, broken hoops and unsafe playing conditions. There is also ancient metal play equipment… which needs to be removed and disposed of.”
Since the playground was shut down, Dickinson’s students have been forced to play with gym equipment in front of the school on the dirt road.
PHOTO GALLERY: The old playground at the Nus Wadeezulh Community School in Takla Landing
“Coming from a bigger city center, I know what’s available and it kind of broke my heart. Because they do not have anything. There’s not ten parks here to go play at. Here, whatever we have is what we have,” says Dickinson.
She says a couple of students got hurt while playing on the playground.
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“And it was not from them not using the equipment properly…These kids live for recess. They are outside all the time. So once that happened, I had to close it, and that really put the fire in me to get this stuff going.”
While Dickinson is trying to navigate through the bureaucratic maze required to secure the necessary funds to get a new playground, she is also taking matters into her own hands.
Last week, she started a fundraising campaign through the Aviva Community Fund.
Right now, they are in the qualifying round with 698 votes and just two days left to vote.
The school is up against hundreds of other community projects with thousands of votes, including a campaign to build an accessible playground at Evans Elementary School in Chilliwack.
But Dickinson says they have hope.
She says many of her students are struggling academically and lack of a proper playground is hampering their progress.
“Half of our students struggle with staying focused during class time, making it very difficult for them to sit for long lengths of time to accomplish the tasks at hand…The benefits for them to have somewhere to burn of this pent-up energy and let their imagination sore would be life changing.”
To vote for the school, go to the project page here.
To donate directly, the school has set up a fundraising account.
Account Number (CIBC) – 02050 33-01613 Branch Transit Number – 02050
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