CCCF Community Impact Story: Panther Valley Playground

In 2018, Panther Valley School District received a $1000 grant from the Fund for Carbon County for their Elementary School Playground project. Recognizing that every child deserves access to a playground at school, Principal Robert Palazzo and Bertha Schreffler (grandparent of a student) spearheaded a community fundraising effort to raise the more than $47,000 needed for this project.

The Community Foundation’s support came toward the end of the project after publicity in the newspaper announced the project was making good progress, but was in need of additional funding.

“I was moved when I read an article sharing the story of how school children were bringing in pennies, nickels, and dimes to contribute so they could have a playground,” said CCCF Executive Director Amber Breiner. “I was also impressed by the community participation, both in volunteer hours and financial contributions. This was a project that really mattered to the residents and business people in the Panther Valley area. So, I reached out to the District and encouraged them to apply for a grant so our Board of Directors could consider helping with the final push to reach their fundraising goal.”

The playground was built (read more about this volunteer-led effort here) and officially opened on August 23, 2018. It will be open daily for the K-3 students during the school day, as well as after school for the community to enjoy.