SCA’s Service Excellence Center Donation Puts School One Step Closer to New, Safer Equipment
TOWN OF MENASHA, Wis. -- SCA, a global hygiene and paper company with regional operations in the Fox Valley, presented a $1,000 check to Spring Road Elementary School in the Town of Menasha, Wis. The donation will be used for the school’s Project New Playground fundraising campaign that started in September 2010.
“In May 2010 a group of third-graders made a presentation to the principal on ways to improve the school,” explained Hilary Armstrong, PTO President for Spring Road Elementary. “One item from the presentation that hit home with the PTO was the third-grades’ wish for a new playground and their plan to have bake sales to raise money for the updated equipment. We knew that hosting bake sales was a great idea from the students but wouldn’t be enough to secure the required funds, so the PTO stepped in.”
Recognizing that the wood-based structure of the current playground equipment sent kids inside from recess with splinters, the metal slides were often too hot to use, and that the gravel should be replaced with a safer base, the PTO kicked off Project New Playground. The goal of the fundraising campaign is to secure ample funds to create a healthy and safe play activity area for the 430 kindergarten-through-fifth-grade students at the school.
Photo: Mike Dillon, manager of Environmental and Risk Management for SCA, right, presents a $1,000 check to Hilary Armstrong, PTO president for Spring Road Elementary, for the school’s Project New Playground fundraising campaign. The PTO raised $23,000, has received $13,000 in donations and is $19,000 away from completing its goal to purchase and install safer, upgraded playground equipment.
“SCA’s donation to Spring Road Elementary School is a visible demonstration of our support for local community projects,” said Mike Dillon, manager of Environmental and Risk Management. “We believe in extending our environmental initiatives past our building doors and supporting developmental opportunities for young people within the communities we operate.”
Similar contributions have put Spring Road Elementary $13,000 closer to its $55,000 goal. With the PTO raising an additional $23,000, the school has $19,000 to secure.
“We’re so thankful to all our donors and for companies like SCA who have pitched in to leave a positive footprint in the community,” added Armstrong. “The third-grade students who made the initial request to update the playground are in fifth grade this year; we’re hoping we can install the equipment by spring so they can enjoy it before moving to middle school.”
Once the fundraising goal is met, the PTO will host a Community Build day (led by the Neenah Rotary Club) where local citizens and businesses can volunteer to help install the upgraded equipment. Companies or individuals interested in donating to Project New Playground or helping at the Community Build day should contact the school at (920) 751-6975.