In an effort to help the local Presbyterian Day School raise money for a new playground, the Clarksdale Kiwanis Club presented school representatives with a $1,000 check during Thursday’s meeting at Stone Pony.
President of the Kiwanis Club Tom Jones presented the check to Ginger Lively, who oversees public relations and development at PDS, along with Dana Gaston, who is the patron’s chair and a second grade assistant and computer instructor.
The patron’s society raises money for various items at PDS, but it did not have enough funding for the playground.
The patron’s society has raised gravel for the playground. However, the check the Kiwanis Club presented will go toward equipment that will be in the yard and basketball area.
Lively explained $1,000 will not be nearly enough to cover the cost of the playground equipment, so there will be other fundraisers coming up in the near future.
“We raise money for lots of things, but not in that budget is playground equipment because it is very pricey, as we are finding out, so we’re having a fish fry Feb. 26,” said Lively to the Kiwanis Club. “With a fish fry, we can only handle so many plates and that only allows us to raise so much money. We’re trying to raise extra money, so we can do something really good for our kids.”
Members of the audience had the opportunity to ask questions following the presentation.
It was explained the playground will aim toward younger children ages 3 to 6, it is meant to help kids with a function of the brain particularly with the new merry go round and slide that will be installed.
Lively said a company out of Flowood will install the equipment and it should have a 100-year warranty.
“Our Kiwanis Club wanted to present this check,” said Jones following the presentation as he handed the check to Lively and Gaston.
