Play for All: Build a Playground for Kids in Need

Play for All: Help us build a playground for Country Meadow Elementary

The Country Meadow Elementary School is a local elementary school in the heart of Ashley, Indiana, raising funds to build an inclusive playground for its students of all abilities.

The new playground will have equipment that provides avenues for group play—which increases collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and empathy because it requires a certain level of unstructured social interaction that is essential to developing skills of being "present" and working with others. The new playground would cater to those that are younger or that may face physical challenges. This shows students that the school has empathy towards our entire population and that something like playground equipment is adaptable to meet the varying needs of everyone involved.

What is the playground important? Why is this such a priority for CME?

The playground is an excellent way for Country Meadow students to learn and develop our seven competencies that are part of the Portrait of a Baron graduate. This portrait was created by 72 community members, DHS students, and district staff to identify seven competencies that represent what they want their graduates from DeKalb County Central Unity School District to take with them on their life's journey.

The seven competencies are:

This playground is also an example to the students of CME of perseverance. The fundraising efforts began in 2020 and have continued. The CME student body understands that everyone is working hard to make this happen for them and not giving up because it didn't happen in a short period. This playground also shows the integrity with which money is spent here at CME. We want to ensure the public knows we can be trusted with their dollars and that we aren't always looking for the new "shiny" thing. The CME playground is 25 years old, proving to the public that we are trustworthy with money and don't ask for it until necessary.

Every Little Bit Counts. No Donation is too Small.

Brightmark wants to help Country Meadow reach its target goal of $360k, so it can build a new playground that has been postponed due to COVID-19 and rising costs. As a result of inflation, the prices for materials to build the playground have nearly doubled, making it challenging for Country Meadow to reach its target goal.