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‘Pennies for our Playground’ in Old Forge

OLD FORGE — Students at an elementary school in Lackawanna County could be stepping onto a new playground this fall. Community donations are helping to ma...

OLD FORGE -- Students at an elementary school in Lackawanna County could be stepping onto a new playground this fall. Community donations are helping to make playground upgrades at Old Forge Elementary a reality.

The playground at Old Forge Elementary needs some serious work. The blacktop is cracked and uneven and the hoops look like they are ready to fall over.

But upgrades come with a price tag and because budget money is tight, school officials had to find other ways to raise money.

Problems include uneven blacktop and chain link fencing that's showing its age.

The hope is to change all that come fall.

"It's in less than ideal conditions, so what we tried to do was to go out in a grassroots fashion and raise money," explained Old Forge Elementary Principal Nathan Barrett.

The Old Forge School District did not have the money to make repairs so it came up with a fundraising effort called "Pennies for our Playground."

In just over a month, $10,000 has been raised to put toward upgrades.

"Resurfacing, some new basketball hoops, and some surfaces that we can use for physical education or just in recesses. Better surfaces are better than what we have right now," Barrett said.

The playground isn't just going to be a place where the kids will go outside to play, it will also be a place where they will learn. A pond is going to be built and there will also be trees around it. The idea is for the teachers to teach the students about nature and what is in that area.

"They work so hard all day, so what a balance it is for them to be able to work hard in the classroom and know they are going to be rewarded to go outside and burn off their energy," said Karolyn Demarco.

Demarco has two children who go to Old Forge Elementary. She says having a safe place for kids to play at school is important and is happy to see the community come together to make it possible.

"All of our kids go to this school. It's not like we are a community where the kids go other places. So we are actually giving money to what our kids can use and it's going to be there for a long time, so I think it's really important."

The hope is to raise another $10,000 for the "Pennies for our Playground" fund and then start work next month.

Click here if you are interested in donating.

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