Fundraising
GoFundMe Campaign
Fix our School’s All-Natural Alaska Play Yard
Winterberry Charter School kids love being outside. At our Waldorf-inspired school, fresh air and the rhythms of nature are cornerstones of our education. Here in Anchorage, it’s also a huge part of our Alaska lifestyle.
Through rain, shine, snow, snow, snow and sleet – 250 sets of active, K-8 feet have maximized the daily use of our little play yard. Quite frankly: it’s been loved to bits. Now, we need your help to fix the play yard and to finish it, so we can learn, play and be healthy outside at school.
Since Winterberry moved to this neighborhood in 2012, poor drainage issues have unfortunately amplified and hampered children’s ability to play. It’s now a struggle to keep our school clean with 250 sets of muddy boots and rain suits moving from mucky puddles to classrooms, through hallways and back again.
We are proud that Winterberry makes Waldorf-inspired public education tuition-free to our Anchorage community. This year, we really need your wide-scale help to mitigate the mud factor and finish a project of this magnitude and forethought. Our children’s play yard very much needs accessible, inclusive pathways, and some actual play equipment. We’ve done the legwork, the planning, the relationship-building, and we’re ready to go.
As a charter school, Winterberry is responsible for all building and maintenance costs and this comes from our all-school budget. Building a play yard is outside that funding source, hence the need for your donation.
Donate by MAY 1, 2023 to fix drainage issues before first day of school
Improve Drainage (for much of the year, it’s covered in mud)
ADA Accessible Pathways (inclusive of all children and families)
Proper Ground Cover (for Movement Class and rigorous activity)
Waldorf-inspired Play Equipment (social, natural, imaginative, developmental)
Outdoor Learning Spaces (gathering/stage area, food garden, fruit trees, rain garden)
Accommodate Ages and Stages (dedicated space for kindergarteners, social areas for middle schoolers)
Build a Cherished Space for Social, Natural, Imaginative, Inclusive Play
We need an innovative, sustainable yard that stimulates the rich outdoor imaginative play that children need to grow. Our project is unique in Alaska. It’s founded on the tenets of Waldorf education: holistic development of a child’s head, heart and hands. We’ve planned for a play yard that invites children to socialize, exercise and innovate with natural materials amid Alaska’s dramatic seasons. The play yard serves kindergarten through Grade 8, and its design needs to include children of all abilities and phases of development.
The Outdoor Site Committee has identified 3 main income sources to make our dream play yard a reality:
1. Fundraising drive beginning February 2023.
This will focus on reaching out to Winterberry families (and extended family), alumni, the greater Waldorf community in North America and the general public in Alaska with an interest in Waldorf education. After comparing different crowdfunding options, Go Fund Me (specific to charities) is the best choice.
2. Winterberry Parent Guild funds. WPG has a number of fundraising events each year (Auction and Winter Faire being the main ones) that raise money to fund projects like this one.
3. Grants both nationally and statewide. Are you aware of a grant which might fit our needs? Let us know!
Ways to give
Go Fund Me is our chosen fundraising platform. Any donation is appreciated! Please share the link with friends/family/coworkers....sharing the word of our need will help the cause tremendously.
What we need
To do all the improvements at once, we estimate that we need 250K. This includes improving drainage and rain gardens, engineering, construction of an ADA sidewalk around the school, Waldorf inspired playground equipment, an outdoor stage and of course planting trees!
Why we need it
As a charter school, Winterberry is responsible for all building and maintenance costs and this comes from our all-school budget. Building a play yard is outside that funding source and will need to be grassroots, homegrown, and volunteer driven.
Who its for
Obviously our students and teachers will be the ones who most benefit from the completion of this project. But school families and community members will also have the pleasure of using and appreciating the site on a regular basis. This project is unique to Alaska in that it creates an innovative and sustainable living play yard that incorporates open ended play with environmental stewardship.
How it will work
We will commence late May 2023. Work will be a combination of professionally hired services and parent volunteers throughout the summer. We hope for the project to be complete when school commences fall 2023.
When do we need the money
Our fundraising campaign begins February 2023 and will stay open throughout the summer months. However, receiving donations before May 2023 will help us to plan how much of our vision can become a reality. Again, please spread the word and give what you can!