New Playground System Installed at Cape St. Claire Elementary School

On Monday, February 14, students at received a sweet treat that didn’t involve candy. The long-awaited new playground equipment had just passed its final inspection mere hours before recess that day, allowing students to try it out during a stretch of unseasonably mild weather.

For Cape St. Claire Elementary School Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) board members Kerry Wilson and Susan Ogden, it was a moment a long-time coming. A couple of years ago, Anne Arundel County Department of Recreation and Parks took out a large piece of equipment from the school playground that was deemed unsafe, a move that took faculty and parents by surprise.

Although it was warranted—Wilson, CSCPTO vice president of social events, says it was rusted through and didn’t meet current code—the county had no plans to replace the equipment due to a recent spate of budget cuts. That’s when Wilson and Ogden, CSCPTO vice president of fundraising, realized it would be up to the school, parents and PTO members to raise the monies for installing a new system.

“We bought jump ropes and chalk in order to try to make up for the equipment being gone,” says Wilson, “but we knew something more permanent had to be done.” So they decided to implement a fundraising plan. “We didn’t think about how much money we needed, just that we needed to raise a lot of it,” continues Wilson.

As the pair started to investigate prices for replacement equipment, sticker shock set in. “There are only a few companies that manufacture these systems that meet code,” says Ogden. “There can be no moving pieces, the ‘critical fall height’ is regulated, even the way the way a slide can point toward the sun all have to be considered in buying new equipment.” Ogden and Wilson eventually settled on a design that would cost $8,500.

As part of Wilson’s PTO duties, the school’s eighth annual Fun Run fundraiser in April was coming up, but she had no chair for the event. And, as Wilson says, “If there’s no chair for an event, you’re not going to have it, which is always a potential money loser.”

That’s when Ogden decided she had to step in and head up the Fun Run. The two women knew they had the opportunity to turn the event into a fundraiser big enough to provide money to pay for new playground equipment.

“We had to learn from scratch because we didn’t have anyone to shadow [from previous years’ Fun Runs],” says Wilson. “It’s like a planning a wedding: you do a lot of things, then wait a while, do a little more, then wait longer, then all of a sudden, the day of the event is crazy.”

Through months of hard work that included mobilizing volunteers, creating registration forms and flyers, obtaining permits to close neighborhood streets on the day of the run, searching for corporate sponsors, ordering t-shirts, stuffing participant giveaway bags and publicizing the event, Ogden and Wilson reached their goal and successfully organized a hugely profitable fundraiser.

Approximately 250 children and adults participated in either the one-mile or 5K races, and, though there were a few expenses such as t-shirts for the participants, the 2010 Fun Run raised enough money to pay for the equipment. “Every single dime that we raised from the run went to purchase the new equipment,” says Ogden.

This year, Wilson and Ogden are gearing up for an even bigger Fun Run and plan to use the money raised to purchase additional equipment. The pair feels that expanding the current play system is an excellent opportunity to keep children in shape by building their upper-body strength, and they have both fellow PTO members and CSCES faculty backing them up.

While a large amount of money has already been used to improve technology within the school, Wilson and Ogden want to have something outdoors for every child to use and appreciate. As Wilson says, “Everybody talks about fitness, so what better way to encourage that than with lots of play equipment?”

As the two begin to plan this year’s event, which takes place at the end of April, their largest concern is having enough volunteers. The popularity of last year’s race is sure to place even greater demands on organizing the 2011 Fun Run, titled “Escape Through the Cape.”

“We’re looking for volunteers to help out beforehand but also for sponsors who can either donate money or in-kind gifts,” says Wilson. “Even if a local business can’t donate cash, they can provide a gift certificate that we can use to sell tickets to win the prize in a drawing, and the business gets all kinds of local publicity, including a booth at the event.”

Sponsors at last year’s Fun Run were: Living Chiropractic, AI Solutions, Ergonomically Correct, Cape True Value, PortTack Wines & Spirits, Richards Tree Care, Hoffman Animal Hospital, Volvo of Annapolis, Bella’s Liquors, All State Insurance, Long & Foster (Mark Feen), Cape Kid’s Corner, 3 Brothers Pizza, Ski Haus, Cape St. Claire Improvement Association, Happy Days Child Care, Bay Dale Hallmark, Noodles & Company, Graul’s, Sam’s Club, Giant at Riva Festival, and Homestead Gardens, as well as a live radio broadcast by WNAV 1430AM.

Ogden and Wilson hope to get just as many sponsors this year not only for the Fun Run, but also for a health fair and spaghetti dinner held the evening prior to the run. The dinner, catered by Noodles & Company of Annapolis Mall, will offer mac and cheese, penne rosa and, of course, spaghetti, along with sides and dessert. All the money raised from sales of the dinners will go to the PTO for additional playground equipment.

The health fair and pasta dinner is being held on Friday, April 29, where Fun Run participants can pick up their entry packets for the next day. The 5K race begins the next morning, April 30, rain or shine at 8:30 a.m., while the one-mile run starts at 8:45 a.m. Pre-registration fees are $15 for adults and children over 12 and $10 for children 11 and under. On the day of the event, fees increase to $20 and $12, respectively. Registration forms will be posted over the coming weeks and can be downloaded in the near future at the CSCPTO website.

Children and adults alike throughout the community have been impressed with Wilson and Ogden’s efforts to raise money. Long lines have been seen forming at recess to take turns on the new equipment since its installation and parents of children using the adjacent playing fields on weekends now have one more reason to use CSCES’s playground.

Even the county has taken notice of the community’s participation in CSCES fundraisers. Anne Arundel County Public Schools Assistant Ground Manager Don Marvel worked closely with Ogden and Wilson during each phase of purchasing and installing the equipment, and they report that he was impressed with the amount of money raised in the current economy. So much so, in fact, that Marvel provided two free ball returns to the school to complement the new system.

Ogden and Wilson are an energetic duo who have given hundreds of hours of their time to making sure that Cape St. Claire children have every opportunity to being healthy. The two originally became friends while coaching the summer track program through the Cape St. Claire Rec Council.

Though they have busy lives beyond their PTO commitments—Wilson is a stay-at-home mother of three who frequent volunteers at CSCES during the school day and also serves as a private school substitute teacher while Ogden is a full-time working mother of two—they are convinced that participating in their children’s school activities is necessary to staying informed and in being part of the community.