The Kiwanis Club of Chattanooga dedicated an addition to the East Lake Elementary School Playground Friday, featuring a permanent sign listing the primary sponsors who provided funds, materials or services to complete the $25,000 project.
East Lake Elementary has been operating at 133 percent of its designed capacity, and its previous playground was not serving the needs of the growing student body, officials said.
Funds were raised through grants and through a “Pentathlon Challenge” held at McCallie School in May. At the Pentathlon Challenge, area businesses sponsored teams to compete in five different fun events. Teams were comprised of employees, children of employees, East Lake students, parents and staff. The winning teams were sponsored by PlayCore and the Chattanooga Area Schools Federal Credit Union.
Other sponsors and donors included: Ethan Collier Construction, Southern Champion Tray, Miller & Martin, Brock Insurance Agency, Elliott Davis Decosimo, Aladdin Printing, Noon Management, Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union, Tennessee Valley Authority, Hamilton County Health Department, Wal-Mart, Lowe’s, Nuts and Bolts, Coker Tire, HHM Wealth Advisors, Bridge Financial Planning, Mann Welding Company, Starky Printing, Our Ladies of Charity, Sequatchie Concrete Company, and Blue Line Rentals.
Employees of PlayCore, local manufacturer of playground equipment, partnered with members of the Kiwanis Club and with staff and parents of East Lake for a week of volunteer days to install the new playground equipment. Kiwanian Cynthia Fagan indicated that the goal was to update and expand the existing playground equipment while encouraging play and understanding among the East Lake children, parents, staff and members of our community. "We feel that all parts of that goal were achieved," Ms. Fagan said
Mrs. Lancaster, the principal of East Lake Elementary School, thanked all of the volunteers and sponsors for the collaborative effort in making this much-needed playground addition a reality.
The Kiwanis Club of Chattanooga is now in preliminary discussions about a possible fitness trail at Howard Academy.