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Pier Elementary School students are one step closer to getting their new playground thanks to a donation from the Green Bay Packers Foundation. On November 2, 2021, the foundation held its annual grant luncheon where it awarded $1 million worth of grants to 274 civic and charitable organizations. 

The Pier Elementary School PTO received a $5,000 grant from the Green Bay Packers Foundation at the event. The PTO is raising funds to upgrade the playground at Pier Elementary School because the current playground is over twenty years old with aging equipment that needs replacement.

“We are very grateful to the Packers for supporting the Pier playground and walking path,” said Vicki Neumann, Pier Elementary School PTO President. “We know that updating the playground and installing a walking path will benefit Pier students by giving them a safe place to play as well as the many community members and organizations that use the space outside of school.”

There are three phases to the playground project:

The playground areas are used during the school day by students for recess and free play, and remain available after hours for the community to use. Other community groups and programs use the playground during non-school hours, such as Fondy Youth Baseball leagues and the Recreation Department Playground Program in the summer as well as the YMCA Youth Football program in the fall.

The new playground will provide a safe and healthy learning environment for the students at Pier Elementary School and other members of the community. They have been planning the project for over a year and fundraising began in May 2021. Their total fundraising goal is $130,000 and so far, they have raised $83,942.

Donations have been received through a variety of sources, including a walk-a-thon, a matching donor for the walk-a-thon, community grants and donations from local businesses and individuals. The Pier PTO website has additional information about the project: https://sites.google.com/view/pier-pto/home.