Edwardsville District #7 “Ready, Set, Read” raises more than $12,000 for A Better Place to Play campaign

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill., May 23, 2016 – “A Better Place to Play”, the local campaign that is seeking to raise funds for additional recreational facilities in the Edwardsville community, announced today that their latest fundraising effort “Ready, Set, Read” was a success, generating more than $12,000 in donations towards the parks projects.

On April 29^th, participating schools in Edwardsville Community School District #7 brought a favorite book to school to read during a designated time for thirty minutes. The goal of “Ready, Set, Read” was to raise awareness and funds for the campaign’s proposed projects, which include the Leon Corlew  Park, home to the future splash pad,opening this summer, an Ice Rink & Teen Center, as well as a multi-use Sports Park, Plummer Family Park. Sponsorships, donations and grants are being collected to help fund the new parks. 

“Everyone in our community will be able to enjoy the new parks, offering more green space and more recreation,” said Katie Grable, assistant director with the City of Edwardsville Parks and Recreation Department. “The ‘Ready, Set, Read’ promotion was a fun way to get local families involved, offering unique prizes for the kids. Mayor for a Day, Police Chief for a Day, and Fire Chief for a Day were prizes for the highest earners at each grade level.” Students at Leclaire Elementary, the school that garnered the most donations (highest school ratio/money per student), will be contributing content and burying a time capsule at the Leon Corlew  Park site to be excavated 30 years from now. The time capsule will be buried at the grand opening celebration for the new splash park this summer.

Of the three parks projects in development, the Leon Corlew Park was the first to get started at the intersection of South Main and Schwarz streets. Slated for completion some time in July, plans for the park include a splash pad and dry playground designed with special ADA standards built into the site. The park will also include a walking/fitness track, shade structures, pavilions, restrooms/changing rooms as well as native plantings with interpretive signage and a butterfly garden. Additional information about the Sports Park and the Ice Rink/Teen Center are available on the campaign website at www.betterplacetoplay.com.

For those interested in donating to any of the parks projects, sponsorship levels are still available to corporate sponsors or private citizens to help fund development. Patrons can donate through the campaign’s website, either notating a specific park or donating to the general fund. The “A Better Place to Play” campaign is a partnership with the Edwardsville Community Foundation making all sponsorships and donations tax deductible.

For more information about the campaign or the “Ready, Set, Read” fundraising efforts, or to become a sponsor or make a donation, visit www.betterplacetoplay.com or call (618) 692-7538.  “A Better Place to Play” can also be found on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/abetterplacetoplay and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/BP2Play.