School, local community come together to build playground in one day

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PROVIDENCE — On April 21, the bare ground of a former school playground at 49 Elmhurst Ave. was transformed in one day into an engaging and spectacular new playground for the students of Saint Pius V School and the neighborhood.

Sixty volunteers including school parents, teachers, parishioners and neighbors installed the new play equipment. Beginning at 7:30 a.m. and working through the afternoon, the school community was under the direction of Ultiplay Parks and Playgrounds of Uxbridge, Mass.

“It will be a Playground Ballet, featuring play slides, drills, wrenches, climbers, and wheelbarrows”, Principal Sister Maria Francesca, O.P. shared prior to the event.

Saint Pius V School raised $44,000 to build the new playground. The fundraising was jump started by a challenge grant of $15,000 from KaBOOM and the Dr Pepper Snapple Group. The challenge grant is part of a Let’s Play initiative funding youth organizations across the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. In addition to school parent, school alumni and parishioner donations, significant contributions from Providence College Athletics, Providence College Priory and Collette Travel enabled the school to meets its fundraising goal.