We are so excited to have Brendon Campbell, Cameron Rundell, and the Home Depot crew helping us out with playground upgrades on Thursday, August 16th! Community volunteers are welcome.
Sidney Preschool is a parent participation preschool that has served the community of Sidney since 1972. When a tree fell on the double slide in the spring of 2016, it cracked the slide, making it unuseable. It seemed that repairs would be difficult and replacing the slide or entire structure far too costly for the non-profit organization. Can you imagine being 3 years old and going to preschool daily with a closed slide? But, for a few months, that is what had to happen as parents and teachers searched for a solution.
A temporary solution was found and a plastic welder, the only one on Vancouver Island, was able to repair the crack. After suspected vandalism, the slide cracked again one year later, resulting in another closure.
A replacement slide that would also meet insurance requirements could not be found. At least, that’s what we were told by several playground ‘experts’ but Brendon and Cameron from Home Depot felt they could find just the right slide to replace it permanently. And they did!
Now, Home Depot is helping the preschool replace the slide and do some much needed playground upgrades including repair of our rain barrel, a source for children’s water play, building a new raised garden bed where our children can plant and care for vegetables, fruit and flowers, bringing in new sand and rebuilding sandbox edging, and adding a new sink to improve our outdoor play kitchen and allow for real washing of dishes, and such.
Our date is fast approaching and volunteers are needed to help out. All community members are invited to help keep this resource for children and families a vibrant part of our community. We are located at 2410 Malaview Avenue at St. Paul’s United Church. Lunch is provided for volunteers.
Come and help out at Sidney Preschool, we’d love to see you there!
Want more information? Email sidneypreschoolteacher@gmail.com
