A playground is symbolic of children in all their glory laughing, yelling for a buddy to pass the ball or dancing around making up songs to sing. Friendships are made and pent-up energy is released. Notre Dame Elementary in Portsmouth doesn’t have the luxury of a gym, so their playground is the landing spot for recess and gym classes. The school recently raised funds to renovate this high traffic area but also needed a sun shade to provide some relief from the sun.
“Enrollment is increasing, and it’s important that we maintain our facility so we can keep our school safe and continue to attract new families,” says Matt Mader, Development Director for Notre Dame Schools. Through a responsive grant, The Catholic Foundation was able to help Notre Dame elementary purchase the sun shade for its cherished playground. The grant also provided enough resources to complete further maintenance items at the school. Reconstruction to an existing fence that was damaged due to high winds once again provides privacy and protection from the outside public and residential area. Repairs to a crushed drainpipe that was causing flooding in the cafeteria after a heavy rainfall were also completed.
A couple miles down the road, Notre Dame High School was experiencing some overdue maintenance projects. All the bathrooms were original to 1952, the year the school was built, and were on the verge of a much-needed renovation. Toilets, sink fixtures, surrounding privacy stalls and plumbing need to be updated. A responsive grant helped the high school update two of the four bathrooms. Funds were also used to repair the parking lot and remove trees around the property. When speaking about the enhancements, Mr. Mader notes, “these necessary improvements enable Notre Dame High School to prosper as a Catholic faith-based school that provides our community with the best education and facilities.”
