information from Pathfinder K-8

For two years running, Pathfinder School has been hard at work raising money to help fund a critical new playground for this K-8 school. Located in the old Cooper Elementary, the current small playground is only rated for K-3 and not appropriate for older students or students with large sensory movement needs -- as so many children require in the autism spectrum classrooms.

Fundraising began at the school auction two years ago, and last year, Pathfinder was awarded the Department of Neighborhoods Small and Simple Grant. That money funded public outreach, hired landscape architects, and led to the creation of a design, which will serve the needs of all students at Pathfinder K-8. We also used it to start Phase 1 of our playground revitalization by painting a large river that encircles the blacktop, adding color to the four-squares and United States outline, and the creation of a mural and the Pathfinder Compass. None of this would have been possible without the heavy support of the PTSA and an army of Capital One volunteers.

Next came the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods Large Grant, the King County Youth Sports Facilities Fund Grant and then lots of parents, families, and community members digging deep to fund the effort. We’ve sold many dozens of glass tiles to be embedded in the new playground, had classroom-to-classroom competitions and even a recent dine-out event hosted by James Schmidt of Pecado Bueno. All told we’ve raised over 91% of our budget to start construction this summer!

Now we are pushing to raise the last $20,000 in the next month and a half. Getting the word out to our extended community will make this great new play space a reality. And it won’t only be serving Pathfinder... Pigeon Point and the greater West Seattle community will benefit as well.