By Jonathan Blasher | Playworks Executive Director
As we approach the last few weeks of the school year we are on the brink of a major milestone; five years of bringing the Power of Play to the Pacific NW. Over the past five years our collective efforts have helped create safe school climates with less bullying, more healthy play and more time for classroom learning.
Thank you for joining us to be part of the solution. That deserves a High-5!
To commemorate the end of our fifth year, our Board has graciously decided to reach back into their hearts and wallets to give to the cause again this year! The Board is inviting a High-5 match challenge. They will match up to $5,000 to make this our Double High-5 challengeand raise a total of $10,000 to finish these past five years strong!
I invite you to support our year-end Double High-5 challenge with a generous gift of $50, $100, $250 or more. Together we can make a larger impact.
As you probably know, I was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. I spent my childhood growing up in Eugene, Oregon climbing trees, playing in the parks and riding bikes around town. Play was a big part of my life and key to making life-long friends and learning life lessons. Growing up with caring adult role models and lots of kids my age was something special that I didn’t realize until later in life when I started working with Playworks.
10 years ago I was an AmeriCorps member completing my term of service for Playworks in Richmond, California. That year of service as a Playworks coach, working every day to bring out the best in every kid through play, was an incredible experience that motivated me to continue this important work. As much as I enjoy the California sunshine I felt an urge to bring Playworks and the power of play to my home state.
In 2009 I left the Bay Area and moved back to Oregon to open the Playworks Pacific Northwest office. We had heard from schools, parents, and community leaders about the difference Playworks could make for local students and decided to become part of the community.
I’m proud of the work our team of staff, partners and advocates have done over the past five years to impact the lives of thousands of kids in the region. Kids like Junior Coach Ashley. I look forward to the future as we to go deeper into the Portland metro area and broader to the rural areas of the region.
I hope you will support our efforts to increase impact by participating in our Double High-5 challenge with a generous gift of $50, $100, $250 or more. Our goal is to raise $10,000 by June 30th, can you help us get there?
Thank you for believing in the Power of Play!
Did you know? Playworks is the only national organization that transforms recess into a powerful tool for educators and children. Please ensure we create a safe, happy and inclusive place for every kid on our school playgrounds. Send your generous gift today!
Links:
Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.
