Wenham Playground to Honor Former Student

WENHAM, MA – Jennifer Maio, a third-grade student at Buker Elementary School, passed away last October at age 8. The Friends of Buker are fundraising to build a new playground dedicated to Maio with the hope that it will be ready in time for Maio's classmates to use it in the 2017-18 school year.

"The hope is to have a more exciting structure to capture the interest of the entire student population," said Lisa Bial, co-chair of the Playground Committee. She said Principal Brian O'Donoghue has noticed that the existing playground is geared more toward Kindergarteners and first and second graders.

The Friends of Buker have raised about $70,000 for the playground, which would cost roughly $170,000, according to preliminary numbers. Some classes are using vendor catalogs to put together a design for the play structure, so the final cost is a moving target. The Friends plan on applying for CPA funds from Hamilton and Wenham in January.

"The hope is to have it in and ready for the 2017-18 school year," said Bial. "We’re currently in the fundraising process and making some headway, but we have a little ways to go."

The Playground Committee has already held a Trivia Night to raise money, and they will be doing a Read-A-Thon on Friday, Dec. 23. The committees is also selling different sized bricks, which can be engraved with a family name, or people can make a general donation online or by mail.

To learn more about how to donate or get involved, click here.

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