Surprise $100,000 Donation Funds New Special Needs Playground

WAUKESHA, WI — A surprise donation of $100,000 by a Waukesha woman means Wadewitz Elementary School, where her niece works as a teacher, is poised to get the new handicap-accessible playground they need.

For nearly a year, teacher Lisa Johnson, niece to Kathy Ippolite, and a team of fellow educators and staff had been working on raising money to fund construction of a new playground that could accommodate students of all needs.

Teachers and staff work with a number of special-needs students at the school, however finding a playground that could meet their needs was proving to be a futile task. The district doesn't have a handicap-accessible playground and the best option appeared to be in Kenosha - which was too far away.

How to Help:

With the $100,000 donation, Wadewitz is very close to reaching their goal: Click here if you’d like to donate!

The committee worked with the school PTA to host fundraising events, including a pasta dinner, and raised about $45,000. By early October, after a year of steady effort, they were still about $100,000 short.

"I went to the Italian Dinner Fund Raiser and saw how hard my niece Lisa Johnson and her co-workers were trying to raise money for the playground. I read about Wadewitz school history and the students and the need for a handicap accessible playground. I decided to donate the money because I like to help kids and this seemed like a way to help many children for years to come," Ippolite said.

After the $100,000, the group is very close to reaching their goal and will be hosting more fundraisers into the new year. The school hopes to break ground on the new Little Tikes playground in Spring of 2018.

“We are beyond excited and speechless,” Wadewitz special education teacher Krista Munoz said to RUSD. “To know that the students in my classroom will finally have a playground that is accessible for them to play on as all of my students use wheelchairs as their way of moving is unbelievable. They will now have daily access with their regular education peers! I cannot wait!”

Image Via Racine Unified School District, Published With Permission