PHOTO BY PAULA MULLER
Teachers from the South School look over the 111 raffle items offered at the raffle extravaganza. Pictured left to right are Stacy Grayton, Deb Petras and Jennifer D’Amato.
By LEAH DEARBORN
PEABODY — A raffle fundraiser for a new South Memorial Elementary School playground brought out the community spirit on Friday night.
The school plans to dedicate the playground in the memory of Ella Jade O’Donnell, who passed away at the age of 10 last November following a battle with brain cancer.
“I think she would feel happy,” said Ella’s 13-year-old sister, Sydney O’Donnell, about the playground. “I want people to be able to have fun when they remember her.”
Dr. Monique B. Nappi, interim principal of the South School, said she only knew Ella O’Donnell for a short time, but called her a “delightful spirit” and said it was a natural choice to build the playground in her name.
Joanne Pantapas, a member of the South Memorial–Passos Avante Playground Committee, said the school only has a “tot lot” right now for its youngest pupils, whereas the new playground will be a space for all students.
Pantapas said the committee hopes to raise an additional $20,000 toward the $125,000 total needed for construction on the playground to begin.
Julie Butt, a close friend of the O’Donnell family and playground committee member, said the playground will ideally be built by the end of spring, when Ella O’Donnell’s fifth grade classmates graduate.
“Every item in the raffle was donated,” said Butt. “The outpouring of generosity has been unbelievable.”
Hand-drawn posters depicting student visions of a dream playground hung on the walls of the Peabody Elks Lodge where the raffle took place.
The playground will be built with a theme, and that theme will be community, said Pantapas.
“I’m very excited,” said Everett resident Sergio Cornelio, who turned out to support the event. “It’s a great thing they’re doing.”
Interested parties who missed the fundraiser can make donations by sending checks to the South School, payable to the City of Peabody.
They can also attend the next fundraiser, which will be a craft fair, held March 11 at the South School.
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Leah Dearborn can be reached at [email protected].
