For more than a year, Chief Joseph Elementary School in Great Falls has been raising money in an effort to fix the school playground, and several community organizations and individuals have joined the cause.
“This was brought to my attention Sunday when I was getting ready to leave for my training at like 2:00 in the afternoon and in within 24 hours, I think we were up to like $1,500,” explained Jake Fenner, an apprentice with Montana Carpenters Local 82 and avid community member.
Chief Joseph Elementary School's PTA, as well as teachers at the school, have been working tirelessly for this playground and are slowly but surely approaching the next phase of the project.
“I am just blessed to know really awesome people that believe in me and know what I’m trying to do. I put out the call and people answered, and it was the best feeling in the world,” Fenner added.
Fenner was approached with this project by a former Great Falls native and decided it was the perfect way for him to get more involved with his community.
“There were a lot of people throughout my life that invested in me when I was at my lowest and didn't give up on me, and I want to be that person,” added Fenner.
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Fundraising efforts are ongoing for this project.
For those who have any questions or are interested in helping out, contact the Chief Joseph Elementary School’s PTA.
“They are around $40,000, and then I brought the $9,400 so that upped that. But, for phase two, I think they said they need $110,000 currently, so they have almost half of that currently,” said Fenner.
FROM FEBRUARY 2024:
