"Pennies for the Park" drive nets lots of $$$

Amanda Klohmann

Eighth graders at Parkway West Middle School call their annual Forest Park fund-raiser "Pennies for the Park." But, they end up giving a lot more than pennies.

The 2002-2003 total donated for renovation of Forest Park was $3,204.26. That brought the school's three-year total to $8,418.08.

The kids' reward this spring was a full-day field trip to Forest Park. They got a chance to see some of the work being done to refurbish the 1,370-acre park in the city of St. Louis.

Fourteen-year-old Amanda Klohmann said the best part of the tour for her was seeing construction on the park's golf courses. "The machines were working there and we could see where our money was being used," she said.

Deborah Olmstead

For 14-year-old Deborah Olmstead said the "neatest" thing on the tour was seeing work being done to improve park lakes. The lakes are being emptied and then repaired and deepened.

Deborah said she liked the idea that now the lakes are connected. That allows a current to go through all the lakes just like a river. That circulation will make water quality better.

(For more information about the Forest Park renovation, see sidebar below.)

Most of the money raised by the eighth graders was from sales of candy, cookies and gum. Since the kids donated most of the treats, the entire selling price went to the Forest Park capital fund drive.

Samantha Shasserre

Samantha Shasserre and Natalie Buehler made up one of the two-person teams that sold candy. The kids made sales in the halls before classes started. Then, there was another sales period during first period classes.

Natalie said she also collected "pretty much money" while selling in her neighborhood.

Samantha said she put a "coffee can for donations at my dad's work." She said that netted over $100.

Many of the kids said their families make good use of Forest Park, although they live in west St. Louis County.

Nina Baumann's family goes to the Zoo and the Muny as well as the Jewel Box. She said the plants in the all-glass Jewel Box "are really beautiful."

Natalie Buehler

Amanda Klohmann said, "Every summer, I go to the Muny a lot. I've been going since I was very little, maybe 5 or 6."

But, Sarah Masalskis said she was glad to help with fund-raising although her family doesn't use Forest Park much. "We go to the Zoo a couple times. That's usually all we do," she said.

Kids in St. Louis have a long history of helping with community projects. At the time of the 1904 World's Fair in Forest Park, it was 80,000 kids' signatures on petitions that convinced officials in Philadelphia to let the Liberty Bell come to the fair.

Last year, Young Saint Louis.com included a story about kids who contributed to the Zoo's recent fund drive. To read that story, just click here. In 1910, the Zoo's first elephant, Miss Jim, was paid for by a kids' penny drive.

Nina Baumann

Eighth grade science teacher Tony Piccinni has headed up the Forest Park project at Parkway West Middle for three years. He said he's pretty sure Forest Park will continue to get support at the school.

"Since we started 'Pennies for the Park,' I've gotten more involved in working with the park," he said. Now, he works at a teachers' academy at the Park. This project seeks ways to help schools make use of Park facilities for teaching kids.

Of course, Forest Park is the home of some of St. Louis' biggest attractions. They include the Zoo, the Art Museum and the History Museum. Those are in addition to the outdoor activities.

Sarah Masalskis

Deborah Olmstead said she's looking forward to the complete renovation of the lake at the base of Art Hill. "They says they're going to have battleship reenactments when the lake is finished," she said.

Many of the Parkway Middle kids extend their charity work beyond school projects.

Natalie Buehler said she and her mother are in the National Charity League. Local members volunteer at orphanages, animal rescue centers and Children's Hospital.

Nina Baumann said she works at animal adoption agencies. There, she feeds animals and cleans cages.

Samantha Shasserre said, "Next year, I'm going to volunteer at nursing homes."

 

Forest Park getting complete upgrading

Forest Park was established in 1876. The 1,370-acre park is the largest urban park in the country, some 500 acres larger than New York's famed Central Park.

The park was the site of the 1904 World's Fair. And it's the location for famous St. Louis institutions, the Zoo, Art Museum, History Museum and Muny outdoor theater park.

Over the years, the park was overused but under-maintained.

That's all changed. In 1996, a $100 million capital campaign was started. The money was to be used for the master redevelopment plan for the park. The Forest Park Forever organization was set up to coordinate the cooperative effort.

To date, $92 million has been raised. .

Much redevelopment is complete or in final stages. Some major elements of the are:

• A River Returns. This includes refurbishing of lakes and connecting them together so water flows like a river through all the lakes.
  
  
• Nature in the City. Planting 7,500 trees and maintaining park forests, meadows, hills and wildlife habitat. New native wetlands and prairies are planned.
  
  
• Historic preservation. Restoring historic areas and buildings. This includes the Grand Basin at the foot of Art Hill. The basin was the central point of the 1904 Worlds Fair.
  
  
• Recreational opportunities. Improving the park's ballfields, bike path, tennis courts, play areas for kids and the golf courses.
  
  
• Improved park facilities. Restoring such things as the World's Fair and Lindell pavilions, the Jewel Box, Steinberg skating rink, boat house and picnic shelters.

For more information, see the Forest Park Forever website: www.forestparkforever.org.