What started with a 12-year-old’s birthday fundraiser is finally becoming a reality for the kids of Toronto.
In 2023, the Toronto Booster Club established a “Playground Fund” with a check for $2,215 from 12-year-old Elliot Hoag, proceeds from her annual birthday fundraiser. Hoag had a big idea, and she went looking for help in just the right place.
Over the next several years, the team of volunteers with the Toronto Booster Club worked to raise the funds needed to bring the project to life. Major partners GNBank and Ash Grove Cement Company each stepped up with $10,000 Community Reinvestment grants. In all, the club raised more than $50,000 for a playground designed to serve Toronto’s children for decades to come. On Aug. 14 and 15, more than 20 community volunteers came together with local professionals at Playscape Recreation to complete the community build. In temperatures topping 95 degrees, volunteers spent two days digging, hauling, and assembling. The volunteers included many of Toronto’s volunteer firefighters, city council members, local business owners, community members, and Hoag herself. The Toronto Booster Club is planning a ribbon-cutting celebration to mark the occasion once the playground base is installed and it’s ready for public use in mid-September.
It’s pretty incredible to look at a playground taking shape and know that it began with a 12-year-old with a birthday tradition and a great idea. Sometimes, big things really do start small and sometimes they take a community willing to show up, grab a shovel, and sweat it out together. (Courtesy photos)
