O'Fallon Offers Two Ways for Residents to Help Fund Playground

O’Fallon residents have several ways they can help fund the proposed scheduled for construction in this summer.

The playground project is a joint effort between the city and Unlimited Play, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing to local communities. Unlimited Play was instrumental in bringing similar playgrounds to Clayton and Lake St. Louis. Another playground is in the works in St. Charles.

The city and Unlimited Play are asking for the public’s help in securing a $50,000 grant from The Pepsi Refresh Project Campaign.

The Pepsi Campaign is underway now and runs through May 31. It's easy for residents and their friends to help the City of O’Fallon win the grant. It takes a few seconds each day to vote. Go to the website and click on the “Vote” button. Participants can vote daily via the site or Facebook.

Residents and their friends can also vote by texting the code 106080 to 73774. This can also be done daily.

Cindy Springer, managing director of parks and recreation for O’Fallon, said the city and Unlimited Play are holding rank in the upper 40s for number of Pepsi votes for the grant. With the public’s help, they could easily move up in ranking.

 “It’s important to vote daily. And to help even more, send the link to every single person in your email address book and ask them to vote, too," Tom Drabelle, O’Fallon’s director of public relations said. "It’s free. It’s easy. Just do it every day through May.”

Springer said that there is a Power Vote option associated with the campaign. Specially marked Pepsi products have codes that can be used to increase the number of votes. The information is at the bottom of the voting page.

“If people don’t want to take the time to enter codes, they can bring the codes (found on caps and Pepsi boxes) to the parks office, and we will get it done for them,” she said.

Another way to help raise money for the playground is to participate in the scheduled "dine-in nights” at several restaurants in O’Fallon. Four area restaurants including , , and Schwan’s Home Service, will donate a portion of their proceeds toward the playground fund.

Drabelle said that participants should go to O’Fallon’s website and print a flier to present when ordering during one of the following times:

• Chevys Fresh Mex: 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday
• McDonald’s Restaurants: 4-8 p.m. June 7 at all five O’Fallon locations
• Texas Roadhouse: 11 a.m.–9:30 p.m June 26

To participate in the Schwan’s home delivery option, browse Schwan's online catalog and place your order by June 1. Enter the promotional number 34847, so that the sale can be credited toward the playground fund. Orders can be picked up between 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on June 4 at Westhoff Park.

The project, funded partially by donations and grants, is scheduled for groundbreaking on June 4. Springer said that the city has reached approximately 50 percent of its outside funding goal. If the entire goal is not met, there are pieces of the construction project that will be put on hold until the money is in.

Springer said other efforts to help fund the project have so far exceeded expectations. While official numbers have not been figured yet, she estimates that the recent trivia night brought in between $18,000 and $19,000.

Additionally, raffle tickets for the 50-inch Sanyo plasma television are still available at the parks office. The drawing will be held on June 4 at the ground breaking ceremony.