The new playground at Bridgewater Elementary school was official opened Wednesday afternoon.
A two hundred thousand dollar donation from Stephen Sander was the final amount needed to complete the project.
Sander’s daughter Karen, along with members of her family were at the official unveiling.
She says there were many emotions connected to today’s event and to the people of Bridgewater.
“How they embraced him and welcomed him, it changed the path of my father’s entire life. I don’t think any of us, my sisters and brothers and our children, our whole way of life, here in Canada wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for what Bridgewater did.”
Karen Sander passed on a hope for the kids.
“That when they play on it and they love it and they have a good time, that they remember, not us, but just remember that concept of helping other people and being compassionate of other people and to carry it forward with them.”
Sander’s father taught in Bridgewater before moving out west to make it big in real estate.
Karen Sanders says her father couldn’t travel today, but hopes to return to Bridgewater in the spring for the opening of the new surgical suite he donated to South Shore Regional Hospital.
She says her father has never forgotten the kindness shown to him by the people of Bridgewater when he arrived in this country.
Bridgewater Mayor David Mitchell says there’s a lesson to everyone in the generosity shown by Stephen Sander.
“It’s a reminder to all of us that reaching out to your neighbour, and just being a good person and a helpful person can make a huge difference in people’s lives.”
Marcy Rogers is on the school committee responsible for building the playground.
She says it’s already making a difference for the students.
“We’re seeing much fewer behaviours in kids because there’s so much for them to do and so many different things for them to do.”
Rogers says initially her group thought the playground would cost around $450,000, but thanks to some in-kind work the total came in slightly less.
She says any future donations or fundraising will go towards maintenance.
Rogers is grateful for the generosity of the Sander family and says she never imagined the playground would be completed so soon.
Students @ssrsbbes sing their thanks to the Sander family for their contribution to school’s new playground @SSRCE_NS #Bridgewater pic.twitter.com/peNHSgrEr1
— Ed Halverson (@edwardhalverson) September 19, 2018
Reported by: Ed Halverson
Twitter: @edwardhalverson
E-mail: halverson.ed@radioabl.ca
