Tillman IGNITE has me all fired up!

The last couple of weeks were a typical story-line for me when it comes to (not) writing in this blog. So many awesome things happened that would be worthy of a post, but they happened in rapid succession and then I posted about none of them. So....turning over a new leaf right now.

I've been working for about three years now at Tillman Elementary in Kirkwood, MO to support an increase in outdoor, experiential education at the school. The efforts are really starting to pay off, as seen by some changes to the grounds, more teachers using these spaces this fall, and the launch of the Tillman IGNITE campaign. IGNITE is the campaign to transform Tillman's backyard from a boring blank rectangle that lacks imagination into a dynamic and engaging learning space that inspires creativity and curiosity.

Students, parents, and teachers helped create the vision; we hired a design firm to flesh out the plans and put this vision on paper; and parents helped design our marketing materials and our website. We learned that this is literally a million dollar dream, and that we need $300,000 to complete Phase 1. The PTO is our partner and included us in the recent PTO trivia night with a paddle raise devoted specifically to Tillman IGNITE. We didn't really know what to expect, but we rolled up our sleeves and worked hard to promote the project and garner support in the days preceding the paddle raise. And guess what?! IGNITE supporters stepped up and donated $34,000 in under 10 minutes at trivia night! Wow! Talk about an overwhelming moment. Add that to the $51,000 in funds that we already had, and we are almost 1/3 of the way to our Phase 1 goal!

And it's not just the funds raised that helps make the goal seem achievable, but it's the way that people came together to support an all-around good idea. And their show of support will show potential grant funders that Tillman is a good investment. My hand is cramping from signing thank you notes, because so many donors, large and small, have already contributed. This project will be an asset to both the school and the community, and I can't wait to be able to break ground. If you're so inclined, please donate at tillmanignite.org today!