It's time to build a new playground. Download our full proposal here.
We can build it together! Help us raise $180K to demolish and rebuild the playground— and have a transformative impact on our littlest members.
Our Vision
We've dared to imagine a special outdoor place:
- FOR EVERYONE: Designed for children ages 2-5, the new playground will be open to ALL MEMBERS and more ACCESSIBLE for children with disabilities.
- FOR SAFETY: With poured-in-place rubber surfacing (instead of sand) the new playground will have an illuminated fall zone.
- FOR FUN: Featuring a TRIKE PATH, a MUSICAL FOREST, PLAY HOUSE, and MUD KITCHEN - it is the perfect place for imaginative play.
- FOR LEARNING: An outdoor classroom with tree-stump seats and a teacher’s bench will be the ideal setting for storytelling on Shabbat mornings and Jewish environmental education.
“The world is sustained by the breath of children playing in the preschool.” - Talmud Shabbat
We Can Build it Together
*Naming rights are available for a donation or multi-year pledge of $100,000 |
| Donation Level | Number of Donors Needed | |
| New State-of-the-Art Play Structure | $10,000 | 5 |
Trike Path (with Fire Station, Café, Traffic Signs & Bridge) Emily & Tony Frazier Sadie Weiner & Zach Wineburg | $5,400 | 4 |
Musical Forest - We've received enough donations to cover the Musical Forest! 😀 Sara & Brian Hughley Annie Goldblatt & Jonathan Wertheim | $3,600 | 0 |
Outdoor Learning Classroom (Forest themed) Diana Fenves & Danny Batiansila Tess & Richard Goldblatt (in honor of Lucy and Goldie Wertheim and their parents) Rebecca & Mathew Krantz Rabbi Jenny & Rabbi Eric Solomon Deborah & Richard Wertheim Anonymous | $1,800 | 0 |
Little Peoples Playhouse Rachelle and Jay Schwartz (in honor of our grandchildren) | $720 | 11 |
Picnic Tables & Gourmet Mud Kitchen
Alyssa & Matthew Altman Erica and Jeff Fadool Saralynn Busch & Andrew Fenves Rebekah Zabarsky & Adam Lobel
Dara Schwartz Sheehan & Kevin Sheehan Kimberly Zhang & Mark Striemer (in honor of Noah Striemer) Tina Whittingslow (in honor of Frances Hughley) | $360 | 17 |
Additional Supporters: Kate Anklowitz Janet Batiansila Erica Brindle Mindy & Phil Brodsky Caitlin Vincent & Frederic Coeman Ariel & Paul Cohen Jodi & Stuart Cohen (in honor of our grandchildren) Blair & Benjamin Denkin Myrna Hersh Peri & Jamie Jones Emilie Kay (in honor of Everly Kay) Kraus Family Foundation Aaron & Natalie Goldstein Deborah Lieberman Nathalie & Josh Ludwig Sarah Moessinger David Lieberman (in honor of Azelie Silver) The Pais Family Judy & David Pruzansky Debbie & Bruce Schneeman Dale Silver Amy & Jared Silver Sara & Adam Taylor Nina & Gary Wand Abbe Golding-Wons & Dr. Jonathan Wons Danielle Tarasiuk & Daniel Wrobel Bruce Zalkin |
“I’ve been a preschool teacher at Beth Meyer for 10 years. I love how we’ve created a truly inviting and welcoming community. The parents know they have a village here. I’m really excited for the new playground because it will be an extension of the classrooms——a great place for kids to learn, play, and explore.” - Kim Wicksel, Teacher
Preschool Finances Q & A
Thank you for joining us for a thoughtful Q&A! For anyone who missed it, you can watch the recorded Zoom meeting and review the slides that we shared.
Don't hold back with your questions! Feel free to reach out to the Beth Meyer Team if you want to know more about the Preschool's finances, our plans for the future, or our current operations.
Online & Offline Donations
A note about tipping — this is optional and benefits FundRazr, the crowdfunding platform. If you would like, you can opt out of tipping FundRazr by clicking "Change Amount" before proceeding to payment. Not comfortable donating on FundRazr or want to make a gift some other way? E-mail Diana Fenves, our Membership & Development Consultant, at dianaf@bethmeyer.org — she can record your pledge and add it to the campaign total.
Highlights
See all activity53The Proposal
It's time to build a new playground. Download our full proposal here.
The Bernard "Bernie" Wolborsky Memorial Playground
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Constructed in September 1997 | Elul 5758 to memorialize a beloved member of Beth Meyer Synagogue and leader of the Greater Raleigh Jewish community, The Bernard “Bernie” Wolborsky Memorial Playground has nourished and promoted the physical, intellectual, and socio-emotional development of generations of preschool learners. Its long life, which greatly exceeds industry expectations for commercial play structures, understandably shows in irreparable wear-and-tear on both the equipment and the surroundings:
• The playground is embedded in a wooden sandbox, which is separating at its joints.
• The sidewalk that encircles the sandbox is becoming unsafe for riding balance bikes and tricycles;
• The ‘sealant’ on the playground has deteriorated enough that the playground needs frequent power washing and paint touch-ups to remove debris and damage.
Rapidly modernizing regulations for licensure of centers for early childhood education and playgrounds are also of concern. The playground was designed for children ages 3-5, which is no longer an accepted age range for outdoor play spaces. The sandbox, which was envisioned as an environment for sensory play, is now understood as a designated ‘fall zone’ in which digging is prohibited.
Future Imaginative Play Village
With gratitude to the tzedakah (charity) of the 86 donor households that enabled the construction of our cherished playground, Beth Meyer Synagogue aims to raise $180K to demolish, rebuild, and rename the playground — and have a transformative impact on our littlest members.
- Designed for children ages 2-5, the new playground would be open to all members and feature the following architectural enhancements:
- Eau Claire ® ADA-compliant play unit in neutral colors to mirror the wooded treescape behind Beth Meyer Synagogue’s facilities.
- Poured-in-place rubber surfacing (instead of sand) with an illuminated fall zone and a 4’ wide trike path with imaginative elements (e.g., traffic signs, parking spots, bridge.)
- Outdoor classroom area composed of tree-stump seats and a teacher’s mesa bench rock, ideal for storytelling on Shabbat mornings and Jewish environmental education.
- Musical ‘forest’ including butterfly and flower chimes and a tenor tree for singalongs and cooperative play.
“I love how even though Beth Meyer hasn’t been on our home for very long, it feels homey . I’m really excited for the new playground, for my son and the other kids to have a new place to ride bikes, practice using their gross motor skills, and for imaginative play.” - Sam Johnson, Teacher & Parent
