Mark your calendars – Saturday September 18th (10:30-1:30) should prove to be a Very Fun Day for you and your family. Storybook Workshop has created a Very Fun Fundraiser specifically designed for the GINN Playground Restoration Project. Hour long programs incorporating Eric Carle’s stories into Music & Movement, Storytelling and special Take Home Art Projects. Facepainting, prizes and an opportunity to meet one of Eric Carle’s favorite characters in person, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, will make this one of Winchester’s best children’s events of the year. There will also be an opportunity to purchase Eric Carle books and unique gifts. All proceeds going to the Ginn Playground Restoration Project. The event will run from 10:30 -1:30 at the United Methodist Church (34 Dix St.) and is geared towards 3-7 year olds. Tickets are $20 per child and are currently available online below and will also be available for purchase at Bookends by August 30th. We expect this event to sell out so purchase your tickets now.
With your support we can BeGINN Again!
Click below to buy your tickets through PayPal now. Tickets are $20 per child.
We are 1/2 way there!
The GINN Playground Restoration Project has had a very busy Spring. Perhaps you saw us marching in the ENKA parade? Or maybe visited our table at Starbucks or perhaps went to the out of this world Star Wars fundraiser. Perhaps you have played down at GINN recently (maybe during softball or baseball) and have seen our new signage. If you saw us at any of these places you probably know by know we have raised 150,000 in just 7 months. While this is a large amount raised in a short period of time we still need more JUICE!! If you haven’t contributed yet please consider making your contribution online (if you want to buy a brick or fencepost in the comments section type in the inscription) or you can download a form. Just visit the DONATE Here tab. We will also have a large presence at Town Day so please visit our booth. We will be selling T-shirts, bricks, fence posts, Custom Sachem Vineyard Vine Ties, and Winchester Vineyard Vine Bags. We appreciate everyone’s strong support for a new GINN Playground. With your support we can BEGINN AGAIN!
Star Wars Movie Event – Friday May 21st 3:30
In a galaxy far far away (well maybe not that far), there was a town that needed a new playground for its children. Luke and Obi Wan are coming to the rescue but they can’t do it without your help. Support the restoration of Winchester’s GINN Playground and let your kids experience the awe and wonder of the original Star Wars – IV A New Hope on the big screen. The star studded event will take place at the Studio Cinema in Belmont. 376 Trapelo Rd. Belmont (10 minute drive) on Friday May 21st at 3:30. Tickets are $10 per person. You can buy your tickets at the door or via the PayPal link to the right. There will be plenty of tickets available day of the event. Spread the word. May the playground forces be with you.
GINN Playground Fundraiser raised over $43,000!!
The GINN Playground Restoration Committee is very happy to report that we raised over $43,000 from the WNC’s Aspen to Antigua Gala to support the restoration of GINN Playground. This amount in combination with the amount individuals and sponsors have pledged brings the total amount raised to $139,000 (net of expenses).
It was an unbelievable evening and the energy in the room was palpable. Attendees were treated to wonderful Caribbean inspired food prepared by Green Olive, delicious beer generously donated by InBev, and were entertained by PanNeubean steel drums. From the results generated from the silent auction, it seems everyone immediately got into the giving mood and began donating with a purpose. Once the incredibly engaging Brian Milsaukas, the owner of KidStock and Next Door Theatre, took the stage as auctioneer the crowd could not stop giving. Brian’s fun, upbeat auction style made the live/speed auction an exciting experience and raised $30,800 for a new GINN Playground.
We would not have been able to achieve this exceptional fundraising milestone without the help of so many neighbors and friends who attended the event and donated tickets and golf outings to the gala. In addition the many local businesses who donated items for auction were essential to the evening’s success. They include Barton & Gray, Vivienne Butler of Beaucage Salon, Big Joe the Storyteller, Coren Moore, Design Complements Interior Design, Dr. Coakley and Trainor, F1 Racing, Fresh Paint, muralist and painter Holly Johnson, Jiminy Peak, Julie Tempesta, artist Kristen Fitzgerald, Lions Head Antiques, M. Flynn, Massage Envy, Northmark Savings Bank, Parsons Table, Preschool Social Academy, Van Linsey, Vineyard Vines.
The Sponsors who are helping underwrite the cost of a new GINN Playground have been unbelievably supportive of this community initiative. They include Bavarian Performance Group, Kids Corner, The ENKA Society, Neighborhood Cooperative Nursery School, Pywell Contracting Services, Book Ends, Waterfield Sothebys, Winchester Cooperative Theatre, and the Andersen Team.
We can’t express enough our gratitude to the residents and businesses who have overwhelmingly demonstrated their support for a new GINN Playground. We have a number of events planned for the spring and we hope you join us in this community initiative to rebuild Winchester’s only in town playground. Please visit our website in the next few weeks to learn more about these planned events or join our Facebook group “BeGINN again”.
GINN Fundraising Gala – March 27, 2010
On March 27, 2010, Help Us BeGinn Again At WNC’S Spring Party!
Let the Winchester Neighbors Club take you From Aspen To Antigua, all to benefit the Ginn Field Playground Restoration Project. Food by Green Olive, steel drum music by PanNeubean Steel, open bar (beer sponsored by Anheuser Busch, wine and specialty drinks), and the opportunity to purchase a variety of once in a lifetime experiences in silent and live auctions await you. Some of the amazing auction items include the opportunity to spend 2011’s April vacation week at a fabulous 4 bedroom villa in the five star resort Peninsula Papagayo in Costa Rica, a private outing aboard a luxury Hinckley Picnic boat, and build your own wine cellar. Tickets are $125 each. Buy tickets at www.winchesterneighbors.com. If you can’t make it to the event you can still bid on the fabulous auction items by proxy. Go to www.winchesterneighbors.com for a complete listing and for the proxy form.
All proceeds from the sale of these auction items go directly to the GINN Playground Restoration Project.
Willy Wonka and GINN Playground – A Huge Success!
THANK YOU COOPERATIVE THEATRE!!! The Willy Wonka – GINN Playground Benefit show was a huge success. We raised over $2,300 from this performance. The show was wonderful and the kids all seemed very interested in our latest playground design. Thank you all for attending this fun Winchester event. Want more fun?? Come join us at the WNC-GINN Playground Restoration Event this Saturday March 27th. It should be a great time. You can buy tickets at www.winchesterneighbors.com. Further details below…
Thank you Neighborhood Cooperative Nursery School and Winchester’s Disability Access Commission
The GINN Playground Restoration Project just received generous contributions from two local Winchester organizations. The Neighborhood Cooperative Nursery School and Winchester’s Disability Access Commission. We truly appreciate their contributions to this important initiative to revitalize one of Winchester’s community landmarks. More information regarding both of these organizations is noted below.
With these contributions, the total raised since October is over $81,000. We still need your help however since the total cost of the playground is estimated to be approximately $300,000. If you haven’t already sent in your contribution or you lost your form you can pay via PayPal under Donate Here or print and send in the following form. With your help we can BeGINN Again!!
Click to Open Engraved Fence Post/Brick and General Contribution Form
The Neighborhood Cooperative Nursery School (NCNS) is a Co-operative preschool with strong parental involvement in classroom activities and an emphasis on small class sizes. NCNS welcomes children 2.9 to five years of age. The school schedule includes morning and afternoon classes with extended day options for all. NCNS provides a safe, nurturing environment where each child can develop in his or her unique and special way. NCNS currently has openings for the 2010/2011 school year and invites all who are interested to an informational Open House on Thursday, February 4, at 7pm at 21 Church St in Winchester.
For more information, contact Jan DiPerna at 781-729-8081 or visit www.neighborhoodcoop.com.
The Disability Access Commission carries out programs in coordination with programs of the State Office of Handicapped Affairs in order to bring out full and equal participation in all aspects of life in the Town of people with disabilities. They meet regularly at Town Hall. Please contact Winchester Town Hall to find out the current schedule.
Thank You ENKA Society
The GINN Playground Restoration Project is very pleased to announce that the ENKA Society has very generously donated $3,000 to this project. The ENKA Society is a woman’s non-profit volunteer organization. En Ka’s mission is to raise funds to contribute to non-profit organizations that serve the people of Winchester through funding, supplies and equipment, and to perform direct-service charitable activities. We are honored to receive such a generous gift which will go a long way in making a new GINN playground a reality.
This donation together with the contributions we have received to date from many generous Winchester residents, has enabled us to raise over $70,000!
Our goal is to raise $100,000 by year end, so if you haven’t already, please send in your brick/fence post/general contribution form by December 31st. If you lost your form, you can print another form below and send it to WNC-GINN Playground Restoration Project* P.O. Box 245 * Winchester, MA 01890.
Click Here to Download General Contribution/Engraved Fence Post/Engraved Brick Form
BeGINN Again Launch Party – A Huge Success!
The GINN Playground Launch Party was a huge success! Despite the last minute venue change to Town Hall due to unpredictable weather, hundreds of people showed up to support the fundraising kick off for GINN Playground’s Restoration and we raised over $40,000. So our grand total raised to date is over $50,000 which has been raised in just 4 weeks! This is a great start and the momentum is just starting to build.
Even though the sun was shining, the temperature seemed more appropriate for a December morning, so we were thankful that the party was brought inside. And what a party it was! Hundreds of people came out to hear Liz Buchanan singing, clapping and dancing to some classic children’s songs, followed up by Big Joe the Storyteller, who was somehow able to lure the children away from the bouncy house and entrance them with his version of King Midas and the Golden Touch. The day could not have ended on a better note, as the Pixie Sticks, a seven piece band from Somerville, took the stage by storm and knocked our socks off with their super cool songs including Scupernong (check out their MySpace pag), and their inventive instruments which included some coconuts and an autoharp. While all of this was going on Brian, the director of Kidstock, was trying desperately to keep up with the demand for his beautiful face-painting creations. He worked tirelessly to make lions, and tigers and bears out of what seemed to be the entire Winchester pre-school system. (At one point the face-painting line was almost out the door!) The party was so successful that by 11:00, we had sold out of all of our pumpkins and had to do a quick restock to keep all of our budding Picasso’s happy. The helium tank for our balloon raffle had run out by 12:30, but thankfully we had just enough balloons around to keep the tantrums in check.
The response to the GINN Playground Restoration Launch Party was truly overwhelming and we can’t thank you enough for your support. It is clear from the number of donations we received, that there is strong interest in getting our only in-town playground rebuilt. You can be part of the solution to fix our beloved playground. Please consider donating so that we can BeGINN Again!!
Vineyard Vines Bags have arrived!
Ginn Field Playground Restoration Committee (BeGINN Again) announces the limited release of a custom-designed classic tote bag from Vineyard VinesTM. .The tote bag features a pattern of town signs highlighting the different neighborhoods of Winchester and are designed to be a hometown holiday gift for teachers, babysitters and any current or former Winchester residents. All profits from the sale of the bags will benefit the renovation of Winchester’s Ginn Field playground. Bags are $85 ($10 less than the traditional Vineyard Vine classic tote) and are now available at Winchester retailers T. Michaels, Elegant Affair and Bookends. Supplies are limited, and the stock is expected to sell out quickly.
