Capital Campaign: Green Spaces, Growing Minds
Join us in transforming our campus into a beautiful, climate-ready space for learning and play!
Lansdowne Friends School is excited to announce the public phase of our $750,000 capital campaign to create a sustainable, community of hope, connection, joyful learning, and democratic ideals.
So far, we’ve raised $550,000 of our $750,000 goal and need your help to reach the final $200,000.
Together, we can create a playscape for today and a healthier planet for tomorrow. By supporting this campaign, you are investing not only in the future of Lansdowne Friends School but also in a sustainable, climate-conscious future for all.
Creating a Playscape for Today and Tomorrow
LFS aims to create a climate-resilient playscape and make critical campus upgrades to promote sustainability. Help us raise the final 25% of this campaign to bring this vision to life.
Schools nationwide are replacing asphalt playgrounds with green spaces to protect children from extreme heat and promote well-being.
Research shows that green spaces offer safer environments that support learning, play, and community.
Through the Green Spaces, Growing Minds Capital Campaign, Lansdowne Friends School is creating climate-resilient outdoor spaces to help students thrive now and in the future.
Campaign Highlights and Benefits
The redesigned playscape will feature climate-resilient elements such as rain gardens, bioswales, water sequestration systems, shade trees, and heat-reflective ground coverings. These improvements will create a cooler, safer, and more engaging environment for children while serving as a model of environmental stewardship.
Solar panels will be installed to reduce energy costs and support LFS’s long-term commitment to sustainability. In addition, campus-wide upgrades to heating, cooling, windows, and doors will enhance energy efficiency, improving insulation and creating a more comfortable, environmentally responsible space. These improvements, alongside the playscape, ensure that both indoor and outdoor areas reflect our Quaker values of environmental stewardship and community care
The new playscape will provide students with vibrant, hands-on learning opportunities that promote problem-solving, exploration, and a deep connection with nature. It will foster both physical development and environmental awareness, preparing students to be future stewards of the planet.
By integrating green spaces, rain gardens, and other nature-inspired solutions, the playscape will help mitigate the effects of heatwaves and flooding in Lansdowne, contributing to a more resilient community.
Community Collaboration
Our goal is that this campaign will spark a county-wide conversation on climate emergency preparedness for children’s play spaces, leading the way for local schools and organizations to adopt climate-conscious practices.
What Our LFS Community is Saying
I really wanted to support the capital campaign because I know that a better world is possible. At Lansdowne Friends School we are working together to build that world! In this community, so many good things happen to open up the minds of our students and families and give people the energy to move in the right direction. I especially wanted to fund solar panels because sustainability will be a key part in the future that we need.
Nancy sleator
BECAUSE LFS HAS MEANT SO MUCH TO ME, I WANTED TO MAKE A GIFT THAT WOULD BE EQUALLY MEANINGFUL FOR THE COMMUNITY AND FUTURE GENERATIONS. I REMEMBER HOW MUCH I LOVED INTERACTING WITH NATURE DURING RECESS — PLAYING KICKBALL UNDER THE BIG HORSE CHESTNUT TREE, COLLECTING CHESTNUTS AS THEY BROKE FROM THEIR SPINY COVERS, AND LISTENING TO THE BIRDS IN THE TREES. THE PLAYGROUND WASN’T JUST A PLACE TO BURN OFF ENERGY; IT TAUGHT PHYSICAL COORDINATION, KINDNESS TOWARD OTHERS, AND A SENSE OF COMMUNITY. IT WAS ALSO WHERE I SAW MY MOTHER AT HER HAPPIEST, WORKING AS A PLAYGROUND MONITOR — ONE OF THE FEW TIMES I SAW HER TRULY ENJOYING BEING AROUND CHILDREN. I'M SO GLAD THAT TODAY’S STUDENTS CAN DIRECTLY EXPERIENCE AND NURTURE GARDENS, GRASS, AND THE CYCLES OF LIFE, CARRYING FORWARD THOSE SAME LESSONS OF CONNECTION, STEWARDSHIP, AND JOY.
Barrett Caldwell, '74
I contributed because I'm excited for the LFS community to have more options for outdoor learning and play. I have so many wonderful memories of time spent on the playground, and I find reassurance that in today's very different world, updates to the space will give current and future students continued chances for active and creative time outdoors. I can't wait to see the plans come to life!
Anonymous
I'm inspired by all the ways that LFS educates students as whole people who are eager to engage with the world -- through learning about it, experiencing it in different ways, building community with each other and active play. The "Green Spaces, Growing Minds" project is very much aligned to build upon these strengths of the school.
Dana Robinson
WE ARE PROUD TO SUPPORT THE CAPITAL CAMPAIGN BECAUSE IT STRENGTHENS OUR INVESTMENT IN THE FUTURE OF OUR PLANET. WE BELIEVE DEEPLY IN LANSDOWNE FRIENDS SCHOOL — ITS REFLECTION OF QUAKER VALUES, ITS SMALL CLASS SIZES, AND ITS WONDERFULLY DIVERSE COMMUNITY. WE ARE CONFIDENT THAT BEING PART OF SUCH A COMMUNITY WILL HAVE A LASTING, POSITIVE IMPACT ON THESE CHILDREN, HELPING TO SHAPE THEM INTO COMPASSIONATE, RESPONSIBLE STEWARDS OF THE WORLD.
Pam and Pete Nagy
Join Us in Creating a Sustainable Future!
Us in Creating a Sustainable Future! Your donation will help build a brighter future for our children and our planet.
Request more information:
Hanne Weedon, Director of Development,
Phone: 610-623-2548 x 126
Email:
hweedon@lansdownefriendsschool.org