The Rasmuson Foundation has awarded the Haines Borough a $25,000 grant to help with the construction of Jenae’s Playground.
Jenae Larson grew up in Haines and was working as a kindergarten teacher when she died in a landslide on Beach Road in 2020.
The Haines school board president told other members about the grant award during their latest meeting on Tuesday evening. Earlier this year, the Rasmuson Foundation announced it would pause grantmaking. But Board President Shelly Sloper said the city managed to get its application into Rasmuson just before the deadline.
“They were impressed by the community contributions that have already come in on the project,” Sloper said. “It made our application look really strong because we know that folks are really in support of it.”
Jenae Larson’s mother, Kim Larson, has been leading the push to build the playground as something of a monument to honor her daughter’s memory. She says her daughter talked more than once about improving the school’s existing playground.
Since it was announced, donations have poured in, including more than $150,000 from a GoFundMe page, funds from the borough and the Deishu Tlingit & Haida Community Council.
Now, Sloper said, project leads need to look at the total budget and match it with the design and move forward.
“We really need to build a playground this summer,” she said.