The next group of Milwaukee Public Schools collaborating with Reflo, the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District and the City of Milwaukee on environmentally friendly schoolyard transformations includes Riverwest Elementary (formerly Franklin Pierce), 2765 N. Fratney St.
Lakefront Brewery is helping to raise funds for this project through its Ripple Effect fundraising program, which aims to create environmentally friendly and child-friendly green spaces on asphalt school playgrounds.
Earlier this month, the Commerce Street brewery began selling specially designed 32-ounce crowlers under the motto “Fund the Fun” and will add $5 to the surcharge for each crowler sold, for a total donation of $10.
The crowlers, which can be filled with any beer available on tap at the Beer Hall, 1872 N. Commerce St., can be purchased in person or ordered online for pickup.
There will also be a spelling bee for adults at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 19th at the Beer Hall.
Teams of up to six people can purchase a table and compete in a bar quiz-style spelling bee where they must work together to correctly spell each challenging word. The top three teams will receive Lakefront gift cards as prizes.
Tables cost $120 (plus fees) and all proceeds will benefit the school playground project. Lakefront will also donate $1 from every beer sold that day. A silent auction will also feature various donated items, including a signed Damian Lillard jersey and a basketball, to benefit the school.
In September, visitors to Lakefront will be able to round up their bill and donate to the cause. During the project, 25,000 square feet of asphalt will be removed and replaced with new green space and mixed-use recreation and educational areas. This will manage approximately 130,000 gallons of stormwater per rainfall event and create safer play areas for the school’s students and the Riverwest neighborhood.
The cost of the work is expected to be more than $200,000, so every penny counts. You can also donate directly to the project online at this link.
Learn more about the project at refloh2o.com/riverwest-elementary.
“We want to make the youth in our community feel valued and deserving of an appropriate place outside of school where they can participate in activities that promote their full potential,” says Liz Mauritz, Lakefront’s giving program coordinator.
