From left: Jay Ingram, Howard Harpham, Denise Duff (with her daughter) and Liz Faoro meet at Rancho Laguna Park Photo Sophie Braccini

The Moraga Junior Women's Club recently donated $4,000 to the Moraga Park Foundation, kicking off a fundraising campaign to replace the play structures at Rancho Laguna Park. Unsafe playground equipment has been removed, and in order to buy new play structures the Parks and Recreation Department has to find about $100,000. "We won't be able to do it without a significant community fundraising effort," says Parks and Recreation Director Jay Ingram, "We'd like to thank the Juniors for getting the ball rolling."

"The money that our Club is giving today shows how much Moraga's young families value their parks and open space," says Denise Duff, president of the Juniors. "The quality of family life in our town has a lot to do with schools and the Juniors give to the Moraga Education Foundation and the PTAs. But our parks and open space are also very important for our kids' development and we want to bring the attention of the community to the jewels we have." The Juniors raise money through various annual events. "We work a lot with the Juniors when we plan for the recreation of our youngest residents," says Ingram, who's a big fan of the Club and sees it as a major partner in town.

Ingram, his team, the Juniors and the Parks and Recreation Commission are tasked with designing the new playgrounds. "This park used to have two structures for different ages, one at each end of the park," explained Commission Chair Liz Faoro, "it could make sense to put them on the same side, away from the entrance, and close to the restrooms." Ingram looks to the location of the underused sand volleyball court as a possible location for the second play structure.

The Parks Foundation is the vessel that holds the money that is raised. "This is a perfect Moraga paradigm," says Parks Foundation President Howard Harpham, "the whole community getting together to find the funds for this project." Faoro, along with fellow Commissioners John Haffner and Kirpal Khanna, formed a sub-committee to raise the funds.

At this time it is not clear if the Town will be able to divert some money for this project. Since the bids for the renovation of the Camino Pablo sports field came under budget, there could be some money left from the WW money (over $700,000) once the work is completed at the end of the summer. The Council will determine which other projects could be funded with the remainder. "It will be a phased project," says Ingram, "we are targeting June of 2012 for at least a partial re-opening."

Those interested in helping can call the Parks and Recreation Department at 888-7045.