The Assisi Preserve – a nature-based playground renovation for Immaculata Catholic School inspired by St. Francis and his love of nature and our Franciscan values of Caring for God’s Creation. You can help us transform the landscape into a dynamic, nature-based playground and outdoor learning space for Immaculata Catholic School, Immaculate Conception Church and our community. From outdoor classrooms, learning labs, expanded community gardens and more, people and animals alike will find an urban oasis for exploration and adventure.
Here is a slideshow of our progress so far.
Plant Your Support
Outdoor Classroom
This area will serve as an outdoor classroom space, event space, dining area and more. Your contribution helps us prep and beautifully landscape the area and purchase high-quality, long-lasting furniture. The new plantings serve as an important first step in cleansing and slowing down water runoff from the upper parking lots.
Wetland Learning Lab and Boardwalk
This area is designed to address urban runoff from our campus into the Ellerbee Creek Watershed. With new drainage and water routing, runoff will pool here and be naturally cleaned by native wetland plants providing a unique educational space for exploring the flora and fauna of the area as well as nature-based engineering solutions and environmental responsibility.
Expanded Community Garden and Dual Purpose Seating
Your gift to this area expands our pollinator garden, helps us reroute runoff that is eroding the soil around the basketball court, adds edible plantings and creates a retaining wall bench system to create a garden classroom space and spectator seating for the basketball court. Safety, education and addressing the needs of the food insecure in our community all in one beautiful space.
Dig Into the Details
We all wish money grew on trees, right? Well, money can grow trees, and that is the next best thing. Below are some examples of what your contribution to our playground renovation can do.
$50 2 cu yards of mulch
$100 2-10 Native Plants (depending on type)
$250 1 ton of Chatham Granite Boulders
$500 10 cu yards of soil
$1,000 Table for Outdoor Classroom - FUNDED!
$1,500 Materials for Corner Fort
$2,500 Materials for Entry Pergola
$3,000 Community Garden Retaining Wall and Seating - FUNDED!
$5,000 All Materials Needed for Boardwalk and Wetland Area - FUNDED!
$10,000 Logs and Edging Around Swings and Trees
$15,000 All Materials Needed for Dry Creek Bed - FUNDED!
$35,000 Permeable Resin Path Around Play Area and Outdoor Classroom
$50,000 Outdoor Pavilion
Reach out to Robyn Soffera at 919-682-5847 x 284 to discuss this exciting project and your place in it or make your gift online now.
