St. John’s School to finish playground safety project with $10,155 Riedel Foundation grant

HANNIBAL, Mo. — The George H. Riedel Foundation recently awarded a grant of $10,155 to finish the second phase of improvements to the playground at St. John’s Lutheran School.

Riedel Foundation trustees awarded St. John’s $9,500 in 2023 for phase one of the project, which involved installing a privacy fence along the Lyon Street side of the playground. This final phase will extend the fence to the Pearl Street side, improving the safety of the playground. Volunteers with St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church are supplying all the labor and equipment.

About $2,000 of the grant award will be used to buy outdoor sand and water play equipment for preschoolers.

“The improvements we have made in our preschool playground are amazing,” St. John’s administrator Cheryl Mack said in a press release. “The children now have a safe and clean area to play. By the end of phase two, we will have new swings, a vertical ladder and a climbing dome plus the outdoor classroom for exploration.”

Riedel trustee administrator Sarah Deien said, “George Riedel was a member of St. John’s Church. The trustees agreed this playground project and our recent grant for preschool improvements is a good way to honor his memory.”

Since the Riedel Foundation was established in 2000, more than $6 million in grants have been awarded to nonprofit organizations that benefit Hannibal residents.