Peony Farms, a small community on the edge of Portage la Prairie, is hoping to break ground on community club upgrades in the coming year.
The Peony Farm Community Club is run by a group of volunteers and puts on events such as community barbecues, movie-in-the-park nights, clean-up days, and more. The upgrades to the community club would include an updated play structure, a picnic shelter, sitting areas, and a multi-use pad for activities like basketball and ball hockey.
Club member Brenda Miller-Adams says the club has been around since the mid-1970s.
"We already had a little pot of money in our bank account," explains Miller-Adams. "As we all know, playground equipment is very, very expensive, especially as you want to get play equipment that is up-to-date and modern."
She adds that they've been collecting donations as well as selling wood-crafted snowmen and reindeer, even appearing as a vendor for the annual United Way shopping night.
Miller-Adams says, that if fundraising goes to plan, they'll have shovels in the ground this coming spring. She notes that it's not too late to help out while sprucing up your home for the holidays.
"Although we took orders at our Thursday night shopping night, we are continuing to do so," says Lavae. "We are open to orders from the Portage community, so email peonyfarmcommunityclub@gmail.com to put in an order."
The Rural Municipality will also provide tax receipts for those who donate a minimum of $20.