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Mom Brings Dream Playground Closer To Reality For Fair Lawn Students

FAIR LAWN, N.J. — The Radburn School in Fair Lawn is one step closer to having a playground.

Kelly Sullivan has been an integral part of bringing a playground to students at the Radburn School in Fair Lawn.

Kelly Sullivan has been an integral part of bringing a playground to students at the Radburn School in Fair Lawn.

Photo Credit: Kelly Sullivan

The school's PTA recently received word that the Radburn Association approved its application for the structure.

All that's left is permission from the New Jersey Historical Commission.

"This is huge," said Fair Lawn mom Kelly Sullivan, who spearheaded the process almost five years ago. 

Sullivan's kids are too old for Radburn School: they're now in college. But that's not stopping her from making the dream playground a reality for the 450 current students.

"I had almost given up hope," said Sullivan, whose children attended Radburn. "But it's something you can't let go of."

These children deserve a playground.

The Radburn School is the district's only one without a playground.

The PTA's first application in 2015 was denied by the Radburn Association and returned with an option for an alternate location.

The second one was approved with modification to the playground's orientation.

More than $45,000 has been raised for the project by Radburn's PTA since 2013, when the first Radburn 5K was launched for the project.

But the site needs to be regraded and surveyed, bringing the total cost of the longtime effort to $70,000, Sullivan said.

"There were kids at the school who've had lemonade sales and donated all of the money toward the playground," she said. 

One family went corn picking, came home and made natural popcorn to sell. They donated all the proceeds to the PTA for the playground.

"It's really about these kids," Sullivan said. "They wander around at recess. They need this outlet."

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