Local Chariho Community Raising Funds for New Playground

Photo vis Getty Images / FG Trade

After the sudden loss of Maddie Potts, a young girl whose life touched so many, her community has found a powerful way to honor her memory. They’re coming together to build a new playground at her former elementary school, a place where joy, laughter, and her spirit can live on.

The Maddie Potts Foundation is a nonprofit organization based in Richmond, Rhode Island. Founded in 2017 by her family, the foundation memorializes Maddie in a way that allows her to continue giving back to the community she loved.

Maddie Potts passed away unexpectedly in 2017 of an asymptomatic brain aneurysm while playing soccer at Chariho High School. She attended Richmond Elementary School and Chariho Middle and High Schools, where she was known as a shining star who always put others first and made giving back a priority.

When the Richmond Elementary School (RES) playground was recently condemned and removed due to safety concerns, the foundation saw an opportunity to turn heartbreak into hope. In honor of what would’ve been Maddie’s twenty-fifth birthday on April 11, they are raising funds to build a brand-new playground, a gift to the community and school that meant so much to her.

Starting in September, RES will become a feeder school due to another district elementary school closure, and there is no better way to welcome these new students than with a refreshed space to play, learn and exercise their imaginations.

This GoFundMe link marks the foundation’s first step toward raising the $200,000 needed for this project. All funds raised will go directly to RES for the playground. Donations can also be made via cash, checks, Venmo, and credit cards through the foundation. If you are unable to contribute financially at this time, please consider sharing this campaign and helping spread the word.