Smith Today and Tomorrow

As one of the country's oldest child-focused facilities, Smith remains situated on its original six and a half acre site and continues to provide play opportunities free of charge. Although located in Fairmount Park, Smith is not a city or governmental agency. Since its inception, Smith has been managed by an executive director and the Richard and Sarah Smith Trust officer. Recognizing the need to expand services and increase its funding base, in 2003 Smith developed a Board of Directors and incorporated as an independent non-profit organization. Smith is now led by an all-volunteer board supported by a professional staff and a dedicated cadre of volunteers.



On a daily basis, Smith works to accomplish the following goals:

• Foster respect for children of all communities and abilities
  
  
• Promote self-esteem and cooperation
  
  
• Nurture learning and freedom of expression through play
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• Cultivate an appreciation for the natural and constructed environments

After 104 years of uninterrupted service to the children of Philadelphia, in May 2003 Smith's Playground was closed for renovation. The difficult decision to close the facilities was based on an evaluation of the existing playground equipment, coupled with rising insurance costs. Few of Smith's play pieces or its 100-year-old Giant Wooden Slide, the focal point of the Playground, met today's safety and/or accessibility standards. In addition, the Playground's acres of hard packed, sloped and eroded surface made accessibility particularly difficult.

The Plan for Smith

Smith intends to renovate and restore the outdoor Playground and the indoor Playhouse over a period of five years. The essential elements are:

Play Zones - The Playground will include age-specific play areas. Each area will be designed to promote interaction among children, encourage imagination and creative play as well as foster caregiver supervision. Included will be more than 50 new, unique, age-appropriate, and accessible pieces of play equipment, plus the restored Giant Wooden Slide.

As of August 2006, two state-of-the-art play areas have been opened and the Ann Newman Giant Wooden Slide has been renovated.

Plan for the Tot-Lot

Playhouse Restoration and Renewal - The exterior and interior of the 24,000 square foot Playhouse will be restored.  The first phase of the restoration was completed in January 2009 with the replacement of the Playhouse roof.  The next phase of restoration will begin in the Spring of 2009 and will include renovation of the exterior including the windows down to the terrace.   The interior renovations will increase the overall useable area by 20% to allow for additional programs and to accommodate more children. Basic building systems will also be upgraded.

The Family Fun Zone - Revitalizing Smith as a destination and resource for children and families will contribute to other efforts currently underway to restore portions of Fairmount Park and the Strawberry Mansion and Brewerytown communities that it abuts. Smith is located in an area dubbed by many as the new "Family Fun Zone" within minutes of: Boathouse Row along Kelly Drive; The Philadelphia Zoo; the new Please Touch Museum; Sedgley Woods Disc Golf Course; a golf driving range; 12 tennis courts; the proposed Audubon Pennsylvania Society Educational Center; and Boxer's Trail.

The plans to restore Smith Memorial Playground and Playhouse are ambitious, the estimated cost for the project is $13,500,000, but Philadelphia's children deserve nothing less than the best. To date more than $4,700,000 has been raised from individuals, foundations, government agencies, and corporations. If you would like to make a contribution to Smith's capital campaign and/or learn about naming opportunities, please call 215-765-4325.

Many, many thanks to the following individuals, corporations, foundations, and government agencies for their generous contributions to the Capital Campaign.

$250,000 and higher

City of Philadelphia

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Ida Newman

William Penn Foundation

$50,000 – 249,000

1772 Foundation

City Trusts

Commerce Bank

CSX

Dorrance Hamilton

Lowe’s

Bud Newman

Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

 Pennsylvania Museum and Historic Commission

David N. Pincus

Wachovia

$10,000 - $49,999
The Allerton Foundation

Berwind Corporation

Caroline Alexander Buck Foundation

Connelly Foundation

The Farber Family Foundation

Fox & Roach Charities

General Recreation Inc.

The Hassel Foundation

Susan O.W. and Paul Jaffe

McLean Contributionship

The Nelson Foundation

Bob and Gene Pratter

Ronald McDonald Charities

Ross Family Foundation

Schuylkill River Heritage Area

Judy and Jim Strazzella

Ann Sorgenti

Sunoco Inc.

The Wright-Hayre Foundation
Widener Memorial Foundation

Hope Zoss

 $5,000 - $9,999

Aqua Pennsylvania

Chace Granting Group

Samuel S. Fels Fund

Greenfield Foundation

Independence Blue Cross

Independence Foundation

Philadelphia Inquirer

PECO

Marie Richards

The Charles and Peggy Roach Charities

The Poses Family Foundation

The Rotary Club of Philadelphia

$1,000 - $4,999

Camellian Playscapes

Carthy Family

Grace B. Charleston

Ann Corbett and Karen Ivory

Marion Dixon

Joseph A. Frick

Debra Fogel

Lynn and Eric Henson

The Samuel & Rebecca Kardon Foundation

Brett Mandel

The March 22^nd Fund

Anne M. Morley

The Rittenhouse Foundation

Philip Price Jr.

Robert Prischak

Jacqui Solodar

Miriam & Arthur Spector

Barbara Springler and Debra Fogel

Temple University Health Systems

United Way of Southeastern PA

$100 – $999

Beatrice Acker

Maureen and Michael Acker

Marjorie Adler

Ada Allen

Edwin Allen

Amanda S. Aronoff

Bart and Charna Axelrod

Eileen Baird

Danielle Banks

Beacon Center for Children

Christine and Gerard Dever
Ed Blumenthal, Mark Eskin, and Stan Singer

Brokerage Concepts

Ann Barton Brown

James Bryson

Robert Capanna

Connor Family

Paul Dandridge

Dhondt Family

John F. Dietel

Ramy Djerassi

DPK&A

Sylvia Egnal

Selma Fishman

Adine and Benjamin Frank

Amy Galer

Dr. Jeffrey Ingher

Richard Kutner

Dr. Stanley Lefkowitz

Kathleen Lens

Christine Leonard

Irene and Bruce Marks

Annette B. Mattei

Scott Miller

Normandene Murphy

Madhu Narula

Northstar Advisors

Henrietta Poses

Helen Schwartz

Toni Seidl & Richard Berkman

Michelle T. Seidner

Caroline Simon

Margot C. Sklar

SMPP Pre School Families

William & Mary Tsiouris

Curtis Wilson

This list includes Capital Campaign Donors as of

February 9, 2009