Sandbox Announces 2025 Communities at Play Winners

For the third consecutive year, Sandbox’s Communities at Play program returned, awarding $25,000 to five registered playground projects, totaling $125,000. This year, our team at Sandbox Mutual Insurance saw record-breaking entries and a variety of different outdoor play area submissions. Not only this, but there was something a bit different about the process this go-round. Typically, the entire Sandbox team holds a vote internally to crown all the winners, except for this year, Sandbox selected the first four winners and then turned it over to the public, brokers, policyholders, and social media followers to elect the fifth and final recipient. People from near and far could cast a vote in an online survey, rally with their communities, and spread the word to get the last $25,000 grant. And now, we are thrilled to announce your five 2025 Communities at Play recipients!

St. Luke Playground Project (Calgary, AB)

For the first time ever, we saw a committee take to social media to spread the word about their playground project and gain our attention online. Tagging Sandbox in videos, following Sandbox on social media, and referencing our Communities at Play program—the St. Luke Playground Project made its mark on our team! Based in Calgary, AB, St. Luke Elementary School had a playground that was unsafe and outdated. Their current playground is scheduled to be removed in July 2025, with no public funding available, putting the children at risk of having no access to any kind of play structure. For over a year, the St. Luke Playground Committee has been raising funds to build a new playground in the summer of 2025 so the children attending St. Luke Elementary School and living in the community do not go without access to key play, social, and skill-building activities. Congratulations on being crowned a 2025 winner, St. Luke! Watch how they utilized social media as a tool for funding, volunteering, and fundraising.

Sheroo, Alberta Growth Partner for Sandbox, delivers a $25,000 cheque to support the St. Luke Playground Project alongside students and school staff.

La Salle School Parent Advisory Council’s Accessible Playground (La Salle, MB)

Next up on the list is the La Salle School Parent Advisory Council’s Accessible Playground. This organization has applied for Sandbox’s Communities at Play program before, and finally, we are proud to announce that they were selected this year! With their $25,000 from Sandbox, as well as their other fundraising, they will be installing accessible and inclusive play equipment for their playground. In La Salle, MB, no accessible playground with proper surfacing exists in their community, and they are here to change that! Right now, they do have a play structure, but it’s inaccessible for many kids because of pea-gravel surfacing and tricky access points. Lots of their students who require mobility devices have to sit on the sidelines and watch their friends play during recess. The brand-new equipment they have selected thanks to Sandbox’s support can be used by people of any ability or age, so the children of their community will have a place where everyone can play and no one is left out. 

Connecting Through Nature: Building an Inclusive Natural Playground at Prairie Sky School (Regina, SK)

Not only does this playground project have an awesome name, but it has great reasoning behind it, too! Introducing our third recipient, Connecting Through Nature: Building an Inclusive Natural Playground at Prairie Sky School. At Prairie Sky School (PSS) in Regina, SK, they want every child to get an education that nurtures their curiosity, confidence, and connection to the world. They offer land-based learning, outdoor exploration, and Indigenous teachings to their students, and they want their outdoor play structure to be a fantastic representative of this. Unfortunately, their current structure does not fully reflect the values of environmental stewardship, reconciliation, and creativity that they aim to instill in their students, so they applied to Communities at Play for some help on the financial side of things. Their all-new playground will include the following features:

• Sensory Play Areas: Spaces featuring logs, sand, water features, and rocks that promote sensory engagement and encourage imaginative, open-ended play.
• Climbing Structures and Balance Areas: Natural climbing logs and balance beams to enhance motor skills, physical coordination, and resilience.
• Native Plant Gardens: A garden featuring local plants and educational elements that support their land-based learning curriculum, encouraging students to connect with nature and learn about the environment.
• Inclusive Play Zones: Accessible features that ensure all children, regardless of ability, can enjoy the space and participate in activities.
• Seating and Gathering Areas: Spaces for families and community members to gather and engage with each other and the natural surroundings.

St. Anne School Wheelchair Accessible Playground Initiative (Saskatoon, SK)

This one tugged at our heartstrings quite a bit and is taking over local news outlets in Saskatoon, SK. The St. Anne School Wheelchair Accessible Playground aims to transform  its playground space with half a million dollars into a second amazing, welcoming, and accessible environment for all children to play together. The two founders of the project had a 3-year-old daughter who sustained a severe brain injury that has since left her in a wheelchair. Sparking their need for more inclusive spaces in their community, they embarked on a journey to transform this school. 

When you are faced with the unimaginable, we now see the world in a different lens, wanting to give all kids the opportunity to participate and be included.” – Brittany & Justin Hiebert

Play for kids of all abilities is vital for social development, physical health, and overall happiness, and we are proud to contribute to St. Anne School’s playground as one of our 2025 recipients!

Eddie, Jason, and Chelsea from Sandbox present a $25,000 donation to support St. Anne School’s Wheelchair Accessible Playground Initiative.

Kinsmen Park Accessible Playground Expansion Project (Rosetown, SK)

For the first year ever, Sandbox opened up the Communities at Play selection process to our communities. This public vote was open for a period of two weeks, allowing the finalists to rally and secure their victory for the final $25K donation from Sandbox. The Kinsmen Park Accessible Playground Expansion Project did just that. They utilized coverage from their local radio station, published news articles, contacted every single Kinsmen and Kinette in the province for support, and attained a whopping 1,013 votes! Because of their strong community, they intend to develop an accessible playground in Kinsmen Park, centrally located in Rosetown. The project will feature tables, benches, a shelter, rubber surfacing, and engaging play equipment. To ensure the project's success, they also partnered with a professional supplier experienced in designing accessible playgrounds for individuals with diverse abilities. The new facility will include features such as accessible entry points, wide swings, and play panels designed for easy access and sensory stimulation. Kudos to the town of Rosetown!

Ready, Set, Refer

Ready, Set, Refer returned for its sophomore year, awarding a $1,000 donation to a playground project in a Sandbox brokerage’s name. How it works: If a playground project mentioned a brokerage’s name in their application to our Communities at Play program, that brokerage went into a draw. Now that the contest period has wrapped, we are pleased to announce the winner this year is the Roblin Playground Revitalization Project, referred by Western Financial Group and NorthStar Insurance & Real Estate in Roblin, MB! This is a $1,000 donation made in our name AND the brokerages’ name—teamwork makes the dream work!

Sandbox’s 2025 Communities at Play program celebrated a record year, awarding $125,000 to five inspiring playground projects. From inclusive designs to nature-based learning spaces, each project reflects the heart of its community. Communities at Play is just one of the many ways our team at Sandbox gives back to the communities in which we operate. We’re proud to support safe, accessible play for kids across the prairies, and grateful to everyone who helped make it happen. Know a playground project in need of funding? Next year’s applications open in Spring 2026.