A Community Collaboration – Gratitude Tree Donation Wall Mosaic for New Little Bears Playhouse

Little Bears Playhouse. (Photo courtesy of Girdwood, Inc.)

By Allison Sayer

TNews Staffwriter

On February 19, Girdwood, Inc announced local artists Tommy O’Malley and Thalia Wilkinson will create a donor wall mosaic for the new Little Bears Playhouse lobby. The facility is scheduled to open this fall. Locals have seen Wilkinson and O’Malley’s mosaic work in Girdwood’s public spaces including on concrete culvert planters and Town Square Park.

According to a press release issued by Girdwood, Inc, “The design will feature a large tree made of stained glass with branches reaching out eight feet on either side of the trunk. Connected to the tree will be over a hundred leaves in dozens of shades of green glass. Names of donors will be etched into the trunk, branches, and leaves.”

Girdwood, Inc also shared much of the glass used in the project was donated by the late Jim Kaiser’s estate and thanked Kali Bennett for the gift. Kaiser created countlesscommunity stained-glass projects throughout Alaska, including making art with past Little Bears students. He also donated financially towards the new building before he passed away.

The artists have given a deadline of February 28 for a finalized donor list so they can go forward with crafting the tree’s components.

I spoke with Girdwood, Inc. Internal Project Manager Krystal Hoke, Little Bears Playhouse Executive Director Rachel Byers, Chair of Building Committee for Girdwood Workforce Childcare Project and Little Bears Playhouse Board member Justina Szal Phillips, and Little Bears Board President and Building Committee member Joan Lower to learn more about the project.

After a phenomenal effort to raise funds for the new Little Bears facility- going from a reserve of $200K in 2022 to 5.8 million dollars for the project today- Hoke stated they have “one more big push” in fundraising.

According to Hoke, there is a remaining shortfall of roughly $189K in bills for the building. Although Little Bears has the option to take out a loan, Hoke hopes they can go forward “without a mortgage.”

There will be a fenced outdoor play area when the facility opens this fall, but playground equipment has not been funded. Phillips stated the board hopes to raise at least an additional $500K for several age-appropriate outdoor play structures.

Volunteers and staff have a lot to celebrate and have come a huge distance. Phillips and Hoke looked back on years of planning and fundraising, and periods when they wondered whether it was going to happen.

Phillips shared a scarcity of childcare when her children were small left her burnt out and drove her to leave the work force. Hoke recalled having to sign a liability waiver when her children attended Little Bears due to problems with the building’s roof.

Phillips shared the urgency increased for her during the 7.1 magnitude earthquake in November 2018. “It was really scary,” she said, ”I had that moment thinking, ‘All the kids need to get out of here. This building is shaking so violently and the roof is not structurally sound.’”

The new facility will be able to accommodate up to 112 children, up from 27-29 that can be served by the current facility. The plan is to accommodate 92 children in child daycare and 20 in after school care. Skylab Architects created the design, and Ironwood and Waterson jointly worked as the general contractor. Phillips shared “Ironwood/Waterson went above and beyond to work with us and our budget.”

Major building construction is wrapping up in March and April. Landscaping, fencing, and furnishing are planned to take place over the summer.

There will be seven classrooms, including two infant rooms. Amultipurpose room can be used in programming or rented for classes and events. Hoke added, “and Rachel has a door to her office and not a curtain!” In addition to the ED being able to shut her door, staff will be able to take breaks in a dedicated lounge. Byers shared the current facility doesn’t provide any child-free space for staff to “wind down.”

The building committee, composed of one staff person and six volunteers, stuck with the vision for years. Hoke shared members’ children aged out of Little Bears while they were still seeking funds for a new facility. She stated that although men contributed, most of the people who made the dream a reality were “the right combination of motivated women to get the job done.” Phillips added, “everybody rose to the occasion.”

With so much grit, heart, and time having gone into the project, it is only fitting each contributor be celebrated in a community-centric way. As they have done in past projects, O’Malley and Wilkinson will invite volunteers to help assemble the donor tree. Girdwood, Inc’s announcement stated the artists worked with 64 people on their “Blueberry Bogs Forever” mosaic, and Girdwood School students of all ages helped install tiles in Girdwood’s Town Square Park.

Organizing and instructing teams of volunteers has its challenges. A great reward is that participants come away with a greater connection to place and community. According to Girdwood, Inc, “Local Howard Earle tells the story of the first week after moving his young family to Girdwood.  Passing the work site of the Blueberry mosaic, his 5-year-old daughter Ava was handed a piece of colored glass and was asked to find a place for it on the mosaic.  Howard added that when his daughter came home from college recently, she stopped at the mosaic and proudly pointed out her piece.”

To volunteer to help with the mosaic, contact aktommyomalley@gmail.com. Information about financial donations can be found at https://girdwoodinc.org/childcare/.

 Girdwood, Inc and Little Bears Playhouse plan to announce an open house this summer.