For several years, John Mayernik, manager of Ametek’s plant in Nesquehoning, has been reading to kindergarten students at Panther Valley Elementary. Ametek supports a reading program at the school, and Mayernik can often be seen reading to kindergarten classes.

So when Principal Robert Palazzo told Mayernik about the school’s effort to build a playground, he saw it as a win-win for the school, and his company.

“It is such a rewarding experience, reading to these kids,” he said. “When this came up, this opportunity, it was just a no-brainer as far as I was concerned.”

The Ametek Foundation recently donated $10,000 to Panther Valley Elementary to help make the playground a reality.

St. Luke’s Miners Campus also donated more than $2,000 to the effort.

Their contributions mean that this fall, Panther Valley Elementary students will have a playground for the first time in years.

Students and families raised nearly $10,000 on their own, while the district also received a $15,000 grant from KaBOOM! and the Dr Pepper Snapple Group.

“It shows the pride of the community. We can work together to make things happen for the kids. And it’ll be here for a long time,” Palazzo said.

A lot of the fundraising centered on the book fair. A change drive held in conjunction with the book fair raised $5,000. A volunteer, Bertha Shreffler, counted all the change by hand.

“Reading is very important to me. The book fair is my baby,” Shreffler said.

St. Luke’s Miners Campus President Wendy Lazo said that as a mom of young children, she knows the importance of having activities for kids to do in their free time, like at recess.

“Kids who get bored get in trouble,” she said.

St. Luke’s Miners Campus gets a lot of donation requests from the community and can’t fulfill them all, Lazo said. But helping the students at Panther Valley Elementary was something they were eager to get on board with. St. Luke’s helps provide vision screenings and health education through its Adopt-A-School program.

“With Adopt-A-School we’re fairly well-versed on what the challenges are for the students and families, and it was one of those things where we felt passionately and wanted to help,” Lazo said.

In addition to being recognized for their assistance, St. Luke’s and Ametek have been invited to help with the build when the playground arrives this summer.

Mayernik said union workers at Ametek in Nesquehoning have volunteered to help with the build when the time comes.

“Another part of this is putting it together. My team said ‘we want to be part of that as well,’ ” Mayernik said.

The school has one more fundraiser planned before the playground is installed. Families of Panther Valley Elementary students past and present are invited to purchase a commemorative brick in their loved one’s name that can be placed outside the playground. Details on that program will be announced in the near future.