The playground at Sanborn Elementary School will get a full renovation after the Andover Select Board accepted $235,000 in donations from two organizations.

The Colleen E. Ritzer Memorial Fund contributed $160,000 and the Sanborn Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization gave $75,000, the Eagle-Tribune reported Thursday, Aug. 27. The Select Board's Aug. 24 agenda shows the donations were taken up at that meeting, and the town's Facebook page confirmed the board voted to accept them that night. The funds will go toward the Sanborn playground renovation project.

The donation carries particular meaning for the Sanborn community. Colleen Ritzer attended Sanborn Elementary as a child, according to a 2016 Rotary Club of Andover profile of community members involved in the fund.

Ritzer was a lifelong Andover resident and 2007 Andover High School graduate who was killed in 2013 while working as a math teacher at Danvers High School. She graduated from Assumption College in 2011 and was pursuing a graduate degree at Salem State at the time of her death.

Her family established the Colleen E. Ritzer Memorial Fund in 2014. The fund has primarily awarded scholarships, giving nearly $800,000 to 147 future teachers and leaders, according to fund organizers. It also provides grants and programs centered on education and kindness. The $160,000 playground gift represents a direct investment in the Andover school Ritzer once attended.

A fundraising campaign for the new playground has been underway since at least March 2026. The Sanborn PTO hosted a Playground Fundraiser Gala on March 27 at Andover Country Club as part of the effort. The PTO has described the planned playground as inclusive in design.

The total cost of the renovation has not been disclosed. It is unclear whether the $235,000 covers the full scope of work.

The five-member Select Board includes Chair Ellen Townson, Vice Chair Melissa Danisch, Clerk Laura Gregory, Alex Vispoli and Kevin Coffey, according to town records.

The Ritzer Fund's next fundraiser, the third annual Pink Golf Ball Drop, is scheduled for Sept. 13 at Sarkisian Farms, 159 Chandler Road in Andover.