Plymouth Rotary Foundation's $200,000 Gift Completes P-CCS Radio Station 88.1 The Park's Amplification Capital Campaign

CANTON, MI — Plymouth-Canton Community Schools (P-CCS) is proud to announce that the Plymouth Rotary Foundation has awarded a transformational $200,000 grant to the district’s student-run radio station, 88.1 The Park. The gift completes the station's two-year Amplification Capital Campaign and will help the program launch a new era of student broadcasting.

The gift, presented during a June 12 meeting of the Rotary Club of Plymouth, brings the campaign's total fundraising to more than $517,000, providing the resources needed to more than double the station's production and studio space. The expansion will allow students to create more local news, sports, podcasts, interviews, and multimedia content while gaining hands-on experience using professional broadcast equipment.

88.1’s new studio space will include recording, editing, and interview studios, along with collaborative workspace, storage, enhanced accessibility, upgraded lighting, security improvements, and sound-treated production areas. The next phase of the project will focus on installing new technical equipment and preparing the studios for student use.

"This extraordinary investment reflects what is possible when schools and community partners work together to create opportunities for students.” said P-CCS Superintendent of Schools Dr. Monica L. Merritt, “Thanks to the generosity of the Plymouth Rotary Foundation, our students will learn in a modern, professional broadcasting environment that prepares them for college, careers, and meaningful service to their community. We are deeply grateful for Rotary's continued commitment to the students of Plymouth-Canton Community Schools.”

"The grant from the Plymouth Rotary Foundation is a generational gift, one that will transform the station and, in doing so, give students more opportunities while providing our community with expanded local news, sports, and event coverage," said John Kreger, Acting 88.1 the Park Station Manager. "As someone who began my own broadcasting career as a student at the station, it's incredibly meaningful to see the ways this project will create even more opportunities for future generations of student broadcasters."

The Rotary Club of Plymouth chose to support the project as part of its centennial celebration, recognizing 88.1 The Park's longstanding role in serving both students and the broader Plymouth-Canton community.

"Over the years, the Plymouth Rotary Foundation and our Club members have made lasting and transformational gifts to the community, from helping renovate Kellogg Park's fountain to supporting The Gathering next to the Penn Theatre and establishing Rotary Park on Wing Street," said John Buzuvis, Past President of the Plymouth Rotary Foundation Board. "Supporting 88.1 The Park continues that tradition by investing in young people while strengthening an organization that serves our entire community."

Since signing on in 1972, 88.1 The Park has provided thousands of P-CCS students with authentic, hands-on experience in broadcasting, journalism, sports media, and digital content creation. The student-operated station broadcasts news, sports, music, podcasts, and community programming 24 hours a day. 88.1 has earned 13 Michigan Broadcasters Association Station of the Year awards, and been named a finalist for the National Association of Broadcasters’ Marconi Awards four times, making it one of the most recognized high school radio stations in the country. For more information about the station, visit 881ThePark.com