By CLAYTON PARK

Efforts by Sacajawea Elementary School supporters to raise money to replace a playground structure destroyed by arsonists last fall took a huge step forward last month.

And a whole bunch of little steps, too.

More than 60 people - mostly Sacajawea students and their parents - turned out for a Piggy Bank Parade held at Sacajawea playground on April 23. The festive event capped a month-long fund-raising drive where students, parents, neighbors and local businesses collected donations via miniature piggy banks. The plastic pink piggy banks were donated by Wells Fargo Bank.

The kids who participated in the fund-drive eagerly broke open their piggy banks, using hammers and screwdrivers, to count their money. "I collected 12 dollars and 89 cents!" proudly exclaimed 8-year-old Marie Turner, a second-grader at Sacajawea.

Laura Navarro, a neighbor whose daughter Paige, 5, will be starting kindergarten at Sacajawea this fall, came to the event after reading about it in the Maple Leaf Community Council newsletter. "We collected $68.30," said Navarro, adding that it was her daughter's idea to include the proceeds from her own piggy bank.

The kids, having counted their money, then walked over to pour their loot into a giant papier-mache piggy bank set up on the site of the former play structure. They then wrote their names on the giant piggy bank. The papier-mache piggy bank was made by members of the University of Washington's Alpha Xi Delta sorority.

An official tally of the amount collected by the piggy bank drive was not available as of press-time.

The event culminated with a parade around the future play structure site, led by PTA member Cynthia White to the bouncy recorded tune of "Do the Loco-Motion."

Playground fund-raisers got an extra boost last month upon learning that a local Domino's Pizza restaurant has agreed to lend its support to the cause. Thomas Dillon, manager of the Wedgwood Domino's, has offered to donate the entire profits of his store's pizza booth at the University Street Fair, the weekend of May 15 and 16. Domino's will also hold a special "Sacajawea School Night" on Thursday, May 13, where the profits from any pizzas ordered from the Wedgwood Domino's (phone: 525-9551) that evening will also be donated to the playground fund.

Dillon said he contacted the Playground Fund organizers to offer his store's help after reading about the school's plight in the April issue of the Jet City Maven. "I saw this as a great opportunity for our company to give back to the community," said Dillon.

Sam's Club on Aurora has also agreed to aid the cause. In addition to donating money to pay for refreshments at the Piggy Bank Parade, the store has also offered to donate matching funds of up to $1,000 the proceeds raised at another school event that day, a garage sale at the home of kindergarten teacher Kate Hohlbien.

That's good news for Sacajawea PTA members and others who are trying to raise a total of approximately $20,000 in cash to meet a matching grant from the city's Neighborhood Matching Grant program. The new playground equipment needed to replace what was destroyed in the arson fire is estimated at around $40,000.

Sacajawea Principal Harry Nelson said construction of the new playstructure is set to begin this summer, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony tentatively scheduled for Sept. 17.

To mail a contribution to the Sacajawea Playground fund, checks should be made payable to: Sacajawea PTA Playground Fund, and sent to the school at: 9501 20th Ave. NE, Seattle, WA 98115. For more information, call Cynthia White at 527-8379.