But thanks to a creative offer of help by a local resident, group members might be able to close that gap in a hurry.

The benefactor, the father of two young children, has offered what he calls a "challenge grant" to help the Carrboro Parks Project pay for the purchase and installation of a shade sail over the tot lot at the commons. From now until Aug. 15, he will contribute $1 for every $2 the Parks Project raises, up to a maximum of $1,000. So, if the group can raise $2,000 by that deadline, the donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, will pitch in $1,000.

"That would get us close," said Susan Stone, one of the founders of the Carrboro Parks Project. "At that point, it's possible that the town would chip in some to help us get to the goal. That's what they did with the dog park."

The Carrboro Parks Project, a nonprofit group dedicated to supporting and improving the town's parks and recreational facilities, took on as its first big project the task of getting a fence built around the leash-free dog park at Anderson Community Park. The group raised $5,000, and in 2003 the Board of Aldermen, appreciative of the initiative shown by the Parks Project, voted to kick in an additional $3,500.

With the dog park fence up, the Parks Project turned its attention to the Town Commons playground. It's a popular place for parents and children in the neighborhoods nearby, but it is fully exposed to the sun. The organization, hoping to make the playground more comfortable and safer in the summer, began researching shade sails and raising funds.

Last year members hosted two of the Thursday evenings grill nights on the Weaver Street Market lawn, had a table at the Farmers Market and conducted a direct mail campaign. But they remain barely halfway to their goal.

Enter the resident with the challenge grant.

"I read about the project in the paper," he said. "My 2-year-old son is a big fan of the Town Commons playground, and now we also have a two-week old baby. We walk up to the playground a lot, and when I heard about the project, this just seemed like a good idea. I could have sent them $50, and maybe three years later we'd get the shade sail. But I have a non-profit background, and it occurred to me to do some kind of challenge grant."

The challenge is subject to two conditions: that the town repair a broken gate lock at the playground within 60 days, and that the shade sail by installed no later than March 1, 2006.

The Carrboro Parks Project had a booth at Carrboro Day to let people know about the challenge and to kick off the fund raising. The project has grilling nights at Weaver Street planned for June 30 and July 14.

"It's a wonderful offer," Stone said. "He just came up to us and said, 'I want to help.' He said he'd thought about buying a playground for his back yard. But he realized that if he did that, it would benefit only a few kids. By doing this instead, he can put that money toward something that his own children can use, but so can many others. It's a really generous gesture."