To the Editor:

I work for GE.  The proudest moment of my career was when our CEO brought the Newtown GE residents together to express his sorrow and his commitment to help our town heal after the tragic events.

In a one day workout, the Newtown GE employees got together and made several recommendations to GE on how to help the town.  Within weeks three GE employees were donated to Newtown to help with anything the town asked.  We also spoke extensively about a community center.

During those conversations about the community center, the discussions revolved around a place where the community could come together.  A center where seniors, teenagers, parents, toddlers and anything in-between could gather and converse, play, build and, most importantly, heal.  We envisioned a place where a father could play ping-pong with his kids and perhaps meet another family in the process, or where scrapbooking skills could be shared between someone who is 80 and someone who is 12 or even a place where a grandfather, whose grandkids are thousands of miles away, could find comfort teaching the fine art of cribbage to a child who didn’t have a grandpa.

We had lots of discussions during our workout about the community center.  However I can say, unequivocally, we never zeroed in on the sole purpose of the donation going to just a senior center. A senior center doesn’t bring the community together and from what I’m seeing now, it’s only dividing us further.  Our town leaders should help the town heal and use the donation for the purpose it was intended, a real community center.

Brian Hartgraves

33 Little Brook Lane, Newtown                   March 16, 2015