Support For The Skate Park

To the Editor:

A note from the Newtown Skate Park Association: On behalf of all the volunteer parents and students who have been selflessly giving of their time and talents, I would like to extend our appreciation and warmest thanks to the entire community of friends, families, and public and private organizations that not only made our June 7 festival a great success, but also have been providing a continuous stream of support and good will ever since our fledgling group accepted the challenge from Parks & Rec to pick up the gauntlet in the effort to realize a public access skate park as a valuable contributor to the health and growth of our great town.

Our mission is to encourage the development of our children with a recreational facility that meets at each individual’s level of need, be that a fundamental athletic resource, an outreach tool, a social and mentoring environment, a chance for growing friendships and stronger families, or simply a favored place to enjoy an afternoon. If our recent event is any indicator of the drive and desires of our community, then I am filled with confidence that our youth will soon have a safe and clean public skating environment. So again, I say, thank you: to Parks & Rec, for launching the vision and providing constant advocacy, to Newtown Youth Services, NHS Peer Leadership and Student Government for their event co-sponsorship, to the first selectman’s office for your voice of support and advice, even as we went through a very difficult budget process and unfortunate cuts, to the FFH planning committee for giving consideration to our cause, to the awesome primary corporate sponsors of the June 7 event, Ski Market of Danbury, Rampage of Bridgeport and Danbury’s East Coast Music Mall, to the numerous local businesses who donated a broad array of foods, gifts, prizes and business services, to the private and corporate donations and grant opportunities, to the seemingly boundless gift of time from so many wonderful volunteers, and, to this news body, whose print and photo journalists and editors have been a critical beacon of awareness to our cause.

Final notes: We will be planning additional events, a skateboard competition and demo is next on the list, so look for upcoming announcements. Our work is not yet done and extra hands are always needed; if you have an appreciation for our mission, please consider how you or your employer or organizational connections may be able to help. Just helping us get better connected is very important. Please join us in sharing our thanks and voicing your own support to our town’s leadership. When we help each other we help ourselves, we drive the future, we validate attitudes and behaviors to our children, and we define what community is all about.

Kenneth Gottschalck

18 Russett Road, Sandy Hook                                        June 20, 2003