Roger Varley has been in the news business almost 40 years with The Canadian Press/Broadcast News, Uxbnridge Times-Journal, Richmond Hill Liberal and Uxbridge Cosmos. Co-winner with two others of CCNA national feature writing award. In Scout movement over 30 years, almost 25 as a leader. Took Uxbridge youths to World Jamboree in Holland. Involved in community theatre for 20 years as actor, director, playwright, stage manager etc. Born in England, came to Canada at 16, lived most of life north and east of Toronto with a five-year period in B.C.
Taking up the challenge
At Monday's council meeting, Mayor Gerri Lynn O'Connor challenged members of the media who were present to raise awareness of an opportunity to help the skate park committee tap into a source of funding. I normally don't allow myself to be influenced by others when it comes to writing this column, but this time I'm making an exception. I'm taking up the challenge.
That's because, for some time now, I have been sounding off about the need for a decent skate park, a facility that faced considerable opposition in the early stages. But the skateboarders - and the Uxbridge Youth Centre - have worked hard over the last year or so to make their dream come true and the dream is almost realized. But the work hasn't finished yet: there is still money to be raised. And there is a way you can help raise that money and it won't cost you a dime. Nor will it require you to leave your home.
All you have to do is go to your computer, log on to www.avivacommunityfund.org/ideas/acf11704 and vote for the skate park. You can vote once a day every day until Nov. 30.
As I understand it, the way this works is that Aviva Insurance - yes, they want their bit of free advertising out of this, so, there, they have it - will dole out a fistful of money to the project that receives the most votes - and there are several community projects across Canada all vying for the same pot of money. The voting began on Monday and, so far, the skate park has about 420 votes, not nearly enough.
It's unfortunate, I suppose, that diverse community projects have to battle each other for money to complete their worthy goals, but sometimes that is the nature of the world. Even more unfortunate is that one of those other projects seeking votes is also right here in town. The Bonner Boys are going after the Aviva money as well to help pay for the splash pad they will be constructing at the arena.
But since the world is the way it is, only one of these worthy projects will win Aviva's money. So what's a local supposed to do?
Believe me, the skate board committee needs to win this money. The park is budgeted to cost $370,000, plus another $30,000 in other charges. Of that $400,000, $130,000 is slated to come from tax levies and $20,000 from development charges. The Trillium Foundation will be asked to kick in $150,000, but there's no guarantee any or all of it will be forthcoming. The remaining $70,000 will come from fund-raising by the UYC and the skaters. The Aviva $50,000 will go a long, long way to reaching that fund-raising goal.
Brett Myers of the Bonner Boys says the splash pad will cost a little more than the skate park - $450,00. And like the skate park committee, they're also going after a Trillium grant and the township has committed $150,000. So, like the skate park group, they have to fund-raise the rest. The Bonner Boys, however, have a stirling record when it comes to fund-raising. They're among the best there is. The skate park group are rookies.
It's quite possible you really don't care about the skate park one way or the other. But the Uxbridge Youth Centre does and they should be listened to. Director Vanessa Slater appeared before council on Monday to give an update on the centre's work and it was an eye-opener. While many might think it's merely a place for kids to drop in and play computer games or just hang out, Ms. Slater showed that it is much, much more.
The centre offers programs on health and welfare, academics, arts and Internet safety to name a few, but more importantly, it offers help. Ms. Slater told of kids who are unable to read the time unless they're looking at a digital dial, of kids who don't know the difference between a nail and a screw, of kids who have little in the way of social skills, things that we take for granted are being taught by their parents.
The centre also has helped kids to do court-ordered community service for misdemeanours.
"They're good kids making dumb choices," she told council. The centre, she said, deals in "character investments".
If the centre is helping our kids in such important and diverse ways, surely it is not asking too much of you to help the centre help the kids? And supporting the skate board vote is an easy way to do that.
Besides, if they win the money, the skate park is that much closer to fruition and we're that much closer to getting the pesky skateboarders off the downtown sidewalks.
Tell me, am I wrong?
