Letters to the Editor - Sept. 8

Thanks for helping young campers

As the executive director of Camp Sloane YMCA, fundraising for our programs is one of my chief responsibilities.

At the beginning of this summer we received word from the military’s State Child and Youth Program Coordinator that our proposal to provide two-week camp experiences for the children of our brave military servicemen and women was accepted.

When we began our fundraising efforts, I donned a pair of combat boots much like the ones the parents of these campers wear every day while serving in uniform and vowed not to take them off until we raised the money needed to provide camp for these kids. I am happy to report that we have exceeded our fundraising goal.

The Camp Sloane YMCA’s board of directors, staff and campers would like to thank our generous donors for supporting our “Be a hero. Send a hero’s kids to camp” program. Our original goal was to raise $20,000 to pay for 20 children to attend camp this year. We raised the bar to $33,000 a few weeks later because the need was so great.

A special thanks to The Lakeville Journal, WHDD 91.7 and Kerri-Lee Mayland of NBC Connecticut news for raising public awareness of our campaign, enabling us to surpass our fundraising goal for the program. We would also like to thank National Iron Bank and Sharon Hospital for sponsoring some of these deserving kids.

With the help of friends, family members, camper families and generous donors in our community, we were able to raise over $50,000. This covered the costs of all the campers from military families who participated this year and gave us a big head start on the program for next year. With these remaining funds we will be able to expand the program to even more military families in 2012.

Incidentally, I have been out of the combat boots for four weeks now and my feet and ankles are enjoying seeing the light of day.

Again, thank you to all who supported our efforts on behalf of these deserving children.

Paul “Bear” Bryant

Executive Director/CEO

Camp Sloane YMCA

Lakeville

Kudos to Divas

Thank you and kudos to Michael Berkeley, TriArts staff (and that means everyone involved) and all the Divas who “did” the red carpet at the Saturday matinee on Aug. 27.

What a wonderful surprise it was to find out that even though Sunday’s performance had to be canceled it would be replaced by a 3 p.m. show on Saturday.  The Divas do not normally do a matinee, and it is understandable as there is so much work involved and energy expended that it can’t be easy to do two shows in a day.  

Everyone is to be commended for getting the troupe together on short notice and giving the audience a wonderful thrill on a dreary weekend. Many thanks, keep up the good work and I look forward to next year’s season.

Diane Walters

Millerton
 

Piel has right idea

Rarely, indeed, does one read essays of such superb critical thinking on public policy issues as those of Anthony Piel.

The essay on global financial speculation in the Sept. 1 issue of The Lakeville Journal is an excellent example of Piel’s keen analytic abilities. It contains a wealth of important exposition on the gaming of America by a financial sector on steroids with no restraint from regulations or regulators. This must change if there is to be any hope for the nation.

Piel’s recommendations should be implemented. Write Congress, march on Washington, vote out the rascals.

Charles Homsy

Lakeville