Let the Good times Roll!

To:  Kyle Little, Portage Family Skate Park Project President

From:  Dale Paul

Date:  April 2, 2014

Today my wife June and I are donating the second half of our $5000 tax deductible donation to the Portage Family Skate Park Project.  So as not to make it a financial burden we split our pledge over two years;  $2500 in 2013 and $2500 in 2014.  The total projected cost of the Skate Park is about $210,000.  If twenty more households in Portage and the surrounding area were to pledge $5000 each, that would raise another $100,000.  I know our community has residents with the financial resources to pull this off.

The City of Portage has already committed $30,000 to the project and the Tony Hawk Foundation has pledged $5000.  There have been generous contributions from some businesses in town.  I won’t name them because I wouldn’t want to offend anyone by leaving them out.

It would be great if the businesses in Portage and the surrounding area , especially some of the larger ones, would get on board and pledge $30,000 and donate $15,000 this year and $15,000 next year.  These are tax deductible donations.  I don’t know what the bottom lines are of the local businesses, but I feel that if June and I can contribute $5000 as private citizens then it seems that some local businesses could contribute $30,000 each.

As far as the stigma of skateboarders goes, I believe we have a misconception, I know I did.  But all you need to do is look back at the Winter Olympics.  The U.S. took gold, silver and bronze in one of the snowboarding events.  Skateboarding is very similar, only with wheels.  And for all us old people, we need only to remember back about 50 years ago.  Jan & Dean, the Beach Boys and other bands sang about surfing and sidewalk surfing.  How many of us had skateboards back then?  I’m thinking quite a few, I didn’t because I couldn’t stand up on one, but many of my friends did have skateboards and they had fun with them.

Let’s pull together, young and old, private citizens and businesses to get the Portage Family Skate Park Project finished.  It’s been a work in progress, on many people’s minds for many years, as old as some as of our children who have given us grandchildren.  Maybe the Skate Park was on your mind when you were younger; let’s bring it into fruition today.  Like June said;  Let’s not make another generation wait to skate in a well designed and built Skate Park.  We can do this Portage, “Together everyone achieves more.”

Dale Paul

Rita Briant owner of Prairie Flower Beads Portage, June Paul and Dale Paul Present $2,500 donation 2nd half of a $5,000 Donation