Skate park foundation starts to ‘pay it forward’
The Bay Skate and Bike Park Foundation remains active in the community, despite the fact that its seven-year mission was completed with the opening of the park in October 2010. The organization, led by Lawrence Kuh, still has unfinished business. The BSBP Foundation’s second annual Rib Rockin’ Raffle fundraiser was held in May, raising more than $10,000 for various projects, including spectator seating and other park improvements.
But the group had other plans for a portion of those funds – sharing it with their friends. On June 14, members of the Bay Skate and Bike Park Foundation stopped by the monthly meeting of the Bay Village Green Team at the Community House with a check in hand.
Lawrence Kuh told the Green Team members that the $500 donation was “a way of saying thanks for all of your support.”
“[The BSBP Foundation] wanted to pay it forward to all of the organizations that have stood by us in our seven-year journey to build the skate park,” he added. “You guys always supported us.”
The Green Team, made up of residents seeking to make Bay a more environmentally-friendly and sustainable city, was established by Mayor Debbie Sutherland in 2007. The group receives no city funding, and to date has received just over $10,000 in grants – mostly from the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District – for specific projects. The funds used to support the Green Team’s Community Garden project come from the plot fees charged to each gardener.
The donation from the BSBP Foundation has no strings attached. The Green Team has not yet decided how to use the money, although preliminary discussions have involved improvements to the Community Garden site.