Parents, children, community leaders — and a strong spirit of community was evident Sunday at Gatison Park in Ansonia.
The crowds gathered on Fourth Street for the third annual back to school rally organized by Valley Save Our Youth.
TEAM, Inc. of Derby sponsored this year’s event for all school-age students, from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. The Valley Save Our Youth Committee also held fundraisers to cover costs.
The rally included distribution of backpacks and school supplies, and free haircuts for students.
Valley Save Our Youth Committee President Leonard Duffus said eight barbers from Diamond Cutz at 290 Main St., Ansonia, donated their time to cut hair.
Voter registration was also available. Duffus said some 18 year-olds don’t yet realize they have the right to vote. “An informed community is a better community,” he said.
Representatives of several post-secondary institutions were on hand, including: Housatonic Community College, Naugatuck Valley Community College, Lincoln Culinary Institute, Porter and Chester Institute, University of Bridgeport, and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.
Duffus said it’s important to teach teens to think about their options “post high school.”
Ansonia resident Tarek Raslan recently formed a group, Friends of Gatison Park, to develop and maintain the property.
He said he and other volunteers are working to beautify the park. They painted a swing set in rainbow colors, he said, and have gotten help from young people in picking up trash.
He hopes to plant gardens, add tree lighting, and get as many residents involved in the cleanup efforts as possible. “We’ve had a good reception from the neighborhood,” Raslan said.
The group meets at 7 p.m. Tuesdays at the adjacent Zinc Fence Restaurant, 143 N. Main St., Ansonia. New members are always welcome.
Raslan said he is confident the concept of cleaning up and maintaining public spaces will catch on with the other parks in the city.
The park was named for John W. Gatison, Jr., the city’s first black alderman. He served on the board from 1969 – 71.
A basketball tournament with teens from Ansonia and neighboring communities participating was held throughout the day.
John G. Prendergast Elementary School Assistant Principal Sherrod McNeill greeted students as they passed by.
One of those students was Prendergast sixth-grader Jordan Brown, 10. He said he enjoyed playing in the basketball tournament, even though his team lost.
Jordan, whose favorite subject is math, said he was looking forward to going back to school. “Summer wasn’t really that much fun,” he said.
Mayor David S. Cassetti commended the event. “It’s great; it brings the community together,” he said.
The community event also remembered young people from Ansonia who died before their time. There was a moment of silence to remember people taken from the city too young.
Resident Lisa McCarthy lost her 20-year-old son Keith to addiction. She does a random act of kindness every day in August. Keith would have turned 30 this month.
She came to the park Saturday and donated school supplies. McCarthy also donated 10 $5 gift cards for raffle prizes.
“It makes me feel like I’m still connected to the community and the kids,” she said.
