The following open letter was left as a comment on our Lafayette Park Skate Park post, but I thought I’d call it out here.
By Franne Fox
I heard through the grapevine that there is a possibility that the LA Parks and Recreation will not be having a summer camp this season. I understand that right now it is on hold till a decision is made. This goes for camp as well as other programs throughout the year.
I find this to be an absolute crime. There are families that have been going to these camps for years and rely on these recreation centers as a safe place to leave their children every day whether for an after school program or a spring or summer camp.
For working families who can’t afford childcare they provide extended care programs that are invaluable.
It is also a place where kids of all races, religions and backgrounds can meet and have fun in a wonderful setting with warm, caring people. These parks and recreation centers are the foundations of the communities. They can change lives and save kids from getting into trouble.
I was one of those kids that grew up in a park and recreation center. Had it not been for the wonderful counselors, coaches and teachers who devoted themselves whole-heartedly with little pay and made me feel like I belonged, I don’t know what would have become of me. They were like a family to me, the family I didn’t have at home.
Don’t these kids and parents deserve a break? A summer of fun and parents knowing their children are safe and cared for while they are working?If you have to make cuts make them somewhere else. Don’t take away summer camp and after school programs from innocent kids who just want a place to go and have fun and parents who desperately need and depend on the parks and recreation centers for childcare.
I’m sure that many of these families would be willing to pay a bit more to insure that these programs will not be history. That would be a terrible legacy to leave on your watch.
You will certainly lose my vote and many others should you decide that this is your way of fixing the problems that were created not by the kids and parents who need these services, but by the politicians.
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