House Party Raises Funds for New Skate Park in Hastings
House Party Raises Funds for New Skate Park in Hastings
Rivertown Skate Society wants local kids to have a safe place to skateboard
by Ilana Arazie
Hastings-on-Hudson — On the evening of Saturday June 8th, local skateboarders and their supporters rolled into the home of Josh and Debra Dean for a fun summer house party to raise funds for the Rivertown Skate Society. This was the organization’s second house party to raise money for a new skate park they plan to build on the Burke Estate in Hastings-on-Hudson.
“One of the things that has been missing in this village and other Rivertowns is a place where kids over six can go, who have outgrown the parks or are not into traditional sports. With all the concerns about mental health, research shows we need open spaces where kids can gather as a community. Now we want to bring all the Rivertowns and other neighboring communities together and we have the space to do it,” says Josh.
Debra adds, “The idea is to create a communal watering hole where kids and people of all ages can come together, build connections, be outside, challenge themselves, learn from each other and most importantly, switch off from technology and social media.”
Prior to the most recent house party, the organization raised around $100,000 through other events and fundraising efforts, including skate fairs under the bridge on Southside Avenue in Hastings. The village donated $150,000 towards the park as well. Rivertown Skate Society’s goal, which they hope to reach by next year, is to raise $500,000.
The idea for creating a skate park was initially dreamt up by three skateboard-loving kids: Denim McNeil, Sawyer Dolgins and Caetano Beltrano when they were in middle school. They are now graduating high school.
With the support of the village, the boys worked closely with the high school to secure land on the Burke Estate. The land was donated by the high school to the skate park team with a shared vision of building something that local students and their families could enjoy. “They are turning an unused abandoned part of the Burke Estate into something vibrant and with purpose,” says Debra.
Nicole Miziolek, Denim's mother, led the effort and championed the boy's dream from the inception of the project, along with Anthony Fischetti, a passionate skater and dad of three. Other active committee members include Daniel Beltrano and Marguerite Franklin-Beltrano as well as Jana Hollingshead and Adam Dolgins.
A year and a half ago, Josh and Debra Dean joined the Rivertown Skate Society team, playing an integral part in organizing fundraising efforts and working closely with the village and parks and recreation department.
“This year feels particularly happy in the sense that we’ve made progress in the past year, and sad that the boys who started this project are all graduating. It’s a goodbye for them and a passing of the torch, which is lovely,” said Debra. Debra and Josh’s daughter Pearl learned to skate from the boys and is a 9-year-old next generation skater.
“The boys made such great progress because they have a location and a design for the park, which was created by a company called Fifth Pocket,” says Josh.
125 tickets were sold at $125 each for the Summer Party event. Plus, $6,870 was raised through a silent auction. The event included a jazz band called Mike Sanders Trio featuring Nick Trautwein and Andy Pastorino. Guests also enjoyed delicious Dominican dishes from a food truck called El Patio. The cocktails and beer were all donated and the bartenders (all of whom are skaters too) also shared their time in support of the project. Between dining, drinking and grooving — and some skating by a few kids at the start of the party — guests also signed up for Tarot readings by Dayna Gralla. Later in the evening, Hastings parent and part of the RSS team DJ Resmovits spun some beats.
“Consistently seeing how the local community shows up for our fundraising events is always a boost — not just in dollars raised (and it was certainly a success on that front!) but even more importantly, in our spirits. We hope the event injected even more momentum and urgency into getting this skate park built!" says Debra.
To learn more about Rivertown Skate Society and support its fundraising efforts, visit https://rivertownskatesociety.org.
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