To the Editor:

What a beautiful, wonderful day we had for the 2nd Annual Lighthouse Festival this past Saturday!  The weather was perfect and there was fun and excitement throughout the day.

Ben’s Lighthouse wants to thank the more than 100 volunteers of all ages who cheerily chipped in to make the Festival a tremendous success.  From parking attendants to lighthouse monitors to face painters, each person made an impact.  In particular, we’d like to thank the organizations that contributed their skills and/or supplies:  US Coast Guard, Emerald Sketch Art Therapy,  Connecticut Music Therapy, Rankin Sporting Goods, Gildan Activewear, Flagpole Radio Café, Newtown Youth Voices, Pepperidge Farm, The Maritime Aquarium,  Eli Whitney Museum, Therapy Dogs International, Thin Air, XL Color, The Toy Tree, Pepsi, Housatonic Habitat for Humanity, A Bead of Roses,  Twyla Hafermann-Kessler,  The Graceful Planet, Dance Etc.,  Hollandia of Bethel, Little Red Food Truck, Loree’s Kitchen, Francine Wheeler and Students, Roberto Ortiz and Coastie, the Trinity Choristers, Sara Hoagland Hunter, Don Ramsey, the Sandy Hook Arcade, our group of local massage therapists, RIS Kindness Club, Phil Blagys of Black Rock Community Council & Fayerweather Lighthouse, and the Artists of Newtown..

Mostly we send our thanks to all the hundreds of families who came to spend some time with us on Saturday.  We hope you were able to relax, learn, have fun, or simply enjoy your neighbors in this wonderful community of ours.

Ben’s Lighthouse is committed to continuing along the path of supporting our children in whatever ways we can for as long as is needed.  We believe that community interactions are vital to helping children understand the support that is available to them as they grow. 

Sincerely,

Rick Haylon

Carla Tischio

Mary Chamiec-Case

On behalf of Ben’s Lighthouse

36 Main Street, Newtown                 June 18, 2014