EJ’s Many Friends

To the Editor,

On Saturday, May 18, a fundraiser was held at Dickinson Park to benefit EJ Carfi, an 11-year-old boy born with epidermolysis bullosa or “butterfly skin disease.” Proceeds from this event are being used to aid in the renovation of EJ’s home to make it wheelchair accessible. The fundraiser was more successful than I could have imagined.

I would like to first thank the community for their participation and support in this day. We had a steady stream of families for the entire event and many who could not stay stopped by to drop off a donation. It meant a great deal to EJ and his family to see this overwhelming support.

I would also like to thank many area businesses for their participation in this event. Thank you to The Newtown Bee for helping us get the word out regarding this event and to Parks and Rec for donating the use of Dickinson Pavilion. I would also like to thank Dave Parks of Spin Doctor DJ in Danbury, Dippin Dots of Bethel, Space Walk of Western CT, Pepsi, Ganz Corp, and Omaha Beef. Without their help, this event would not have been so successful.

Finally, I would like to thank the co-sponsors of this event. Members of Women Involved in Newtown (WIN), A Home for EJ, and the Knights of Columbus all donated their time in planning and running this event. Along with these organizations, I would like to thank the many volunteers who worked the event including the Goyda and Carfi families and Newtown’s Friends of EJ.

Debbie Leidlein

29 Little Brook Lane, Newtown                                       May 28, 2008