NEW BRITAIN - In the spirit of giving,
St. Thomas Aquinas alumni will gather with friends and family to raise money for a good cause.
The fourth annual St.
Thomas Aquinas picnic reunion, planned for Saturday at the New Britain Rock Cats Stadium, will raise money for Noah's
Ark of Hope, a nonprofit organization created in memory of Noah Bourdon, who died Aug. 11 in a playground accident in Hubbard
Park in Meriden. Family and friends of Sarah Bogdanski, mother of Noah and a '93 alumna of St. Thomas Aquinas,
since created and ran the foundation in memory of the 14-month-old and in hopes of building a "barrier-free" playground
in their city.
"We wanted to do something for his parents and for Noah," said Elaine Pavasaris, an alumna of
the former parochial school and a Kensington resident. "[Noah's death] was a loss for all of us. Anything we can
do is helpful."
The nonprofit foundation has raised $175,000, Pavasaris said.
Marie Bogdanski, Noah's grandmother,
said once the foundation reaches its monetary goal and builds a safe playground and haven for children, the organization will
go on raising money for other projects.
Willingness to help others is a philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas, Bogdanski
said, and members of the school community continue in that tradition - one for which the Bourdon and Bogdanski families said
they are grateful.
"If you knew the [St. Thomas Aquinas] community, you would not be surprised that this community
would do this," Bogdanski said. "It was a family-oriented school. This is what these people did."
The
school closed in the 1990s and has been since left nearly abandoned and condemned by the city. It is privately owned.
Former students, faculty and friends rekindle the school's spirit by reuniting and performing charitable events.
The pregame picnic is open to all former students, families and faculty of St. Thomas Aquinas School. Tickets cost $22 and
include an all-you-can-eat barbecue picnic and a ticket to the Rock Cats game.
For information or to buy tickets, call
Elaine Pavasaris at (860) 463-9193. |
