Communities have a profound effect shaping our lives and the lives of our families. Barron Park has been a wonderful place for raising my family. My oldest daughter is now in college and has memories of Mickey, Bol Park and very specifically the creek in Bol Park, which she will carry with her all of her life. My youngest daughter has many more years to experience the treasures that await her in Bol Park. Every strong community has a benefactor: a person who, through his or her generosity, offers a place, a building or land, as a gift to the community. Through this, the benefactor, offers a little bit of themselves to all of us.
The Bol family has been and continues to be a very strong influence on our community. Many of you know already that Josina Bol died on February 16th. She had lived in her home next to the bike path near Bol Park for 60 years. It is because of this person that we have Bol Park, Mickey, and the wonderful creek with all of its wildlife. Any child growing up here in Barron Park has played here and has strong memories of this terrific place.
We all owe a great deal to Josina Bol for this gift and to her family for sharing her with us in this way. I personally never met Josina but through her family know that she was a loving, strong, hard-working, and sometimes very playful woman. I can see many of the values that we have as a community stem from the values and philosophies of this family. Through her generosity, she will be with us forever.