Intergenerational goal

To the Editor:

Dear Mayor Pohlman and Plymouth aldermen,

I wanted to take a moment to write to determine where our mayor and aldermen stand in regard to the Plymouth Intergenerational Center. As a 30-plus-year resident, and taxpayer of the city of Plymouth, I am thrilled that we have such a wonderful opportunity in our community as the Plymouth Intergenerational Center represents.

This center becomes even more important with the recent sale of the building in which our community’s largest day care, “Here We Grow,” resides. Without the PIC, the future of this day care remains very uncertain. What will these young families do without an affordable place to take their children while they are at work supporting their families?

What a wonderful solution the PIC would provide to this potentially devastating issue. A new, modern building, windows and sunshine, an outdoor play area, state-of-the-art security to protect the kids, all giving their hard-working parents peace of mind.

And – to have our senior population readily accessible to play with and teach these kids is just so perfect. There are also studies that show positive results of having these two groups together under one roof:

• Seniors – less depression - improved cognitive skills; • Kids – stronger performance in school - less abuse of drugs and alcohol; and

• Both groups feel a sense of belonging - desire to please and achieve.

As a homeowner and taxpayer in Plymouth, I believe the PIC will add overall value to our community by making it a more desirable place to live and demonstrate that Plymouth is a forward thinking, family-oriented, progressive, community. I believe the PIC is a big step in the right direction for Plymouth. I sincerely hope you each support the PIC.

There have been two informational meetings in the past few weeks – hosted by Martha Laning, executive director of the PIC. One was at The Bull, the other – was at the 52 Stafford. Mayor Don Pohlman attended this meeting and made a comment that led me and others to believe that this project may not have the widespread support of the aldermen that I believe it should have.

Because the meetings were so well attended, Martha is hosting three more meetings:

March 2 – Mill Street Grill, 9-9:30 a.m., 9 a.m. coffee - 9:30 presentation March 2 – Amore, Plymouth, 5-6 p.m., social-cash bar 6 p.m.- 30-minute presentation

March 11 – Quit Qui Oc Golf Course, 5-6 p.m., social-cash bar 6 p.m.- 30-minute presentation

I sincerely hope if any of you have not yet attended one of these presentations, your schedule will allow you to do so March 2 or March 11.

These presentations have been just wonderful. Even people who are very familiar with PIC have walked away marveling at how much they learned, and what a positive impact this would have on Plymouth.

The Plymouth Intergenerational Coalition has done an unbelievable job of raising money for this project — over $3 million to date. Plymouth businesses, service clubs, and private donors have been very generous.

I am sure you are aware of the Federal Stimulus money in the amount of $1,010,000 the PIC will receive, and you are also probably aware that unless PIC meets the goal of raising the remaining $633,000 by April 1, we as a community are at risk of losing this $1,010,000 to another community. This just can’t happen.

So together with another group of Plymouth current and past residents, we have formed a “PIC Community Fund-raising Team.” We are hosting a community fundraiser at Amore on March 20

called “Rock for Generations.” Posters have been circulated throughout the area; raffle tickets and event tickets are on sale.

We have had an outpouring of support from Plymouth, Sheboygan, Sheboygan Falls, and Elkhart Lake, merchants – all willing to donate when we ask.

We have many raffle ticket items, and some really nice items for our Silent Auction – such as a four-night stay at the Iberostar resort, Mexico – all inclusive, suite valued at $2,200 — this was donated by a past resident of Plymouth because she believes this is such a positive step for Plymouth.

Our first-prize item for our raffle took one phone call and e-mail to Dan Radue of Bitter Neumann. He read about the PIC and was so impressed he donated a 47-inch LCD Flat Screen TV, which is our first-place raffle ticket prize.

We have a band playing – “The Pink Flamingoes.” Four out of five members are from Milwaukee, but one member, David Barber, is a past resident of Plymouth. They would charge $2,200 to play for one evening, but they are donating their time for this event because, once again — they think it is just an awesome project.

Shawn from Amore has been very generous as the venue host – reducing his normal fees to help us raise more money.

We are also running articles in upcoming issues of The Review to ensure the community is aware of this event and others, encouraging all Plymouth residents to get involved.

It doesn’t stop there. The Plymouth Care Center and Senior Citizens are hosting a Chili dinner Feb. 25 at the Plymouth Senior Center from 4:30-7 p.m. – all proceeds go to PIC. Friday, March 12, is Plymouth Culver’s night; from 5-8 p.m., 10 percent of all proceeds will go to PIC. On Saturday, March 14, the Senior Center is hosting a Sheepshead Tournament at Racers Hall – $10 entry fee — proceeds to PIC. March 28, “Here We Grow” is hosting a brat fry and bake sale at Piggly Wiggly – all proceeds go to PIC.

So Mayor Pohlman and aldermen, as you can see – this is a pretty big deal — many of us are working hard to help the PIC succeed. My question is: What is our City Government doing to help ensure the Plymouth Intergenerational Center becomes a reality? Are the mayor and aldermen working together to find a solution to help raise the remaining $633K by April 1?

The city supported and helped financially to bring in Wal-Mart and other businesses. As a city of Plymouth resident and taxpayer, I am asking you to help make PIC – a place that all generations in Plymouth and the surrounding area can benefit from – a reality. I encourage other residents and taxpayers of Plymouth to let your mayor and alderman know that you support the Plymouth Intergenerational Center as well. If you are unsure of who your alderman is, check the Plymouth City Web site at: http://www.plymouthgov.com/ or call the City Hall: 893-1271.

One last note, if you haven’t already, please check out the PIC Web site for more information: http://plymouthintergenerational.org/.

Jeannie Turicik