New Fund will Maintain Park’s Walk of Life

(July 13, 2009)  If you are one of the thousands who purchased a brick or bench in honor of a loved one or have simply enjoyed strolling along the Walk of Life at New Britain’s Walnut Hill Park, you will be glad to know that the popular path will be preserved for future generations.

A new Walk of Life Endowment Fund has been established by Rosemarie Burton, who was one the one of the original organizers of the walkway along with members of The Northeastern Region of Soroptimist International of the Americas. The Soroptimist mission is to improve the lives of women and girls in local communities and across the world. Over the past 15 years, the group sold the bricks and benches to raise money originally for the Komen Race for the Cure and more recently for the CT Breast Health Initiative’s Race in the Park, which is held each year in New Britain. The new fund, which will pay for upkeep of maintaining the area, will be administered by the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain.

“Over the years, we’ve talked and cried with so many people who’ve purchased bricks and benches in memory of their loved ones. Each one has a story behind it and it’s important that the walk be maintained. This new fund will help pay the city’s Parks and Recreation Department for the perpetual upkeep of the 780-foot walk, including brick replacement, re-grouting, and refinishing of numerous benches,” explained Burton, who also serves as president of Klingberg Family Centers in New Britain and is a breast cancer survivor herself.

To kick off the Endowment Fund, the Soroptimist group is selling another 500 bricks to add to the walk. Each 8 x 8-inch engraved brick may be purchased for $100. To order a brick, contact Rosemarie Burton at 860-224-9113, or by email at Rosemarieb@klingberg.com. Or, to make a tax deductible donation to the Endowment Fund, write a check to the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain, noting the ‘Walk of Life Endowment Fund’ on the check and mail to the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain, 74A Vine Street, New Britain, CT 06052.  For more information, contact Ann Bova at 229-6018, ext. 302 or visit the Foundation’s website at www.cfgnb.org.