With its soft opening over and its formal opening coming in mid-late January, the John T. Wright Arena will soon be open for ice skating again and the newly incorporated non-profit, Friends of John T. Wright Arena (FJTWA), is looking to help it be a success. Toward that end, they are collecting used hockey gear and equipment because one of the biggest barriers to playing is the cost of the equipment. The other barrier—the need for ice—is being fixed by the reopening after a 20-month long shutdown caused by Superstorm Sandy’s destruction of the arena roof in October of 2012 and the subsequent budgetary issues involved.
“As an Englewood resident for over 18 years and a mother of five children I have seen no other facility that provides my family an opportunity to learn a recreational skill while at the same time embraces the diversity of our city like the John T. Wright Arena,” Lisa Wisotsky, president of the nonprofit, said. “I believe this community effort is exactly what is needed to fully realize the potential that the Arena has to offer.”
Wisotsky grew up in Brooklyn and spent most of her winter Sunday afternoons ice-skating with her friends in Coney Island. Her children ice skated at the John T. Wright Arena every winter until Sandy shut the rink down. In the months of Englewood Council debate concerning the Arena’s reconstruction, Wisotsky’s son and his friends attended a council session to say what the facility meant to them. This inspired Wisotsky to start FJTWA. “The group sees the Arena as a facility that can help bring unity to Englewood and provide benefits to all of its residents, children and adults,” Wisotsky said.
Her children aren’t the only ones involved. Benjamin Prince and Noah Greenwald both wanted to do something to help at the Arena. Debbie Prince, Benjamin’s mother, approached the Arena manager to find out what the boys could do and was told about the need for hockey equipment so everyone could enjoy classes and programming. Mrs. Prince then passed on the information to FJTWA.
The organization, incorporated in late October, consists of 11 board members and 40 other members from all four wards of Englewood. Its stated goal is ensuring that the Arena “provides programming that all residents of Englewood can enjoy and to assist the city in obtaining necessary resources to accomplish this goal.”
“In light of this commitment to the Arena, the FJTWA aims to be a citizen-driven effort to increase the facility’s usage, encourage increased community participation in programming, and assist in fundraising for both the rink’s capital improvements and programmatic needs.”
By Aliza Chasan
