Published by Daily Times
Sep 9, 2018
by Peg DeGrassa pdegrassa@21st-centurymedia.com @PeggyDe5 on Twitter
RIDLEY PARK >> Most drivers, bikers and pedestrians pass by the area where Sellers and Felton avenues converge in the borough without giving the small patch of land there a mere second thought.
“Many don’t realize that the Spirit of America Park was set up and named to honor those who lost their lives in the tragedy of 9/11/2001, as well as pay tribute to first responders,” explained Edward Caleo of the Holmes section of Ridley Township, a Boy Scout in Woodlyn Troop #43 who is on the path to attaining his Eagle rank. Caleo is
about to change how people view and feel about the local park.
“When I was deciding on an Eagle project,” explained Caleo, “Ridley Park Mayor Hank Eberle asked me to do something to bring the park back to life, maybe clean it up a bit. I decided to do way more than just spruce it up. When the community came together to build this park, they wanted us to never forget the passengers on those airplanes, the firefighters, the police officers and other first responders, and the ordinary people who risked their lives on that day, and many days afterward, to help others. Over the years, the park was forgotten and most people in the community never knew this park was dedicated to these heroes. I was given the challenge to change this and decided to do it in a big way.”
According to Caleo and his mother Kim, the Spirit of America Park was originally created by Eberle and former Ridley Park Borough Councilwoman Barbara Smith only a few months after the terrorist attacks to honor the memory of those who died. Caleo, 17, is not only restoring and beautifying the park, but he has also designed and constructed a monument to resonate America’s spirit, which was exemplified on 9/11/2001.
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