Tournament Benefits Kids
8/16/2005
It's no more than a field, 18 acres of land just south of Mount Wolf.
But Lou Castriota has plans for that parcel. He has designed a facility that would benefit special needs kids, offering the physical, psychological and social help they need under one roof.
Plans for Leg Up Farm have been in the works for several years, but building the center is a matter of money -- about $10 million. The nonprofit so far has raised about $700,000 from its two-person office on North George Street.
And next month, the Matthew Allen Potter Memorial Golf Tournament holds its fourth annual event benefiting Leg Up. Matthew was 7 when he died Sept. 10, 2001, from injuries he sustained on a ride at the York Fair.
Although the tournament, organized by Jack Lehr, has brought more than $100,000 to Leg Up's coffers, more cash is needed before crews can break ground. Castriota has worked with state lawmakers for years in hope of landing a $4.56 million in capital redevelopment assistance funds, which are administered by the Office of the Budget to pay for regional economic, cultural, civic and historical improvement projects.
Tough competition: To get the cash, projects must demonstrate an ability to raise matching funds. Castriota has done that, but competition for the money is tough because of the number of requests for economic development enterprises such as baseball stadiums, and visitor and convention centers.
Castriota began the nonprofit in 1997 when he realized the difficulty in shuttling his daughter, Brooke, from their New Freedom home to numerous places for various therapies. Brooke, one of Castriota's four children, has mitochondrial disease, which is similar to cerebral palsy. Castriota surveyed parents and industry professionals, whose advice solidified his idea to house numerous therapies under one roof.
The 110,000 square-foot facility would offer physical, massage, speech and therapeutic horseback riding, among other things. It would serve residents of York County and surrounding areas.
"We need the state to release the capital funds," Castriota said. "It is the next key piece, the thing we really need to secure before we can break ground."
By KATHY STEVENS, The York Dispatch