Nine-year-old Jeremy Rosa who started his own food drive is center stage in the latest wave of television, radio and digital ads promoting Bridgeport in the www.bridgeportbettereveryday.com campaign.
Rosa, who’ll enter 5th grade at Blackham School in the city’s North End, was seven when he hosted his own food drive. With support from family, friends and neighbors in the community Jeremy collected a total of 997 pounds of food. He’s turned it into an annual event, collecting food for the Connecticut Food Bank.
“I love living in Bridgeport,” says Jeremy into the camera. “My school is right by my house. My teachers are the best. I ride my bike all over, go to movies in the park, and this summer we’re going to Pleasure Beach. When I grow up, I’m definitely gonna live in Bridgeport. I could be a construction worker or build boats or own my own business. But I’ll probably be a professional soccer player.”
The city launched the taxpayer-paid marketing campaign last November to boost confidence among city residents and potential investors. The campaign opened with city contractor Marshan Coleman talking about a city that works for everyone. Although Mayor Bill Finch in this election cycle has not been featured in any of the spots the marketing campaign has become a reelection issue as a result of Coleman’s car tax issues and the camps of Finch and former Mayor Joe Ganim challenging ownership of works-for-everyone slogan.
“I couldn’t imagine a better ambassador for the city of Bridgeport than Jeremy,” said Finch in a news release. “He’s such a great kid. And Bridgeport is a great place to grow up. We’ve renovated 100 acres of parks across the city, so our kids can run and play outside. In fact, we just completed three new baseball fields at Jeremy’s school.”
The new fields at Blackham School include the same artificial turf used in professional baseball stadiums, new dugouts, scoreboards, backstops and an all-inclusive field that will accommodate people with special needs.
I have been at Blackham School this past year to serve as a mentor. I liked the young men whom School Volunteers introduced me to as well as the care and concern of the staff and security I met.
I did not meet Jeremy but I salute him for the food service project he initiated and for connecting with the CT Food Bank that serves many pantries and other feeding programs in Southern CT. As a happy kid who enjoys school, sports and service he makes a great visual Ambassador, but is his joy sustainable?
Blackham School had major baseball field development started in the winter and completed this spring. Hurrah for opening day. Show me the money, Bill, please? Where were the plans for the acres of fields and playgrounds and what were the funding sources? Wasn’t Cal Ripken a contractor on the late 2014-15 $8-9 million of expenses rather than a donor? The funds for all the work did not seem part of the Capital Plan or the Operating budget. Where did they come from, and why with such stealth, rather than planning from the grassroots? With all the parkland added, and now playing fields, where are the dollars to maintain all of these properties and where has Bill, absent from these videos, provided such answers?
And what about Jeremy’s education? Mayor Finch continues to plan and allocate the funding of our local school system FROM LOCAL MUNICIPAL TAXPAYERS at 60% of what New Haven and Hartford do. Why expect Hartford and Washington to provide for a City that is lagging in local planning and funding? Will Jeremy be able to compete for a good college placement when the time comes? Are there broad efficiencies on the City side being ignored that would close the gap over time?
I hope Jeremy has a safe and enjoyable summer and his family with him. Will the playground provided by Finch as an alternative to the serious work of academic progress look so good to students and parents as the years proceed? Time will tell.
Is it me or isn’t it illegal for a youth under the age of 16 to be riding their bike on city streets without a helmet?
Depends on when the video was filmed. The law was changed end of April 2015 from under age 12 to under age 15.
www .helmets.org/ct_law.htm
It’s YOU.
12,402 people viewed this on YouTube, that is not too shabby. How many people voted in the last election?
I love Jeremy and his mom, they are both wonderful people. Jeremy’s brother had a huge crush on my daughter in elementary school and they look just alike.
I know the family is not political in any way, but I can’t help but think they were just used by Finch.