Elkhart students writing letters to protect Tolson Center
ELKHART, Ind.-After the Elkhart City Council voted to reduce funding for the beloved Tolson Center last week, many people in the community were upset. Now, a school in Elkhart is joining in on the fight to protect the community center.
Students at Elkhart Academy at Tipton are writing letters to the city council and Mayor Tim Neese in hopes of having kid’s voices heard and making their appreciation for the center known.
“Kids will write a letter explaining what Tolson means to them, why they need it and what were to happen if they defund it and how that would affect them,” said Heather Misiano, a first year teacher at Elkhart Academy. “Tolson is huge for the community and they do so much for people of all ages.”
Elkhart Schools come back from fall break Tuesday. They will write the letters then and hope to have them in the mail by Thursday.
Misiano hopes other schools will do the same.
“When it comes to making big decisions, like defunding Tolson, our kids often are ignored because some people think kids are too naïve to have opinions or make decisions like this,” Misiano said. “I hope that our students’ voices are heard.”
In a 6 to 3 vote, the council voted to fund the Tolson Center for only six months during October 23rd’s meeting. Hundreds of community members showed up to support Tolson.