In Memory:
Hello, for those who do not know me, my name is Matt Roche and I am a junior at Canisius High School. I began the Westgate Park Initiative in an effort to plant and dedicate a tree in West Seneca's Westgate Park in memory of my friend, Luke Anthony Gould. For those who are not familiar with Luke, I will share a little bit about this fine young man. Luke moved onto my street, Cheryl Road (off of Reserve Road) when I was in elementary school and we soon became close friends. Luke fit in well with the neighborhood kids and we all loved his caring personality and amazement with the world. Luke was two years younger than me, but he never backed down from playing with the older kids. Luke taught me a lesson in life: nothing can truly hold you back. Luke was not the biggest kid, nor the strongest, but somehow he managed to play ball as if he had always been my size. I liked that about him. Although many of the younger neighbors were afraid of my huge Airedale Terrier, Shamrock, Luke would sprint though the backyard prancing about with the wild animal my brothers and I knew as our pet. Luke was fearless. A few years ago, something went horribly wrong and Luke passed away in his sleep. The killer: myocarditis. I remember taking the bus to West Seneca West Middle School and seeing ambulances rush past us. I thought nothing of it until I was greeted at the front door with my crying family trying to explain what happened. At the time, I hadn't even lost a grandparent, let alone a boy I had known much of my childhood. Luke's physical presence may be gone, but he will be here with me forever. The lessons that he taught me at such a young age have been extensively valuable to me over the years. Luke's family named their foundation "Lukey's Legacy." By revitalizing Westgate Park in West Seneca, I hope to preserve Luke's lasting impact on this community forever. Please help me in this goal.