Kids & Family
Angel Park Leaders Are Perry Hall Citizens of Year: Marks
Bill Paulshock and Kelli Szczybor led effort to create park next to Perry Hall Library.
During the Perry Hall Tree Lighting Ceremony on Tuesday, Baltimore County Councilman David Marks announced his selections for the Fifth District’s “Citizens of the Year”—Bill Paulshock and Kelli Szczybor.
The pair has been instrumental in the creation of Angel Park, a project that is currently in development.
“I am proud to honor these two leaders, and I want to thank all those who have helped them build support for Angel Park,” Marks said in a statement.
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Andy and Kelli Szczybor, whose son Ryan died of leukemia when he was 15 months old, are the inspiration behind Angel Park.
They have been working since 2012 to bring to fruition plans for a playground and amphitheater next to the Perry Hall Library that will accommodate all children, including those with special needs. It will be surrounded by pickets and pavers where donors can memorialize those they consider to be angels.
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“Within a year, the Angel Park Committee has raised or received pledges totaling more than $900,000...” Marks said.
The entire park, from design to funding to construction, is community-driven.
Organizers consulted students from Chapel Hill, Perry Hall, Joppa View, Gunpowder, Perry Hall Christian, Seven Oaks and Kingsville elementary schools and St. Joseph in the design process.
More than 250 citizens have volunteered to help the Angel Park planning committee to build it.
And the fundraising committee, on which Paulshock serves, has raised nearly $1 million in donations from the community.
“Bill and Kelli have been amazing champions for this project,” said Dennis Hoover, who co-chairs the Angel Park committee and was honored as Citizen of the Year in 2011.
The goal is for Angel Park to be built in spring 2015, Marks said.
Photo of Bill Paulshock and Kelli Szcyzbor courtesy of Baltimore County Councilman David Marks, also pictured.
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