Editor,
    This is a thank you to the mayor and all those who organized the inaugural Brighton Community Walk on Oct. 9.
      You did more than promote healthier lifestyles. I am a volunteer ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher for adults in our community. I offered this event as an opportunity for my students to get involved in their community and have a chance to practice their English. The morning of Oct. 9, I was pleased to see six students arrive. We had such a great time. We laughed, we enjoyed the beautiful weather and walking path (none of us had ever been on that path); and we enjoyed being a part of a community event together.
    At the end of the walk we agreed to do it again on a bimonthly basis. I can’t express how exciting it was on the morning of Oct. 23 when we met for our own version of the Brighton Community Walk. This time the students were joined by their spouses and children. Fifteen of us headed out on the path and almost doubled the distance of the original walk.
    I know the intention of the community walk was to promote healthy lifestyles. Your mission was accomplished with our group. But there’s an underlying accomplishment as well. It’s not easy to immerse in a community when you’re not confident of your language skills, nor are you completely immersed in the culture. I definitely got the sense that these newcomers to our glorious United States of America got a sense of how wonderful its people are through this Brighton community event.
    Again, thank you. We’re training for next year’s walk.
Shereen Fink
Brighton