Pain and Determination Paid Off for One Attleboro Skater

Attleboro resident Anthony "Spaz" Parziale had never set foot in rollerblades in his life, yet he took a crash course with a colleague at WAAF and hit the streets recently to raise

"Thanks to [their] help $90,000 was donated to families in need this holiday season," Parziale said of those who donated.

"Skate the State" was one of the tougher thinks I've ever done," he said. "It wasn't easy. The first day I rolled my right ankle, day two I wiped out and hurt my left foot, day three I could not even put the Rollerblades on because of the pain."

Spaz forged on and put the Rollerblades on, and hit the streets for the last leg of his fundraising effort.

"I had to leave the Rollerblades loose because it hurt too much to tie them tight," he said. "Going up hill on Route 1 was the hardest part because my legs, back, and feet were ready to give out, but we made it."

Support was key to Spaz staying focused on the goal, feeding families in need.

"Everyone supporting me and giving me donation along the way give me the motivation to fight through the pain and when I was alone all a could think about was how tough it must be to be on of the families in need of assistance," he said. "A few blisters and hurting feet is nothing (in comparison)."

After his three day trek from Attleboro to Boston was complete, Spaz just wanted to relax, but he didn't.

Spaz and his 3-year-old son decided to help Councilor Duff White package food at for Attleboro families in need.

White said he met Parziale during the raide personality's run for Attleboro City Council. "We talked about different ways of teaching  his son about charity and asked about places he could help serve Thankgiving dinner," he said.

White went on to say that Parziale exudes a large amount of passion for helping others. "He not only believes it, he lives it."

"Congratulations to everyone who donated, volunteered and supported WAAF's "Skate the State" to raise finds for local food banks," he said. "One of every six families will need assistance from a food bank this year and the assistance will be there because of your generous donations."

The two have discussed ways to help local food pantries. White would like to see and participate in a local version of skate the state because there is a strong need for it in Attleboro.

"People don't realize it, but 36 percent of the school population receive free or reduced lunch," White said. "It's a beautiful thing when people reach in and donate, but come June those families have 15 more meals to provide per week."

White went on to say that everyone remembers Thanksgiving and Christmas, but that those same families who needed help during the holidays need help throughout the year and every little bit counts.