When David Gentile was paralyzed from the neck down during a Moorestown High School football game in 1979, residents came to his support.

Over the years, thousands of dollars were donated to a trust fund to pay for Gentile's medical expenses.

After Gentile died last year at the age of 36, his mother, Joan, began looking for a way to give back the unspent money.

A few weeks ago, she found the perfect charity.

Joan Gentile has donated $120,000 from the trust fund to help build a skateboard park at Wesley Bishop Park. Joan Gentile said the skate park was something her son, who was confined to a wheelchair until his death, would have loved.

"This was absolutely a no-brainer," Joan Gentile said. " David was a skateboarder ... I just know that David would be so thrilled to see this."

In turn, the township has decided to name it David Gentile Skatepark. The 15,000-square foot park is tentatively slated to open in the fall.

For more than a decade, a skate park has been a desire for many kids and their parents in Moorestown. Over the past several years, two organized groups have pushed the township two build one.

Last year, the township budgeted nearly $200,000 to build
a skate park. But the bids came back well over that. And with the Vans Skatepark opening at the Moorestown Mall, the township decided to wait and see if that took care of kids' needs.

But kids and parents still wanted a skate park they didn't have to drive to or pay to use.

On May 29, a new set of construction bids came back at $ 320,000 for a skate park. Again, the township had budgeted only $200,000. Facing a budget crunch this year, there was little chance of finding extra money.

"If it wasn't for this donation, we wouldn't be able to do it," said township recreation director Bob McBride. "I think it's wonderful that we've got people in town who would do something like this."

McBride and mayor Howard Miller said they can't remember the township ever getting such a large donation for a project.

"It's wonderful that such a magnanimous gift was given," said Miller, who knew the Gentiles and coached David in youth football. "(David) was a fine example to all kinds of people ... He was a stand-out for anyone who had a disability."

David Gentile spent 10 years on the township's recreation advisory board. Much of the money donated by people was done on May 10, 1980 - David Day.

While others are amazed at her donation, Joan Gentile just sees it as returning money to the people who gave it to her son.

"It's not me giving it, the townspeople gave it to us. I'm just trying to show our appreciation for what the town did for us," Joan Gentile said. "It's not really my money anyway ... I'm just sort of the facilitator."