SFD Commemorates 9-11
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Approximately 65 people attended the Scarsdale Fire Departments 14th Annual September 11th Memorial Service including on duty and off duty Scarsdale Firefighters and Police Officers, Scarsdale Volunteer Firefighters, members from Scarsdale Ambulance Corp, members of the Village Board and Village Manager Stephen Pappalardo.
The ceremony consisted of a presentation 
of the colors (American, PD and FD flags) by the Scarsdale Fire/Police Honor guard unit, placing of flowers at the base of the US Flag, readings from Mayor Jonathan Mark, Trustee Matthew Callaghan, Police Sargent Pete Godshall and Berenice Miller from SVAC.
Scarsdale Police Officer Malcolm Greer sang the national anthem and Scarsdale High School student Melinda Orengo sang Amazing Grace. Sheila Gorham (wife of Scarsdale Firefighter Pat Gorham) also sang during the service.
Photos by Jon Thaler - see more at www.JonThaler.com.
Call for Candidates for the Citizens Nominating Committee and the School Board Nominating Committee
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The Procedure Committee invites eligible Scarsdale residents to run for election to the Citizens Nominating Committee (CNC), the caucus of the Scarsdale Citizens Non- Partisan Party that selects candidates for mayor, trustee and village justice. Once elected, the newest members of the CNC will join 20 sitting CNC members in four or five meetings to consider and choose candidates to run for any open positions in the March Village election. These candidates run under the banner of the Scarsdale Citizens Non- Partisan Party. This year's CNC will select candidates for the three open Trustee positions and Village Mayor.
CNC members are expected to attend all CNC meetings, to serve on the CNC for three years and to serve for one year on the Procedure Committee after their service on the CNC. The meeting dates for 2016-2017 are: organizational meeting on Sunday, December 4, Wednesday, December 14; Wednesday December 21 (optional), Wednesday, January 4; Wednesday, January 11; and, if necessary, Wednesday, January 18.
Eligibility is governed by the Non-Partisan Resolution which can be found at the Procedure Committee website: www.scarsdaleprocedurecommittee.org. A candidate for the CNC must be a qualified voter and a resident of Scarsdale for at least two years. A CNC candidate may not be a member of the Procedure Committee, the School Board Nominating Committee, the School Board Administrative Committee, the Scarsdale School Board or the Village Board.
Candidates run for the open CNC positions in their elementary school district: Edgewood, Greenacres, Fox Meadow, Heathcote and Quaker Ridge.
Candidates must file a short biographical sketch and a nominating petition with 10 signatures of residents from their elementary school district. Forms for both are available as downloads here. Hard copies may be obtained at Village Hall and the Scarsdale Library as well. Filing instructions can be found on the forms.
The deadline for filing both forms is September 30 (Fri); after this date, additional candidates for any school district will be accepted only if there are fewer than two candidates for each position in that school district. The CNC election will be held at Village Hall on November 16 (Wed).
Potential candidates are welcome to contact individual members of the Procedure Committee: Edgewood: Elissa Bookner, Charles Chestnut, Linda Killian, Eli Mattioli, Ed Morgan, and Matthew Martin. Fox Meadow: Max Grudin, Joan Mazur Kapner, Mary Louise Perlman and Bruce Wells. Greenacres: John Baer, Barry Klayman and Carrie Fishman. Heathcote: Laurent Mintzer, Daniel Finger, David Irwin, Amy Cooper. Quaker Ridge: Diane Chesler.
For more information please contact Procedure Committee Chair Max Grudin, via [email protected].
School Board Nominating Committee
The School Board Nominating Committee (SBNC) is an elected group of 30 members who identify, propose and nominate qualified candidates to run for the Scarsdale Board of Education. The 30 voting members represent each of the five elementary school neighborhoods. Each year, 10 new members are elected (two from each neighborhood) to serve a 3-year term on the SNBC.
The SNBC urges all qualified residents to help maintain our excellent Scarsdale schools and serve our community by volunteering to run for the SBNC. To become a candidate, residents should complete a biographical form and submit it with a candidate petition with signatures from 10 residents in their elementary school area by November 21, 2016 to SBNC Administrative Committee Co-Chair Alison Singer ([email protected]) or Co-Chair Jeannine Palermo ([email protected]) These forms can be downloaded from www.scarsdaleSBNC.com. The forms are also available at the Scarsdale Library and Village Hall.
The election of SBNC members will be held on Tuesday January 10, 2017 in the Scarsdale Middle School auditorium lobby from 7:00am to 10:00 am and from 2:00 pm to 9:00 pm.
Police to Offer Outreach Program for Scarsdale Seniors
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The Scarsdale Police Department will launch The Senior Outreach Academy designed to help Scarsdale's senior citizens deal with crimes that target them, and give them an inside look at how the department functions and equipment and technology are employed. It will also give participants the opportunity to meet the men and women of the Scarsdale Police Department, and give the officers a chance to interact with the community they serve.
The Scarsdale Police began conducting an annual "Citizens Teen Police Academy" several years ago, and they are expanding this concept to Scarsdale senior citizens. The academy is a four-week program that will meet on the following dates in October: 4th, 11th, 18th, and 25th at the Scarsdale Police Station from 10:00 to 11:00 am. Light refreshments will be served. To sign up, call Detective Sherri Albano at 722-1204.
We asked Captain Thomas Altizio about how the department assists seniors and what crimes target older residents. Here is what he shared:
How do you locate and reach out to seniors in the community?
The most common way that we locate seniors that may need assistance is when patrol officers respond to a call involving a senior, and the officer feels that the person is in need of some type of assistance. It may be a case where a senior has been victimized, or a situation where a senior is experiencing some sort of medical problem, and the officer feels that they may need additional assistance. Those type of cases are referred to Detective Albano, who is our "Older Adult Advocate." Several times a week. Detective Albano will contact the individuals who have been referred to her, and either meet with them or call them. Depending on the circumstances, she has a number of options available to her. For one, she can notify the person's family in the hope that the family can resolve the problem.
In cases where the senior does not have family that is available or willing to assist them, a referral may be made to Scarsdale Family Counseling, or in some cases, Westchester County Adult Protective Services. If the senior has been the victim of a crime, we work with the Westchester County District Attorney's Office Special Prosecutions Unit, which specifically handles cases involving crimes against children and seniors.
Detective Albano also interacts with the Villages Advisory Council on Senior Citizens and attends their meetings.
Does the Police Department provide special services for seniors?
One of the services we offer is an automated calling system called "RUOK" (Are you okay) which makes a daily telephone call to a subscriber at a specified time. The person must answer the phone and press a number specified by the recording to acknowledge the call. If the subscriber does not answer the phone, and enter the proper number, an alert is generated and a police officer is dispatched to check on the person. If we are not able to make contact with the subscriber, we may force our way in (depending on the circumstances), or we make notification to emergency contacts that have been provided when the person signed up.
What kinds of crimes are likely to involve seniors?
Seniors are often victimized by telephone scams and phony or disreputable home repair contractors. The most common phone scam is known as the "Grandchild In Jail". In this scam, the caller will claim to be a friend or relative that got into trouble or was involved in an accident in another country (often Mexico, Canada or one of the Caribbean Islands) and needs money to get out of jail. In some cases the scammer will tell the victim they are a police officer and their grandchild has been arrested and needs to have money sent to them for bail. The scammer will require that a Western Union MoneyGram be sent or Green Dot Card Money Card be purchased and the card number provided to them. Unfortunately, we have had numerous victims of this scam.
Disreputable contractors frequently victimize senior homeowners. They will alarm the victim that their home is in need of repairs, and warn that if they don't do it right away they will be in danger. The contractor will perform shoddy unnecessary work, or worse, take a deposit and never return. We have had cases where the contractor actually drove the victim to the bank to withdraw the cash, dropped them off near their home and never returned. We have had victims suffer losses of tens of thousands of dollars to these types of scams.
In many cases the victims realize too late, what has happened, and often do not tell anyone because they are embarrassed by it, or are afraid that their family will think they cannot take care of themselves.
We had a case where our detectives went to a home to speak with the victim of a disreputable contractor. After speaking with the detectives, and realizing that they were caring and willing to help, the victim opened up to them to explain that the contractor had fooled the victim into believing that they had been involved in a car accident and hurt someone, which was not true. The scammer went to far as to fake damage to the victim's car to scare them. The scammer told the victim that he had "connections" and if they paid him $30,000 cash, he could make the problem go away. Once the victim told us what happened, we were able to locate and arrest the contractor/scammer, and the District Attorney's Office Special Prosecutions Unit prosecuted that case and the suspect was ultimately jailed.
How can they protect themselves?
That is exactly what we want to teach them in this program. The easy answer is that when in doubt, they should ask a trusted friend, family member or the police before turning over a large sum of money to anyone. We understand that there is a stereotype, and that to some people a uniformed police officer is intimidating to approach or speak to. It is that stereotype that we are trying to break. We want the senior community to meet the men and women of the Scarsdale Police, get to know them, and understand that we are caring and compassionate, and eager to help them with any questions or concerns that they may have. Our officers have parents and grandparents, and they don't want to see them or the community we serve victimized. I can assure you that our officers would much rather stop by someone's home and speak with them to protect them from fraud, than take a crime report from them after they have been victimized.
Will the department provide transportation to and from the outreach academy?
No, unfortunately we are not able to provide transportation to or from the Senior Outreach Program.
The four-week Senior Outreach Academy will meet on October 4th, 11th, 18th, and 25th at the Scarsdale Police Station from 10:00 to 11:00 AM. Light refreshments will be served. This free program has limited space. For registration or questions, call Detective Sherri Albano at 914 722-1204.
PaulieStrong Foundation Hosts Outing to Raise Funds for Pediatric Cancer Research
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Rudy's Food, Sports and Entertainment hosted the Drive for a Cure, a golf outing and fundraising dinner in support of The PaulieStrong Foundation. The inaugural event took place on August 29, 2016. Attendees participated in 18 holes of golf at The Scarsdale Golf Club followed by dinner and drinks, as well as a silent auction at Rudy's Food, Sports & Entertainment on Central Avenue, in Scarsdale.
The PaulieStrong Foundation was created by Paul Jimenez and Ioana Kreatsoulas Jimenez of Scarsdale, NY, in memory of their brave 10-year-old son Paul Ulysses Jimenez Jr., who suddenly lost his battle to Rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare form of childhood cancer, in January of 2016.
"The PaulieStrong Foundation was created in memory of our son Paul who fought bravely in his battle with Rhabdomyosarcoma. He was such a fun loving and amazing child who was loved by so many. He was our world and we miss him so very much. Until you are pulled into the world of childhood cancer, you just do not realize how little funding goes to support research into a cure. When we found out that childhood cancers get less than 4% of all cancer research funding, we knew our mission," said Paul Jimenez, co-founder and President of The PaulieStrong Foundation. "The goal of The PaulieStrong Foundation, through our partnership with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center is to raise awareness and funding for researching a cure for pediatric cancers. Today's children are the world's future and they deserve more than 4%."
"To date, the PaulieStrong Foundation has raised over $150,000 to benefit pediatric sarcoma research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Pediatric cancers are vastly underfunded—only 4% of government funding for cancer research supports pediatrics," said Kelli Klasko of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. "Therefore, philanthropic support from the PaulieStrong Foundation is crucial in advancing breakthrough research and clinical trails for pediatric cancers. We are deeply grateful to the foundation for their unwavering partnership to help us find a cure for all children with cancer."
"Drive for a Cure" is aimed at raising awareness and funding for pediatric cancer research. Funds raised from the event went directly to the Department of Pediatrics at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City to help fund research into pediatric sarcomas.
Sponsors for the event included SHIFT Digital (Gold Sponsor), CISCO, Edmunds.com, Octagon, EMC2, JHA Marketing, Ann and Andy Child Care, Ray Catena BMW & MINI Of Westchester, Brooklyn Brewery, MillerCoors, Turbonomic, Razor Technology, Ameritrade, Corona Extra, Budweiser, D. Bertoline & Sons, Bud Light, Merrill Lynch, Greenburgh Police Association, The Lofaro Family, High Ride Bagel Factory, fabco Vending inc., Dunkin Donuts, Saigonese, Bronx Shore Kiwanis Club, and Westchester Design Group Inc.
About the PaulieStrong Foundation
The PaulieStrong Foundation is a recognized 501(c)(3) childhood cancer foundation created in 2016 and inspired by a brave 10 year old boy named Paul Ulysses Jimenez and his courageous battle with a rare form of cancer called Rhabdomyosarcoma. After learning first-hand the need for research funding, Paul's family created the Foundation with three main objectives: to fund childhood cancer research, raise awareness, and advocate for change. For more information, visit www.pauliestrong.org. To donate to The PaulieStrong Foundation, click here. Photo credit: Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Pauliestrong Foundation)
Scarsdale Swimmers Raise More Than $100,000 to Fight Cancer
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On July 30, 15 Scarsdale residents (Plus 2 non-Scarsdale family members) swam in the Swim Across America Long Island Sound Swim to raise money for cancer research, treatment and awareness. Dedicating their swim to Paul Jimenez, the Greenacres 5th grader who lost his fight against rhabdomyosarcoma this past January, Team #PaulieStrong has already raised almost $105,000 for this year's event.
More than 500 swimmers participated in last week's Long Island Sound Swim and, collectively, raised more than $1,000,000. In raising 10% of the total, Team #PaulieStrong raised more than any other dedication team in any Swim Across America event. You can read all about the Long Island Sound Swim and Team #PaulieStrong here:
All of the funds raised at this event go to support:
- The Swim Across America Lab at Memorial Sloan Kettering
- The Tommy Palazzo Fellowship for Pediatric Oncology at New York Presbyterian, and
- The Cancer Support Team - providing 100% free services to patients and their families battling cancer
- In addition the Jimenez family has created the #PaulieStrong Foundation to fund research into pediatric cancer because only 4% of all funding from the National Cancer Institute goes to fund pediatric cancer research. You can find out more about the #PaulieStrong Foundation here:
Here are the members of Team #PaulieStrong:
2 Kilometer Swimmers
Carol Wolfe
Noah Glantz
Peter Doyle
Trisanne Berger
Jeannine Palermo
Miles Rubin
Razy Hirschberg
Hanan Blaustein
Jeremy Glantz
5 Kilometer Swimmers
John Needham
Chip Rich
Patrick Bates
Eldad Blaustein
10 Kilometer Swimmers
Joe Kaufman
Joel Talish
Josh Glantz
The 10k swimmers were accompanied and supported by kayakers Joe LoSardo, Mitch Kulick and Ben Kulick, all Greenacres residents.
