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Published: 07 April 2012

Created: 07 April 2012

Last Updated: 07 April 2012

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On Sunday, April 15th from 1pm to 3pm, Scarsdale High School’s Autism Science Foundation Club will host a fundraiser at Westchester Reform Temple. This will feature live music by Scarsdale High School’s For Good Measure, food catered by Buon Amici Deli, and a Silent Auction. The auction will include items such as a signed basketball by Carmelo Anthony, Yankee Tickets, meet and greet with Top Chef’s Carla Hall, tennis and baseball lessons, gift certificates to many stores and restaurants in Scarsdale, and more! Entrance fee is $25 for adults and $15 dollars for students. All of the money raised and donated will go directly to the foundation.

SHS Autism Science Foundation is a student club of the organization Autism Science Foundation. Autism Science Foundation is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to providing funding directly to scientists who are conducting cutting-edge autism research to discover the causes of autism and develop better treatments. The club works to further the mission of Autism Science Foundation.

They raise money for the organization while working to educate the community about autism. With close to one hundred members, they strive to make a difference.

The CDC has recently updated Autism statistics to now 1 in 88 children and 1 in 48 boys are diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, from the previous 1 in 110. The group hope to raise $10,000 from the event to donate to the foundation, and asks for your help and support to make the event successful. For questions, or an invitation e-mail [email protected].

Club Presidents: Alexandra Levine and Lauren Alin. Club Officers: Claire D’Silva, Jacki Sharlach, Rachel Kusnick, Niki Kass, Andrea Quartner, Adam Rolison

Bear Givers Fundraiser

Spring is in the air at Scarsdale Middle School which is why seventh graders, Leah Glucksman and Jenna Marcus have decided this is the perfect time of year to have a local fundraiser for a non-profit organization called Bear Givers. Bear Givers brings joy to the lives of children in need with the gift of a soft, cuddly teddy bear. Through hospital visits and school programs, they touch the lives of children and their families across the country and around the world.

As a way to raise money for Bear Givers and The Maria Ferrari Children’s Hospital at Westchester Medical Center, the teens will sell these cute teddy bears with Scarsdale school logos on the front. They feel this is a great way to support a worthwhile cause and at the same time show school spirit.

If you are interested in buying a bear the girls will be taking orders on Saturday, April 14th from 1-3pm at All Good Things located at 1074 Wilmot Road in the Golden Horseshoe. Each bear costs $25 dollars. Proceeds from the sales will benefit The Maria Ferrari Children’s Hospital, and for every bear sold, Bear Givers will donate a teddy bear to the children at The Maria Ferrari Children’s Hospital. Come out and show your support.

Picture caption: Jenna Marcus on left (Greenacres class of ‘10) and Leah Glucksman on right (Quaker Ridge class of ‘10).

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Published: 15 April 2012

Created: 15 April 2012

Last Updated: 15 April 2012

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The Latin American Women of Scarsdale and Friends, a group that began as a social gathering of Spanish speaking women has evolved into a fund raising machine. In the past seven years, this group of enterprising women has raised more than $200,000. The lucky recipient? The Summer Daze Camp, a camp attended by more than 250 underprivileged kids, ages 3-14, run by the Don Bosco Community Center in Port Chester.

Ana Maria Ticoll, one of the longtime members of the Latin American Women of Scarsdale & Friends explains that Scarsdale resident Linda Ferr founded the group in 1998. At the time, Ferri, who is of Spanish and French origin, was trying to find a way to practice her Spanish. “For 3 years she had attempted to put together a group, and one day, she grabbed the Scarsdale Middle School telephone directory and called anyone whose name sounded “Latin”. She finally gathered a group of about 27 women and hosted the first meeting at her house in Quaker Ridge in January of 1999. By September of the same year she had 32 regular members.” The group now has about 55 women members, from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America and South America. It meets frequently at many social gatherings but one of the events which they most look forward to is their annual fundraiser which raises money for the Summer Daze Camp. This year, the fundraiser will be held at the Scarsdale Golf Club on May 5 at 7pm.

Rosario Kaune, who has tirelessly worked on the fundraiser for the past seven years, explains that the women decided to use their time, education and generosity to help those in need. “We chose to work with Don Bosco Community Center in Port Chester, a non-profit organization, which runs a variety of programs to help underprivileged families in the Port Chester area.” The community center provides help and education for new mothers, a soup kitchen, used clothing distribution, the Don Bosco Boys & Girls Club, and after-school youth programs. Kaune points out that her group decided to help sponsor the 6-week summer day camp for children 3-14 years old. “During the summer months, many of the parents are faced with either quitting their jobs or leaving their children unattended in their apartments. We wanted to support the summer camp so that these parents would be able to continue to work while their kids attended a safe and fun summer program.” The camp, which runs from 8:30am to 4pm, gives all the children breakfast, lunch and snack. The children participate in daily sports and arts activities. “Almost 50% of the children attending the camp need partial or full scholarships in order to attend and we are happy to help make this happen,” states Kaune.

For many years, the fundraiser was held at the home of Maritza Williamson who has been instrumental in its success. However, this year, it will be held at the Scarsdale Golf Club on May 5th at 7pm, with a CINCO DE MAYO theme. Guests will enjoy Mexican food and dance to a DJ and mariachi band. As in past years, there will be silent auction items including a week at a villa in Casa De Campo, meals at popular restaurants, and donations from many Scarsdale vendors. Esther Dodo, Marietta Fica, America Gonzales and Estella Kochiss, have also devoted long hours and used their unique talents to raise money for the children who would not be able to attend the camp without their help.

Ticoll adds, “As Latinos we love to get together with friends, have fun, enjoy good food, good music and dance. For this event we try to invite many of our non-Latin friends to enjoy and experience our culture and contribute to such a good cause. Everybody is welcome!” An added benefit has been that these women have inspired their children to get involved. Camilla Kaune, a senior at SHS, volunteered this past winter, organizing the thrift shop at Don Bosco. Gabby Czerniak and Celina Ticoll, both juniors at SHS, have also helped out at the camp as junior counselors for many years and last year, Alex Czerniak chose to teach music to the camp children as his mitzvah project.

For more information about the Cinco de Mayo event and to learn more about the Summer Daze camp program or to make donations to the program, please contact Ana Maria Ticoll at [email protected], telephone (914) 714-0524 or Rosario Kaune at [email protected] or (914) 806-6169.

(Pictured at top: America Gonzalez. Susan Groner, Rosario Kaune, Maritza Williamson, Ana Maria Ticoll)

This article was contributed by Hyun Heffner of Scarsdale.

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Published: 04 April 2012

Created: 04 April 2012

Last Updated: 04 April 2012

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Maggie Dunne of Scarsdale was honored as one of Glamour magazine’s Top 10 College Women for 2012. An SHS graduate, Dunne is currently studying Native American studies at Colgate University. She was selected for her work on behalf of the Lakota Pine Ridge Indians in South Dakota who she has helped via the Lakota Pine Ridge Children’s Enrichment Program which she launched to address Native American poverty in South Dakota. To further her cause Dunne traveled to Bangladesh to learn aid techniques to be used on the reservation, and has so far distributed more than $100,000 worth of coats, boots, and books to the people there.

Dunne was awarded the grand prize of $20,000 in the competition that has recognized 10 students from across the country for the past 55 years for campus leadership, scholastic achievement, community involvement and unique, inspiring goals. The 10 winners are profiled in an editorial feature in the May 2012 issue of Glamour and you can see the full article here.

According to information on Colgate Connect, Dunne’s interest in Native Americans began when she took a volunteer trip to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota during an alternative spring break trip as a high school sophomore. She said, “I’d never seen poverty like that—and in our own country!” she says. “I vowed to go back every year for the rest of my life.”

Inspired to help, during her junior year in Scarsdale Dunne organized a children’s coat and book drive. To her surprise, her idea to “do something a little extra” yielded more than 2,000 children’s books and more than 300 children’s coats, which she personally distributed to the schools on a return trip that year.

Her continuous fundraising efforts caught the attention of a local corporate lawyer, who offered to help Dunne take her cause to the next level. With the lawyer’s assistance, Dunne created the nonprofit organization Lakota Pine Ridge Children’s Enrichment Project Limited (LPRCEP), through which she gathers resources for the Lakota children. She continued the work of the group at Colgate, organizing fundraisers, collecting clothing, electronics and refrigerators as well as an alternative spring break trip for Colgate students to Pine Ridge.

Congratulations to Maggie!