STEP to Celebrate 45 Years of Making a Difference

Scarsdale Student Transfer Exchange Plan (STEP) will celebrate 45 years of making a difference at a cocktail party on November 5th from 6-8 pm. The community is invited to attend the event at the Scarsdale Women’s Club and honor Eric Rothschild, a retired history teacher at SHS and one of STEP’s earliest supporters. To RSVP and purchase your ticket to the event, please click here:

Commenting on STEP’s history and where he hopes to see it go in the future Rothschild said: ”I got involved with STEP in the '60s because I was caught up in the excitement of trying to get America closer to her ideals. There were lots of people who were passionate about the idea of STEP and civil rights, even some who put their lives on the line and went to Mississippi during the summer of 1964. Also, the visiting STEP students themselves engaged me as amazing young men and women.” ”For the last 25 years, STEP has been swimming up hill, and continues to do things to help young people. At one point, there were 20 or 30 schools nationwide that had programs similar to STEP. Edgemont had it through 1979. I am proud of STEP's theme of generosity on one hand, and it's role as something that benefits Scarsdale kids as they come into contact with these remarkable STEP students. In the beginning, some people called it tokenism. But, if you do something long enough, it no longer is tokenism. STEP has benefited each student as an individual over the 45 years the program has existed.” ”I hope that 25 years from now, the breadth of the program would expand, so that STEP would host an even broader range of students. And I hope that Scarsdale continues to be the remarkably generous place that it is today.”

Terese Hunersen hosted a STEP student in her home for two years and also serves on the Board. Here is what she had to say:

“I became aware of STEP not long after moving to Scarsdale and was impressed with STEP's worthy mission. When we were asked to host a STEP student, I thought this would be an opportunity for our entire family to work together at changing someone's life for the better.” ”You only have to read the biographies of STEP graduates to understand what a difference STEP can make not only for an individual but for the students' future generations. These students not only have an influence on their own families but they are making a difference in the world. I believe that STEP opened up opportunities that they would not have had going to school in their own communities.”

”I hope that STEP continues to receive support from the Scarsdale community which will enable STEP to provide students with promise the opportunity to achieve their dreams. As long as disparity exists in education, there is a need for STEP's mission!”

Former STEP Board Chair and continued supporter Michelle Lichtenberg added, “Once my children entered the High School and I was involved in the SHS PTA, I became more aware of STEP. I was impressed by the STEP students' courage and motivation to come to new high school by themselves in a totally new region of the country to obtain a brighter future. I was also impressed by the host families who open their homes and their hearts to the STEP students.”

“As a STEP Board member, I have enjoyed getting to know the STEP students better and observe their development, their contributions to Scarsdale High School and to witness their maturation, and their ability to mentor and to be a role model for others, both in Scarsdale and in their hometowns. As a STEP Board member, I have enjoyed the supportive environment created collectively by the STEP Board, which brings renewed meaning to the expression that it takes a village to raise a child.” ”STEP helps young people of promise not just to spread their wings and fly but to soar.”

Everyone is encouraged to support STEP by attending the anniversary celebration. Click here to order your tickets for the November 5th event today.