Good Work

Details: Written by Joanne Wallenstein; Published: 02 December 2015; Created: 02 December 2015; Last Updated: 02 December 2015; Hits: 3653

bowl From the Scarsdale Bowl: This week, as we close the book for 2015 on Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Giving Tuesday, the Scarsdale Bowl Committee will begin its work to select the 2016 recipient of the Scarsdale Bowl. The Scarsdale Bowl, under the sponsorship of the Scarsdale Foundation, has been awarded annually since 1943 to an individual, or in rare instances, to a husband and wife, who has given "unselfishly of his/her time, energy and effort to the civic welfare of the community." The founding donors of the Bowl believed that "many who serve generously and voluntarily, without office, honor or publicity, are those deserving of having their names permanently inscribed on the Scarsdale Bowl."

The Scarsdale Bowl will be awarded at a dinner on Wednesday, April 13, 2016, at The Fountainhead in New Rochelle. The ceremony will pay tribute to the 2016 honoree and to the spirit of volunteerism, central to the civic life of the Scarsdale community.

The Bowl Committee enthusiastically welcomes community input. It will hold its first meeting December 6, 2015, and requests that residents send nominations with suggestions of potential recipients to scarbowl@gmail.com, contact Michelle Lichtenberg, chair of this year's Scarsdale Bowl Committee, at 914.725.6545, or visit http://www.scarsdalefoundation.org/bowl_nomination.html.

School Board Nominating Committee:
The SBNC Administrative Committee announces the slate of 2016 candidates for the School Board Nominating Committee (SBNC). We are seeking the election of 2 candidates in each district. The candidates in each of the five elementary school districts are:

1. Edgewood – Michael Chayes, Jordan Copeland
2. Fox Meadow – Miriam Beveridge, Sang Han, Eric Liverance
3. Greenacres – Sharon Higgins, Tanya Singer
4. Heathcote – So Hyun Choe, Manos Makrakis, Melissa Pecullan
5. Quaker Ridge – Jonathan Drescher, Eric Premisler

The SBNC election will be held on Tuesday, January 12, 2016. Residents may vote in person in the Auditorium Lobby at the Scarsdale Middle School on that date from 7:00 to 10:00 AM and from 2:00 to 9:00 PM, or by mail-in ballot received by 4:00 PM on Election Day. In the event of a snow day, the election will be held on Wednesday, January 13, 2016.

All election information is available at www.scarsdalesbnc.com. Brochures containing biographical information on each candidate and instructions for completing and returning mail-in ballots will be mailed to Scarsdale school district residents and are also available on the website. Contributions to support the cost of printing and mailing the election brochure are gratefully appreciated; please visit www.scarsdalesbnc.com/please.donate.

Details: Written by Joanne Wallenstein; Published: 24 November 2015; Created: 24 November 2015; Last Updated: 24 November 2015; Hits: 4480

Lifting Up Westchester received a donation from Scarsdale Golf Club

Members of the Scarsdale Golf Club braved blustery winds and 40 degree temperatures to play in the ninth annual Turkey Shootout tournament to raise funds to feed Westchester's hungry during the upcoming holiday season. The tournament raised a record of $7600 which was split between Lifting Up Westchester to support its soup kitchen, Grace's Kitchen, and the Food Bank for Westchester. The Turkey Shootout was the brainchild of member Ralph Watts, of White Plains who has served as tournament chair since the event's inception. Timed just prior to Thanksgiving, it was designed to be a hardship tournament -- one year golfers played in the snow. Funds donated will help Lifting Up Westchester and the Food Bank for Westchester provide more than 7,000 holiday meals to individuals and families in need over the Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's period. 22 golfers competed in the tournament and the club received numerous donations from members and club staff. Taeko Hattori of Pound Ridge was the first women to compete in the tournament which also saw its youngest players ever-- Alex Mayer, 13 and Zach Hoexter, 14, both from Scarsdale. Over its nine-year history, the Turkey Shootout tournament has raised $51,450 to feed the hungry.

Kids enjoyed dinner, cupcakes and crafts

The Children's Hope Chest hosted it 3rd Annual Thanksgiving Event at Carver Center on 11/22 in Port Chester. Almost 550 Food Pantry clients at Carver attended the afternoon event. They were served a delicious dinner of pork, rice and beans, plantains, and vegetables. After the meal, the kids enjoyed arts and crafts, cupcake decorating, and getting manicures and tattoos. Over 60 middle school aged CHC volunteers from Scarsdale, Purchase, Harrison, and Rye Brook attended and helped greet/seat clients, serve dinner, and man the activity stations. Each Carver child received a new, warm winter coat, hat/gloves and candy. The 300 coats were collected specifically for each child (requested color and size)

Lending a hand at Children's Hope Chest

by Children's Hope Chest donors and clusters. It was truly an amazing day for all involved. To get involved, visit childrenshopechest.com.

Scarsdale seventh-grader Sam Singer hosted a "puppy shower" for America's Vet Dogs to put the mitzvah (good deed) into his 2016 Bar Mitzvah. Sam Singer chose the cause to recognize the two great grandfathers for whom he is named, in honor of their service to the United States in WWII. Sam, a dog lover, helped raise awareness for VetDogs while collecting needed funds and materials required for raising dogs provided to veteran's with physical and emotional needs, free of charge. Sam is a Scarsdale resident and seventh grader at Horace Mann in Riverdale, Bronx.

Girl Scouts Troop 1940 joined the event in order to present donations and learn more about Sam's project. The children enjoyed dog-related crafts and dog-shaped cookies courtesy of Eleni's of NYC. To learn more about Sam's project or to make a donation, visit Samsmitzvah.vetdogs.org.

Sam Singer hosted an event to raise money for Americas Vet Dogs in honor of his Bar Mitzvah

Details: Written by Joanne Wallenstein; Published: 12 November 2015; Created: 12 November 2015; Last Updated: 12 November 2015; Hits: 4241

NYS Senator Kirsten Gillibrand greets a veteran

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Congresswoman Nita Lowey paid a visit to Hartsdale on Wednesday 11/11 to honor local veterans and unveil plans to build a veterans memorial at DeSanti Park opposite the Hartsdale Train Station. Firefighters, police, boy and girl scouts and veterans were on hand for the ceremony that was arranged by Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner.

Gillibrand recognized the sacrifices of 23

Congresswoman Nita Lowey

million veterans and their families and called for the country to "honor them everyday." Saying that many veterans return home and find themselves jobless, homeless and suffering from PTSD she vowed to continue to fight for them to get what they deserve. She has introduced legislation to expand coverage for those who were exposed to Agent Orange and asked the group to send letters to their representatives in support of it.

Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner

Congresswoman Nita Lowey thanked the veterans for their service and noted that she had helped Greenburgh secure $5 million in financing to restore the pool at Anthony Veteran's Park. She said that she recognized that Gillibrand "was a star" when she came to serve in Congress.

Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner unveiled a new sign and plans for the new memorial which will be completed by 2016.

Plan for the new park

New sign announced plans for the memorial to be completed by November, 2016

Boy Scouts saluted the veterans

Details: Published: 16 November 2015; Created: 16 November 2015; Last Updated: 17 November 2015; Hits: 5447

"My husband and I want to thank you for your quick response to our problem last week. Everyone was friendly and helpful and made our experience easier for us. Thank you for being there for us when we need you!!"

"Thank you for your professional and sensitive care my husband received Saturday night. SVAC is a great community resource and I appreciate all that you do."

These are just a few of the heartfelt thank you notes that Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corps (SVAC) received after providing emergency care to Scarsdale residents this year. SVAC has been serving Scarsdale for over 30 years and responds to about 110 emergencies each month.

Simply put, you never know when you will need a paramedic and an ambulance; but when you do, SVAC is ready to help, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Most of us expect a response within minutes of calling 911 and don't give much thought to how that service is provided. Unlike many communities, in Scarsdale ambulance service is not funded by the Village. Support comes from residents like you who rely on this essential service.

Your contributions allow SVAC to retain a few paid paramedics and to train volunteers from the community to drive and assist on emergency calls. They receive no funds from the Village and your tax dollars do not fund the service.

SVAC needs your financial support and is also looking for community member to volunteer. SVAC will train you so no prior experience is necessary – but if you do have a medical background and have a few hours a week to spare, they need your help.

This year, contributions from their annual direct mail drive are down. President David Raizen and Treasurer Peter Strauss ask you to send in your annual donation to allow SVAC to be there for you. Either respond to the SVAC appeal you received in the mail or:

Mail your check to:
Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corps
P.O. Box 92
Scarsdale, NY 10583

To volunteer, email SVAC at info@scarsdalevac.com or call (914) 722 2288

Details: Written by Joanne Wallenstein; Published: 08 November 2015; Created: 08 November 2015; Last Updated: 08 November 2015; Hits: 3432

United States Senator Kirsten Gillibrand will speak at the annual Veterans Day ceremony at DeSanti Park, across from the Hartsdale train station on Wednesday, November 11th at 2 PM. Senator Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has been a vocal advocate for strengthening America's armed services, national security and military readiness.

The Senator will speak at the park that will be enhanced next year and turned into a Veterans Memorial park honoring the contributions of local heroes. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2016 for a Veterans Memorial Park opposite the Hartsdale train station.

The town will also air the living history interviews of approximately 150 veterans. on public access TV (channels 76 cablevision and 35 Verizon Fios) starting Tuesday night at 9:30 pm.

Kirsten Gillibrand was sworn in as United States Senator from New York in January 2009 and she was elected for a six-year term in November, 2012. Prior to serving in the Senate, Gillibrand served in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing New York's 20th Congressional District, which spanned 10 counties in upstate New York.

Throughout her time in Congress, Senator Gillibrand has been committed to open and honest government. When she was first elected, she pledged to bring unprecedented transparency and access to her post. She became the first Member of Congress to post her official public schedule, personal financial disclosure, and federal earmark requests online. The New York Times called Gillibrand's commitment to transparency a "quiet touch of revolution" in Washington, and The Sunlight Foundation, the leading advocacy organization dedicated to making government more open and transparent, praised Senator Gillibrand as a pioneer for her work.

In 2012, Senator Gillibrand became the first Senator in history to publish her personal tax returns for every year she has served in office on her own website, and led the effort to pass the STOCK Act, legislation to make insider trading by members of Congress illegal, A Washington Post report hailed the STOCK Act as the "most substantial debate on congressional ethics in nearly five years."

In the U.S. Senate, Senator Gillibrand was advocated to repeal the "Don't Ask Don't Tell," policy that banned gays from serving openly in the military, and to provide health care and compensation to the 9/11 first responders and community survivors who assisted at Ground Zero. The Daily Beast named her as one of the "150 Women Who Shake the World."

From her seat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Gillibrand has supported strengthening America's armed services, national security and military readiness. In 2013, as chair of the sub-committee on personnel, she held the first Senate hearing on the issue of sexual assault in the military in almost a decade. Gillibrand went on to lead the fight in reforming how the military handles sexual assault cases.

In April 2014, Time Magazine named Gillibrand as one of the "100 Most Influential People In The World."