Scarsdale Data Wrangler Helps Yonkers Students Get College-Ready
- Details
- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 4769
Scarsdale resident Bud Kroll was profiled on the front page of the Journal News on January 6th for education research he recently published for the local non-profit Yonkers Partners in Education (YPIE). Kroll is a retired investment manager who has been focused on inner city public education issues since 2009. A member of YPIE's board, he has been a volunteer teaching assistant in math classrooms in Yonkers, and serves as the organization's pro bono 'data wrangler', collecting and analyzing internal and external data to better evaluate the needs and program results of the group's work. "Yonkers is literally Scarsdale's next door neighbor, yet the challenges that many Yonkers students face are almost incomprehensible to most Scarsdale families," said Kroll.
YPIE's Program Director, Ellen Cutler-Levy, is an Edgemont resident.
"YPIE College Centers in six Yonkers high schools logged over 29,000 student visits in 2013-14 with 95% of Yonkers seniors using the centers in their schools. 135 YPIE Scholars are mentored weekly by 65 volunteer coaches, several from Scarsdale over their four years in high school. And that is just part of the work we are doing," said Cutler-Levy.
Kroll's recent paper, College and Career Readiness in the New York State Public Schools, came out of work he was doing for YPIE to evaluate and quantify the need for the organization to expand its focus to include student college and career readiness, in addition to the work YPIE was already doing in college awareness and access.
"The relationship between educational outcomes and poverty has been well documented for years, but this new framework allowed us to quantitatively derive a "handicap" for this highly correlated variable that enabled us to identify how well districts and individual schools were doing net of poverty. No longer can districts 'blame' their results on poverty, we can now clearly see those districts and individual schools who are doing better, and worse, than 'expected' given student poverty levels. This allows us to focus resources and attention on districts and schools that are underperforming net of poverty, and learn best practices from net outperforming schools."
YPIE is using Kroll's findings to shape its program offerings. Several Scarsdale and Edgemont residents volunteer at YPIE's College and Career Centers and its YPIE Scholars mentoring program. YPIE is expanding its programs and is looking for more volunteers. Information about opportunities to get involved or help financially are on the YPIE website.
Scarsdale Troop 2 Life Scouts Complete Environmental Training
- Details
- Hits: 3909
Scarsdale Life Scout Aidan Connolly, along with adult leader Mark Schivley, both from the Immaculate Heart of Mary-sponsored Troop 2 of Scarsdale, were among 25 scouts and scout leaders who attended the Leave No Trace/Tread Lightly trainer course last month at the Agatha A. Durland Scout Reservation in Putnam Valley.
The 16-hour experiential learning course presented the seven principles of Leave No Trace, a program designed by the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, which is a non-profit organization that provides a framework for outdoor recreation decision making.
The purpose of the training was to teach the ethical decision making skills required to promote conservation while involved in non-motorized outdoor recreation. The principles of Leave No Trace are dedicated to protecting the great outdoors, and teaching participants about the innovative and practical methods of maintaining the outdoors for further generations.
Discussing the event, Scoutmaster Ed Gruber explained that, "The Leave No Trace/Tread Lightly training initiative incorporates much of what the Boys Scouts of America believes in, which is to instill values in young people and prepare them to make moral and ethical choices throughout their lives."
Aidan, 14, a Yonkers resident, and Schivley, from Eastchester, spent two days immersed in the Leave No Trace and Tread Lightly workshops so that they were equipped to train others in their troop. Both participants made presentations based on their personal views of how to camp and hike in ways that were respectful to the outdoors, and were awarded the Black Oval Leave No Trace trainer patch as well as the Tread Lightly pin.
Donate to STEP: Invest in the Future
- Details
- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 3424
To The Editor: The Scarsdale STEP Program would like to thank the community for their continued support. Our community has the unique distinction of having supported STEP (Student Transfer Education Plan) continuously for the past 48 years. Solely funded through local donations, STEP has brought minority men and women of outstanding promise, facing limited opportunities, to live and be educated in Scarsdale. STEP students, who go through a rigorous selection and interview process, reside with a local family and attend Scarsdale High School for their junior and senior years.
Currently our STEP students are, Robert Lee (SHS '15) and DonTavius Holmes (SHS '16). Robert is an active member of many community service clubs. He is also a representative for his senior class government and on prom committee. DonTavius Holmes plays football and basketball for Scarsdale High School.
We are reaching out to all of you, soliciting your financial support for a program that very directly changes lives. By contributing generously to STEP, you can invest in the future. Please make your tax-deductible donation by visiting our website or sending a check to: STEP, PO BOX 278, Scarsdale, NY 10583.
We also invite you to participate as a volunteer or host family.
Thank you for your support,
The Scarsdale STEP Fundraising Committee
Jill Hyman and Lisa Singer
The Scarsdale STEP Co-Chairs
Valerie Abrahams and Debra Hyman
Greenacres Students, the JLCW and the Brownies Bring Cheer for the Holidays
- Details
- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 4798
Greenacres Students Visit the Hebrew Home: Ninety Greenacres students visited the Hebrew Home at Riverdale on December 15. This has been an annual tradition since the 1999-2000 school year. During their visit, the students learned about 1916 trivia (the year Greenacres opened) from Hebrew Home President and CEO (and Greenacres alum) Daniel Reingold. He quizzed students about the cost of a loaf of bread in 1916 (9 cents!), who won the World Series that year (Chicago White Sox) and other interesting information. From there, the kids got to work, interviewing residents about where they are from, where they grew up, and what life was like for them as children. Some of the Hebrew Home residents interviewed are centenarians, who reminisced about life before television and cars!
JLCW Hosts Benefit for Greenburgh Children
The Junior League of Central Westchester (JLCW) hosted a pizza dinner and cupcake decorating on Friday, December 12, to honor the Greenburgh Housing Authority's After-School Program's kids and volunteers and to present much needed supplies and support to this successful and growing program.
The Greenburgh Housing Authority (GHA) runs an after-school program for approximate 30 children ages 5-17. The GHA believes in a "holistic approach to promote educational achievement of the young people" in the area. The after school program, which is headed strictly by volunteers, provides attendees with homework help, reading and school projects. The program also provides an after school snack, a play area which includes arts and crafts and organizes extra-curricular courses, day trips, pizza and movie nights and more.
The JLCW held a donations drive for approximately two months to collect much needed items to help the volunteers of GHA to create a more fulfilling and enriching learning environment for the children.
They would like to thank its members, the community and the Greenburgh Stop and Shop and Barnes and Noble for their generous contributions for which the children, their families and the volunteers are extremely grateful.
Brownies Learn the Power of Giving
Brownie Troop 1944 of Edgewood has committed to serving others. This week they collected new toys for kids and gifts for their moms. The troop of twelve wrapped them, for many a first venture at this task, and delivered them to the Carver Center Pantry in Port Chester. The girls are becoming aware of the less fortunate and the joyful feeling of sharing. As they work on their "CARE badge" they have also made sandwiches for the men's homeless shelter in White Plains, collected pasta for the food pantry, and most recently made cards of good cheer for the "Meals on Wheels" program.
This is a special group of girls. Leaders are Jane Martin and Pam Heldman, and assistant Stefanie Oliva.
Survey Results: How Much Do You Give?
- Details
- Written by Stacie M. Waldman
- Hits: 4840
Tis the season for shopping, as evidenced by solid reports of spending by consumers on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. But it's also the season for giving your time or your money. What if you have money but no time to volunteer? What if you have limited funds but have time on your hands? How can you get your kids in on the giving spirit? Everyone can find a way to give this season in one way or another. In fact, a survey of our very own Scarsdale folks (results below) showed that we are generally very generous in terms of volunteerism and dollars.
Albert Einstein said, "It is every man's obligation to put back into the world at least the equivalent of what he takes out of it." Giving Tuesday was developed through a partnership between the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan and the United Nations Foundation as a way to help people give to charitable organizations in myriad ways.
Here are some suggestions for how to integrate giving into your life:
I would like to donate money to good causes, but how do I find good causes?
Erik Waldman, a physician, donates money each year to brain cancer research at UCLA. His aunt died of a brain tumor five years ago. "I think it's important to give money for things that you can't conquer with your own skills," he said. "I can help fund the scientists that do the research to help find a cure for brain cancer even if I don't have the ability to find a cure myself."
I, personally, know that I can't volunteer to go to Nepal to build a school tomorrow, but I can donate to organizations sending people over tomorrow to do it. It can be intimidating to find an organization for your donation. Some experts recommend thinking about the basic needs people have, (food, water, health care, access to economic opportunity, shelter, and education), choose that which you feel is the most necessary for human survival, then research organizations that specialize in providing these services. Other experts suggest making a list of your interests and going from there; for example, theatre, museums, guide dogs for the blind, animal welfare or religion. There are sites like Charity Navigator and Great Nonprofits that aim to help people wishing to donate money make a sound decision about to whom they send their contributions. Charity Navigator provides ratings for charities, publishes the CEO's salaries, and has helpful lists if you're confused about where to donate such as Top 10 Lists, Donor Advisories, and the highly recommended Ten Practices of Savvy Donors. It also lets you browse charities by category. Great Nonprofits allows donors to give their own ratings of charities.
I can't donate monetarily this year. How can I give in other ways?
There are ample volunteer opportunities in our communities. Emily Weston, a mom of two, donates many hours of her time as a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) and also volunteers for the Junior League of Central Westchester (JLCW). "I became a CASA to give me a balance in life and give back in some small way. Foster kids need someone to advocate for them," she said. "It's a broken system and often a CASA is the only constant in their lives. I don't forget for a day," she continued, "how privileged we are to live where we do and have what we have and I do my best to teach my children gratitude every day." She thinks that by volunteering, and by them seeing this, they are learning early on what it means to give back and are more likely to feel grateful for everything they have.
Lisa Copeland, a mother of three, began volunteering for Family Services of Westchester (FSW) a few years ago. She saw the need of vulnerable children in our area and wanted to do something about it. "It felt wrong to me that so many children right here in affluent Westchester lack basic necessities," she said. She learned that FSW provided essentials for kids right in our own backyard. ""FSW provides everything from warm winter clothing to transitional support for incarcerated mothers and protection from gun violence. I started out volunteering for 'The Sharing Shelf' that collects and distributes clothing to children. Last year I joined FSW's Board of Directors and I know that what I give in terms of time, money, and in-kind donations are making a real impact." Lisa also uses her own family as a baseline and as a reality check. "When I compare the amount I donate to what I spend on my own children's essentials and enrichment activities," she added, "I know that I'm barely scratching the surface of the need out there and I feel that it's my responsibility to help because I can."
Other ideas for volunteerism include JLCW, Scarsdale Women's Club, Kiwanis Club, Lions Club, Rotary Club, Meals on Wheels, places of worship, nursing homes, hospitals, soup kitchens, museums, theaters, or even abroad with international organizations. Donating blood or plasma on a regular basis is a great way to give back, as is joining a bone marrow transplant list. You can volunteer at an animal shelter or a zoo, or you can even offer to watch a friend's children for an afternoon if you can see she's having a bad day and could use the break.
How can I involve my kids in volunteerism or donating to those less fortunate?
Julie King, past president of JLCW, says that her family participates in Giving Tuesday, "...as a way to slow down and focus on what matters during the holiday season, hopefully teaching my children there is more to the holidays than Black Friday and Cyber Monday." As a Junior League member, Julie's kids have the opportunity to participate in volunteer opportunities such as Bronx River Cleanups and packing of donated candy for soup kitchens after Halloween. Many schools do toy drives, clothing drives, food drives, and winter coat drives. JLCW is currently doing a school supply drive as well as a diaper drive, and these items can be dropped off any time on the porch of Wayside Cottage. The faces of my own kids when they make donations are priceless. Your child can join the boy or girl scouts and do volunteer work through that. Younger children may enjoy coloring in coloring pages through Color a Smile. They send pages your children make to nursing home residents and military personnel overseas. Kids often love participating in beach and trail clean ups in the warmer months as well as 5k runs/walks for specific causes that matter to you or to them. Even something simple like dressing your child in purple for pancreatic cancer awareness day, helps them learn the art of empathy.
In our family, we reserve one of the kids' holiday gifts as a gift for someone else. We set the dollar amount, and the kids choose where they would like to send their donation based on their interests. When our son was one, he loved his footed pajamas so his donation went to the Pajama Program of Westchester that provides pajamas and books to kids living in group homes, temporary housing, and shelters . Our daughter loves books, so several years of her donations have gone to Room to Read, an organization that builds libraries and publishes books in local languages in order to provide education to children in developing countries who would otherwise never have an education.
Is Scarsdale generous?
Though only 49 people responded to the "Scarsdale Giving" survey on Scarsdale10583, here is what we learned: In dollar amounts, 39% (the majority) give between $1,000 and $5,000 annually; 20% give less than $500, 20% give more than $10,000, and 12% give between $5,000-$10,000. Whereas 80% of respondents said their annual donations are increasing, 20% said they are decreasing.
To whom does Scarsdale give?
Scarsdale folks are most likely to give to local service organizations (75%) and religious organizations (60%). Another 30% give to the arts or global organizations, and a mere 12.5% of respondents give to political organizations. 54% listed "other" as where they send donations.
Does Scarsdale volunteer?
Yes, Scarsdale volunteers! 29 out of 46 said they volunteer in the community whereas only 17 out of 46 said they don't. Of those that volunteer, 36% work 1-5 hours per month and 36% work 6-10 hours per month. Another 18% work 11-20 hours per month and an impressive 9% work between 21-50 hours.
How do you give back? And how do you feel you benefit from giving? Share your stories in the comments section below.
