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Inside Westchester

Boys and Girls Club Gala Unveils Awareness Campaign Featuring Local Celebrities

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On Friday, June 1, 2018, the Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester hosted its 24th Annual Humanitarian Awards Dinner, celebrating literacy and the arts.  It was a star-studded party with over 400 guests and attendees included Joseph Abboud, Paul & Cathy Shaffer, Sloan Wainwright and Vanessa Williams, to name a few.  The event honored Carolyn Quinn as the Humanitarian Award recipient and Peter Pucci as the John Beach Award recipient.


(L-R): BGCNW Board President and Curtis Instruments President & CEO Stuart Marwell, BGCNW CEO Alyzza Ozer, Peter Pucci (John Beach Award Recipient) and Carolyn Quinn (Humanitarian Award Recipient).

The gala was held at beautiful Birdstone Farm in Cross River, New York. Guests strolled through the charming stables and gathered outdoors to enjoy cocktails, appetizers and a bucolic vista.  It was an evening of amazing performances! The highlight of cocktail hour was a dance performed by Club kids, which they helped choreograph during a semester-long workshop with honoree Peter Pucci.  Later, the Club’s Cheer Squad brought the crowd to their feet with enthusiasm.

The Club’s President, Stuart Marwell, President & CEO of Curtis Instruments, unveiled a new Club awareness/volunteer campaign featuring Westchester-based celebrity/community leaders, such as Paul Shaffer, Joseph Abboud, Glenn Close, Michael Douglas, Robert Klein, Sandra Lee, Alan Menken, Rob Thomas, the Wainwrights, Vanessa Williams, Bruce Willis and Catherine Zeta-Jones.  Many of these leaders enjoyed having their children learn to swim at the Club.

Following a career at the Windward School in White Plains, honoree Carolyn Quinn began her volunteer work at the Club as a literacy tutor.  She developed writing and reading workshops for kids at the Club and is a board member.  Carolyn emphasized that “an unfortunate reality is that by middle school, there is no time left in the curriculum to help kids improve their reading fluency, yet this skill is critical to their success in school.”  The literacy programming implemented by Carolyn at the Club is filling this gap.

(L-R): Jim Skrip, Vanessa Williams, BGCNW CEO Alyzza Ozer, Cathy Shaffer, Paul Shaffer and BGCNW President and Curtis Instruments President & CEO Stuart Marwell.

Honoree Peter Pucci, a Lucille Lortel Award winner and a Drama Desk Award recipient, recently brought his talents to the Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester, sharing the joy of movement and choreography with Club kids.  Peter made a heartfelt plea for continued support of the arts in education, sharing “any time kids have stress or problems, the opportunity to participate in the arts helps them to focus and be more productive.”

Two areas of programming significantly expanded at the Club include College Quest and Civic Advocacy and Leadership.  The Club’s 2018 Youth of the Year, Stephanie Trejo, said, “I was a shy girl, afraid to speak up for myself, and now I am going to SUNY New Paltz this fall all because of the support I received at the Club, where for the last nine years, 100% of our seniors (including those designated at-risk) have gone on to college or technical school.”

About the BGCNW

Over 500 kids attend the Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester in Mount Kisco daily, a safe place with committed teachers, mentors, tutors and volunteers.  Over 85,000 free, nutritious meals are served to the children in after school programs each year— 67% of whom live at or below the poverty level.  In addition, 50,000 kids have learned to be water-safe, while learning the benefits of physical fitness and good health.  For nine years running, 100% of the Club’s high school seniors, including those deemed at-risk, have graduated on time and gone on to college or technical school.

News Courtesy of the Boys and Girls Club of Northern Westchester

(L-R): 2018 Youth of the Year Stephanie Trejo, 2018 Youth of the Year Finalist Eric Lopez Duarte, 2018 Chris Cutri Award Winner Evelyn Aguilar and 2018 Youth of the Year Finalist Braille Diaz
BGCNW Board Member Lee Manning-Vogelstein and Club Cheer Team members.

Reception + Film: L’dor Vador, From Generation to Generation

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Date: Wednesday, June 13th
Time: 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

Location: Mamaroneck Library
136 Prospect Ave
Mamaroneck, NY 10543

Free and open to the public

Please RSVP HERE

L’dor Vador is being presented by Seth Harrison, a photojournalist with The Journal News/Lohud. Harrison and his team created this film highlighting families of local Holocaust survivors as they discuss how a lifetime of hearing the experiences of their parents and grandparents has affected their own lives. An accompanying photo exhibit will be on display June 7- 30.

Jacob Breitstein, 93, and his daughter, Grace Bennett, 54, of Chappaqua, photographed April 25, 2015. Breitstein was 17 when he arrived at Auschwitz with his brother in 1943. His brother was killed a short time later; Breitstein remained there until the camp was liberated in 1945 at the end of World War II.                                                    Photo by Seth Harrison/The Journal News
Helga Luden, 81, of New Rochelle, photographed May 11, 2015 with her daughter, Anita Greenwald, 57, of Armonk. A native of Germany, Luden was six years old when she crawled under a barbed-wire fence to escape the Nazi concentration camp in Gurs, France. She was rescued by French partisans and eventually reunited with her parents, who also survived concentration camps.  Photo by Seth Harrison/The Journal News

 

 

LobsterFest Fun for Attendees of the Northern Westchester Business Network

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May 23, 2018  Katonah, NY— Savoring a warm weather evening, dozens attending the Northern Westchester Business Network (NWBN), took time out to mingle, i.e. network–and also chow down on some truly excellent lobster rolls, via a fine selection (or Lobster Mac & Cheese) provided by LobsterCraft. Attendees took seats at long tables outside on a great lawn, and also inside around the bar area, if that was your preference, in the home of the picturesque American Legion Post 1575.

The NWBN, an education-oriented business networking group since 2005 (“Our focus these last years has shifted to be more heavily education oriented,” this reporter was told), invited six chambers to come enjoy the”LobsterFest” event for a casual time for all and also for a chance to learn about membership in the network.  If you are interested in learning more about NWBN and its programming, write to: owisdom@optonline.net  — Grace Bennett

Founders and Members of the Northern Westchester Business Network

County Letter Carriers Team Up to Feed Westchester

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From left are Feeding Westchester Representatives: William Holmes, Distribution Center Driver; Carlos Quezada, Warehouse Associate; Leslie Gordon, President & CEO; Jerrell Johnson, Warehouse Associate; and James Resnik, Warehouse Associate.

Feeding Westchester’s 26th Annual ‘Stamp Out Hunger’ Food Drive

The the leading hunger-relief organization in the county, Feeding Westcheser, is gearing up for the National Association of Letter Carriers’ 26th Annual Letter Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger® Food Drive on Saturday, May 12.

In the coming days, participating post office letter carriers will leave postcards in residents’ mailboxes that encourage them to place non-perishable foods near their mailboxes on May 12th for neighbors who are hungry. The letter carriers will then pick up the food items and bring to the post offices for Feeding Westchester to pick up, store and distribute to those who are hungry in the community.

Feeding Westchester’s staff and trucks collect all the donations from the post offices in the county and are finalizing preparations for the nation’s largest one-day food collection event. Last year, the organization collected more than 21,644 pounds of food.

“Stamp Out Hunger is a very important campaign that makes it easy for residents to give back to their community simply by placing non-perishable food items at their mailbox,” said Leslie Gordon, President and CEO of Feeding Westchester. “With our neighbors help, we can all help ‘stamp out hunger’ in Westchester. Whether it is a bag of rice or box of pasta, canned vegetables or peanut butter, I encourage our local neighbors to join in this campaign. Together, we can make a difference.”

For residents who do not receive a postcard in the mail, the following is a list of participating post offices that will be collecting food donations on May 12 for the Stamp Out Hunger campaign:

 

 

 

  • Armonk Post Office

403 Main Street, Armonk

 

  • Bedford Hills Post Office

60 Adams Street, Bedford Hills

 

  • Bronxville Station Post Office

119 Pondfield Road, Bronxville

 

  • Centuck Station Post Office

1585 Central Park Ave, Yonkers

 

  • Chappaqua Post Office

107 North Greeley Ave., Chappaqua

 

  • Elmsford Post Office

2 East Main Street, Elmsford

 

  • Greystone Station (North) Post Office

7 O’Dell Plaza (Executive Plaza), Yonkers

 

  • Hartsdale/Scarsdale Annex Post Office

441 Central Park Ave., Scarsdale

 

  • Hastings Station Post Office

591 Warburton Ave., Hastings on Hudson

 

  • Yonkers Main Station Post Office

79081 Main Street, Yonkers

  • Purchase Post Office

3003 Purchase Street, Purchase

 

  • Rye Post Office

41 Purdy Ave., Rye

 

  • Scarsdale Heathcote Post Office

1112 Wilmot Rd., Scarsdale

 

  • Scarsdale Main Post Office

29 Chase Road, Scarsdale

 

  • Somers Post Office

110 Market Plaza, Somers

 

  • South Broadway Station Post Office

335 South Broadway, Yonkers

 

  • Tarrytown Post Office

50 North Broadway, Tarrytown

 

  • Tuckahoe Station Post Office

7 Columbus Ave., Tuckahoe

 

  • White Plains Post Office

100Fisher Ave., White Plains

 

  • Yonkers Av. St. (East) Post Office

915 Yonkers Ave., Yonkers

 

 

For more information about National Association of Letter Carriers’ 26th Annual Letter Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger® Food Drive on Saturday, May 12, visit https://www.nalc.org/community-service/food-drive/frequently-asked-questions.  To learn more about Feeding Westchester, visit https://feedingwestchester.org.   

 

About Feeding Westchester

For 30 years, Feeding Westchester, formerly known as Food Bank for Westchester, has been the heart of a network of more than 300 partners that provide food directly to the 200,000 county residents who are struggling with hunger. The county’s leading nonprofit hunger-relief organization sources and distributes 95 percent of nutritious food, and other resources, to towns throughout Westchester through soup kitchens, shelters and daycare and residential programs, delivering over 8.4 million pounds of food and 7.5 million meals to people. Westchester’s collaboration with major retailers and corporations, and its expertise in food procurement, storage, and distribution, turns every monetary donation into fresh food provided for our community.

New Co-Chairs for the Not-For-Profit Westchester Business Council

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RYE BROOK, NY (May 2018) – The Business Council of Westchester has announced the appointment of Susan Fox, President and CEO of the Westchester Institute for Human Development and Leslie Gordon, President and CEO of  Feeding Westchester, as co-chairs of the BCW’s Not-for-Profit Council.   

Susan Fox (left) and Leslie Gordon, new WBC co-chairs

Susan Fox joined Westchester Institute for Human Development as President and CEO in 2016. She previously served as Associate Director and Clinical Assistant Professor at the Institute on Disability, University of New Hampshire. Fox has a Master’s Degree in Education Leadership focusing on Special Education Administration from Lesley University and a second Master’s Degree and Ph.D. in sociology from the University of New Hampshire. She is a resident of Croton-on-Hudson. 

Leslie Gordon leads Feeding Westchester in its mission to provide nutritious food and other resources to eradicate hunger. Prior to joining Feeding Westchester in 2017, Gordon served as a key executive at City Harvest, where she led plans to improve food access and nutrition for 500,000 low-income New Yorkers. A graduate of SUNY New Paltz with a degree in sociology, Gordon is a frequent guest speaker at various organizations addressing issues of hunger. She is fourth-generation resident of Tarrytown.

“We are honored to have such distinguished leaders from the not-for-profit community to chair our Not-For-Profit Council. They bring a wealth of knowledge and experience in their respective fields,” said BCW President and CEO Marsha Gordon.

The BCW’s Not-For-Profit Council, which is comprised of members of not-for-profit organizations, meets quarterly to address issues, develop partnerships and highlight the economic contributions of the not-for-profit community.  The Council has been led by Ric Swierat, Executive Director of Westchester Arc, who has served as Chair since 2002. 

“We are very grateful for the leadership of Ric Swierat, who is stepping down after 16 years. Ric has made invaluable contributions to the Council. He spearheaded the very first study of the economic impact of non-for-profits in Westchester. He also educated colleagues on good governance, strategic partnerships and employment issues. He always stressed that the not-for-profits were economic contributors to the county and the business community,” said Gordon. 

About The Business Council of Westchester

The county’s largest and most influential business membership organization, The Business Council of Westchester is committed to helping businesses market, learn, advocate and grow. In addition, The Business Council of Westchester is actively involved in reviewing federal, state and county legislation and regulations in order to assess the potential impact on the business community and to influence the outcomes through advocacy when the business community’s interests may be affected. It also acts as an information resource for the business community and government leaders at all levels.

 

This post is courtesy of The Business Council of Westchester.