By Madeline Finesmith
Residents of New Castle cannot fail to notice the philanthropic spirit that thrives here. All you have to do is drive through the town of Chappaqua on a typical day and you will see banners across Greeley, signs in stores, or postings on Instagram or Facebook about the current fundraising activities. Have you ever focused upon how much of that fundraising involves the generosity and involvement of our local business community?
Our businesses support our causes in ways big and small, some going to extraordinary lengths to help us make good things happen. Evan’s Team receives not just in-kind donations of signage, but also organizational services for the information that needs to be collected from its sponsors.
Robert Fuhrer, an Evan’s Team Board member, says that when a large fundraising effort is held, people only see the finished product. However there is a lot of organizational work that goes into it, and our businesses help us with that work. It is those incredible types of intangible services that no one knows about, that truly demonstrate the philanthropic nature of our business community.
Some of our largest community events simply could not happen without the support of our business community. The Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival, now in its third year, is a prime example of that. Chappaqua’s businesses provide a majority of the outright cash funding needed to rent the tents, tables and other costs of the festival. Publicity services help draw in thousands of attendees. The stores hold pre-festival events to raise awareness and excitement for the festival. There is now even a permanent mural on the side of a downtown building!
Our businesses have made a huge impact on our children’s education through their support of the Chappaqua School Foundation.
Started in 2011 in a difficult economic environment, CSF’s Spring Madness Program involves both a discount program and silent auction. Hundreds of businesses now participate, directly resulting in grants for educational innovation. David Gefsky, President of CSF, says that the community at large should be aware of the enormous gratitude and appreciation that is owed to our local businesses for their ongoing support.
Their participation helps the CSF to help channel the communities’ generosity into our schools.
Our businesses team up with us to help raise money for our causes. Restaurants allow us to use their facilities at little or no profit to themselves, sometimes setting aside whole areas of their property for weekly events. Stores host events to raise money for specific local organizations.
Sometimes they even come to the charities to suggest events, not the other way around. Sometimes the stores make things happen by strategizing with an organization how to hold their event. The organization, publicity and funding for these events are all time consuming tasks that require serious effort on the part of our businesses.
There are many other examples of how our business community gets involved with our causes. The point is, we are in a symbiotic relationship. They need our patronage, and we rely on their support to help make our community a vibrant and meaningful place to live.
But what is clear is that as a whole, our business community has become our partner in philanthropy. They not only give materially, but also have also become involved on a deeper level by making our causes their own.
Madeline Finesmith lives with her husband, son and two cats in Chappaqua where she has been a resident for 13 years. With a background in tax consulting, Madeline currently serves as the Chair of the Bell Middle School PTA and the Assistant Executive Director of the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival.
children. We loved that our neighbors had grown up in New Castle and stayed to raise their children–we thought that spoke volumes about the quality of life here. We think it still does.
The Chappaqua Central School District is a nationally renowned suburban school system characterized by highly motivated students, a well-educated and talented staff, and an actively involved parent community. We have a strong, interdisciplinary academic program and remain committed to providing an excellent education for all students in Chappaqua. The Chappaqua Central School District provides an education for the future. Our students communicate, collaborate and create in supportive, rigorous learning environments. They become confident critical thinkers, problem solvers, and innovators. We are transforming education as we know it by creating active learning environments where students are working cooperatively toward a common goal, exchanging ideas, and relying on one another to create a product or arrive at a solution that is greater than the contribution of any individual. Our students perform well on the Regents exams, SATs and other measures of academic achievement, and our schools consistently rank among the top schools in the county, state and the nation.
THE CHAPP APP
The District’s three elementary schools serve approximately 1,360 students in grades K through 4. Each school fosters a love of learning in a nurturing environment that promotes mutual respect and encourages social responsibility. The emphasis is on higher-level thinking skills with the development of essential skills to provide a strong foundation for students to become life-long learners. The schools are organized in heterogeneous classes with comprehensive support services and technology integrated into the curriculum. The instrumental music program (lessons and group instruction) begins in fourth grade, with students selecting from a variety of string, woodwind, and brass instruments to play as they embark on their exploration of band or orchestra participation.
Elementary teachers nourish students’ emotional lives and guide their social development, instilling in them an appreciation of self-worth, of individual difference, and of global interdependence. They help them learn how to manage freedom and to act ethically so that each may become a responsible, contributing member of a global society, and are supported in their work by a variety of special area teachers as well as teaching specialists. While responsible for covering the District’s challenging curriculum, teachers are encouraged to use their individual talents and interests for the benefit of their students.
The end result is a caring and nurturing child-focused environment with student projects and artwork covering just about every inch of the hallways.
Seven Bridges Middle School 
The middle schools also embrace a team-teaching philosophy, with staff meeting daily to discuss student needs, curricular and instructional issues, and to communicate with parents and support personnel. Students practice creativity and are committed to learning and growth. They are good writers and speakers who express themselves well in many media, and are open minded and at ease collaborating and cooperating with others. They study core subjects and take courses in technology, computers, art, music, physical education, health and family and consumer science. Foreign language instruction begins in the 5th grade when students have the option of taking Latin, French, or Spanish.
Horace Greeley High School 
Greeley students are self-motivated and highly engaged as they are taught to think critically and collaborate to solve problems in all courses. In addition to core subjects (most students take English, social studies, math, science, and foreign language classes through their senior year,) students are committed to the fine and performing arts and have an opportunity to take any number of the dozens of electives offered–including shared online courses, a science research course, independent study, and the senior experience internship program. Over two-thirds of the student body participate in more than 85 clubs and organizations, publish two student newspapers and play on over 70 sports teams.
Greeley has an iLab, a maker space, and a visual arts lab. These student-centered learning environments support small and large group instruction, independent study, and team collaboration. Students can roll up their sleeves and actively participate in problem-based learning, divergent thinking and knowledge creation.
The L.I.F.E. School (Learning Independently From Experience) is an alternative high school on the Greeley campus for approximately 60 juniors and seniors. L.I.F.E. utilizes innovative strategies of teaching and learning, and students play a major role in designing their learning experiences, which include internships, independent projects, and other off-campus experiences.
It is the closest you can get to living in the country while still being within commuting distance to NYC. We feel like our home is vacation. Why go to the Berkshires when you can stay in your backyard? Also it really is the best bang for your buck if you are looking for a larger lot. You can’t get as much land for the price unless you go farther north.
