A Shopping Day for Teens Brings New Clothes and Confidence
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On Tuesday, May 1, 2018, more than 200 low-income girls had the chance to shop for new clothes thanks to the efforts of volunteers who gather twice a year to run a daylong “Teen Boutique.” This clothing “pop-up” shopping experience, sponsored by The Sharing Shelf of Family Services of Westchester, provides low-income girls ages 13-19 with an opportunity to select from thousands of new and gently used clothes and accessories. The event, held on April 21 at the Westchester County Center, was made possible by more than 150 volunteers, who created the atmosphere of a trendy boutique by setting up racks of donated clothing.
Donated Pants in All SizesAlthough Westchester County has one of the highest median family incomes in the country, many Westchester families live in poverty. Approximately one-third of all households spend at least 35% of their income on housing, leaving fewer resources for other needs. In such circumstances, new clothing and school supplies are a luxury these families cannot afford. The Sharing Shelf helps meet that need by organizing two Teen Boutique events—one in the Spring and another in the Fall—and by collecting new and gently used children’s clothing and other items which are distributed to families in need through social service agencies, schools, hospitals and other non-profits.
“Our biannual Teen Boutique has been a vast success because it empowers the teen girls to choose the essential items they need to thrive, enabling them to feel valued and more confident,” said Deborah Blatt, Program Director and Founder of The Sharing Shelf of FSW. “With each Teen Boutique, we see the power of the Westchester community coming together to make it happen, and we look forward to the continued support of those who need it most.”
A Happy ShopperBlatt added that the Teen Boutique wouldn’t be possible without the help of the entire community, including event partners from the Junior League of Central Westchester. Other key supporters included the Westchester County Government, Westchester County Center, Delivering Good, Eileen Fisher Leadership Institute, Bra*Tenders, Inc, Church of Saint Pius X, Kneaded Bread Inc, Costco, Trader Joe's, I AM MORE Scarsdale, and the many community members who ran clothing drives.
FSW Board Chair Lisa Copeland, who volunteered as a personal shopper for a girl with special needs, called the event “rewarding and memorable.” She credited her fellow volunteers with creating a fun and meaningful experience, adding “everyone was so enthusiastic and there was a spirit of camaraderie as volunteers worked together to assemble outfits and find just the right clothing for each of the girls. We all had a great time!”
Excess merchandise from the event will be donated to The Summer Camp, a camp serving 150 low-income girls, and Neighbor to Neighbor, a food pantry and clothing program based in Fairfield County.
For more information and ways to get involved with future Teen Boutiques, click here.
A Successful Day at the Boutique 
More Happy Shoppers
About the Sharing Shelf
Founded in 2008, the Sharing Shelf of FSW collects new and gently used children’s clothing and other items and distributes them through social service agencies, schools, hospitals and other non-profits to families in need.
About Family Services of Westchester
Family Services of Westchester, Inc. (FSW) is a private, not-for-profit agency serving our community since 1954. Headquartered in Port Chester, FSW runs more than 50 social service and mental health programs that reach 30,000 children, teens, adults, and families a year. Programs include adoption and foster care for children; Head Start and Pre-K programs for Westchester's youngest students; Big Brothers/Big Sisters and other mentoring programs for teens; social support for the elderly; assistance to veterans; and educational and support services for people living with HIV/AIDS. We are licensed by the New York State Office of Mental Health to provide comprehensive mental health services at seven Family Centers (Hastings-on-Hudson, Mt. Vernon, Pelham, Port Chester, Sleepy Hollow, White Plains, and Yonkers) and five school-based mental health clinics. For more information about FSW, click here.
A Joyous Celebration of Honoree Bev Sved and Volunteerism at the Scarsdale Bowl Dinner
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The Scarsdale Bowl Dinner celebrated honoree Bev Sved and the spirit of volunteerism at their annual dinner on Wednesday April 25, 2018 at the Fountainhead in New Rochelle.
Bev Sved’s long resume of volunteerism began with service on her neighborhood association in 1988 and from there took her to more volunteer roles than can be listed here, but included two terms as Scarsdale Village Trustee, Scarsdale Mayor, The Village Planning Board and ten years on the board of the Scarsdale Foundation. There is almost no community organization that she didn’t touch, serving on the Scarsdale Forum, the Scarsdale Procedure Committee, Scarsdale Edgemont Family Counseling, the LWV of Westchester and the Westchester County Historical Society and many more.
Most notable was her ability as Mayor to forge consensus on a contentious downtown development project on Christie Place, which resulted in the Christie Place apartments, retail spaces and parking, now enjoyed by so many.
Speakers noted Bev’s intelligence and problem solving skills, which may have been a result of her engineering prowess. Bev was one of only six women to graduate from Renssselaer Polytechnic Institute and enjoyed a long career at IBM as a system engineer, analyst and corporate strategist. She was also credited for her wry sense of humor.
Terri Simon and Evelyn StockIn her welcoming remarks, Scarsdale Bowl Chair Terri Simon noted Scarsdale’s unique culture of volunteerism, saying, “Although tonight is a celebration to recognize Beverley’s extraordinary service, it is also an opportunity to acknowledge all of you. In this room are so many people who are deeply involved in the tradition of volunteerism, who work hard on behalf of our schools, our village government, and the gamut of civic, recreational, religious, and social service organizations. You have helped to make Scarsdale the exceptional community that it is and that we love. Thank you for all you do and for sharing in our festivities tonight.”
Simon greeted Sved’s sisters, March Wyatt and Emily Walsh along with the seventeen past recipients of the Bowl who attended the dinner. She invited this group to stand for applause – if they were able. Also in attendance were:
State Assemblywoman Amy Paulin
Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins
County Executive George Latimer
County Legislator Ben Boykin
Westchester County Family Judge Arlene Katz
Scarsdale Mayor Dan Hochvert
Deputy Village Manager Robert Cole
Village Justice, Jack Alemany
Acting Village Justice, Cindy Dunne
Scarsdale Library Director, Beth Bermel
Former Village Manager Al Gatta
Former Scarsdale Inquirer Editor Linda Leavitt
The Scarsdale Bowl Committee
Simon thanked the members of the Scarsdale Bowl Committee for producing the evening and gave kudos to Treasurer Robert Jeremiah, who served four years as treasurer of the Bowl Committee.
Scarsdale Foundation President Randy Guggenheimer explained the work of the foundation that funds some community organizations, but primarily awards need-based college scholarships to Scarsdale students in their sophomore, junior and senior years. For the 2017-18 academic year the Foundation awarded over $120,000 in scholarships.
Evelyn Stock, herself the winner the 1997 winner of the Scarsdale Bowl spoke on behalf of her friend. Simon introduced Stock, saying that Evelyn “served as president and chair of virtually everything!” Stock called Sved a “dedicated, calm consensus builder … a proven team player who never micro manages … and solicits others points of view.” Most important she said Bev was “fun” to work with and a “has a wicked sense of humor.”
2015 Bowl recipient Peter Strauss worked with Bev as a trustee on the Village Board and was deputy mayor when she was the mayor. He said, “I have had the opportunity to serve with many kinds of leaders – you rank with the best of them.” He said Bev had a “backbone of steel,” coupled with “a gracious demeanor.” He complimented her on her courage and pioneering spirit and with “pushing the glass ceiling forward.”
Before presenting Sved with the silver Scarsdale Bowl, Simon said, “By exemplifying the value of unselfish devotion to the civic welfare of the community, Beverley, you have built a record of service that is truly remarkable. For almost thirty years, in parallel with a distinguished business career, you have consistently contributed to Scarsdale your perceptive intelligence, clear thinking, leadership talents and hard work with grace, humility, good humor, integrity, and personal decency.”
The Board of the Scarsdale Foundation
In her acceptance speech Sved acknowledged all community volunteers, saying, “As I accept this award, I think of the hundreds of Scarsdale volunteers who may not be as visible as Planning Board Chairs and Mayors but are, without a doubt, just as deserving. I accept this award for all of us.”
She thanked Evelyn Stock, noting that “Luckily Evelyn, a former Bowl winner, was able to fit this into her schedule… she’s very busy picking up awards in the Village, County, and State for her volunteer contributions and of course winning recipe contests on National Public Radio for her lemon bars.”
Sved called Peter Strauss, “also a former Bowl winner, her deputy Mayor… Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corps major cheer leader and, when he wasn’t riding around on snow plows scaring Al Gatta and Benny Salanitro to death, a consummate Trustee and later Mayor.”
She said, “Volunteerism is not just a Scarsdale tradition; it is a community-wide activity …. that shapes the character, personality and values of our community. Values such as our commitment to education and high quality services, our treating every resident with respect, and intolerance for anything other than civil discourse.”
Explaining why she volunteers, Sved said, “Volunteering has given me so much more than it has taken from me in time, attention, and yes a few stress-filled nights (hello Christie Place). I have been blessed to use my skills to solve problems, to mediate disputes, to take risks in areas that would otherwise never be open to me, and to develop long-term friendships with some pretty remarkable people. Along the way I gathered really great stories… most of which I can’t tell.”
She predicted that the recent changes in the tax laws would pose future challenges to Scarsdale and called on those in the room to step up to take on these issues.
She closed by thanking Paul Sved, her husband of 47 years. She said, “This couldn’t have happened if you didn’t know how to cook dinner for yourself… this wouldn’t have happened if you weren’t so supportive. Thank you Paul.”
The evening was a well-timed, lighthearted, warm gathering of many neighbors who care so much about Scarsdale.
Thanks to the Bowl Committee and the Scarsdale Foundation.
Donate Childrens' Books in Memory of the Steinberg Family
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Friends of the Steinberg family have organized a children’s book drive in their memory. They are collecting new and gently used books appropriate for children in grades one to five to benefit the Reading Buddies After School Program, an afterschool club at SHS that pairs high school volunteers with elementary school children through JCY Westchester Community Partners. Volunteers work with the younger children on homework and academic skills and these mentoring sessions often develop into strong bonds.
Members of Irene Steinberg’s bookclub decided to host the drive as Irene was a big reader and her son Zach founded the Reading Buddies club.
The five members of the Steinberg family, Irene, Bruce, Zachary, William and Matthew of Scarsdale passed away in a tragic plane accident in Costa Rica on December 31, 2017.
Book donations can be left at Greenacres Elementary School, 
Westchester Reform Temple and Scarsdale High School (Brewster Road entrance) from April 10-20.
Please contact steingbergbookdrive@gmail.com with any questions.
(Pictured above: Naomi Talish, Irene Steinberg and Valerie Malsch)
STEAM Day 2018
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STEAM Day at Scarsdale High School is on for Saturday April 21 from 11 am to 4 pm. The event is open to the public and it’s a special opportunity --not to be missed. There are 28 workshops planned for students in grades 4 to 8 covering everything from coding, to designing an app, robotics, math and even time travel and kids should pre-register online. There is something to excite every kid.
Online registration is now closed, but tickets and workshops will be available for walk-ins on Saturday. Learn more here:
Kids ages pre-school to 8th grade are $25. Children 3 and under, High School Students and adults are free. This is a great opportunity for adults in the community to come in, see what is going on with STEAM education and also to listen to the keynote presentation on artificial intelligence by two Scarsdale residents who work at Microsoft.
The CBS (Channel 2) Mobile Weather Lab will be outside the school and you can stop by and discuss meteorology with the crew.
In addition to the workshops there will be a maker space with more than a dozen stations for children of all ages to build, learn, explore, as well as a “made” items exhibit and take apart zone. Westchester Children’s Museum will be on hand to help young engineers make their own flying machines and hovercrafts in a wind tube. Our young makers will also have the opportunity to help build a bicycle to be donated to a child in need.
This STEAM Day will focus on human and artificial intelligence.
Meidcal professionals from the Neuroscience Department Chair at Einstein College of Medicine will use an amazing inflatable mega brain to demonstrate brain functioning, trauma and disease. The inflatable brain is 18 feet long, 14 feet wide and 12 feet high, and visitors can step inside the mega brain and participate in interactive activities. A team of medical experts will explain how the brain works.
At 3:00 pm Scarsdale Residents Pascal Belaud, Technical Sales Director for Data Platform, Advanced Analytics and Artificial Intelligence at Microsoft and John Langford, Principal Researcher at Microsoft, will give a presentation about artificial intelligence (AI); where we are now and what is coming next in this AI wave.
A team of high school students will discuss and app they created to track teacher absences, Also find the Nerdy Derby-- miniature car construction and racing on a 50 foot long track and the Museum of Math as well as many vendors who are coming out to support this event (free of charge) with workshops, activities and more.
Bring the kids to the high school on Saturday April 21 from 11-4.... it's sure to be an interesting day.
Scarsdale Rotary to Host Annual Winetasting and Fundraiser on April 19
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The Scarsdale Rotary Club’s Ninth Annual Wine Tasting Fundraiser will take place on Thursday April 19, 2018 at the Scarsdale Golf Club from 6-8:30 PM. A variety of wines from around the world will be provided by Vintology and food sampling stations will be provided by local restaurants: Moscato, Chat, Meritage, Lange’s Deli, Chef Victor of the Scarsdale Golf Club, Ruffled Feathers, Raasa Indian Cuisine and desserts by Martines. The event will feature a live auction of high end items, a raffle of restaurant certificates and a door prize by Wilson and Sons Jewelers.
The event will support the Scarsdale Rotary Club’s new partnership with the Rotary Clubs of New York City and San Juan to help families who still are living without power or access to clean water in Puerto Rico: a portion of the proceeds will be used to purchase solar lights (some with built-in phone charging stations) and portable high volume water filtration systems.
As in past years, the event will support charitable projects as well as grants to five designated charity partners (The Greenburgh Nature Center; Lakota Children’s Enrichment; Scarsdale & Edgemont Family Counseling Services; The Scarsdale Foundation; and Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corps), and discretionary grants awarded through an application process. The discretionary grants awarded this year went to the Children’s Aid Wagon Road Camp, Girls Inc. of Westchester, Haiti MaryCare, Hospice of Westchester, The Luke Moretti iPad Program at Burke Rehabilitation Hospital, Make A Wish of the Hudson Valley, My Sister’s Place, Pace Women’s Justice Center, and the Scarsdale Task Force on Drugs and Alcohol.
To learn more about the Scarsdale Rotary Club, or to purchase a sponsorship and/or tickets to the April 19, 2018 event, please visit the Club’s website.
The Scarsdale Rotary Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation and contributions are tax deductible to the full extent of the law.
