Scarsdale Bowl Awarded to SVAC President David Raizen

David Raizen, President of the Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corps has been picked to be the 2014 recipient of Scarsdale's highest honor – the Scarsdale Bowl. David who is a Scarsdale native will be the youngest recipient in the Bowl's 71-year history. The Bowl is awarded each year since 1943 to on who has given "unselfishly of their time, energy, and effort to the civic welfare of the community". David has toiled tirelessly and creatively for almost four decades to improve and save the lives of Scarsdale's residents both as an EMT and as President of the Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corps.

"David Raizen is an extraordinary volunteer who has dedicated himself to safeguarding the health and well-being of every resident of Scarsdale" stated David Brodsky President of the Scarsdale Bowl Committee. The Bowl Committee is made up of a diverse group of 15 community volunteers that selects the honoree after reviewing many worthy candidates who are nominated by residents.

David Brodsky described the reaction of the committee members who voted to honor Raizen: "The committee was impressed by the selfless dedication David has brought to his almost forty years of service to the community and recognized that every resident can sleep a little sounder knowing that should they or a loved one need emergency medical assistance that it is only minutes away. The quiet steadfastness of David's efforts over four decades to create and maintain a state of the medical emergency response team has been nothing short of extraordinary." From emergency runs to the hospital to supplying ice at hot humid graduations to taking care of the pets of those who have been taken to the hospital Brodsky continued, "David has positively impacted the lives of almost every resident of Scarsdale and he has done so without asking for praise or thanks. He embodies all of the attributes of the ideal Bowl recipient – the unselfish devotion of time for the civic welfare."

David will be honored at the Scarsdale Bowl Dinner on April 9th at the newly renovated Fountainhead in New Rochelle. Brodsky encourages all member of the community to attend the dinner. "This is an opportunity to celebrate not only our honoree but our community where so many people give of their talents and energies to help this Village be one of the finest residential communities on the county. Come to thanks David and stay to enjoy a wonderful evening with friends and neighbors." Anyone wishing to attend should go on line to scarsdalebowldp@gmail.com to request an invitation.

After the vote last Sunday evening, delegates from the Bowl Committee including David Brodsky, Scarsdale Foundation President Richard Toder, secretary/treasurer Deborah Pekarek and committee members Michelle Lichtenberg, George Lindsay and Carolyn Stevens went to Raizen's home on Aspen Road to inform him of his selection. Raizen appeared shocked and confessed to being overwhelmed and humbled by his selection for Scarsdale's highest honor.

Maybe it was because David grew up here in Scarsdale that he caught the 'volunteer bug" early. While a student at Scarsdale High School, David and his friend Steve Rambone (who is now a Middle School teacher here in Scarsdale ) took a first aid and CPR course in 1975. Marty Joel and Kay Mencher, who then ran SVAC asked if he and Steve could help out around the place and assist them in building bedrooms so that the paramedics on duty overnight could get some sleep. Not old enough to be a emergency medical technician, David started doing electrical work and Steve started doing the carpentry works and other odd jobs around the place. David couldn't wait to be allowed to 'ride' as part of the ambulance crew but you had to be 18 to be a to be an EMT. David spent two years helping out and taking his training – and took his first ride on his 18th birthday. Forty years later David is still helping out, still riding – and has worked over these past 40 years to make SVAC one of the finest ambulance corps in the county. Through his leadership the corps has grown from 25 volunteers to 75. He upgraded the level of service SVAC provides to advanced life support and kept them on the cutting edge of technology. The soft-billing program (SVAC will bill a patient's insurer and accepts whatever the insurer pays as full payment) he put in place saves Scarsdale residents tens of thousands of tax dollars every year. He worked very hard to help build the new headquarters for the members SVAC – because they deserved a decent place to work. But David does so much more as the committee learned from the recommendations it received. He has mentored Scarsdale High School students in the emergency medical technician program and Scarsdale Fire Explorers providing them with encouragement and training – and teaching them the value of volunteerism. He is always looking out for the residents without us being aware – such as having the SVAC ambulances at a particularly hot graduation with ice water and Gatorade and cooling fans at the ready for the many folks attending graduation, without being asked. When storms have struck and taken out communication systems David has made his way to the Public Safety Headquarters to help out and coordinate communications so that emergency medical aid would always be available to our residents.

Upon graduation from Scarsdale High School in 1978 David attended Hofstra University where he earned a BA. Upon graduation from college in 1982 started his own business – Scarsdale Security. David has a talent for growing things – today Scarsdale Security employs 95 people providing security and surveillance services to many high-end retailers. He lives in Scarsdale with his lovely and supportive "better half" Bettina, their two young children and a foster child.

(Photo at top courtesy of Jon Thaler)