Katonah-Lewisboro Support Staff Association
When the home of a Katonah-Lewisboro District transportation employee was lost to a fire five years ago, fellow support staff members came together to stuff a shuttle-sized bus full of food and clothing to help their co-worker get by.
The collection has now become an annual tradition that's grown so much the Katonah-Lewisboro Support Staff Association members are hoping to double contributions and fill a full-sized 40-foot school bus with donations for the Community Center of Northern Westchester County.
Last year, the SRP group collected more than 186 pounds of clothing and 1,271 pounds of food, said Jeani Granelli, president of the KLSSA. "We'll need to double that to fill a 40-foot bus."
Granelli said all donations will be accepted, especially non-perishable items special to the holidays, such as canned pumpkin, pie crust, cake mixes, evaporated milk, canned gravy and baby food.
"We depend on fantastic efforts like this one to be able to give our clients the special items that help them celebrate the holidays in their own homes," said Sherry Wolf, director of the community center, to the Lewisboro Ledger.
Syracuse Teachers Association
CAPTION: From left, Syracuse School Superintendent Sharon Contreras, Syracuse TA President Kevin Ahern and NYSUT President Karen E. Magee speak at the district's First Book campaign kickoff event. Photo by Steve Jacobs.
Thanks to a coalition effort led by the Syracuse Teachers Association, thousands of students in central New York will be able to curl up with a new, free book.
The STA, led by President Kevin Ahern, completed a successful First Book Truckload Challenge and was able to secure 40,000 books from the program.
First Book, a national not-for-profit organization, already has distributed more than 100 million free books to needy students throughout the U.S. and Canada. NYSUT and the American Federation of Teachers are longstanding partners with the First Book organization; NYSUT has distributed more than 400,000 books since 2012.
Several education, labor and community organizations in the Syracuse area partnered to make the effort a success, including the Syracuse City School District, United Way of Central New York, Say Yes to Education and other NYSUT-affiliated local teachers unions.
For more information about First Book, visit www.firstbook.org/aft.
NYSUT Bowling Extravaganza
CAPTION: Members of the Bronxville Teachers Association help raise $7,000 at the third annual NYSUT Bowling Extravaganza to support Project Share. Local unions from the lower Hudson Valley fielded 87 teams at the Mount Kisco event. Photo by Maria R. Bastone.
More than 500 people from 29 local unions in the lower Hudson Valley showed off their bowling skills (or lack thereof) in mid-November to raise money for a local community group.
The third annual NYSUT Bowling Extravaganza raised more than $7,000 for Project Share's Thanksgiving dinner for the homeless, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary.
The community Thanksgiving dinner, which is served by area students at Hastings High School, last year fed 653 men, women and children — even providing enough for seconds.
The event at Spins Bowl in Mount Kisco was attended by NYSUT officers Karen E. Magee, Andy Pallotta, Catalina Fortino and Martin Messner, who tweeted that it was "a great event for a great cause."
For more photos, visit the NYSUT photo gallery at www.nysut.org.