By Liz Folberth, Member, Board of Directors, Gramatan Village

Dec. 23, 2015:  Joan C. Toffolon was elected to the board of directors of Gramatan Village at its November meeting. Gramatan Village is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide individuals in the greater Bronxville community with information and access to services so that they may remain in their homes safely and confidently as they grow older.

"Joan was curious about Gramatan Village and attended an open house," said Julie Dalton, executive director of Gramatan Village. "She was so impressed by the way we engage our members she decided she wanted to help us spread the word. Joan began writing articles about our cultural outings, always highlighting how much our members enjoyed getting together with friends. Her experience in marketing is a welcome asset to our board."

Joan Toffolon earned her undergraduate degree in economics from Boston College and received an MBA in finance from the Gabelli Graduate School of Business at Fordham University. Her work experience includes various positions in finance and marketing in the Consumer Products Division of Hanson Industries and SCM Corporation. Her most recent position was vice president of marketing at Smith Corona Corporation.

Joan and her husband, John, have lived in Bronxville since 1992 with their two children, Ashley (22) and Allison (19).

She has been involved in many civic and community activities. She has held board positions at Catholic Guardian Services in New York City, The Bronxville School Foundation (where she was vice president of public relations), The Community Fund of Bronxville, Eastchester, and Tuckahoe, and Heartsong, Inc.

She also volunteers with Destination College and currently serves on the parents committees at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and the Berkshire School in Sheffield, Massachusetts.

Pictured here:  New Gramatan Village board member Joan Toffolon.

Photo courtesy Gramatan Village

By Jeannie Murrer

Dec. 2, 2015:  The Senior Citizens Council (SCC), which overseas operations and activities in the senior centers of Bronxville and Tuckahoe, has been preparing Thanksgiving baskets for families in need in the Tuckahoe area for the past 13 years. This year was no different, and the council was able to prepare 20 baskets, which were delivered before the Thanksgiving holiday.

This wonderful tradition started when Audrey Sullivan, the SCC chairman at the time, suggested that the council give turkeys to the Tuckahoe CAP (Community Action Program) to distribute to families on Thanksgiving. At that time, the council was using a meeting room at the Tuckahoe location and thought it would be a nice gesture to help CAP's food distribution for low-income families.

After several years of donating turkeys, the council decided to add the rest of the Thanksgiving feast and started making up baskets with everything a family would need for the holiday meal. 

Each council member donates to the project, along with others who have heard about the project over the years. A group of about six council members meets at Costco on the Thursday before Thanksgiving, and within an hour they gather all the food and load it up to take to the CAP center.

An assembly line is started upstairs at the CAP center, and the baskets are finished and ready by noon. Every family gets a turkey, vegetables, stuffing, cranberry sauce, rolls, pie, and whipped cream, and the baskets are all packed with love.

Council member Veronica Darcy said, "It's one of our traditions on the council. There is a group of us that has been doing this for years, and we always look forward to the shopping and assembling the baskets."

Pictured here:  Members of the Senior Citizens Council shopping at Costco (top) and members with the head of CAP at the Tuckahoe center.

Photos by Kathleen Winters