Bronxville Students and Volunteers Bring Christmas Cheer to Graham Windham Students
Written by Jennifer Mackesy, Board Member, Graham Windham
Jan. 21, 2015: Thanks to the Bronxville Middle School seventh-graders, the high school's Bronxville Youth Council, and the "Bronxville Friends" volunteer group, Christmas cheer was brought to the children of The Graham School, located in Hastings-on-Hudson.
As in the past 20+ years, the Bronxville Middle School seventh-graders purchased and wrapped toys, games, stuffed animals, and much more for the children at The Graham School who have nowhere to go on Christmas Day.
The gift-giving effort for the Graham Windham kids is something that comes out of seventh-grade advisory. The kids earn money by doing chores around the house, babysitting, or doing anything they can, and they then give the money to the advisor.
This year they earned $2,065! After all the money has been collected in each advisory, it is given back to the kids and they go out in groups to purchase appropriate gifts for the children. Then the gifts are wrapped during an advisory period and brought out to the Graham Windham van and are taken off to the school. According to teacher and organizer of the project Gene Orsenigo, "It is a meaningful experience for our kids, and it is something they really enjoy doing."
The Graham Windham stocking tradition is made possible with the help of the Bronxville Youth Council (BYC). Members of the BYC executive committee (made up of high school students) ask for donations from the community, and then interested high school students are invited to help stuff the stockings. Each year they receive more than enough goodies to fill approximately 50 stockings. These stockings are for those residents who must remain on campus during the holidays. This year over 50 high school students joined the BYC to stuff the stockings. "Much care is put into the stuffing of each stocking. It is a really great chance to give a small amount of time and make a big difference to the GW kids' Christmas mornings," according to Brigid Buendia, the parent volunteer who spearheads this effort.
Last, the Adopt-a-Cottage program brings the holidays to the campus. For over 20 years, a group known as the "Bronxville Friends" has been led by board chair and Bronxville resident Georgia Wall Gogel. In 2004, the group kicked off its annual "Adopt-a-Cottage" project at the residential campus in Hastings-on-Hudson.
Each holiday season, the Bronxville Friends come out to decorate cottages on the campus with the kids and provide gifts. The Adopt-a-Cottage chairs, Fran Eigendorff, Andre Koester, Jennifer Mackesy, Cindy Randall, Jennifer Russo, and Georgia Wall Gogel, are extremely grateful to all of our Bronxville Friends and youth volunteers for making the season merry and bright . . . and for all that they do year-round for these children!
To learn more about Graham Windham or to make a donation, please visit www.graham-windham.org.
Pictured here: Graham Windham students with Christmas holiday gifts from Bronxville students and volunteers.
Photo courtesy Jennifer Mackesy, Board Member, Graham Windham
Government & History Directory
Bronxville is a quaint village (one square mile) located just 16 miles north of midtown Manhattan (roughly 30 minutes on the train) and has a population of approximately 6,500. It is known as a premier community with an excellent public school (K-12) and easy access to Manhattan. Bronxville offers many amenities including an attractive business district, a hospital (Lawrence Hospital), public paddle and tennis courts, fine dining at local restaurants, two private country clubs and a community library.
While the earliest settlers of Bronxville date back to the first half of the 18th century, the history of the modern suburb of Bronxville began in 1890 when William Van Duzer Lawrence purchased a farm and commissioned the architect, William A. Bates, to design a planned community of houses for well-known artists and professionals that became a thriving art colony. This community, now called Lawrence Park, is listed on the National register of Historic Places and many of the homes still have artists’ studios. A neighborhood association within Lawrence Park called “The Hilltop Association” keeps this heritage alive with art shows and other events for neighbors.
Bronxville offers many charming neighborhoods as well as a variety of living options for residents including single family homes, town houses, cooperatives and condominiums. One of the chief benefits of living in “the village” is that your children can attend the Bronxville School.
The Bronxville postal zone (10708, known as “Bronxville PO”) includes the village of Bronxville as well as the Chester Heights section of Eastchester, parts of Tuckahoe and the Lawrence Park West, Cedar Knolls, Armour Villa and Longvale sections of Yonkers. Many of these areas have their own distinct character. For instance, the Armour Villa section has many historic homes and even has its own newsletter called “The Villa Voice” which reports on neighborhood news.
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