'COVID Hero' Hampshire Club Honored For Helping Students

MAMARONECK, NY — Hampshire Country Club in Mamaroneck was recognized as a “COVID hero” by the Boys & Girls Club of New Rochelle (BGCNR) during its annual fundraiser gala held on Friday.

The country club, founded in 1944, was recognized for providing a safe, monitored and connected space for students to access virtual classrooms. The club envisioned the furnished study area with free high-speed internet connections as a refuge for students in the local area with working parents and limited in-person learning opportunities.

The club’s leadership was especially interested in helping teachers who found themselves in the position of teaching other people’s children while, at the same time, trying to help the kids under their own roof navigate the challenges of virtual learning. With the study space provided at the country club, teachers were able to teach their own virtual classes and monitor their own children’s classes seamlessly.

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“The last 13 months have certainly been a challenge, however, we have seen so many examples of our neighbors stepping up,” BGCRN Executive Director Lutonya Russell-Humes said presenting the award during the virtual event. “Hampshire Country Club, Noa, Sylvia, Jackie and our staff are the epitome of stepping up for their neighbors. There is no way that we could have served the children and families in New Rochelle, Mamaroneck and Larchmont over this year without them.”

While the program was initially conceived to help local working families and was coordinated in collaboration with the Mamaroneck Union Free School District, the initiative grew to include students in several school districts, and even some students attending out-of-state virtual classes.

“Hampshire is grateful to the Boys & Girls Club of New Rochelle for this heart-felt recognition," club co-owner Dan Pfeffer said accepting the award. “This education-focused program held at our club is a wonderful example of how members of our community and officials at our school district came together to help one another, particularly during these challenging times. The Boys & Girls Club should be commended for making an outstanding proposal to us, and we were more than thrilled to play an important role to benefit teachers and their children.”

Pfeffer added that over the club’s more than 75-year-history, Hampshire has made a point of not just being a social organization in Mamaroneck, but also contributing to the well-being of the community.

Other “COVID Hero” honorees at the Boys and Girls Club of New Rochelle fundraising gala included Noa Arias and Jackie Emmet for supporting the learning programs for students impacted by the coronavirus. Mamaroneck schools Assistant Superintendent for Business Operations Sylvia Fassler-Wallach and Learning Center staff at the Boys and Girls Club were also recognized at the live-streamed event on Friday.