Fundraiser for Service Learning Scholarships Hosted by Rivertowns

Local teens from across the Rivertowns are hosting a benefit—so they can help others—on Saturday, March 23, 6:00 p.m. at South Presbyterian Church, 343 Broadway, Dobbs Ferry. Proceeds will be used as scholarships for teens to volunteer with cross-cultural service organizations. $30 adults / $10 teens / donations welcome. Advance ticket purchase only: see SouthPres.org for details.

The evening includes a meal of barbequed chicken, Spanish potatoes, chopped salad, and plantains, prepared by church members Peter Brenner, a retired Executive Dining Administrator at the Federal Reserve, Alex Orlowski, a former restauranteur from Paris, and Eric Greenberg, a cook-turned information technology professional.

Teens from Dobbs Ferry, Hastings, and Irvington provide the entertainment. The evening will feature a Motown band, the RiverArts Jazz Ensemble, members of the Dobbs Ferry High School a cappella group, Bollywood dancers from Hasting High’s Culture Shock, and a few other surprises.

The cause they are raising money for—service learning scholarships—is something the teens are excited about. Dobbs Ferry sophomore Stanley Legan and Hastings sophomore Naomi van Hoogstraten spent their February break in the Dominican Republic with Bridges to Community. Days were spent building a family house out of cinder blocks and getting to know the people in the small village. The group of volunteers—teens and adults mostly from Westchester County—slept in a church. They took showers with a bucket.

“It was an amazing trip,” said Naomi. “I can’t believe we built most of a whole house in a week. We worked with the village members and the father of the family. The children were so excited. They all asked if we would come back and visit. It was hard to leave.”

“I saw how important the house was to the family we built it for,” said Stanley. “With tile instead of dirt floors, the children won’t get sick as often. Because the doors and windows lock, the family can go to work and school without worrying that someone will steal their things.”

This is the third year that students connected to South Church’s teen group have volunteered with international aid organizations. Last February, Dobbs Ferry High School’s Kalle Person and Leilani Taiano volunteered with Bridges to Community in Nicaragua. Naomi and Kate Diep, students at Hastings High School, helped in hurricane-stricken Puerto Rico with Liana Davila, an Irvington mom affiliated with Teens4PR. Davila’s daughter, Sofia Garcia, and several friends from Irvington High School went as well. The year prior, two other Rivertowns teens served in Nicaragua.

“It’s incredible to see how exhilarated the teens are when they return from one of these service trips,” said Lenore Person, one of the leaders of South Church teen group. “They come home talking about the relationships they built—with the other volunteers and the families they meet, and with a new appreciation for water, food, shelter, and community.”

“Teens really want to change the world,” said Sarah Brockus, church member and the mentor to the teen producers of the benefit. “The benefit will help more teens participate in creating justice through these service trips. A portion of the funds goes directly to the building supplies and essential services the groups deliver overseas.”

This is the second year South Church teens have held a benefit. Last year, in a sold-out event, they raised approximately $4,000 for hurricane relief in Puerto Rico.