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P.O. Box 780, Nyack, New York 10960-0780 www.crowthertrust.org www.redbandannarun.com The Man in the Red Bandanna A Civilian Hero of 9/11 September, 2007 |
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Trustees
Alison R. Crowther
Jessica V. Alberti |
Dear Friends, As ever, we are able to tell you of wonderful things that have happened in Welles' memory this year. Because of your great generosity, we continue to fund scholarships, special projects and other not-for-profit organizations in this country and around the world. The recipients of our Birchwood Award Scholarships at Nyack High School this June were graduating seniors, Megan Atha and Prashant Bendala. Both students richly fulfilled the requirements of high academic standing with important athletic and community service participation. Last October, the Red Bandanna Scholarship was once again awarded to a deserving and talented student at the Rockland Conservatory of Music. . The second annual Welles Remy Crowther Service Award at Boston College was given in April to Rebecca Camacho, '07. The award was established at BC by the Undergraduate Government of Boston College and BC's Volunteer and Service Learning Center, Dan Ponsetto, Director. A gift from the trust of $1,000 was presented to Rebecca's designated charity, Friends of Batahola , a non-profit organization in Nicaragua founded by members of the Class of 2007. We strive to support most of our charities on an annual basis. We are enclosing a copy of our major trust donations for your information. These organizations are committed to the betterment of young people through education, health and character development. Over the past year, our annual fund-raising events, organized by Welles' friends, have been very successful. The Red Bandanna Run at BC; Who's on First in Boston at a new and elegant location , Vintage Lounge; Nyack Ice Hockey Alumnae's Red Bandanna Skate at Sport-o-Rama in Suffern, NY, with silent auction items donated by the Carolina Hurricanes and the Crowther Cup at Redtail continue to generate substantial funds for the trust thanks to the fine efforts of our Board of Advisors and, for the Run, Dan Ponsetto and Jamie DiLoreto, Associate Athletic Director, at BC.
Two new fund-raisers were initiated this year. In March, An Evening at Bayard's, above the historic Harry's Bar in lower Manhattan, proved to be a wonderful success thanks to the vision and leadership of Marielle Sack and the support of many of our Advisory Board members. An upscale wine-tasting event with delicious food, Bayard's promises to be an annual New York event. In June, the Nyack High School Lacrosse Alumnae Game, organized by Eamon DePeter, a teammate of Welles, was played under the lights at the old Nyack High School. Many players of all ages turned out, especially the young men with whom Welles played. Boston College Alumnae Lacrosse dedicated their game to Welles earlier this year as well. Paul Corey, who played in both games, presented Alison and Jeff with a team jersey (all were #19) and group photograph from the game. Many of Welles' BC lax teammates returned to participate. |
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We are deeply appreciative of the dedication and hard work of Welles' friends in producing, and your generosity in supporting, these marvelous events. For information about any of our fund-raisers, please visit redbandannarun.com or crowthertrust.org. Last December 15, 2006, Welles was made an honorary New York City Firefighter, posthumously, by the Fire Department of New York City. Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta and Chief of Department Salvatore Cassano made the presentation to the Crowther family at FDNY headquarters in Brooklyn. It was the first time in FDNY history that such an award has been made. We were all deeply touched and honored. Alison and Jeff are now participating as tour guides at Ground Zero through a program organized by Tribute WTC Visitors Center located next to Ten House on the southern boundary of the WTC site. We speak to groups, mainly students, from all over the country and the world, that come to visit the WTC site. We share Welles' story, which always moves the listeners profoundly, and we give out red bandannas which are treasured by all. This spring, the Crowthers were invited to speak about Welles to two religion classes at Cristo Rey New York High School, a college preparatory school for under-privileged youth in Harlem that the trust supports. It was a very moving experience and Alison was most impressed with the intelligent and insightful questions that the students posed to her. They were also visited by a group of 80; a high school choir from Odessa, Texas. Meeting in the graveyard of St. Paul's Church near Ground Zero, the group listened raptly while Alison told Welles' story. One of the adult leaders, a youth minister, had been in touch with the Crowthers over several years, teaching Welles' story to his students and many others. It was wonderful to finally meet him and his wife, the minister of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Odessa, and his family. His youth group gave us a beautiful cross and, before they left, the entire choir sang a benediction in 4 -part harmony. It was wondrous.
The 6th Annual Concert for Remembrance, 9/11 will be held on Sunday, September 16 at 5 pm at Grace Episcopal Church, 130 First Avenue, Nyack. As always, it promises to be a most splendid event. We will be performing Bartok's Rumanian Dances, Vaughn Williams' Lark Ascending, Bach's Partita No.1, Corrente and Mozart's Horn Concerto No. 4 with additional works to be announced. Concert for Remembrance, 9/11 is a free event for the community, sponsored by the Trust, Grace Episcopal Church and the musicians who all volunteer their time. We hope you'll be able to join us! The Third Annual Welles Remy Crowther, BC '99, Red Bandanna 5k Run will be held on Saturday, October 20, starting on the Boston College Campus at 9 am. The Red Bandanna Run has become a major fund-raiser for Welles' trust and we hope you will consider supporting this effort in some way. Spreading the word is a great way to help! There were over 300 participants last year !!! If you cannot participate in the Red Bandanna Run, but you would like to support this great event, you can make donations via the website or by sending a check directly to the Welles Remy Crowther Charitable Trust, payable to the Trust (note:Run). On-line registration ($25 per runner, $20 for student or sr. citizen), donations and detailed information about The Red Bandanna Run can be obtained by visiting the website www.redbandannarun.com. Most recently, we received a wonderful surprise in the mail from a dear friend. It was a graduation program and photo of a "Guiding Eyes for the Blind" trained yellow lab, named Welles. BC alums may remember the story of a puppy, whose early trainer/owners brought her to the Labyrinth at BC and had a photo taken of her by Welles' name. There are now two Welles pups. One is trained and living with her new owner in the Bronx ! As ever, we thank you all for your continuing support of Welles' charitable trust, helping us to carry on his memory and legacy. God Bless you all for your kindness and generosity. We hope that you will continue to keep the Welles Remy Crowther Charitable Trust in your charitable giving plans for 2007-2008.
Warmly, 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service Code and is registered with the State of New York. |
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