September, 2010, Newsletter

Dear Friends,

We are very pleased to report to you that we have been able to maintain our charitable work through the trust at its traditional level of giving, over this past, very difficult year, thanks completely to You. The generosity of all of you who donate dollars and time to the trust and the very hard work of our Board of Advisors, their families, Dan Ponsetto and Kate Daly of Boston College's Volunteer and Learning Center and Jamie DiLoretto, BC's Assistant Athletic Director, made possible our many successful and marvelous fund-raisers.

Here are just a few highlights. This year's Birchwood Awards were presented in June to two most deserving Nyack HS seniors, Pamela J. Kotorac and Elijah Sorel. The Red Bandanna Scholarship at Rockland Conservatory of Music, presented last October, funded a young violinist's schooling for the year. Once again the trust sponsored a Teacher Recognition Award created by the Tribute WTC Visitors Center at Ground Zero for teachers from around the world who have made a significant contribution in teaching 9/11 history. The 5th Annual Welles Remy Crowther Service Award at Boston College was presented in April by Paige to Charles Mangiardi , who directed the trust's donation to the Cheyenne River Youth Program in South Dakota.

We continued our major gift to the Natural History Museum of the Adirondacks (The Wild Center) and made a large gift to the Winslow Therapeutic Riding Center in Warwick, NY.

This summer Jeff read about an exceptional young boy, Joshua Colas, from Whilte Plains, NY.. He is 10 years old, and is only a few points away from becoming a chess Grand Master. He is largely self-taught because the family could not afford chess lessons. The newspaper article indicated that a volunteer group was trying to raise enough money so that Joshua could travel to Greece for an important international tournament. He will be the youngest Afro-American to become a Grand Master, if he achieves the ranking while he is still 10. We sent a donation to support this amazing youngster's commitment to excellence.

We continue to honor our long-standing commitments to other fine organizations that benefit young people: Bonnie Brae School for Boys and Institute for Educational Achievement in NJ; in the Boston area, C.O.R.S.E., a summer therapeutic riding program for challenged youngsters and MetroLacrosse, a skills and character development program for inner city youngsters; in New York, Cristo Rey New York High School in Harlem, Children of Bellevue and Just One Soccer League for inner-city Newark, NJ youth where the trust is a field sponsor. We have increased our support for two youth ice hockey programs, the Clarkstown (NY) Capitals and Raleigh (NC) Youth Hockey Association's "Capitol City Crew." Our international giving includes the Smile Train and Fundhamer Cebes Scholarship Fund. Plus, many more! Please visit our website to learn about the good work we are doing through the trust.

We have had wonderfully successful fund-raisers this past year. Red Bandanna Run, Red Bandanna Skate, Nyack HS Varsity Lacrosse Alum Game, Raise a Cup, Crowther Cup at Redtail and the very generous gifts in lieu of favors by some of Welles' friends who have married this year.

The Red Bandanna 5K Run at Boston College, sponsored by BC's Volunteer and Service Learning Center, Dan Ponsetto, Director and, Kate Daly, Assistant Director, and our team of Jessica Alberti, Michael Barch, Paige Crowther, Marielle Sack Bush, Kate and Chris Ferrarone, James Gilroy, George Leuchs, Jody Steinglass, and support from many of Welles' friends from Nyack and BC, continues to be one of our largest fund-raisers. Over 300 runners participated last year.

The Crowther Cup at Redtail in Canada hosted by Jon Drake and organized by George Leuchs, has continued as a fund-raiser for many years and continues to celebrate Welles' life and raise precious dollars, generously matched by the Drake family. Our 4th Annual "Raise a Cup" was held at the Nyack Field Club this May, led by Michael Barch, assisted by Susie DeFrancis and Jody Steinglass. Nyack High School Men's Lacrosse Alums, Eamon DePeter, chief organizer, and Nyack High School Ice Hockey Alums, led by John Scott, Chris and Nicole Varmon and their families, regularly hold fund-raisers for the trust.

This year the 3rd Annual Red Bandanna Service Award was presented at the Bonnie Brae Polo Classic to the St. Andrews Society of New York in recognition of their fine charitable work. The grant money is given to Bonnie Brae, a school for troubled boys that the trust has supported since its inception.

This past summer we lost another dear, courageous friend, Lt. Harry Wanamaker, FDNY/Ret.. Harry fought the fires at Ground Zero as skipper of the FDNY Fireboat John D. McKean, which was the only source of water in the days immediately following the attacks on 9/11. His death is being linked to the toxin exposure he endured. We will be dedicating the Concert for Remembrance to both Welles and Harry this year.

Upcoming Events

The 9th Annual Concert for Remembrance, 9/11 will be held on Sunday, September 12, 5 pm at Grace Episcopal Church, 130 First Avenue, Nyack, NY. As always, the free admission concert will be a beautiful gift to the community from the many fine professional musicians who volunteer their time for the concert. Please visit www.crowthertrust.org/concert_remembrance for details.

The 6th Annual Welles Remy Crowther BC '99 Red Bandanna 5k Run will be held Saturday, September 18, at Boston College, race start time is 9:00 am. Day-of Registration will open at 7:30 am. Come join us! For complete information and online registration or to sponsor a runner or donate, please visit our Run website, www.redbandannarun.com.

The Inaugural Red Bandanna Golf Classic will be held on Friday, September 30, 2011 at Patriot Hills, Stony Point, NY, in honor of the 10th Anniversary of September 11th and in celebration of Welles' life and legacy. Stay tuned to our website for details!

We cannot thank you all enough for your continued support! Please visit our website for information on the good works we are doing with the dollars you contribute every year. Along with our donations, goes Welles' story, which is inspiring hearts of all ages, whenever it is heard. Thank you for keeping Welles' spirit alive and working in others. Please help us to continue these good works. A donation of any amount will be so important and very much appreciated. Together we will bring much good into this troubled world.

One final note, if you would like to learn about the spiritual journey some 9/11 families have experienced, we suggest you read Messages by Bonnie McEneaney, a 9/11 widow, published by Harper Collins. Welles, his friends and family are among those featured in this amazing book.

With faith, hope and love,

Alison and Jeff

Alison and Jefferson Crowther

The Welles Remy Crowther Charitable Trust is recognized as a not-for-profit organization under Section
501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service Code and is registered with the State of New York.