It started with a simple letter in the mail. The Village of Sloatsburg was asking each of a select group of residents to be part of a newly formed committee. Curious about the letters, the group met, compared letters and all agreed the cause was worth the effort — go out into the community and raise funds for Sloatsburg students. They named themselves the Sloatsburg Students’ Scholarship Committee.

“I received a letter in the mail from Pete Akey to chair the scholarship committee,” said Patricia Hartnett, an experienced fundraiser who at one time served as president of the Sloatsburg Fire Department’s Ladies Auxiliary.

The committee membership is mixed with residents from all walks of life. Mike McKenna grew up in Sloatsburg and lives in the village to this day. His connections around the village and creative fundraising ideas come proven highly beneficial. These days he travels early mornings all the way to the Bronx to teach middle school history. Hartnett works at UPS in data systems. Annmarie McAnany is Children’s Librarian at the Sloatsburg Public Library and knows nearly every student in Sloatsburg. Other committee members include Secretary Adriana Armstrong, Jeanine Cahoon, Theresa Dolan, Anne Dowd, and Joe Nappo. Now they’ve all come together to build something special for future Sloatsburg students.

The committee will manage and fundraise for the Sloatsburg Students’ Scholarship Fund.

“We want to raise as much as possible so that we can eventually raise the amount of some of these scholarships,” said Hartnett about the committee’s goal, which involves overseeing, developing and fundraising for existing student scholarships. “If you’re from Sloatsburg, graduating high school and going on to vocational school or going on to Rockland Community College, you may not be eligible for any other scholarship except one of the scholarships that we have here.”

But first comes the funding. McKenna had an idea and approached Jenny Kirby, who run Characters Restaurant, along with her sister and brother in-law, Dionne and Tommy Acton. Although she gets approached almost daily with requests, Kirby thought McKenna’s cause was just right for the restaurant. She said the restaurant is very selective about what it supports and specifically tries to focus on the Sloatsburg community itself.

“The committee approached me and wanted to raise money,” said Kirby. “People have given so much lately that they (the committee) don’t want to be approaching everybody for more funds at a time like this. So, they came to me and I said I would do this.” What Characters will do is donate 20% of the bill of all in-restaurant dinners to the SSSF this coming Tuesday, February 21st from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Just mention the scholarship fund!

“Even though we’ve been in the community for six years, there’re a lot of locals who have never come in,” Kirby continued. From West Meath, Ireland, in County Westmeath, she still retains a bit of her colorful native brogue. “We want to be part of the community and meet the people who are coming out. It works for everybody.”

Village Trustee Pete Akey, who serves as adviser and board liaison to the committee, recently updated the mayor and board on the committees activities. “The scholarships were always used with donations, not taxpayers money,” said Sloatsburg Mayor Carl Wright. “Over the years, raising that money has become more difficult. By appointing a committee, getting more people involved, we can raise more money and offer more scholarships for our young people.”

The board discussed a strategy to help the committee qualify as a stand-alone 501 non-profit corporation and directed village attorney Matthew J. Byrne, from the Suffern law firm Balsamo, Byrne, Cipriani & Ellsworth, to expedite the committee’s NY State 501 application. It also appointed grant writer Suzanne Daycock to help explore grant opportunities.

The Sloatsburg Scholarship Fund itself is comprised of several annual scholarships totaling nearly $2000 in various categories that are awarded to Sloatsburg students at the elementary, middle and high school levels. The awards are designed to help defray the first year cost of attending college or vocational studies.

The primary scholarships include Trooper Robert V. Conklin, sponsored by the NY State Police Benevolent Association. The Trooper Conklin scholarship awards $300 to a graduating high school senior and a $100 Savings Bond to two graduating 5th graders, including both a boy and girl. The Joseph Vega scholarship, given in honor of Rose and Joe Vega, awards $500 to a graduating high school senior and $250 apiece to two graduating Sloatsburg Elementary School students. Again, including a boy and a girl. The Chief Joseph Miele scholarship, sponsored by the Ramapo Police Benevolent Association, donates $400 to a graduating high school senior. Additional awards are given by the family of Thomas F. Bollatto, Sr. to graduating 5th graders and a Constitutional Scholar award given to two graduating high school seniors.

“There aren’t a lot of kids from Sloatsburg that attend Suffern High School compared to surrounding communities — we’re just a small village,” said Hartnett, comparing the total number of Sloatsburg students who graduate in any one class with the numbers from other communities such as Viola, Montebello and Suffern. “We want to be able to grow our scholarships. We’re trying to grow our scholarships to something significant, so we have a wider variety of scholarships in different areas. That’s the key.”

For more information on the Sloatsburg Students’ Scholarship Fund and how to qualify or donate, call Village Hall at 845-753-2727. Or write to the Sloatsburg Students’ Scholarship Fund at P.O. Box 343, Sloatsburg, NY, 10974. The fundraiser takes place at Characters Tuesday, February 21st from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Mention the fund and the restaurant will donate 20% of the bill of all in-restaurant dinners to the SSSF. Take-out orders are not included.