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This day of giving coincides with national Make a Difference Day, the nation’s largest day of community service. ArdsleyCares Day began as a partnership between the Ardsley PTA and Ardsley schools to create hands-on volunteering opportunities for Ardsley families. Since its first year, ArdsleyCares Day has doubled its number of participants and quadrupled the number of activities benefitting a broad range of organizations.
This year, nearly 700 community members – including kids from pre-school to high school – are expected to join 20 county-wide activities.
In addition to new projects added last year, such as Tea Time with senior members of the community and Habitat for Humanity with our high school students, this year will see a brand new program donating a wide range of sporting goods to children in need. The new event, Sporting Goods for Good, will collect and recycle gently used sports gear and bicycles to be delivered to surrounding underserved communities.
Continuing favorites will include Meals for the Homeless, a visit to the Andrus Senior center, a Halloween Party for homeless kids at the Coachman Shelter in White Plains, and improvement projects at Concord Road, Ardsley Middle School, and the PEAK youth center in Mt Vernon.
Every year, Ardsley families have the chance to share a fulfilling day by helping disadvantaged kids; bringing an afternoon of enjoyment and activity to senior citizens; donating children’s clothes and books; preparing meals and sorting clothes for Westchester families in need; and beautifying local towns and parks.
“We are thrilled to celebrate five years of giving in Ardsley,” co-chair of the 2013 ArdsleyCares committee Anju Kurian said in a statement. “It is a testament to the values of our community and the desire to give back to those who are underserved in and around Westchester that this event has grown so significantly in that time.”
Among the other events ArdsleyCares has created to generate awareness for the cause and to give the public the opportunity to give back throughout the year, is a community-wide book swap in the spring to fund local literacy scholarships. Another year-round service opportunity has been arranged with the Sharing Community in Yonkerswhere families serve meals to the homeless.
ArdsleyCares has also partnered with the Ronald McDonald House in Valhalla so Ardsley families can cook on a monthly basis for families of children being treated at the Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital in Valhalla.
Click here to see the day's full slate of events and to register.
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