Fox Lane students make an impact on Volunteer Day

Fox Lane High School students visited one of several local fire departments to get a feel for what it’s like to be a volunteer firefighter during the recent Junior Volunteer Day. Bedford Central School District Photo

A Fox Lane High School student works with a child at Neighbors Link in Mount Kisco, part of the May 21 Junior Volunteer Day that helps inspire the next generation to help their community. Bedford Central School District Photo

By MAINA DURAFOUR and MARTIN WILBUR

Fox Lane High School junior Amanda Mazzuca thought it would be enjoyable to spend a large portion of the school day on May 21 playing with children at Neighbors Link in Mount Kisco.

“I saw this as an opportunity to hang out with kids and make this day special not only for us but for them as well,” Mazzuca said. “There are a lot of fun activities, also, that I thought we could help them enjoy.”

But Mazzuca and about 300 of her 11th grade classmates were accomplishing much more than enjoying some time out of the school building. They were participating in Fox Lane’s annual Junior Volunteer Day, an effort launched in 2022 by the Bedford Central School District and the Suzanne Grant Foundation to make today’s juniors aware of the volunteer opportunities available so they might be inspired to serve their communities as they get older.

The Suzanne Grant Foundation was created by Dave Grant of Mount Kisco in memory of his wife, who died in September 2019. The foundation’s first project was to upgrade the auditorium at Fox Lane Middle School into the Suzanne Grant Theater.

A former six-year Bedford Board of Education member, Grant was involved in many other volunteer activities throughout her community.

“Suzanne was a lot of things. A wife, a mother, she owned a business, but at her heart, she was a volunteer, she was a giver,” said Grant, the organization’s president. “And she really believed in just spreading the goodness. Not only would she help out, she had this gift of bringing others into it and leading others to become involved and give back.”

After the initial auditorium project, the school board and Grant decided to encourage community service and volunteerism to students. Volunteer Day was designed for high school juniors, hoping that they would be attracted to help a local organization into their senior year, Grant said.

Each student was allowed to choose among 25 different organizations for their Volunteer Day experience. In addition to Neighbors Link, students could sign up to help at one of the seven Bedford schools, the Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester, the Red Cross, Westmoreland Sanctuary, the Mount Kisco Interfaith Food Pantry, at one of the local libraries or emergency service agencies, among other entities.

“Two things we always keep in mind is we’re trying to impact a lot of people, and we’re trying to build things that last years and years,” Grant said. “We have found that during their senior year, a lot of these students go back and dedicate their time. The big win here is we’re creating the volunteers of tomorrow, and that’s what Suzanne was all about.”

Melissa Oricchio, dean of student activities at Fox Lane, oversaw where students were assigned. She said that students have known about this event since their freshman year and often look forward to participating. 

“A lot of kids based on their experience today will start internships or full-time volunteer assignments at the different locations in which they volunteered,” Oricchio said. “So, it’s really a first step toward growing in regards to maturing, being an adult, getting involved in your community, wanting to be involved or even branching out farther from there.” 

Student James Ronan spent his day at Bedford Fire Department headquarters listening to department members talk about serving the public, trying on gear and observing demonstrations. He originally had signed up to volunteer at Pound Ridge Elementary School, but when that site was overbooked, he opted for the fire department. Volunteer firefighting would be something Ronan said he would consider in the future.

“It would be good to learn more about it, the fire department, learn from people who are actually fighting fires,” Ronan said. “It’s a good opportunity.”

With nearly all fire services in northern Westchester being staffed entirely by volunteers, introducing the possibility to a student of serving in their local department would benefit both themselves and their neighbors, said Graham Glauber, chief of the Bedford Fire Department.

“It’s good to see people who are legitimately interested in doing something different and something that may be perceived as cool,” Glauber said. “Sometimes it’s more difficult to catch people’s attention in this day and age, but most people are drawn to the equipment and the gear and the trucks and the flashing lights.”

In the four years that Bedford schools has held the event, each of the emergency volunteer departments within the district’s boundaries have signed up at least one or two students every year, added 2nd Assistant Chief Robert Bancroft.

That can also be said for many of the other organizations that participated in Junior Volunteer Day. At Neighbors Link, student Victoria Schmiegal said she had never visited the nonprofit organization previously, but it likely won’t be her last.

“This is my first time here, but now that I’m involved today, I hope to become more involved in the future here,” Schmiegel said.