JCC Honors Stephanie Crispinelli in 'Mitzvah of the Month'

The pays tribute this month to a young humanitarian whose life was cut short two years ago when an earthquake hit Haiti, where she was on a humaniarian mission.

Through its "Mitzvah of the Month" program, the JCC will be collecting new and gently used sports equipment in honor of Stephanie Crispinelli, a Somers resident and former camp counselor at the Yorktown JCC branch. She was a student at Florida's Lynn University when she died.

"After traveling to a third-world country and noticing how the local children played on gravel with bare feet and no equipment, Stephanie organized a drive for balls, nets, and other equipment for children to play sports," said Audrey Ronis-Tobin, director of marketing and communications at the Rosenthal JCC.

The mitzvah will be a continuation of Crispinelli's work.

The equipment will be shipped by the non-profit organization, Food for the Poor, to three schools in Jamaica built by Crispinelli's family in her memory. All other items will be donated to the Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester in Mt. Kisco.

January marks the two-year anniversary of the earthquake. Crispinelli would have turned 21 in February.

Crispinelli was among 14 Lynn University students and faculty visiting Haiti when the 7.0 earthquake rocked the country two years ago. More than 200,000 people were killed in the massive quake.

Crispinelli's family and extensive network of friends have since kept her memory and spirit of her work alive through hosting various events such as a and through local businesses including and .

JCC preschoolers in Pleasantville will have additional sports activities on Tuesday, Jan. 31, as Coach Chris from Great Indoor Fun & Sports will visit the school to highlight the Mitzvah of the Month.

Past mitvahs have benefitted such organizations as Guiding Eyes for the Blind and Kid's Kloset.

Donations can be dropped off at either the Pleasantville or the Yorktown JCC sites.

For more information, visit the Rosenthal JCC website or call (914) 741-0333.