Family Shelter Honors Student Artists

The New City-based Rockland Family Shelter and the Mandel, Katz & Brosnan law firm honored the winners of the 7th annual Ending Violence Against Women and Girls Art Contest at a reception and exhibition at the law firm's Valley Cottage offices.

In addition to monetary awards, the winning students were presented with certificates of merit from County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef, Ramapo Town Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence, Orangetown Town Supervisor Paul Whalen, Clarkstown Town Supervisor Alex Gromack and Stony Point Town Supervisor William E. Sherwood.

This year's student participants faced greater competition than ever before. There were more than 130 entries of art work from nearly every high school in Rockland County. All of the submissions were exhibited at the reception.

The competition was proposed by attorney Tracy Brosnan of Mandel, Katz & Brosnan LLP. Brosnan developed the idea as a way to engage students in efforts to raise awareness about the issues and effects of violence against women and girls, particularly dating and domestic violence and sexual assault. Mandel, Katz & Brosnan donates the prize monies annually. Because the competition was so close the judges, staff and board members of RFS, Brosnan, her daughter, student Nicole Brosnan and student Nia England, found it extremely hard to pick just one first place winner.

As a result, this year there were two first place winners, Sally Gale of Nyack High School and Tyana Soto of North Rockland High School. Gale and Soto each received $500 and their schools received checks for $250 each. Five students received Honorable Mentions and received checks for $100.

The winners of the 2010 "Ending Violence Against Women and Girls" Art Contest were:

1st place
Sally Gale, Nyack High School, "Empowerment," teacher Joe Fusaro
Tyana Soto, North Rockland High School, "A Woman is not an Object,"
teacher Mr. Holland

Honorable mention
Crissy Ramdat, Clarkstown North High School, "A NEW DAY"
Christina Connor, Clarkstown North High School, " STRENGTH"
Cydney Coyne, Suffern High School, "SILENCE"
Lauren Griffith, Spring Valley High School, "BROKEN"
Brittany Minoff, Clarkstown North High School, "STOP THE ABUSE"

RFS is a non-profit agency working to end gender based violence and serves domestic violence and sexual assault survivors and other crime victims and family members. Services are free, confidential, residential and non residential, multilingual and culturally sensitive.

The family shelter's 24 hour hotline number is 845-634 3344.

RFS offers an emergency shelter for survivors of intimate partner violence, sexual trauma services, advocacy and accompaniment, childrens' services, medical and legal referrals, the Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner Program, free educational programs for schools, community and faith based organizations as well as training for professional organizations.