Pleasantville Educators Create Scholarship for Veterans

The following is from the Pleasantville Union Free School District:

Last spring, the Teachers Association of Pleasantville (TAP) decided to hold a “Support Our Troops” drive that resulted in the establishment of a scholarship fund for military veterans.

TAP member Maura Hunter, whose son Daniel is an Army infantryman in training at Fort Bragg, organized the drive to collect toiletries and sundries to create care packages for PHS alumni on active duty overseas

Mrs. Hunter and her committee members contacted clergy and community members to obtain the names of Pleasantville alumni currently serving in the armed forces.

When the “Support Our Troops” drive ended (with over $800 worth of supplies and another $850 in monetary donations from TAP members and the Sunshine Club), Mrs. Hunter learned that the intended recipients were completing their tours of duty and were not in need of the care packages.

TAP decided to donate the supplies to the United Service Organization (USO) of Metropolitan New York and used the money collected to establish a scholarship fund for PHS alumni veterans who planned to pursue higher education.

The first “scholar stipends” were presented to PHS Class of 2006 veterans Nilton Castro and Jack Ruiz. Both men served two tours of duty in Afghanistan and are now enrolled in college: Jack attends Orange Coast College in California; Nilton is a psychology major at Pace University and aspires to become a counselor for veterans.

TAP plans to make this an ongoing scholarship and urges anyone who knows of other PHS alumni who are serving, or who have served, in our armed forces to contact TAP at tapleasantville@aol.com.