The Catskill Chronicle

MONTICELLO, NY (August 2, 2012) – The Town of Wallkill Boys & Girls Clubs and Monticello Motor Club (“MMC”) raised $44,000 at the inaugural “Fund Racing for Kids” event at the Motor Club on Friday July 20, 2012.

In photo at left, Steering Committee member and Event Sponsor Howard Braunstein with Tim McCausland and Jonah Mandelbaum.

“A  race track with fast cars and a lot of great people are always ingredients for a successful event. However, this exceeded our every expectation. It stands a testimony to the Boys & Girls Clubs, their programs and the generous support of all those who participated,” said Event Co-Chair RJ Smith.

Nearly sixty VIP guests from across the Hudson Valley and NYC-metro area had exclusive access to the track as passengers and as drivers, in automobiles like a Lotus 2-eleven, Ford GT, Porsche GT3, and Cadillac CTS-Vs. After their races, the VIP guests were treated to gourmet food and drink during a two-hour networking mixer in the exclusive MMC Clubhouse.

Event Co-Chair Chris Masters said, "This event achieved the goals that Alexis and the committee set forth, which were to create awareness about the needs of the Clubs, cultivate existing relationships within the community, and ultimately raise funds for the kids that the Boys & Girls Clubs serve."

In photo at right, BGC Volunteer (and MMC member) Josh Sommers with Pete Berman and Charles Petersheim.

Toshiba Business Solutions, the M&M Auto Group, and Greenwald Law Offices have each signed on to sponsor this inaugural event, and ND ProMedia sponsored an on-site photo booth for the guests to have their photos taken with a Lamborghini provided by VIP guest Sal Vasapolli.

The event raised $19,000 in ticket sales and sponsorships, but it was the $25,000 gift from the Monticello Motor Club that made this event the highest-grossing event in the Boys & Girls Clubs’ twenty-year history.

In photo at left, Rolling V Transportation’s Donna Vallone, Phil Vallone, Nicholas Vallone and Ken Engle.

“Our members consider MMC and Sullivan County their 2^nd home and care deeply about organizations like the Boys & Girls Clubs that have a positive impact in our community,” said Ari Straus, MMC’s President. “One of our members joined us for the fund raising event and was so impressed with the organization, its mission, and its leadership that he wrote a $25,000 check on the spot. We are all incredibly grateful and humbled by his generosity on behalf of MMC.”

The funds raised at this event will go to support literacy programs, Friday night Open Gym programs, Teen Centers and much more, and will also support scholarships to allow low-income or youth in need to attend the Boys & Girls Clubs programs in their school.