In this issue, we are proud to feature a few of the countless members of the Ramapo family who are making a difference. Read on to see how they're helping kids, supporting Ramapo, and having a great time while doing it.
The Ram Fam Reunion
...bringing alumni together for fun, frolic and purpose
A few years back, Suzy Zimmermann left her position as a year-round program staff member at Ramapo and, on a whim, moved to Asheville, North Carolina.Feeling a little lonely and out of place without her “Ramapo Family,” she got in touch with Tara Maltby, another former counselor who was living in Michigan.Together they checked out mapquest, decided that the middle point between Michigan and North Carolina was Louisville, Kentucky, and planned a road trip for MLK weekend in January 2009.
Suzy is known to mix business with pleasure, rationalizing that she gets more pleasure out of business if she blends the two. So when she suggested inviting a few other folks from Ramapo to join her and Tara, the Ram Fam Reunion was born!
The reunion has grown each year, and the venues have varied from Kentucky, to Las Vegas, and most recently, New Orleans.However, there are certain components that remain the same each year.The reunion always kicks off with a fabulous reception dinner, complete with raffles and presentation of the annual Hoodie design.Throughout the course of the weekend a variety of events and gatherings are planned.On the last night of the reunion everyone gathers to watch a “Reflections” slideshow of camp pictures, along with past and current reunions.
Keeping with her pursuit to mix business and pleasure, Suzy decided early on to have every reunion involve a community service project.This way, the reunion not onlybrings together a group of familiar faces, but also brings back the Ramapo tradition of “leaving ‘camp’ a better place.”Only in this instance ‘camp’ is the city that Suzy and her crew embark upon each January for a long weekend of fun, frolic and purpose.(Click here to read about this year’s project for the United Way of Greater New Orleans)
Suzy notes, “My own personal goal is to take a representation of the Ramapo Family on a tour of our own country and do some good.We infuse the community we’ve chosen with good spirit and volunteer hours, and I can tell you that in three years we have provided over $15,000 dollars of our pooled money back into these communities. I can't calculate what we have done with our smiles and laughter, but it really is a ridiculous amount of fun and good cheer.”
In the past three years the reunion has grown from 12 attendees to 42, and Suzy’s working hard to increase those numbers even more. She hopes to have a website up soon, and more information can be found on the Ram Fam Facebookpage, or by sending Suzy an email at RamapoFamilyReunion@hotmail.com.For now, Suzy's busy planning the 2012 reunion which will take place in Florida, and hopes that you will join her next January for a fabulous time of family, community and caring.
A Birthday Wish Come True
On November 23, 2010 William John Healey III celebrated his birthday.Like many others in this day and age, Bill received countless birthday wishes on his Facebook page.He also received something else… $1,050 donated to Ramapo in his honor.Through the Birthday Wish application on Facebook 53 friends responded to Bill's call to action, making it the most successful Facebook fundraising campaign for Ramapo to date.
Currently applying to PhD programs in Psychoanalysis and Philosophy, Bill has been working at Ramapo every summer since 2005.He comes back because he still has the time inbetween school, but also because Ramapo gives him new skills each year.He also feels as if he has a chance to give back to the children at Ramapo, along with the people and facility that have taught him so much.
Bill started his Birthday Wish because he had seen other people do it and wanted to help Ramapo. He initially set a goal of $100, and put the messageup 10 days before his birthday. After reaching that goal in 12 hours he figured that if he could raise $100 in one day, he could raise $1,000 in ten.
Bill wanted to make people smile, laugh, and ultimately donate, so every day he posted a Top 10 Reasons to give. By November 23, a wide range of family and friends, fellow counselors, and camper parents had donated!Bill is inspired by their generosity, and thrilled with the outcome of his undertaking.
Bill attributes the success of his fundraiser to the fact that he hadFUN!His advice to others who are seeking a way to help: “Take a little of that Irish charm and humor that my grandfather William John Healey had, and just have fun with it, it'll work!”
You can make your Birthday Wish too!Click here to visit Ramapo’s Causes page on Facebook and create your own fundraising goal.
Show and Tell
...an eye-opening night for parents of children with autism
After a long day of work, the parents at Hawthorne Country Day School in lower Manhattan participated in Show and Tell: Using Visuals to Communicate with Your Child, an evening workshop led by Ramapo parent training specialist, Melissa Sornik. This interactive workshop focused on creating visual aids for parents of children with autism spectrum disorders.
The session, funded by the New York City Council, gave parents an outlet to share ideas and strategies for handling situations that can be common stressors for children with AS D.Melissa helped parents by demonstrating and creating visual aids that would in turn ease transition times by providing children with familiar images of expectations and upcoming activities.
Participants were thrilled with the workshop and the strategies they learned.One parent notedthat the workshop was “immensely helpful, fueling me with ideas that not only let me communicate better with my daughter, but help her to be empowered!”At the end of the workshop, parents left with a “toolbox” of Ramapo materials ready to use at home with their children.
For more information on Ramapo Training’s Show and Tellworkshop, as well as other Parent training workshops, please contact Alicia Barry at abarry@ramapoforchildren.org or (212) 754-7003 ext.101.
Upcoming Events
We would like to invite you to join us for two very special events at Ramapo this spring. Please mark your calendars for the following dates. Click on the links below to get more information and to register.
Our Annual Scholarship Appeal will be in the mail soon.
Please donate now to give a needy child a summer of laughter, learning and fun.
“Goodsearch.com – An Easy Way to Help Ramapo”
You can help Ramapo when you search the web!
Ramapo has teamed up with Goodsearch.com, an internet search engine powered by Yahoo.com. Since the site is powered by Yahoo!,you’ll get the same quality search results as any of the top search engines. But with Goodsearch, every time you search the web, Goodsearch will donate money to the charity of your choice.
Just click on the link below to visit Goodsearch.com, type Ramapofor Children into the I’m supporting box, and click Verify. You can then add Goodsearch to your favorites page, or follow the links toadd the Goodsearch toolbar to your web browser.
Happy Surfing, and thank you for helping Ramapo!
Join Ramapo's growing community on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. Reconnect with old friends and rediscover the Ramapo magic.
A few years back, Suzy Zimmermann left her position as a year-round program staff member at Ramapo and, on a whim, moved to Asheville, North Carolina.
In the past three years the reunion has grown from 12 attendees to 42, and Suzy’s working hard to increase those numbers even more.
On November 23, 2010 William John Healey III celebrated his birthday.
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