Casey Feldman Foundation blog

Monique John Recipient of 2012 Fordham University Casey Feldman Scholarship

January 8th, 2012

By Dianne L. Anderson

Monique John, Fordham University 2012 Casey Feldman Memorial Foundation Scholarship Recipeint

“Ms. Monique John is an extraordinary student who has made a strong impression on everyone who has taught her”, stated Dr. Brian Rose, Fordham College Lincoln Center (FCLC), in describing this year’s 2012 Fordham University Casey Feldman scholarship recipient. “Her tremendous commitment to her coursework and her overwhelming focus on a career in journalism reminds me, in many ways, of Casey”, added Dr.Rose. A junior at FCLC where she maintains a 3.7 GPA, Ms. John is managing editor of the Observer, FCLC’s award winning student newspaper and President of Molimo, Fordham’s black cultural club. Also fluent in Spanish, Monique is double majoring in communication and media studies and African and African American studies.

In recommending Ms. John for the scholarship, Associate Professor Albert Auster said, “More than being an A student in her studies Monique … was a vigorous, outspoken and intelligent contributor to discussions on the issues that we discussed in class…. Her research papers were well thought out, thoroughly researched, and filled with cogent insights into whatever area she was looking at…. She was one of a few students who could make the classes she was in more than just discussions of the issues of class, but she could bring to bear a wide gamut of experiences that were impressive.”

Also no stranger to community service and social commitment, Ms John has worked with Global Outreach Florida as a Team Leader with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, the Immokalee Housing & Family Services and Habitat for Humanity. Last year’s summer vacation was spent with the Children’s Defense Fund’s Freedom School in Mount Vernon, NY as a Servant Leader Intern working with middle school and high school students to improve their reading skills, teaching dance classes for 5 to 17 year olds and leading students on field trips.

The Casey Feldman Memorial Foundation scholarship will provide Monique with $2000 to intern this spring semester at Redbook Magazine, an unpaid position that Ms. John would otherwise have had to forgo for part time employment to help cover college expenses. Monique will be working in the online department where she will assist in uploading the magazine’s content to its website, develop story ideas and write articles for the print and online version of the magazine. She will also be formatting and responding to reader emails and submissions, copy-editing and researching online sources to enhance Redbook’s article content.

In expressing her gratitude to the Foundation Monique stated, “The Casey Feldman scholarship will make a tremendous, positive impact on my experience as an intern and college student in the spring 2012 semester. Now that I am not pressured to work while going to school, I can focus on my coursework, gain experience and connections in my field through a demanding internship, and have the freedom to maintain my involvement within Fordham’s student organizations. I am confident that when I complete this internship, I will be a more well-rounded journalist and attractive job applicant, better equipped with the technical skills to present media content to the public. I am thrilled that I have been awarded such a great honor held in the name of a phenomenal young woman that paved the way for me at the Observer.”

[At the time of her death, Casey Feldman was about to enter her senior year at Fordham College Lincoln Center where she was news editor of The Observer and an aspiring broadcast journalist. She had accepted a fall internship at a NY television station. Click on "About Casey" at the top of the page to read Casey's bio. Click here to go to the Memories site to read Casey's articles published in The Observer. ]

The Safe Road to Santa’s Workshop

December 15th, 2011

Be Safe This Holiday Season - The Safe Road to Santa's Workshop

Tags: Casey Feldman, Casey Feldman Memorial Foundation, Distracted Driving, highway safety, Pedestrian Safety
Posted in Pedestrian Safety/Distracted Driving | No Comments »

Joel Feldman receives the 2011 Pennsylvania Association for Justice 2011 Community Service Award for work in distracted driving

November 4th, 2011

Thomas Anapol (left), Joel Feldman and Pa. Association of Justice President Ken Rothweiler

On October 21, 2011 Kenneth Rothweiler, President of Pennsylvania Association for Justice, presented Joel Feldman of the law firm of Anapol, Schwartz in Philadelphia with PAJ’s 2011 Community Service Award. Mr Rothweiler spoke about how the news of Casey’s death had affected him, as well as the entire legal community. He said that Joel chose to try to turn the tragedy into something positive, and had succeeded by taking steps so that others’ children did not also die senseless deaths. He said that it was an easy choice for him to select Joel as the recipient of the Community Service Award for 2011.

Since Casey’s death at the hands of a distracted driver in 2009, Joel, and his wife Dianne, have worked to raise awareness about the dangers of distracted driving in order to save lives. Their collective efforts resulted in reduced pedestrian deaths in New Jersey as a result of a new pedestrian safety law and raising awareness for drivers and pedestrians about the shared responsibility for safety. Each summer many New Jersey shore communities display prominent banners with Casey’s picture as reminders of that shared responsibility. The Feldmans have received many calls and messages from those touched by Casey’s story and who have changed the way they drive or walk as pedestrians. Joel has spoken at area high schools and driver’s education classes, as well as community events to raise awareness about all types of distracted driving. Those efforts culminated in Joel producing for the US Department of Transportation a 3 minute public service video for the Faces of Distracted driving series introduced by US Secretary of Transportation Ray La Hood . The video features Casey’s friends and Dianne and continues to be used across the country to raise awareness of the terrible toll that distracted driving takes each and every day on our highways. Secretary La Hood, in a letter congratulating Joel on receiving the 2011 Community Service Award from PAJ said the following:

Joel Feldman and his wife Dianne suffered a loss no parent should ever have to bear. A single, momentary distraction behind the wheel ended their 21-year old daughter Casey’s life at a time when it should have just been starting. But, they chose to channel their tragedy into positive action-founding the Casey Feldman Memorial Foundation to help stop other senseless, preventable crashes.

Distracted driving is an issue that is close to my heart, and I am proud of the work we’ve done at the Department of Transportation to raise awareness about its dangers. But I am most encouraged because I know we are not alone in this fight. Our cause has been taken up by families, students, employers, legislators, and law enforcement communities across the country.

I applaud Joel Feldman for being one of these advocates. I congratulate him on receiving the [Award] tonight. And I hope we can all, in Casey’s memory, remember to keep our eyes on the road, hands on the wheel and our focus on driving-today and every day.

In also congratulating Joel, Pamela Fischer, former Director of New Jersey’s Traffic Safety Division, stated:

Since meeting Joel, I’ve never taken off the pink bracelet that memorializes Casey. And tonight Joel, I know that Casey’s star is shining brightly on you. Thank you for the work you are doing to keep her memory and the memory of so many loved ones lost in motor vehicle crashes alive…. To everyone in attendance tonight, I urge you to join with Joel in helping to promote his lifesaving message. Together we can prevent motor vehicle crashes and save lives.

In accepting the award, Joel said that he had been a distracted driver before Casey’s death and, in looking back, believed he was fortunate not to have killed someone’s child, spouse, parent or friend. He said that those who have killed others through their distracted driving are, for the most part, just like all of us believing that they could successfully multi-task while driving. He said that one day our luck will run out if we do not change the way we drive. He also said that he had driven distracted with his own children in the car and questioned what type of role model he had been in doing so. He asked those in attendance to contemplate something very scary-that our children may also believe that they will not get into an accident when they take chances when driving.

He also said that there were a number of things that lawyers could do to save lives, including setting policies against texting and hand-held cell phone use in each of our places of employment, and joining with an effort by Joel’s firm, Anapol Schwartz, and other law firms to sponsor schools across Pennsylvania to bring distracted driving awareness programs into those schools. “Our children are most at risk and we can give them the promise of full and productive lives by helping them make safer choices when driving,” said Joel. The three minute public service video was played for those in attendance and Joel concluded by asking, “What will it take for us to change the way we drive?”

Click here to watch a 2 minute video clip of the award ceremony.

Click here to watch the three minute public service video prepared for the U.S. Deparetment of Transportation.

Click here to read the Casey Feldman Memorial Foundation News and Updates blog articles on pedestrian safety and distracted driving.

Tags: Casey Feldman, Commuinity Service Award, Distracted Driving, joel feldman, Kenneth Rothweiler, New Jersey Traffic Safety, PAJ, Pamela Fischer, Pedestrian Safety, Pennsylvania Association of Justice, Ray LaHood, US Secretary of Transportation
Posted in Pedestrian Safety/Distracted Driving | No Comments »

Scholarship Recipient Passionate About the Environment

November 4th, 2011

By Dianne L. Anderson

Amber and her fellow student volunteers digging up blackberry bushes at the Cascade Head Nature Conservancy

“Since my early years of high school, I have always been passionate about the environment,” stated Amber Diaz in her application for a scholarship stipend to volunteer for a week doing environmental conservation work at the Cascade Head Nature Conservancy in Oregon. “With very little money to spare” while saving money for college tuition and books, this sophomore Environmental Studies major was deeply grateful to the Casey Feldman Memorial Foundation for the $575 stipend which covered the expenses of her Alternative Spring Break trip.

Amber’s passion for the environment began as a high school freshman when she and a dozen other students packed themselves into a van and drove to Baja, Mexico to work at a sea turtle reserve in an area where the locals had previously captured and sold the turtles on the black market. While there, Amber helped to rehabilitate and return sea turtles to the wild that had been caught in fishermen’s nets. Amber cleaned the pools, scrubbed the turtles’ shells and helped build a roof over the pools to give the turtles some shade from the hot sun. The operator of the reserve was native to the area and provided jobs to other locals which centered on ecotourism activities such as whale watching in an area where the endangered grey whales can also be found. This was most exciting for Amber who stated, “It was surprising to see the incredible change in attitudes of the locals towards their native wildlife, and to see them using their diverse wildlife to make a living. The trip inspired me to believe that people don’t always have to destroy the environment to be successful, they can live alongside it.”

Amber Diaz and her fellow student volunteers also worked on trail restoration in Oregon

Back in Colorado Amber volunteers with the Colorado Reptile Humane Society after becoming interested in the exotic pet trade and the impact on local wildlife stemming from the abandonment of exotic pets. The shelter takes in iguanas, snakes, and other reptiles, many of whom suffer from health problems due to neglect. “Seeing these animals, who would have died without the humane society’s intervention, survive and find good homes made me realize not only how negative attitudes towards reptiles can affect the environment and harm animals, but also how proper education can significantly better the lives of reptiles kept as pets, and in turn keep those pets from being abandoned and become invasive species in our habitats,” stated Amber.

The environmental significance of Amber’s volunteer work on her Alternative Spring Break trip to Oregon was of a different sort. The variety of ecosystems at Cascade Head, which include forests, several prairie headlands and the Salmon River are home to more than 350 species of wildlife and rare wildflowers. The spotted owl, marbled murrelet, coho salmon, and the Oregon silver spot butterfly are all federally listed endangered species which either use or inhabit the area. Because of its ecological significance, Cascade Head Preserve and the surrounding national forest and other lands have won recognition as a National Scenic Research Area and a United Nations Biosphere Reserve.

Amber Diaz and her fellow volunteers pose for a picture at the Cascade Head Nature Conservancy

Amber’s service at Cascade Head focused primarily on digging up and removing invasive Himalayan blackberry bushes from the grassland community, which negatively impact the rare wildflowers and wildlife naturally found there. “It sounds easy, but the roots were usually really deep and branched out in every direction it seemed,” reported Amber. Amber and her fellow student volunteers also worked on trail preservation of hiking trails that had become damaged and difficult to navigate after the rainy season. “Sometimes the work seemed tedious and we didn’t see our results immediately, but I know that the work we did during our week in Oregon has contributed to preserving the grasslands in this spectacular coastal headland which is a true natural gem”.

[Donate to the Casey Feldman Memorial Foundation to help provide other students with scholarship opportuities]

Service for the Greater Good an Integral Part of Scholarship Recipient’s Life

September 11th, 2011

By Dianne L. Anderson

Erica Durbin with one of the goats at Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary

Erica Durbin is not your everyday college student. Then again, how many college students choose to spend their one week off from college for spring break mucking out a barn and barnyard, carrying bales of hay in the snow to feed farm animals and simply spending time with cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys, ducks, sheep, and goats who have been rescued from cases of abuse, neglect and abandonment. Erica received a $480 scholarship stipend from the Casey Feldman Memorial Foundation to travel with other students to Woodstock, NY, the town made famous for peace and music, to volunteer at the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary. The stipend covered travel, lodging and expenses for the week of service.

Erica, a Communications and Sociology major at the University of Colorado – Boulder (CU) works 20 -30 hours a week and more during the school semesters, allotting 95% of her pay for tuition, books and Phi Beta Pi dues. Despite her hectic schedule and financial pressures, service for the greater good has been an integral part of her young life.

Erica has been active with the Flatirons’ Habitat for Humanity, helping to build homes for those less fortunate who are local to her college community in Boulder, CO. She also works with CU Going Local, a group of college students who collaborate and advocate for “everything local” in Boulder, which takes her beyond the campus and to local businesses and restaurants. Through the MlK Dream Readers, in cooperation with Boulder elementary schools, Erica and her sorority sisters are reading and study buddies to youth. In conjunction with tutoring the students once or twice a week in areas of difficulty, Erica also acts as a mentor and encourages her young “buddies” to formulate dreams and goals for their lives.

Erica Durbin and her fellow volunteer students raking the muck in the barnyard at Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary

She has also spearheaded recycling at her sorority where, with the help of a supportive “house mom”, recycling bins are now as prevalent as garbage bins within the house. Erica has also educated her chapter on annual food waste and the sorority sisters are now making an effort to take only helpings of food they can eat at mealtime and return to the kitchen later if still hungry.

Erica’s recycling efforts have also extended into the Office of Parent Relations where she works on the CU campus. “We no longer wheel tubs out to the garbage bin weekly as I recall doing frequently in my early employment”, said Erica. Through her efforts and with aid of another student worker, the Office has begun utilizing the mass-recycling services of the CU Environmental Club to shred and/or properly and efficiently reprocess expired files and documents. Material specific recycling receptacles are now utilized within the shared departments’ copy room. The office also no longer prints on certain types and colors of paper for their published documents, and have made sufficient “paperless” improvements, such as creating innovative social network accounts (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube-in progress, Flickr), to network information between the CU Office of Parent Relations and the parents.

Tossing down a bale of straw from the barn loft to spread as clean bedding for the animals

Of course, Erika is an animal lover and when she visits her mother in Evergreen, CO she and her young stepsiblings visit the Evergreen Animal Protective League during the play and adoptive hours, “to show some compassion to the furry residents.” Last year, Erika also applied for an Alternative Spring Break scholarship through the Casey Feldman Foundation and spent a week doing environmental conservation work on Catalina Island, CA to help restore the land and waters of the island.

When asked if she tires of so much volunteer activity, Erika replied in the negative adding, “My passion to advocate for the unheard and insufficiently represented strains within society have intensified for me, the more I do this kind of work. It has become a part of who I am.” Coupled with the successful recycling projects and environmental work, it is clear that Erika Durbin is one of those people who is making a positive impact on this world.

[Contribute to the Casey Feldman Memorial Foundation so that other students may experience the rewards of an Alternative Spring Break.]

Related Posts and Links:

- Photos from Erika Durbin’s Woodstock Week of Service

- Casey Feldman Inspiration video, produced by CU Boulder broadcast journalism student Kylie Bearse and which aired on CU Boulder TV News, concerning the Alternative Spring Break program and the scholarships established in Casey’s memory.

- University of Colorado – Boulder Volunteer Resource Center, volunteer office at CU which organizes the Alternative Spring Break trips

-Casey Feldman Memorial Foundation News and Updates – University of Colorado/ Alternative Spring Break, all of the Foundation articles concerning the Alternative Spring Break scholarship program

Tags: alternative spring break, Casey Feldman Memorial Foundation, CU, Erica Durbin, scholarship, University of Colorado, Volunteer Resource Center, Woodstock, Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary
Posted in Alternative Spring Break, Scholarships, University of Colorado | No Comments »

College Student Makes a Difference Through Foundation Scholarship

September 5th, 2011

By Dianne L. Anderson

Nicole Rodriquez drywalling the new home of Katrina victim

Nicole Rodriquez, Marketing and Spanish major at the University of Colorado – Boulder, was particularly grateful to the Casey Feldman Memorial Foundation for the scholarship opportunity to travel to New Orleans over her college spring break and aid in disaster relief. “Volunteering is very important to me and I hope that in all my efforts I make some sort of difference, no matter how large or small it may be”, Nicole stated in her application for a $420 stipend.

The cost of the trip to cover travel, food and lodging was not something that was in this senior college student’s budget. Living with her parents throughout college to avoid housing costs, Nicole pays for her own college tuition with assistance from scholarships and a Pell grant. She works some 15 to 20 hours per week during the school semesters in a work study program that enables her to buy books and further contribute to her tuition bills.

The New Orleans home which Nicole Rodriquez insulated and drywalled with other student volunteers

With a dozen or so other student volunteers though HandsOn New Orleans, Nicole spent her first day in New Orleans replanting trees in a swamp in a City which lost some half a billion trees to Hurricane Katrina. The remainder of the week was spent insulating and drywalling a new house for a woman who lost her home to the hurricane and returned to New Orleans for the first time since Katrina.

“It was a wonderful week for me!” reported Nicole, who had previously volunteered locally for Habitat For Humanity. “I thoroughly enjoy this work because I believe having shelter is easily one of the most important things in life and being able to provide this for those who are less fortunate gives me a sense of accomplishment.”

[Help other students experience the gift of helping others and donate to the Casey Feldman Memorial Foundation.]

Turning Adversity Into Action – Foundation Partners With NOYS and Announces YOUTHTurn Winners

September 1st, 2011

With funding from the Casey Feldman Memorial Foundation and support from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS) launched the first-ever Youth – Turn it Around Awards Program. Recognition and cash prizes went to to youth organizations that utilized the YOUTH-Turn resource and turned tragic adversity into positive action in their schools and communities. The program was launched in May in celebration of National Youth Traffic Safety month and in conjunction with the launching of the United Nation’s Decade of Action for Road Safety where Casey’s parents were recognized for their effort in traffic safety. The winners have recently been announced:

Wear Your Seatbelt! - Youth Organization Receives $5000 Traffic Safety Award

The Howells-Clarkson, Family, Career and Community Leaders of America Chapter of Howells, Nebraska received the first-place YOUTH-Turn It Around Award of $5000.00. After one of their members was involved in a serious car crash, the FCCLA chapter created a project titled “Wear Your Seat Belt!”. The project addressed the important traffic safety concern of encouraging teen drivers to wear seat belts, and the chapter focused their efforts on educating students, using seat belt surveys, hosting visits from state officials, writing newspaper articles, showcasing artistic displays, and hosting an elementary school poster contest.

The group collaborated with teachers, administrators, local police, county police, the Nebraska State Patrol, and fire and rescue teams. The goal of the chapter was to educate the school and community in an effort to avoid future tragedies. The group administered a seat belt survey before their project and also after their project. Results from the survey after the project indicated that the rate of seat belt use was higher because of their efforts.

Be a Savvy Fox! – College Peer Educators Receive $3000 Traffic Safety Award

The University of Virginia’s Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Team (ADAPT) peer educators recently received the second-place YOUTH-Turn it Around Award of $3,000 for their project titled “Be a Savvy Fox!”. They addressed the traffic safety concern of impaired driving on the day of the Foxfield Races steeplechase event near Charlottesville, VA. The group highlighted the problem of the all-day tailgaiting leading to excessive drinking and unfortunate consequences, following a crash that occurred when a high school student drove after consuming alcohol at the Foxfield Races. After the crash, a survey was given to assess drinking and impaired driving behaviors. Results indicated that drinking and then driving was a major concern during this event.

As part of their campaign, students created media materials, led a social media campaign, and coordinated a student safety tent that provided free water, snacks, sunscreen, and information on race day. They used focus groups to test their messages and products. They also created a pledge campaign and gave out t-shirts to the first 500 students who signed the pledge. Results from their survey at the end of the program indicated that fewer students drove after drinking than in previous years, thanks to the group’s efforts.

Students Can Celebrate Without Drugs or Alcohol – Youth Organization Receives $2000 Traffic Safety Award

Students in the SADD (Students Against Destructive Behavior) chapter at Easthampton High School of Easthampton, Massachusetts recently received the third-place $2,000 YOUTH-Turn It Around Award for their efforts in reducing teen driving fatalities. After experiencing two tragedies in the last four years as a result of poor decision making on the part of both parents and teens related to alcohol use, the chapter decided to take action.

Students worked to conduct two social norms marketing campaigns where both high school seniors and their parents were asked a series of survey questions. Several of the answers to the questions were made into posters that were distributed at different times during the month of May. Messages included “96% of seniors believe that they would not get into a car with someone who has been drinking after the prom” and “Easthampton seniors believe that they can have fun at the prom without drugs or alcohol” and “8 out of 10 Easthampton seniors strongly believe that graduation night can be celebrated fully without drugs or alcohol”.

Posters with information from the parent survey were also displayed in the school, around the community, and on two billboards by the two main entrances to the community. Students also completed a sticker shock campaign, helped with compliance checks, and organized a health fair with interactive activities. After the events, one student wrote a letter to the school administration, asking that they help stop alcohol abuse by having a breathalizer at the prom. Other students supported the letter writer and provided their own ideas to help. As a result of the SADD chapter’s efforts, the community also created a substance abuse prevention task force, with students serving on the task force.

Scholarship Recipient Undergoes a Life Altering Experience Through Urban Poverty Trip

August 3rd, 2011

By Dianne L. Anderson

Amy Moore-Shipley, camera in hand

“My spring break was a life-altering experience founded in volunteering, education and social justice,” said Amy Moore- Shipley, who received a Casey Feldman Foundation Scholarship to travel to Cincinnati on an urban poverty trip with a group of other students over spring break from college this year. The college students volunteered with the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, in a City which ranks 7th in the nation for the highest percentage of residents living in poverty, and where some 7,000 residents are homeless. One out of every three children lives in poverty. The itinerary for the trip was filled with advocate speakers, interactive activities and volunteer work with those in need.

Moore-Shipley and her fellow student volunteers worked with preschoolers in a community center, served hundreds of meals in drop-in kitchens and cleaned up yards for low-income housing programs. The students also cooked for a family on a food stamp budget, navigated the city for resources for the homeless and created a mock drop-in shelter. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: alternative spring break, Amy Moore Shipley, Cincinnati, CU, Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, scholarship, University of Colorado, urban poverty, Volunteer Resource Center
Posted in Alternative Spring Break, Scholarships, University of Colorado | No Comments »

Foundation Joins Forces With Street Safe and Police For Driver Safety Program in O.C. – July 2011

July 28th, 2011

A guest experiencing the ramifications of distracted driving while using the Drive Square simulated Subaru vehicle

In an effort to educate teens and adults about the importance of driving safely and the dangers of distracted driving, the Casey Feldman Memorial Foundation partnered with Street Safe Driving Academy and the Ocean City Police Department Traffic Safety Unit for a hands on educational program about distracted driving on July 23, 2011 in Ocean City, N. J. Summer is the deadliest season for drivers, and crowded shore towns with constant congestion and pedestrians can make an already tough driving environment even worse. Casey Feldman lost her life as a pedestrian in Ocean city, N.J. to a distracted driver two years ago.

Guests were able to sign a banner pledging to refrain from driving distracted

Guests heard from speakers including Casey Feldman’s parents, Dianne Anderson and Joel Feldman and were able to participate in Drive Square Simulation System demonstrations. Participants were able to drive in virtual reality by wearing computerized goggles while operating the controls of a StreetSafe vehicle from Subaru. By introducing dangerous situations such as unexpected obstructions, sudden maneuvers from other drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists, Drive Square allowed participants to practice their driving skills while in a safe, controlled environment. Participants first measured their ability to drive in dangerous situations while concentrating only on driving. A distraction—such as talking on the phone or texting—was then introduced, and the effects of distracted driving were immediately apparent.

Casey's mother, Dianne Anderson speaks with guests in the community center while Joel Feldman, Casey's father is interviewed by the press outside

The Casey Feldman US Dot (United States Department of Transportation) video played continuously inside the Community Center along with the 14 minute Casey DVD, “Remembering Casey”, enabling guests to connect on a personal level with the potential devastating ramifications of distracted driving.

A Casey banner was on display encouraging pedestrians to exercise safety when crossing the street

Guests were invited to include their signatures on a banner, vowing to refrain from driving distracted and to encourage others from doing the same. The banner will be on display throughout the summer in Ocean City so that additional drivers may add their signatures and commit not to drive distracted.

The event is expected to be repeated in the Fall on the Ocean City boardwalk.

View the photos from the event.

July 17, 2011 Day of Service and Remembrance

July 22nd, 2011

L to R: Riley Vroome, Alice McGovern and Renee, Ricky and Maddy Liss were part of the group cleaning the grounds

For the second year in a row, friends and family sought to honor Casey Feldman’s life and memory on the anniversary of her death by volunteering together at Francisvale Home for Smaller Animals, a no-kill animal shelter in Radnor, Pa. Established in 1897 and incorporated in 1902, Francisvale is thought to be the oldest no-kill animal shelter in the nation. Casey was 21 years old when she was struck and killed two years ago in Ocean City, New Jersey while walking to a summer job on the boardwalk.

L to R: Phil Knasiak, Ryan Gellar, Dan Smisko and Matt Grace insulating the attic

Some 35 individuals spent their time insulating an attic, preparing the grounds for an upcoming doggie play area as well as for a memorial garden, painting a settee and chairs, cleaning the interior of the shelter and breaking down an old sofa and placing it in a dumpster.

Casey's brother, Brett's friends chose to honor Casey. L to R: Jason Spector, Stephen Kennedy, Ryan Gellar and Bob Gibson

A lunch time tribute at Francisvale was made to Casey with Casey’s mother, Dianne Anderson, reminiscing about Casey’s love for animals and support of animal rescue and no kill shelters. Casey was an animal lover, having everything from chickens, rabbits, guinea pigs, horses, lizards, fish, turtles, and of course, cats and dogs while growing up. She was a big advocate of adoption and all of the household pets were strays and adoptees in need of a home. Even the chickens were left over from the local 4-H. The family German Shepards all came from German Shepard Rescue of Southeastern Pa, which included a beautiful tribute to Casey in their Summer 2009 Newsletter.

Casey's Springfield friends L to R: Melissa Zirolli, Jackie Cahill, Kaitlyn Carullo and Rachael Kemmey at the shelter

Casey missed the family cats and dog while away at college and made time to volunteer at a no-kill shelter, Animal Haven, in NYC where she would love up the kitties and walk the dogs. The first puppy received by Animal Haven after Casey’s death was named “Casey” in her honor.

At the evening reception, pink balloons were released into the sky with lots of love for Casey

Jodi Button, Francisvale’s Executive Director, expressed the shelter’s tremendous gratitude to all of the volunteers for their hard work and completion of much needed jobs at the shelter, “The work accomplished in Casey’s name has made all the difference in the world… It seems like such a wonderful testament to Casey’s life that she would have so many fabulous people willing to roll up their sleeves on a hot summer’s day to offer the precious gift of time and goodwill. We were all taken by the spirit of generosity and kindness that marked the event.”

Some 40 volunteers offered their services last year at Francisvale on the first anniversary of Casey’s death. Within an approximate 6 hour period, the entire interior of the facility was painted. Additional service included feeding the homeless in Philadelphia, making and serving dinners at the Ronald McDonald House in Chicago, cleaning up the parks in Springfield, PA and volunteering at Beacon Animal Shelter in Ocean View, N.J.

Likewise this year, friends and extended family outside of the area offered contributed time and much needed supplies to their local animal shelters, while others donated blood to the Red Cross.

The day concluded with an evening reception at the Feldman home. At dusk, with the background of some 19,000 pink lights twinkling in the background from the Casey tree, some 50 pink balloons were released into the sky accompanied by lots of love for Casey.

[View the photos from the day.]

THE CASEY FELDMAN MEMORIAL FOUNDATION

News & Updates

Monique John Recipient of 2012 Fordham University Casey Feldman Scholarship

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The Safe Road to Santa’s Workshop

Joel Feldman receives the 2011 Pennsylvania Association for Justice 2011 Community Service Award for work in distracted driving

Scholarship Recipient Passionate About the Environment

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Service for the Greater Good an Integral Part of Scholarship Recipient’s Life

College Student Makes a Difference Through Foundation Scholarship

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Turning Adversity Into Action – Foundation Partners With NOYS and Announces YOUTHTurn Winners

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Scholarship Recipient Undergoes a Life Altering Experience Through Urban Poverty Trip

Foundation Joins Forces With Street Safe and Police For Driver Safety Program in O.C. – July 2011

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July 17, 2011 Day of Service and Remembrance

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THE CASEY FELDMAN MEMORIAL FOUNDATION

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