Shown above (from left) are: Nikolas Stanovic of Ax Real Estate, MAW event sponsor; HGAR MAW committee members Layla Rose Boyles, Erica Trautmann-Sallahian, Elsa Seguinot and Shirley Van Dam; Tom Conklin, president & CEO Make-A-Wish HV; HGAR MAW committee members Kerri Stretch, Mary Prenon and Michelle Gilliard; and John Dolgetta of Dolgetta Law PLLC, MAW event sponsor.
Tarrytown, NY The Hudson Gateway Realtor Foundation, a division of the Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors (HGAR), presented a $28,000 donation check to Make-A-Wish (MAW) Hudson Valley at the Wish House. The monies were raised at the foundation’s “Black & White Masquerade Ball” held in September at the Falkirk Estate and Country Club in Central Valley. The event marked the 20th anniversary of the association’s support of the non-profit group that grants the wishes of Hudson Valley children with life-threatening medical conditions.
Over the past 20 years, the Association has raised more than $315,000 for Make-A-Wish Hudson Valley. “This year’s event marked a milestone of supporting this very special organization,” said Richard Haggerty, HGAR CEO. “We are delighted to have helped make a huge difference in the lives of so many children and families who live in this region.”
Make-A-Wish grants wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. Since its inception in 1986, the chapter has granted wishes to over 2,400 children in the communities it serves. The wish experience is a combined community effort involving volunteers, staff, donors and medical professionals to make each wish come true.
The chapter is a proud participant of the Better Business Bureau Charity Seal Program, which indicates that the organization has met the 20 Standards for Charity Accountability. The Chapter serves Delaware, Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester counties. The organization is currently working on 150 wishes with the average cost of a wish ranging from $7,500 to $10,000. For more information about the Hudson Valley Chapter visit www.hudson.wish.org.
Established in 2004 and relaunched in 2013, the Foundation has donated thousands of dollars to charities and non-profits throughout the Hudson Valley. As concerned members of the communities we work in, the Hudson Gateway REALTOR® Foundation participates in qualified community-based charities who serve the housing, hunger, health, happiness, and humane needs of citizens everywhere.
The Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors is a not-for-profit trade association representing almost 11,000 real estate professionals doing business in Westchester, Putnam, Rockland, and Orange counties, as well as the Bronx and Manhattan. It is the second largest Realtor Association in New York, and one of the largest in the country. It owns and operates the Hudson Gateway Multiple Listing Service (HGMLS), offering more than 18,000 properties in the Bronx, Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess, Rockland, Orange, Sullivan and Ulster counties. It is among the top 50 largest MLSs in the country.