Sept. 19 event to raise funds for experiential opportunities
Seamen’s Society for Children and Families will hold a 5K event in Staten Island’s Clove Lakes Park on September 19 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., rain or shine. The event will raise money for the Robert and Barbara Fitzsimmons Children and Family Fund at Seamen’s Society, which provides experiential opportunities to children and families served by the organization.
To register for the event, visit www.seamenssociety.org/5K. Registrants can sign up as individuals or as a member of a team, and they can either run or walk the course. The registration fee is $30 for adults (18 years of age or older); $15 for children/youth (17 years of age or younger). Children aged 12 and under need to be accompanied by a parent. To be guaranteed a t-shirt, please register by August 25. Sponsorships are available by contacting Andrew Miller, at Seamen’s Society, at 718-447-7740 x4269.
“This inaugural event will bring the community together to commemorate the wonderful dedication and service of Mr. and Mrs. Fitzsimmons – and provide opportunities and experiences for children and families in our care that they otherwise could not afford,” said Seamen’s Society President and CEO David W. Gaskin. “Those experiences include summer camp, sports activities, and art and music lessons.”
Since its inception in April of this year, the Fund has given nine youth the opportunity to attend summer camp or participate in recreational activities.
“There are many more children and families that need support,” said Laura L. Volsario, Immediate Past Chairperson of the Seamen’s Society Board of Trustees and daughter of Robert and Barbara Fitzsimmons. “The children and families served by Seamen’s Society meant a lot to our parents. This fund, and this event, will continue their legacy while providing meaningful experiences.”
“Our parents were community-minded and community-focused,” said Robert Fitzsimmons, Jr., son of Robert and Barbara Fitzsimmons. “This event brings the community together to help lift up those who need help and, through the Fund, provide opportunities to strengthen children and families.”
About Robert and Barbara Fitzsimmons:
Robert and Barbara Fitzsimmons were both very involved with Seamen’s Society. The late Mr. Fitzsimmons ran holiday parties for the children, organized the annual calendar drive, and helped secure the agency’s current office building on Bay Street. The late Mrs. Fitzsimmons served on the Seamen’s Society Board of Managers in the 1980s and its Advisory Board in the 1990s. Their children created the Robert and Barbara Fitzsimmons Children and Family Fund at Seamen’s Society to continue their parents’ desire and passion to help children and families in the community.
About Seamen’s Society for Children and Families:
Founded in 1846, and celebrating its 175th anniversary, Seamen’s Society for Children and Families has always had the welfare of vulnerable children and their families at the forefront of its mission, which is to provide the highest quality services in the community to strengthen and preserve families, so that children and adults have the opportunity to realize their full potential. Today, on Staten Island and in Brownsville, Brooklyn, the agency accomplishes its mission by serving 1,250+ children and 500+ families through its programs and services, which include foster care, adoption, family support services, health and wellness services, health home care management services, domestic/intimate partner violence services, after-school tutoring, and college/vocational scholarships.