Island Realtor’s Kids Raise Thousands of Dollars For Saturday’s ‘Relay For Life’

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2012

Sisters collect $2,950 in dimes; hope to reach goal of $5,000 by selling cookies, jewelry

STATEN ISLAND – Two young Staten Island residents are proactive when it comes to helping others.

Annadale sisters Daniella Cangiano, 12, and Kristina, 9, have been working hard to raise money for the American Cancer Society (ACS) Relay For Life of Staten Island fund-raiser on Saturday.

The event will take place at Wagner College, Grymes Hill, where the sisters plan to sell homemade jewelry and cookies. The cookies are being made with the help of their grandparents and will be sold by the pound. It is the girls’ latest effort to reach their goal of raising $5,000 for ACS.

The ACS Relay For Life gives everyone in communities across the globe a chance to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against the disease.

The Cangiano girls have been raising money for ASC since the beginning of January 2009. In October 2009, Daniella received a Staten Island Making Strides Against Breast Cancer “Youngest Pacesetter for Strides Award.”

“What excites them most is handing over a big envelope full of money to a cause they’ve actively taken part in,” said their mother, Traci Cangiano, president- elect of the Staten Island Board of Realtors (SIBOR). Many of the organization’s members annually take part in the event. “Daniella and Kristina understand how important the American Cancer Society is to themselves and other families; they even worked through the winter raising money for the Relay.”

RECESS RELAY

In March of this year, the ACS launched a program dubbed “Recess Relay” as a means of bringing the organization to elementary schools nationwide.

After Daniella and Kristina attended the event on Staten Island, they viewed it as a new opportunity for fund-raising, which they wanted to bring to their school, St. Joseph Hill Academy, Grasmere.

Maria Paladino of ACS called St. Joseph Hill Academy to ask permission to run the program.  Mrs. Edelman, a teacher, took the reins along with Daniella in getting the project under way.

Within days, small foot-shaped placards with space for a contributor’s name, aka “foot cards,’ were sold; two large billboards were filled with the names of children throughout the school who were ready to participate.

Linda F. Smith, SIBOR director of membership and co-chair of ACS of Staten Island, suggested the girls fill a water bottle with dimes, which equates to roughly $100.

In fewer than 30 days, 16 classrooms began following Ms. Smith’s suggestion.

Phil Guarnieri, SIBOR’s only non-Realtor board member, and CEO/president of Empire State Bank, provided services to count the dimes.

“We delivered on our message: ‘Banking the way you remember,’” Guarnieri said.

The bankers counted 29,500 dimes, translating to $2,950.

“Realtor members of SIBOR and their families willingly give time and effort on behalf of the American Cancer Society Relay For Life and other fund-raisers,” Ms. Smith said. “Cancer doesn’t sleep, neither do we.”

About The Staten Island Board of REALTORS® (SIBOR)

The Staten Island Board of REALTORS® (SIBOR) is the largest not-for-profit trade association in Staten Island, N.Y.

SIBOR exists to enhance the ability and opportunity of its members to conduct their business successfully and ethically; and to promote the preservation of the public’s right to own, transfer and use real property.

Comprised of over 1,600 members, SIBOR serves real estate agents, brokers and affiliated professionals throughout the borough and surrounding areas.

SIBOR is the provider of the Staten Island Multiple Listing Service Inc. (SIMLS), which works as a clearinghouse through which more than 250 local real estate firms exchange information on properties they have listed for sale. Together, its members participate in over 3,000 real estate transactions every year.

All SIBOR members belong to the New York State Association of REALTORS® (NYSAR) and the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR).

All SIBOR members belong to the New York State Association of REALTORS® (NYSAR) and the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR).

SIBOR may be reached at 718-928-3220 and viewed online at http://siborrealtors.com. SIBOR may also be visited on Facebook at “Staten Island Living,” on Twitter via @SIBOR, and on YouTube at the Staten Island Board of Realtors and RelevantPR channels.

Media Contact: Alexandria Greco

Relevant Public Relations, LLC

Headquarters: 718‑682‑1509

Mobile: 917‑715‑8761

Email: [email protected]