28/05/2024
We are a little over a week away from announcing the first recipient of the June Garcia Memorial scholarship. This will be a child / family who has Cerebral Palsy and attends the Inspire United Cerebral; Palsy Clinic in Goshen, New York. To date, we have not raised the monies I had hoped for so I am out asking my face book friends for their help. If I could get everyone to donate just $10 to https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/donate.aspx?eventid=148821&langpref=en-CA&Referrer=https%3a%2f%2fwww.inspirecp.org%2f
we would reach a goal that would provide an annual scholarship to a deserving family. This would help pay for the child's therapies, transportation to and from the clinic or just help with the day to day expenses connected with raising a child with Cerebral Palsy.
Mom was an Angel and here are some testaments to that fact.
She passed away last November, she was a Walden resident who volunteered for various local organizations and poured her heart into serving the community.
“She was the kindest person you would ever know, she did anything for you. She was involved in every aspect of the community,” said Mary Ann Landolina, a former Walden resident who worked with Garcia. “If you needed something she would bake for you, she would cook for you. She was always so kind.”
Aside from her work with the Walden Community Council and Walden’s Women’s Club, Garcia was a member of Sunshine Society, a program in which she and other participants would welcome new residents into the village with refreshments and smiles.
“If you were new in the neighborhood, they would get together and bring a fruit basket or a basket of food, introduce themselves, give you pamphlets on what organizations and what activities were going on in the village,” Landolina said.
Garcia was a teacher for the Valley Central and Newburgh City School Districts and absolutely loved her job. She was an avid supporter of local Girl Scout troops and adored volunteering for the Little Miss Walden Pageant, an annual contest held during the Walden Harvest Festival.
“We used to have a Little Miss Walden contest, and June and I worked very close with that. She just loved the little girls and the contest itself, she put a lot of effort into that,” Landolina said. “She loved to come to the rehearsals and watch the kids rehearse, and she took pride when they won. She wanted to make sure that their names were all recognized.”
Garcia was also a member of the Most Precious Blood Parish, a founding member of the Walden Farmers’ Market and the last surviving founder of the Historical Society of Walden and the Walkill Valley. One of her favorite nonprofits was Inspire, previously known as the Orange County Cerebral Palsy Association, which provides education and services to individuals with disabilities.
“She was a great humanitarian, she affected everyone around her because she was very involved,” Landolina said. “She made everyone feel needed, wanted and loved.”
I would appreciate it if you can find it in your heart to help out. I know there are families out there who would will be in your gratitude for life. Thanks for letting me ramble, let's make my mom proud.
