SMBS Holiday Raffle Winners 2013

On Friday, December 20th at 1pm sharp with a total of seven witnesses present, two of which were board members, Charmaine Mayers and Diana Diaz-Torres, the raffle was drawn.  Jessica Jackson, who had not purchased a ticket or have any affiliation to the organization, drew our three lucky winners as follows:

First prize- 40' Flat screen TV - Ticket #1314 Fay Ramjattan
Second prize- HD Nook with gift card - Ticket #0180 Bonnie Bell
Third prize - $100 Visa Gift card - Ticket #1100 Elaine Rivera


We raised $1,190 including $110 donation separate from ticket sales. 

A special thank you for the very generous prize donations from Charlie Agrinsoni & family (40' flat screen tv), Charmaine Mayers (Nook with gift card) and David Torres ($100 visa gift card).  

Thank you to everyone who supported this fundraiser and all the other events this year!  Your support helps us continue to support current and future scholarship recipients.  This year has been an amazing fundraising year.  

Happy Holidays and may your New Year bring good health, prosperity and happiness to all!

Last fundraiser for 2013: Holiday Raffle

Our last fundraiser for the month is our holiday raffle which will be drawn on Friday, December 20th.  Prizes include a 40" flat screen television, an HD nook and a $100 gift card.  The lucky winners will have their prize just in time for Christmas.

One $1 ticket can be your lucky ticket! You can increase your chances and purchase a booklet of 6 tickets for just $5. Do not delay. Buy your tickets from one of our board members today!

Thank you for your support!!  Good luck!!!

Happy National Giving Tuesday 2013

Today is officially National Giving Tuesday so go and give to your favorite charities.  We are hoping we are one of your favorites.  Remember it's the end of the year so make your last tax deductible gift before the end of this month. Any amount is greatly appreciated.

Check or money order donations can be mailed to:

The Stephanie Marie Burgos Scholarship Inc.
P. O. Box 370153
Brooklyn, New York 11237

Thanks from everyone at SMBS Inc.!

Successful FIRST Bowling Fundraiser 2013

S.M.B.S. Inc. held their first bowling fundraiser on Sunday, November 24th, 2013 at AMF 34th Lanes in the Woodside area of Queens, New York.   With 50 players on ten lanes and quite a few spectators, we raised $708 from the raffle drawing and donations.  Raffle drawing winners won 11 prizes, including two $25 Gift Cards generously donated by STAPLES and a donation bag of food products from TRADER JOE'S.

Thank you to our event organizer and board member Evelyn Mosquea-Taveras for a job well done. Special thank you to our board members who attended and brought their family and friends to join in the fun.  It was a great turn out!!!

From left to right, Board Members Jeanette Aquino-Reveron, Evelyn Mosquea-Taveras, Diana Diaz-Torres,
Fanny Mera, James Carrol, and Alexandria Agrinsoni

PRIZES & SOUVENIRS

Player Charlie Agrinsoni did NOT strike but it did not take away from the

FUN filled night. Sabrina Burgos snapping a picture.

Friends & Family BOWLING Fundraiser 2013

Bowling Fundraiser on Sunday, November 24, 2013 at AMF Bowling on 34th Ave, Woodside, Queens.

Only $25 for 3 hours of play, shoe rental, 2 slices of pizza, unlimited soft drinks and ONE raffle ticket.  Bowling Thanksgiving Raffle will be drawn at the bowling alley. 

Buy your tickets in advance!!

September Annual Meeting 2013

This past September, we held our annual meeting.  

We had the honor of introducing our new board members; Alexandria Agrinsoni, Richard Bohan, James Carroll, Christine Rivas, and Evelyn Mosquea-Tavares. If you have not noticed two of our new board members are former SMBS scholars. Welcome and to the rest of the board thank you for giving  so generously of your personal time.  Without you this organization wouldn't be what it is today. You are greatly appreciated.  

Please note all board members are volunteers and do not get paid for their hard work, dedication and commitment to making this organization a success.  

We will miss Sandra Vivas and Veronica Plasencia,who both had to withdraw from the board temporarily.  Hope to have you back soon! 

Our meeting was an exciting and productive start to a fun packed calendar year for our organization.  

We agreed on at least one event per month beginning with Sunday, November 24, 2013.  On the 24th, we will be holding our first bowling event at AMF in Woodside from 4pm to 7pm.  With just $25 per person you get three hours of bowling fun, shoe rental, 2 slices of pizzas, unlimited soft drinks and one raffle ticket for our Bowling Raffle.  Additional tickets will be sold at the event.  Drawing will be held at the event.  Get your tickets now from Evelyn or Diana. 

December 2013 brings us our Annual Holiday Raffle with some pretty awesome prizes.  First prize is a 40 inch flat screen television, Second prize is a HD Nook, and Third prize is a $100 gift card.  

If you want to know what else 2014 will bring us, please check up on our Blog regularly and/or LIKE us on Facebook to follow us: 

  http://m.facebook.com/pages/The-Stephanie-Marie-Burgos-Scholarship-Inc/340889992613806?id=340889992613806&_rdr

Thanks for your support!!

Summer Online Fundraisers 2013

We wanted to thank everyone who purchased items from our online fundraisers with
http://www.mythirtyone.com/
and
http://www.fibiandclo.com/LindaAlling

Also, thank you to Linda Alling who brought this wonderful idea to fundraise online and sharing the profits with our organization.  Everyone found something cool for the summer and we raised money for our cause.

You can also follow Linda on FaceBook at:
http://facebook.com/FibiandCloNYbyLinda

Please do not hesitate to check out the websites above to purchase items although our fundraiser is over.

Have a great weekend everyone!

2013 Scholar Annual Update: Alexander Martin

Alexander Michaelangelo Martin


Stephanie Marie Burgos Scholarship Recipient 2012


June 9th, 2013


Dear Scholarship Committee/Board,

This past year has been the most productive, nurturing, fortuitous, blessed, and aspiring year of my nearly 2 decades on this planet. My first wave of good fortune was my acceptance to St. Lawrence University under the highly sought after HEOP program with your generous scholarship quickly following suit. This is what has been happening (and big things have been happening) in this past year.

Starting from a summer semester I took at St. Lawrence University from June to July, I performed well at the high and persistent amount of college level work I had to accomplish to establish and prove to the HEOP program that I am truly ready to embark on this 4 year academic journey. I left that summer semester heading into freshman year with 2 credits, a 3.125 GPA, and a better idea of what I might want to major in (not to mention knowing where everything is on campus while other incoming freshman would be lost and bewildered trying to navigate campus; but I digress), an advantage that has helped me in ways I have yet to fully realize.

Sincerely,

Alexander M. Martin

Sophomore at St. Lawrence University

2013 Scholar Annual Update: Jennifer Moran

Jennifer Moran

SMBS Inc. Scholarship Recipient  2011

Dear SMBS Scholarship Inc.,

​This past second year attending John Jay College of Criminal Justice has been a tough and great lesson for me. I enjoyed meeting more new people, more students in relevance to my major and excellent professors. I didn’t do as great as I did last year but I will do better this upcoming semester. I tried taking up five classes instead of my usual four, but as the year continued I ran into difficulties. I noticed that I am not used to five classes and it is more work. My advisor told me that there is no need to rush with anything in life because if you do you’ll only end up messing yourself up, which is true. I did take her advice into consideration and that is what I am doing this semester. I will be taking up four classes which are Psychology, History, Literature and Sociology. I am truly excited for this new upcoming semester and can’t wait to give it my all. I know that I will not graduate on time, but all that counts is that I will graduate in the end and have the career of my dreams even if it takes years.

​I wouldn’t be where I am at now with the help of this wonderful Stephanie Marie Burgos Scholarship. This has been a great help to me and has showed me different beautiful things. I am thankful for having this little family along with the other wonderful scholars. Every time we all hang out it’s a great time, I get to hear all their adventures, struggles, and academic achievements and as the years go by I get to meet a new scholar as well which is exciting.

​

       Through last year until now I have been growing wiser and wiser. Life is wonderful at its times but can be a struggle as well. I have kept this quote in my head and its inked on my arm “You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have”, this is to remind me that I am doing all this hard work for a purpose and a better future and life for myself and my family. Thank you again to my little family and this wonderful scholarship in the name of Stephanie. SEE you all next year until my next update.

Jennifer Moran

Junior at John Jay College

2013 Scholar Annual Update: Areta Gjicali

Areta Gjicali

SMBS Inc. Scholarship Recipient 2010



Dear SMBS Inc.,

I spend thirty minutes looking at the Stephanie Marie Burgos Scholarship blog and I realized I’ve come such a long way with academics, social encounters and life experiences in general. I finished my third year and after this summer, I’m going to wrap up my undergraduate experience. I cannot believe it’s been three years since I received my award from the Stephanie Maries Burgos Organization. This year, I learned so much- more than I can express on a blog that’s limited in word count.



This past year, I studied abroad in Salamanca, Spain, where I met incredible people filled with joy, compassion and sincerity. I met students from Holland, Taiwan, Germany and various parts of Spain. Although my abroad experience was short, I was able to learn that Spanish airports are slow, basic resources don’t come easy and there are truly incredible people out there.



After my international journey, I got the incredible opportunity to intern at MTV Networks under their Advertising Sales division. This experience taught me about the sales industry, helped me uncover some new skills and reminded me that with hard work, motivation and a little bit of luck- people can achieve anything.



At last, after my internship at MTV, I received a summer internship at Seventeen magazine- in their Publishing department. This internship has been everything I hoped it would be. I manage blogs, run errands, assist with tabbing on various advertisements, sit in on meetings and sales calls and receive free stuff. This internship helped me discover where I want to establish myself after graduation; the print industry. Although I know you’re going to say “print is dying” (I get it all the time, I don’t think that will ever happen- or if it does, I’ll deal with it when I get there.

Thank you so much for everything.

I think Stephanie would be proud.


Best,

Areta Gjicali
Senior at City College of New York

Atlantic City Bus Trip Fundraiser 2013

Despite concerns with the weather, Saturday, August 10th was the perfect day for a bus ride to Atlantic City.  The trip, which included entertainment movies provided by our guests and light refreshments provided by our bus leader, Albert Gomez, was a comfortable and smooth ride without any traffic.  We did great time and were able to enjoy the full day.

Some of us enjoyed the board walk and beach, while others shopped until they dropped.  But, I think everyone took advantage of their $20 voucher to play at Trump Plaza.  Some were lucky not only to win a couple of bucks but most felt lucky to enjoy a great day out while supporting a great cause.  Besides we ended the day with being able to charge our phones, one of the super cool features of the bus, and some won some pretty cool raffle prizes.

With board members on board, Charmaine Mayers, Jessica Morales and Diana Diaz-Torres, the bus ride was a success raising a total of $1,190 in sold seats and $390 in direct donations to the organization to support the event. 

Thank you to everyone who attended and to those who contributed even though they were unable to attend.  Without your support we are nothing. 

God bless!

2013 Summer Peer-Mentoring Program: Lunar Park, Coney Island - Brooklyn, NY

A few weeks ago, I took a few of our wonderful scholars to Lunar Park in Coney Island. But that’s not all! Luna Park was kind enough to donate four FREE 4 hour unlimited ride vouchers to the Stephanie Marie Burgos Scholarship. A big round of applause for them!

Together with Jennifer Moran and Marianne Beaute—who brought a long her friend, Jiamin Zena—Team SMBS sought out to conquer the extreme roller coasters of Lunar Park and the iconic Cyclone! Unfortunately, unlike our other brave scholars, I am a chicken. The idea of going on big scary roller coasters petrifies me.

But what I love about Lunar Park is that the rides are conveniently rated by intensity. The rides are organized into four categories, Extreme Thrill, High Thrill, Moderate Thrill, and Mild Thrill. This means that there’s rides in Lunar Park for everyone and for all ages. There are also a lot of games where you can win prizes, and of course concession stands that help you reload on energy after a day of extreme thrills!

Anyway, Team SMBS had a game plan, we were going to pace ourselves. After every super fast ride we went on, we took a breather and went on a slower one. Doing this made us really relish the rides and their different speeds and slopes. It also saved us from getting too sick by riding all the extreme rides at once. It’s for this reason that I highly recommend getting the 4 hour unlimited ride wristbands because it gives you access to the majority of the rides at the park. It also saves you the hassle of having to keep track of your tokens, and how many rides you can go on.

We all liked the wide variety of rides the park had to offer. For example, there’s the Brooklyn Flyer which sends you up one hundred feet over Coney Island giving you a nice view of the area. It was rated ‘High Thrills’, but I had an adrenaline rush just seeing all of the park from such a great height. If you also like to get wet, the scholars and I would recommend the Wild River and the Speed Boat. Perfect for a hot summer day in August!

Another thing that impressed me about Lunar Park was that the food was reasonably priced. In other amusement parks, you would end up spending a fortune on food. Here, you can get a five dollar burger, which is not only reasonable, but the burger was quite tasty. My compliments to the chef!

Overall, the scholars and I had a blast, and there’s something in Lunar Park for everyone—even scaredy cats like me! The scholars and I would like to once again thank Lunar Park for generously donating vouchers to such a fabulous organization as SMBS!

Written by: Richard Bohan
                  Former S.M.B.S. Scholar (2009) & Current Board Member (2013)

Spring 2013 Peer Mentorship Program

Movie Night with S.M.B.S. Inc. Scholars.

This spring 2013 peer mentor program event was extra special as we welcomed second year scholarship recipient Richard Bohan as a board member.  Richard just returned from graduating with his bachelor's degree from St. Lawrence College. 

Richard organized and facilitated a movie night event on Saturday, June 2013.

The scholars found this event one of the BEST outings thus far.  It was surprising and exciting for the scholars to see Richard heading this event.  It was exciting for the board to have such energetic and fresh ideas on board.

Welcome on the board Richard!  

Message from Richard Bohan:

​Greetings! My name is Richard Bohan, but  please call me Richie! I'm a former scholar and  current board member of the Stephanie Marie Burgos  Scholarship. A few weeks ago, I took the scholars  out for dinner and a movie. The result was  fantastic!

​This was the very first outing for our  newest scholar Marianna Beatu. The scholarship  hosts these trips and events every year known as a  Peer and Menter activity. I went on a couple of  Peer and Mentor activities myself when I was a  scholar, so I was very excited to finally be able  to host one!

​First, we met at Times Square and ate in a  restaurant called Bravo Pizza. It was quite cozy  inside, but the atmosphere was lovely, and you can  never go wrong with New York-style pizza! Since all  of us go to different schools (some as far as six  hours away!) it was nice to catch up and talk about  our experiences. As a recent graduate, I was able  to talk about my experiences job hunting and  preparing for the next step after college.  

​After we dined, we then walked to AMC  theater and decided to pick a movie. It was a tough  call, but everyone decided that After Earth looked  very interesting.

​The movie stared Will Smith as well as his  son Jaden Smith, who looks uncannily like his  father. It was a very interesting science fiction  film that was about the bonds between father and  son.

​The movie also had very scary aliens and  this was stressful for Richie, who hid behind his  sweater during the more suspensful parts. Luckily,  the other scholars were much braver than I was!

​Overall, the film was a lot of fun and  everyone really enjoyed the suspense of the plot.  It was really nice to see everyone, and I can't  wait to host another Peer and Mentor activity!

-Richard Bohan

Yankee Game Fundraiser 2013

Baseball FUN-raiser.

One of our new board members, James Carroll, organized and facilitated our very first baseball fundraiser at Yankee Stadium on Saturday, June 22, 2013.

Thank you James for selecting such great seats and carrying this event out to completion. And, thank you to everyone who joined in the fun and helped raise a total of $240 in ticket sales and $20 in donation to the event.

Board member James Carroll with his mom & one of our great 

supporters, Barbara Carroll.

Great view!!!

Board members Karen Texeira & Ashanti Rivera

2013 Sixth Scholarship Recipient: Marianna Beaute

Presenting our 6th scholarship recipient.


We were honored to present our sixth scholarship recipient on Tuesday, June 4, 2013 at Clara Barton High School Awards Night in Brooklyn, New York.

Marianna Beaute took home almost all the awards that evening but the highlight was the S.M.B.S. Inc. presentation by our executive director and board member Diana Diaz-Torres. Ms. Diaz-Torres presented Marianna with a certificate from the organization to recognize Marianna's efforts in achieving academic success despite advertise in her life. But, most importantly Marianna was welcomed to the S.M.B.S. family. The heartfelt speech was about Stephanie's legacy and the mission of the scholarship.

Marianna was one of over thirty applicants. Although there were multiple excellent applications, Marianna was a prime choice.

"The goal of our organization is to eventually select multiple students, not just one recipient a year", said Ms. Diaz-Torres. It sounds like the organization is well on its way with its wonderful supporters, including existing and new board members, as well as the generous donors and supporters, many of which are friends and family.

Welcome to the S.M.B.S. Inc. family Marianna Beaute. Congratulations on your graduation from Clara Barton High School.  Best wishes on your first year of college at Barnard College.

Second Annual Fundraiser Dinner Dance Party 2013

Spring Dinner Dance Fundraiser.

As one guest nicely put it "Spring Love was (definitely) in the air" on Friday, May 24, 2013.  We ate, we talked, we danced and we just loved LIFE.  On this day, we celebrated Stephanie's life and what her spirit has left us.  A wonderful organization that supports kids like her who aspire to succeed academically and prosper as successful adults.

H&A Party Place located on 68-17 Forest Avenue, Ridgewood, New York, was the perfect place to host a relaxed and fun filled night of great food, great music by DJ Herman Cortez, and great company.

The food was deliciously prepared by our very own Alexandria Agrinsoni (Stephanie's cousin) and a couple of other family members with contributions from Mr. Albert Gomez, a good family friend.


Thank you to everyone who made our second annual party such a success! And, most importantly to our board, who generously, effortlessly and lovingly contributed to this event and the ongoing functioning of our organization throughout the year.

Board members present at the party;

From left to right, Roslyn Sternlieb, Charmaine Mayers, Jeanette Aquino-Reveron, Jessica Morales, Veronica Plasencia, Diana Diaz-Torres, Fanny Mera & James Carroll

We raised $1,830 in ticket sales and over $790 in donations to the event.


Please LIKE our Facebook page and check out the party photo album 2013:

S.M.B.S. Inc. is proud to announce our sixth scholarship recipient 2013

Today, we announce Marianna Beatu as our sixth scholarship recipient.  Marianna is a honor student at Clara Barton High School who will be attending Barnard College in the fall 2013.  She is amazing and brillant young lady who has demonstrated exceptional strides when faced with adversity.

Congratulations to Marianna Beatu!

 

Special thanks to our review committee head by Roslyn Sternlieb, including Ashanti Rivera and Karen Texeira.  You are amazing for reviewing every single one of the 40 applications we received.  The process was long and hard, especially with so many qualified candidates.  It makes it very hard to select just one candidate.  Someday we will be able to provide multiple scholarships. 

 

We will like to acknowledge the following exceptional students and wish them well in all their future endeavors.   

 

Manssadje Kamate  Health Opportunities High School

Vivian Lo                High School for Dual Language & Asian Studies

Shaunpaul Jones      Qns Gateway to Health Sciences Secondary School

Sasha Ortiz Colon    New Drop High School

Amoy Dunkley         High School for Public Science

Jennifer Pak              East West School of International Studies

Tamara Baez             Manhattan Center for Science and math

Alicia Devalencia     Stuyvesant High School

Perla Troncoso          Bronx Early College Academy

Jordaine Dean           High School for Law Enforcement and Public Safety

Alex Ross                  High School for Public Service

Stephanie Gil             Lower Manhattan Arts Academy

Guy James                 Vanguard High School

Xavier DeShields       Lower Manhattan Arts Academy

Irena Nilaj                  Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics

Kate DiPaolo             Michael J. Petrides School

Merins Sadiku           New Utrecht High School

Sarwat Siddiqui         Susan E. Wagner High School

Sangita Roy               William Cullen Bryane High School

Rafael Lopez              Brooklyn College Academy

Sheanell Cutts            Mott Hall Bronx High School

Frediqua McCullers   Manhattan Center for Science and Math

Me-Khai Lewis          Lower Manhattan Arts Academy

Nour Saif                   Susan E. Wagner High School

Kashief Findley         James Madison High School

Carlos Arcos              Grover Cleveland High School

Kofi Bosompim         High School for Medical Science

Tail Sparrow              Bronx High School for Medical Science

Miguel Gomez           Bronx High School for Medical Science

Uzif Berrios               Morris Academy for Collaboration Studies

Cynthia Chan             Stuyvesant High School

Amankae Ambia        Edward R. Murrow High School

Aaron Tam                 Bronx High School of Science

Shiran Ibragimov       John Bowne High School

Alexis Gutierrez        Urban Assembly Sch. of Business for Young Women

Jennifer Acevedo      Forest Hills High School

Dominique Pellecier Robert F. Kennedy Community High School

Aqsa Dildar               The School for Human Rights

Angela Wu                Lower Manhattan Arts Academy

 

Don't forget to continue to reach for those stars. 

 

Thank you for applying to our scholarship program.

 

 

 

 

Young Philanthropist

Thank you to our youngest donor Nicolas Torres who instead of gifts for his 6th birthday he asked friends and family to donate to his school or to S.M.B.S. Inc.  His school was an obvious choice but the scholarship was in memory of his cousin Steph, who is in heaven.

Amazingly, Nicolas raised $365 for his school and $410 for S.M.B.S. Inc.

Special thanks to Nicolas' friends and family for their generous donations. He is truly blessed with such wonderfully caring and giving people in his life.

Want to donate? Make check or money order donations to The Stephanie Marie Burgos Scholarship Inc., P.O. Box 370153 ,Brooklyn, New York 11237

Scholar Talent - Alex Martin

Please check out one of our scholar's work!

Our very own Alex Martin, our fifth scholarship recepient,
wanted to share some of his talent with us.

http://m.soundcloud.com/alexander-michaelangelo/all-i-want-ft-q

Enjoy!!!

Happy 24th Birthday Stephanie!!!

Please take a moment of silence to remember one beautiful young lady who's spirit continues to live in all of us, especially through our scholars' achievements.

Happy Birthday Stephanie!!! We love and miss you!!!

You weren't able to become a rock star in life but you sure are now. You will always be our own American Idol. 

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HEValZuFYRU


Please LIKE our Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Stephanie-Marie-Burgos-Scholarship-Inc/340889992613806

2013 S.M.B. Scholarship Application Process Begins

The 2013 S.M.B. Scholarship application is complete and ready for distribution.  All New York City Public High Schools were targetted this year, not just those who had specific majors as we have done in the past.  We decided this year to send to every single one, 438 high schools in the five boroughs although we always honored specific requests for applications from all schools.

There was some delay in the distribution of the applications due to the organizing of volunteers and recent snow storm in the east coast but the task will be completed.  All schools should have received their copies by the week of  Feb. 18th via U.S.P.S.

Thank you to all volunteers for generously giving of their times.  We had an amazing bunch of very young people who should be recognized for their incredible maturity and dedication to our organization despite their age.  A very special thank you to confirmation candidates from St. Joseph Patron R.C. Church, including John C., Justin F. and Pedro I.  Congratulations on your upcoming  confirmation!

Nathan R. typing Brooklyn HS addresses

Nicolas Torres, our youngest volunteer,
putting stamps on envelops

Daniella Plasencia completing the typing of
Manhattan HS addresses

You can obtain a copy from the college advisor at your school or can request a copy via email directly to SMBS2010@aol.com. 

The scholarship will run between February 1st to April 9th.  Please read directions carefully and submit all requested documents post marked by APRIL 9th to be considered.    

Best of Luck!!! 

The First Peer & Mentor Support Activity for 2013

On Thursday, January 10 board member Jessica Morales facilitated our first peer & mentor activity of the new year, 2013.  The activities started with dinner at Good Stuff diner off 14th street NYC followed by an off broadway show, Fuerza Bruta.

As you already know, the scholarship was created to provide financial support to selected recepients.  With time, we realized that S.M.B.S. wasn't just a scholarship, it became a support system for our students.   

The Peer and Mentor Support program was created for cultural enrichment and most importantly social support.  It provides a forum where current scholars can share with each other their college experiences. and former scholars can provide guidance to the younger scholars.  Our board members have been taking turns in facilitating the activities, which has resulted in providing their guidance and support to our scholars.  

Thank you again Jessica Morales for volunteering to spend time with our scholars.  Congratulations to our scholars for completing their fall semester and entering their spring semester.  And, to our former scholars, thank you for continuing to be part of our S.M.B.S. family.  



Left to right - Scholars: Alex M. (2012), Richard B. (2009), Christine R. (2008) &

 Jennifer M. (2011)



Dinner at Good Stuff diner NYC

 

Fuerza Bruta NYC standing room





Jessica Morales, Board Member since 2011