Celestial Ball to Benefit CSI Scholarships; Author Discusses Her Father's Role in WWII; Council of Churches Honors CSI; The Island's tragic breast cancer mystery; John Benedetto Benefit Game

Celestial Ball to Benefit CSI Scholarships

The College of Staten Island hosts its first annual scholarship gala, the "CSI Celestial Ball- Reaching for the Stars, " on Saturday, December 5 at The Richmond County Country Club at 7:00pm.

Committee tri-chairs include Joseph Ricciutti, President of the Staten Island Yankees, CSI alumnus BS in Business Management ('94); Dr. Christine Cea, President of the Friends of CSI, scientist at the Institute for Basic Research, CSI alumna BA in Psychology ('88); and Donna Fauci, member of the Board of Directors of the CSI Alumni Association, Admissions Counselor, Program Coordinator with CSI's Recruitment and Admissions office, and CSI alumna ('96, '03).

"Most students at CSI work in order to support themselves or their families," comments Ricciutti. "I am proud to serve with my distinguished co-chairs on the important endeavor of raising much-needed funds that will hopefully allow them to focus on their academic careers and excel in the future. I think it is very fitting that we support the future of our students by honoring the past and reinventing the glorious tradition of the Starlight Ball in the vision of a 21st-century CSI."

Honorees include Gordon and Lorraine Di Paolo, Robert J. Scamardella, and Zane Tankel.

Author Discusses Her Father's Role in the Liberation of the Ebensee Concentration Camp

After his service in World War II Bill Elvin forged a career as the editor of a Virginia newspaper.

In honor of Veteran's Day, Wednesday November 11, Jan Elvin will discuss her book, The Box from Braunau: In Search of My Father's War, in the Center for the Arts Williamson Theatre at 7:00pm. Admission is free.

Jan Elvin presents her father Bill's World War II experiences as well as his participation in the liberation of the Ebensee concentration camp. After his return from the war, he suffered nightmares and was often emotionally unavailable for his family. Yet he had a distinguished career as an editor of a Northern Virginia community newspaper and was an outstanding journalist who left behind riveting accounts of his military service. His daughter discovered his journals only months before his death, and realized that her father was a victim of undiagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder.

Council of Churches Honors CSI

Tom�s Morales and William Fritz (second and third from right) among others accepting the award

The Staten Island Council of Churches honored the College of Staten Island (CSI) for significant contributions to the sociocultural and civic life of the Staten Island community at their Fall Assembly Dinner.

Community leaders from across the Island gathered at Christ Church in New Brighton to honor CSI, as well as Wagner College and St. John's University, for "providing a moral compass for our community, an enlightened vision of what our life together can be, and the direct means for people to improve their own lives through education," stated Reverend Will Nichols, president of the Council of Churches. Read More>

Staten Island Advance reports: The Island's tragic breast cancer mystery

Donna Gerstle, Director of CSI's Staten Island Breast Cancer Research Initiative.

The stories are told every day on Staten Island in pained and quiet voices: Who was diagnosed with breast cancer, who is going through treatment, who died after battling the disease.

Lives get lost to breast cancer far more often in this borough than in the rest of the city, and at a higher rate than most of the state and nation.

In fact, according to the state Department of Health, the mortality rate from the disease here is higher even than in the Long Island counties that have come to symbolize the scourge - spotlighted by national media, named in congressional acts and given millions of research dollars to root out the cause.

Trying to unravel the mystery on Staten Island is a small band of passionate researchers at the College of Staten Island in Willowbrook. Read More>

CSI hosts John Benedetto Benefit Game

In the spring of 2003, John Benedetto was a senior at Tottenville High School, and the budding young baseball player and scholar-athlete gained attention by walking home the winning run in the NYC Championship Game against Monroe High School. This past summer, however, misfortune struck as Benedetto was injured and paralyzed surfing the waters of the New Jersey Shore.

Current CSI Head Coach Michael Mauro was Benedetto's assistant coach. Mauro was happy to have CSI chosen as a host site, one that is believed to have raised six figures for John and his family.

"John is an amazing kid, and if there is anyone who can beat this, it is him," Mauro said of his former pupil. "We were happy to have this game here at CSI because it shows the family bond we have on Staten Island, and when I was approached about it, we jumped at the opportunity."