KIWANIS CLUB of Richmond Hill
| Benefactors of the Irene Sanford Devan Joseph V. Iaricci became a member of the Kiwanis Club in 1940. He was a practicing attorney in Forest Hills and served as the chairman of the committee dealing with youth activities. As chairman he instituted a scholarship for nursing students which the club supported for many years. Upon his death, his client, Irene Sanford Devan, provided a bequest to the Club for scholarship purposes through her will. That bequest launched our present scholarship program which has been maintained since her death in 1984. Mary Quaid Mary Quaid was born in eastern Europe at the turn of the century. She arrived in America as a young girl with virtually no money and no friends or relatives. She was taken in by a convent and lived and worked there for some years. She later worked as a housekeeper for different families. Late in life, she met her husband who was serving in the United States Army. He continued his education on the G.I. Bill and went on to a good job after graduation from Fordham University. Mary never had children of her own but grew old with a deep understanding and appreciation of education and a desire to help young people get started. She designated a substantial part of her estate to provide scholarships for students in Richmond Hill and the area served by the Kiwanis Club. Marie Laistner Marie Laistner was born in New York City in 1908. She was an only child and her father died when she was an infant. Her mother struggled to raise her and eventually Marie graduated from high school and became employed at the New York Telephone Company. Marie moved to Ozone Park and lived there for many years. Her husband died in 1980 and she never had any children. In her later years, she grew to understand the importance of education. She wanted to provide some assistance to the young students from her neighborhood. She left a large percentage of her estate to help fund these Kiwanis scholarships. Gladys Gonzales Gladys Gonzales was born and raised in New York City, spending most of her years in Richmond Hill. Her husband died in 1972 and she passed away in 1989. They had no children. Gladys had a strong desire to support charitable organizations and, consequently, her entire estate was divided among 10 charities. The Richmond Hill Woodhaven Kiwanis scholarship program was fortunate to be included. |