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Message RIDGEFIELD A BETTER CHANCESPRING IN BLOOMHonoring Sharon and Bill Dornfeld

PROGRAM INFOSpring in Bloom GALA EVENING PROGRAM Cocktails & JazzMusic provided by the RHS Jazz Ensemble WelcomeMichael McGuirk, Emcee & Auctioneer A Message from our Board of DirectorsJacqué Lang, Co-President Presentation to 2025 HonoreesSarah Streif, RABC Executive Director Dinner Live AuctionAlumna SpeakerLashawnna Mullins Paddle RaiseDessert & Dancing Dinner & Dance Music provided by James Daniel EntertainmentSILENT AUCTION CLOSES AT 11PM. WE WILL REACH OUT PERSONALLY TO ARRANGE DELIVERY OF SILENT AUCTION ITEMS.

RABC GALA HONOREES: SHARON AND BILL DORNFELD We are pleased this evening to recognize our honorees, Sharon & Bill Dornfeld. Working alongside a dedicated group of individuals, they were instrumental in establishing the Ridgeeld A Better Chance program in 1986. Sharon, a Michigan native, returned home after spending her teen years in England to attend College and Law School at the University of Michigan (Go Blue!). Bill, a Wisconsin native, attended the University of Wisconsin receiving a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering. Fortunately, Bill did one exchange semester at the University of Michigan where he met Sharon and the rest is history!Bill’s job at AMF in Stamford brought them to Ridgeeld in 1977. He then worked as Principal Engineer at ASML in Wilton and as an Adjunct Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Faireld University for 25 years. His community involvement includes Treasurer and Council Member of the Appalachia Service Project, a former Troop Chairman of Boy Scout Troop 116, and a former Board Member of the late Ridgeeld YMCA. He is currently a member of the Town Leaf Blower Task Force.Sharon has practiced law in Danbury since 1983 where her primary focus is representing children. She is the former President of the Danbury Bar Association and the former Chair of the Connecticut Bar Association Family Law Section. Sharon has also served as an Adjunct Professor of Family Law at Quinnipiac University School of Law since 2017. Her community involvement includes appointments to various Ridgeeld Town Committees, leadership positions in PTAs, NCL, Girl Scouts, as well as Board Member of the Regional Y. She is currently Chair of the Ridgeeld Police Commission.

From 1986 to 2016, Sharon has held many roles within the RABC program including Director, Trustee, Director Emerita and Academic Advisor. She is still a valuable resource to our board with legal help as needed. Once the ABC house was purchased in 1987, Bill took on the role of Handyman where he tackled middle of the night toilet unclogging (his favorite was a stuck toothbrush!), pipe thawing, frequent washing machine repairs, furniture repair and moving, room painting and repainting, and on and on… He was also the IT department for the House computer room until the scholars began arriving with their own laptops. Sharon & Bill are parents of a daughter living in Denver and a son and daughter-in-law residing in Washington D.C. with their extremely adorable granddaughter. They are still active in the Christian Science Church and ASP. They are failing miserably at retirement. Join us in expressing our gratitude to Sharon & Bill for their dedication to Ridgeeld A Better Chance!

RABC ALUMNA SPEAKER: LASHAWNNA MULLINSCurrent CareerMy ocial title is Post-Market Surveillance Analyst. My job includes regulatory work for medical devices, specically heart pumps and heart failure monitoring devices. Favorite MemoryMy favorite RABC memory was going to aropes course for a team building day. I remember shaking with fear as I climbed up this giant wooden pole, then proceeded to jump o of it. This is how I discovered my love for free falling and is what inspired me to go skydiving years later! Advice for Current ScholarsYou are smart, capable, and belong, always. If you’re ever feeling out of place, remember you worked hard to get where you are and are equally as deserving as everyone else in the room.

2024-2025 RABC SCHOLARS Zahra Doku (Senior), Liyah Fletcher (Freshman), Gabby Howell (Freshman), Maameyaa Adutwumwaah Adusei (Junior), Alexis Faulkner (Senior), Renae Townsend (Junior), Leah Osbourne (Sophomore)

Inspiring. Aspiring.Ridgefield Conservatory of Dance, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization located at 440 Main Street, Ridgefield, CTCelebrating 60 Years of DanceOering courses in: Parent and Child Classes Age 1-3 Pre-Ballet Classes Age 3 and up Ballet Contemporary To register, or for more information on current classes, call 203.438.5597 or visit ridgefielddance.org.Hip-Hop TapJazzModernAdult BalletCongratulationsAndThank YouTo Sharon and BillIn Ridgeeld, there is another three-letter organization starting with Athat thinks the Dornfelds are WonderfulJesse Lee Appalachian Service Project(ASP)

Pamela Abraham - University of Connecticut Julissa Acevedo - Boston College Makyla Addison - University of Miami Damisi Acetone - LaSalle University Jessica Adomako - Swarthmore College Aileen Aversion - Miami University Julissa Barajas - Denison University Medina Barnes - Wellesley College Kemmeo Brown - Bennington College Toni Chadwell - Pratt Institute Ferlin Charles - Vassar College Lizzette Charles - Tufts University Rachel Cotton - Ohio State University Catherine Crespo - Dickinson College Shani Croom - Spelman College Shauna Daniel - Simmons College Korayma Diaz - Lehigh University Daniele Dickerson - UNC Chapel Hill Karin Edwards - SUNY Stony Brook Marlene Edwards - Gettysburg College Tijuana Elzy - University of Connecticut Natalie Esikumo - Boston College Asuncion Fierros - Babson College Emilie Frias - University of Miami Kiana Gaston - Penn State University Monica Gibson - Vanderbilt University Eva Holleran - American University Shateesha Huggins - University of Pennsylvania Kayla Johansen - Rutgers University Myah Jones - Franklin & Marshall College Vanessa Kalu - Carnegie Mellon University Deborah Lashley - Georgetown University Mei Loo - George Washington University Brianne McGill - Lehigh University Marina Mesones - Wellesley College LaShawnna Mullins - Boston College Liliana Monge - Wellesley College Ana Negron - New York University Nisheka Nelson - University of Michigan Maria Ojeda - Union College Tiffany Otero - Lehman College Kuswantie Parasram - Connecticut College Nia Pollard - James Madison University Michele Porter - Fordham University Giselle Regus - Columbia University Cindy Reid - McDaniel College Icka Robles - Goucher College Samantha Rodriquez - Skidmore College Marilyn Romero - Smith College Safiya Samms - Bentley College Garensha Sanon - Tufts University Carlina Santos - Tufts University Christina Sherman - Temple University Sara Shin - Colgate University Valerie Show - University of Minnesota Joanne Slama - University of Connecticut Rebecca Slivka - Univ. of Southern California Tyra Small - Howard University Sylvana Soto - SUNY Stony Brook Monique Swaby - Smith College Thuyen Tang - University of Michigan Fulvia Vargas - Lehigh University Jacinta Utubor - Union College Cheyla Williams - Lafayette College Eyga Williamson - University of Richmond RABC ALUMNAE

ABOUT RIDGEFIELD A BETTER CHANCE Ridgeeld A Better Chance (RABC) is one of 20 public Community School Programs associated with the non-prot educational organization, A Better Chance (ABC), Inc. ABC’s mission is to provide highly motivated and talented students of color with greater educational opportunities in outstanding school systems. RABC currently hosts seven young women, grades 9 through 12, who attend Ridgeeld High School. Our scholars reside in the RABC House under the care of the Resident Director, with guidance from the RABC Board and with support from host families, academic advisors, and countless other volunteers. Since 1987, 66 RABC Scholars have graduated from RHS and have gone on to attend prestigious universities and colleges, and many have pursued graduate programs in medicine, law, business, and education. For more information, please visit the RABC website: www.ridgeeldabc.org HOST FAMILIES Page BowlerJessica & Larry BrooksTyler Kate and David BurtonReed Idriss & Meredith RendaBen & Lisa MiragliaMargaret & Michael SalmoreAndrea Morse-Waldinger & Steven WaldingerACADEMIC ADVISORS Nancy Brandon, Michelle Briody, Laura Dobson, Layne McCarthy, Kathleen Murdock, Janie Nneji, Meg Rooney

2024-2025 RABC Bod Members EXECUTIVE BOARDJacqué Lange, Co-President & Recording SecretaryKaren Gerard, Co-President & Corresponding SecretaryLayne McCarthy, 1st Vice PresidentLaura Dobson, 2nd Vice PresidentIra Gerard, TreasurerGerry Fish, Standards BOARD MEMBERSSandra AtkinsTina MalhotraNancy BrandonLisa MiragliaJessica Brooks Heather SalagaDivya DorairajanKirsten SalleySusan FergusonJennifer SprouleKhosrow FozouniMarlena StoutRenée Fozouni Alysa WakinJean GreversHoyt Webb EXECUTIVE DIRECTORSarah Streif HOUSE STAFFMarquise Taylor - Resident DirectorMayzie Potton - Resident Academic DirectorMary Wright - CookAlicia Mack - Driver

A VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU The Ridgeeld High School Jazz EnsembleRohan Connally – PianoJackson Dell - DrumsLilly Barlo – BassMichael McGuirk – AuctioneerLashawnna Mullins – Alumna SpeakerSarah Streif - Executive Director & Gala Co-ChairRenée Fozouni - Gala Co-ChairSusan Ferguson – PublicityRodier Flowers- Floral ArrangementsDevin Leitenberger – ArtworkAnn Charles Photography – Gala PhotographerGala CommitteeAnnie Kazlauskas, Brittney Huntington, Kelsey Flanagan, Kristina Leitenberger, Rachel Wasserman

SPECIAL THANKSRABC would like to thank the following individuals and businesses for their generosity A.C.T. of ConnecticutCatchare/Boehringer IngelheimCasey EnergySean Dore - Ridgeeld Education & Learning CenterLiz Ellis & Elegant RidgeeldKaren Gerard, LPC, The College SearchElizabeth Jorgensen & Insight CounselingDr. Meredith Renda & Doctors’ PediatricDr. James AhernDr. Blaine Langberg, DMDRidgeeld Conservatory of DanceRidgeeld Parks & RecreationBruce & Carolyn Yuen - Tiger SportsThe Tutoring Club of Ridgeeld

2024-2025 RABC DONORSRidgeeld A Better Chance would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to our Partner in Education, Faireld County Bank, as well as our long-time sponsor, Synchrony Financial.A special thank you to the following organizations and foundations for their generous support.The Ridgeeld Thrift ShopLeonard & Mildred Igstaedter FoundationGeorge & Grace Long FoundationThe Wadsworth Lewis FoundationRidgeeld Rotary ClubFrances Demrick Charitable Trust

2024-2025RABC DONORS DONORS $1000 - $2499David & Tyler Kate BurtonJohn Casey & Laura ReidAnthony & Lorraine CatalanoTom & Terry CignoChristofer & Laurie ChristiansenChristopher CoxScott & Danielle EdwardsonChristopher & Kristen EsemplareJohn & Sue FergusonWoody & Suni HarfordWayne & Simonne HewettMichael & Jill InterlandiChris & Mary JoyceEstate of Ruth I. KraussRachel LiebermanMichael & Jeanne MantoBill & Lisa MathisBryan & Layne McCarthyDebi OrrBen & Beth PajakKatherine PanageasWalter PicketJason & Angela RiceRudy RugglesHeather & Rob SalagaKirsten SalleyRichard & Julie SchechterDavid SchneiderAlison SchwartzKaren SpiridellisMarlena & Jamal StoutJennifer TejadaHoward & Wendy TuthillJerry & Faye WaltonDaniel WestcottDONORS $2500 - $4999Joshua & Jessica AuerbachEugene & Nancy BrandonDaniel & Geraldine FishIra & Karen GerardGabriel GalanskiGabrielle GuzmanMarla Persky & Craig Heberton IV Brittney HuntingtonPhilip & Christine LodewickJared MesznikRob & Jill RaeJon & Allison StockelDONORS $5000+2024-2025 RABC DonorsWilliam & Jan ArnoldFrank & Susan BrownDavid & Laura DobsonBruce & Diane RitterKhosrow & Renée FozouniStan & Susanne GalanskiAnne K. RobyThe Silvestri Family

Nothing comparesto what’s nextMICHAEL MCGUIRKGLOBAL REAL ESTATE ADVISORLICENSED IN CT & NY917.716.6371mmcguirk@williampitt.comNew Canaan Brokerage26 Cherry Street New Canaan, CT 06840Bedford Brokerage4 Court Road Bedford, NY 10506EXQUISITE SERVICESHOULDN’T BE A LUXURY.Each Oce is Independently Owned and OperatedSCAN HERE TO GET STARTED

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORSValedictorian SponsorHonor Roll SponsorBrittney Huntington Mentor SponsorsAchievement Sponsors Scholar SponsorsTyler Kate and David BurtonVincent Giordano