Betsy

June 3, 2021

If you run any type of NFP on Staten Island, there is a name that everyone knows, and no one asks her last name. Her name is Betsy. Betsy passed away in February after running the #StatenIslandFoundation since 1998. Bob and I went to her offices in 2018 to meet her and Laura Jean. We presented the Difference Makers. Betsy and Laura Jean liked what we had told them about college-readiness but they said they don’t support two proposals at one organization. That let a lot of wind out of the sails. But the next day they called Bob and said they were making an exception and awarded us a seed grant to do our work on her beloved “north shore” of Staten Island. We went to Curtis High School that same year. Betsy is a one-named hero across

all of Staten Island and Difference Makers is but one small part of the legacy she has left behind. Goodbye Betsy. You are missed on Staten Island. Rest in peace.