During the years above, Port Richmond High School held the fund money in a communal fund they had established for that purpose. There really hadn't been any fundraising until that point, the money in the fund came to us through word of mouth, from people also touched by 9/11, who knew Nick or someone in his family or just wanted to give assistance to a cause they believed in. We gave out our first awards to the recipients from these funds. We hadn't established any protocol, the athletic department gave their recommendation and those were the students who received the award. Of course, they had to meet our criteria. They each received a $ 1,000.00 award from Nick's Fund.

The recipients during those years were as follows:
2002: Nicole Renzi and George McGuire
2003: Elizabeth Drozd and Marvin Jenkins
2004: Crystal Palfni and John Ring

During 2005, the family decided it was time to take control of Nick's fund and begin to raise more money with the hope that we would be able to give out larger awards to deserving students. We hired an accountant, had the fund incorporated and began to brainstorm as to the best way to raise money. In the meantime June, 2005 rolled around and two more students were chosen to be recipients of Nick's awards. This was the frst year that we actually met with the recipients after they received their awards. We wanted to take more of an interest in the students, getting to know them a bit. At that meeting each student gave us some background information, we gave them one of Nick's memorial tees and information as to how the awards would be disbursed. Each recipient received $ 1,000.00 from Nick's Fund.

They were:
Jessica Nieto and Miguel Sosa

Jessica played on the volleyball team while attending PRHS. She claims that it was one of her favorite programs and that she learned a great deal about teamwork and working with others. She also was in the chorus program and was even made section leader which was an honor for her she states. Jessica will attend the College of Staten Island where she plans to master in elementary education and minor in child psychology. Getting a Ph.D. is also an idea she has been toying with. With a Ph.D., she could possibly become a college professor. She loves children and really wants to teach. A new job in a Day Care Center will help her to get some hands on training.

Miguel was on the Baseball varsity team for three years playing 2nd and 3rd base and 2nd pitcher. He also played JV basketball during his freshman and sophomore years, but opted to quit basketball and focus more on baseball, his sport of choice. In his senior year He led the PSAL in doubles and was awarded at Shea Stadium. Miquel claims that his mother would only allow him the time for baseball if he kept up his grades, which he did. He will be attending St. Peter's College in New Jersey and will partake in their baseball program.

The recipients chosen to receive an award from Nick's Fund were:
Nancy Almazo and Jahsee Pickering

Nancy was involved in the Tennis Program while attending Port Richmond High School. She studied Illustration, Advanced Placement Italian, Economics and English. She received awards such as School Art League Saint Gauden Medal, the Med Tech Service Award, the Guidance Service Award, Cooperation in Government Award, and the Citizenship Award. Nancy will be attending the Fashion Institute of Technology. She would like to make a career in the illustration of children's books.

Jahsee was involved in the football program during his years at Port Richmond, serving as Co-Captain of his Junior Varsity Team. That year the J.V. won a championship and during his senior year the Raiders were rated 2nd in NYC. His course of studies was diverse with subjects such as Virtual Enterprise, Pre-Calculus, French, and Film Making. Jahsee has chosen to attend SUNY Cortland. He was advised that Cortland had an excellent Liberal Arts Program and not being sure of the career he wanted to pursue, he felt that Cortland was a good choice. Though he has given some thought to working in the field of sociology. Both Nancy and Jahsee received a $ 1,000.00 award from Nick's Fund.

Our practice in the past was to award each qualifying recipient with $1,000.00, however, because of our very successful fundraiser through our involvement with the ING NYC Marathon in November of 2006, we were now able to double the award to each recipient, and each received $ 2,000.00.

This year recipients were:
Sandra DeVito and Thomas Fernan.

Sandra grew up in an athletic environment and attained a positive, competitive and determined attitude. She claimed that by the time she was seven she was on a gymnastics team and was practicing five days a week for three hours a day, all while maintaining an “A” average. Gymnastics was her sport of choice and passion, so was life at Port Richmond.  During her time at Port Richmond she actively searched for the road in life she wanted to follow. She found and read a book on Physical Therapy and the seed was planted. Sandra's senior year was spent in the Collegiate Academy at Port Richmond. During the four years at PRHS she worked to keep up her grades and discovered through volunteer work, the beauty of helping others. She has been awarded the Service Above Self Scholarship from the Kingsborough Community College - College Now Program Award, the St. John!s University All County Athletic Award, the PRHS Medal for Excellence in Athletics, and the English Department Award of Honors. She has excelled in her academics. Sandra will attend Kean University in Union, NJ and will major in Physical Therapy. She has many excellent credentials and is sure to succeed.

Thomas was involved in the Football Program during his years at PRHS. He reports that the favorite part of being a student at Port Richmond High School was his interaction with the teachers. He claims that they not only helped him academically, they always went one more step beyond by motivating him to do his best. He feels that if it weren't for some of his favorite teachers he would not have given his all as a student. It was nice to hear him commending the teachers, it is not always the case with young people today. Thomas made the merit roll eight times for academic achievement. He was named Advance All Star twice for his athletic achievements during his football career there. In his senior year he was chosen to partake in the annual Fugazzi Bowl and walked away with the award for Defensive Most Valuable Player. Thomas also states, that he was very impressed by the recognition he received for community service. He was awarded a certificate for helping an elderly lady by shoveling her out each time it snowed. He did that for two years. He says that he found his years at Port Richmond to be both fun and rewarding. He states that for him it was not easy, and graduation in itself was a gift and definitely worth all the hard work. Thomas will be attending and playing football for Allan Hancock College located in California in the fall.

Each year since the inception of the fund we have given our recipients $ 1,000.00 each, However, in 2006 we began our association with the ING NYC Marathon as a Charity Partner and as a result, we have been able to increase the award to each student to $2,000.00 in 2007 and now $ 4,000.00 to each student in 2008. The fund is so grateful for this association because it allows us to keep Nick's memory alive in a big way and to keep on doing what Nick had always done, help others. We are certainly realizing our goal.

The criteria for a student athlete to receive an award from the fund, is having to face adversity, overcoming it and going on to achieve. Our two recipients this year have certainly done this.

They are:
Laurie Blaine and Nick Taber

Laurie, a permanent honor roll student took the usual, English, Math, History, and Science, but the course she enjoyed the most was music and her part in the jazz band in particular. She loves music and pays the trumpet. She earned the title of Student of the Month in Music. She was also selected as Raider of the Month. Laurie will attend the college at Oneonta in the Fall of 2008, and will major in Music. Her life path will probably lead her to a career in music. She feels that she is very good at what she does and doesn't want to give it up, saying that she really enjoys it. She claims that she is not sure how she will apply what she learns at Oneonta, but at this time she is toying with the idea of being a music teacher.

Nick's sport of choice was football. However, even though playing football took up a great deal of his time, especially during season, he received honors in all his studies at Port Richmond. He studied, A.P., English, Italian Global History, American History, Calculus and Physics. He enjoyed A.P. and Physics the most he said, claiming these challenged him making them more interesting. He received honor roll status, and earned two Blue Chip Awards. He also received the Scholar Athlete Award and the Student Athlete Award as well. Nick stated that although he would like to have a successful football experience at Western New England College, more importantly he wants to work hard and do well in his studies. He will be taking courses in Engineering. Getting a job in this field after college graduation will enable him to earn an excellent starting salary. He certainly seems to have what it takes to do that.

2009, a great year to run the marathon on Nick’s Team or be the recipient of Nick’s scholarship award. The awards were given out at the Port Richmond High School Awards Assembly held on Tuesday, June 2, 2009. Donna, Nick’s sister, gave out the awards this year. This year the award was given to four student athletes, each meeting the necessary criteria, and each receiving $ 2,500.00. To follow is a picture, their names and a little about each of them.

L. to R. Johnna Blunt, Frank Zerbo, Barbara Scaramuzzino, Jeremy Ramos, and Rosalyn Joseph.

Johnna Blunt: Johnna excelled in track and field during the time she was at PRHS. She received 1st place in the 100m dash, 2nd place in the 4X100m relay, and 1st place in the 4X100m relay. She will continue to run track and ?eld in college in the fall, attending Delaware State University, located in Dover, Delaware. With a passion for journalism in high school, she states her dream is to work as a sports broadcaster and journalist. She will take communications to further her skills and experience.

Frank Zerbo: Frank was involved in football, baseball and basketball while attending Port Richmond High School. He was awarded the Paul Zemachson Memorial Scholarship, and was named Staten Island Advance All-Star. Frank was also involved in Community Services, stating that he felt the involvement made him a better person. Frank will attend Wagner College located on Staten Island in the fall, 2009.

Jeremy Ramos: Jeremy took on football and track & ?eld while attending PRHS. Jeremy was voted one of the “Top Ten” quarterbacks in NYC. He received all City Honors, All Boro Honors, and was also named a Staten Island Advance All-Star. A requirement, Jeremy also took part in Community Service. He stated that he loved setting a good example for the younger students coming up. They look up to me, and that makes me feel great. Jeremy will attend St. Lawrence University located in Canton, New York in the fall, 2009.

Rosalyn Joseph: Rosalyn was involved in Varsity basketball and softball while attending PRHS. She received the PSAL Award and a certi?cate of Merit. Because of her basketball prowess, she was voted Raider of the Month in April, 2009. Rosalyn's dream is to teach children, especially working with children with developmental problems. Her involvement in the community, especially working with young children and senior citizens made her feel that life was worth living. Rosalyn will attend Staten Island Community College in the fall of 2009.