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Eric
08-10-2006, 03:04 PM
Steiner hopes to repair home, lives

By RODERICK BOONE
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original Publication: August 9, 2006)

WHITE PLAINS — Brandon Steiner feels for the underprivileged youth who live at the Jerome Wagner Youth Residence for Boys.

Eight boys who are part of the Family Services of Westchester program stay in the three-story clapboard house that sits a stone's throw from downtown White Plains. The house is home for boys who've been neglected or abused, have experienced extreme conflict with their parents or are simply troubled.

Their living quarters are cramped, and the home is totally outdated. So Steiner, the CEO of the New Rochelle-based Steiner Sports memorabilia company, plans on doing something about it — in a big way.

Beginning tonight during the SNY telecast of the Mets-San Diego Padres game, Steiner Sports, in conjunction with the Mets, will launch an online memorabilia auction to benefit the youth residence. People will have the chance to bid on a wide array of things, ranging from a game-used Pedro Martinez jersey to sitting in on a reunion with the Mets' 1986 World Series team.

All proceeds from the nearly two-week auction will go directly to help refurbish the home and transform it into one with all the modern-day bells and whistles.

"Not only do I want to build it, but I want it to become an example for other (youth) homes that you don't have to piece it together," Steiner said yesterday while sitting at the dinner table at the Wagner home. "I want these kids to look forward to coming home. So we may do some things that are over the top."

Steiner, who helped Family Services of Westchester purchase the home last year and renamed it after the father of his wife, Mara, has a financial goal of $250,000. He said he's raised $20,000 so far for the project, which he hopes to have completed by this time next year.

He's enlisted the help of architect Ken Nadler, who's usually involved with high-end projects, and builder Marty Freebern. Others have already inquired about helping, even if it's just donating lumber for the framework or offering up some new, shiny doorknobs.

The renovation will be done in several phases, the first of which could be completed in the fall. That's when Steiner hopes to have a state-of-the art basketball hoop installed, fresh with a half-court blacktop and bleachers.

Other plans include:

• Refurbishment of the living room to create a more educational environment.

• Modernization of the kitchen where meals are prepared by the house parents and boys.

• Redesign of the dining room and four bedrooms, as well as enlargement and complete renovation of the boys' bathroom, which is equipped with only a single shower stall.

• Rebuilding the crumbling front porch and a complete overhaul of the basement/recreation room.

Steiner's ultimate goal is to get a professional athlete to adopt the house, and he's currently talking to a few. However, he also wants to shed some light on a situation that seems to get overlooked as people deal with the hustle and bustle in their own everyday lives.

"No one thinks Westchester has trouble, but there is probably 25 percent of this county in real need, real need," said James Kaufman, vice president of youth programs for Family Services of Westchester.

"No one thinks of us and we are highly competitive with a lot of organizations. So Brandon bringing some awareness to Westchester County's needs might make a difference for everybody, all the charities. And that would be great."

s.carter
08-11-2006, 01:03 PM
Great article post Eric. Great to hear about things like that when people give back to the community and are commited to a cause. Really nice to see something positive about Steiner on this forum.