First Annual Unsung Siblings Golf Outing – July 9 th , 2019

What an incredible day and turnout. Over 120 golfers came out swinging. Literally. The Harbor Links Country Club was a great and challenging course that served us well on a very hot day.

We ended the day, with great raffles, dinner and entertainment by the hysterical and sometimes cringe worthy comedian, John Pizzi. If there was a good sport award, it would definitely go to Mr. Bob Coccia. 

We want to thank all of our sponsors:

Notorious Pink Wines, Evolv, Gladstone Land, GWG, Men on the Move, Kaplan Management Consultants, Cottonwood Communities, Newbridge Securities Corporation, Sean Parchment & Family, Joe Quintillian, Bob Cocia & Family, Chris Russell & family, Healthplex, CJM Wealth Management, Mike & Lisa Binkley & Family, Tim Rooney & Family, Nick Sforza Real Estate, Pace’s Steakhouse, Saint Francis Prep, Potoo Financial, Connolly’s Bar, Clearview Seniors, RSK, Michelle Paternoster Foundations for Sarcoma Research, MDS Energy Development, Highland Capital Management, Paul Scarola & Family, Health Kitchen, E & J Securities, Skinny Pizza Roslyn, Kopo International, Spectrum Designs, Spiros Maliagros & family, Long Island Health and Wellness, RSK LLC, Troopers Memorial Fund, F & M Printing, DDS Mechanical, Paul Adimando Principal Double Eagle Agency, Long Island Health and Wellness.

We raised over forty thousand dollars. We are planning our 2 nd annual golf outing for July. Date TBA. 

Big Shout out to Glenn Fiocca who worked tirelessly with the Country Club to make sure everything was perfect.  
An Honor to Remember…

While Chris was in Montrose, a healthcare facility that helps veterans cope with PTSD and Drug and Alcohol addiction, he thrived. He had a wonderful team of specialists that he came to trust and a great group of guys who understood the everyday struggles. We’ve heard so many stories from the staff and his friends that he became somewhat of a leader by converting an empty room into a game room but my favorite is how he started a yoga class. Yes, you read that right. His therapist told us that one day she saw all of the guys in this room with the lights out and stretching on mats with Chris front and center instructing. She was impressed. In all the sessions, he never mentioned he was a yoga instructor. Long story short, he was not. 

One thing all the patients looked forward to were the weekend excursions or programs. One of these programs that really meant so much to Chris was Play for your freedom. The last holiday we spent with Chris was Thanksgiving, he told us all about this program and how it allowed them to just have fun and forget about their issues for a few hours. Play for your Freedom, was created by David Lionheart who lost his brother, a Veteran, to suicide. He has dedicated his life to help Veterans who suffer with PTSD and other issues. Their Mission is to use fitness and peer to peer support to help Veterans and their families transition from military life to civilian life. A few days after we said our final goodbyes to Chris, David came to my parents’ home to pay his condolences and soon after honored him at one of his workshops. Since Chris’s passing, David has become a wonderful friend to the family and we truly admire his dedication and passion to help our soldiers. 

On September 21 st David invited us to their 2019 Fitness Classic and Veterans Benefit with Play for your Freedom. The game was played in Kingston, New York, and it was in Chris’s honor. We proudly donated five thousand dollars to support future workshops for our Veterans. During the speeches and awards David explained to the crowd who Chris was and why he was being honored that day. He asked that my brother Daniel say a few words about Chris and our foundation. When David took the microphone back, he turned to my parents and said “there is something more”. He explained that while dedicating the game to Chris was special that was not the reason he had us drive three plus hours. He then unveiled the most beautiful wooden bench that was handmade by a Veteran that Play for your Freedom has helped. The first of it’s kind, was in Chris honor and would be placed in the Montrose facility at a later date. The plaque read, In Memory of Christopher Scott Ryan while heartbreaking, the symbolism was not lost on us. This bench will sit in the very hallways Chris walked only a few years ago. One of Chris’s therapists told us, “Chris was always so kind to others but just couldn’t be kind to Chris.” Like his yoga classes and game room, Chris truly cared about others well-being so it’s fitting that his bench will be there for Veterans who are suffering or having a bad day.  

If you are interested in learning more about Play for Your Freedom please visit their website at playforyourfreedom.org. 
NYC Marathon – November 3 rd , 2019

Chris’ lifelong friend and one of our board members, Ray Salamone ran the NYC Marathon for the Unsung Siblings for his third and final time. He wanted to raise money for Paws of War to sponsor another service dog for a Veteran suffering with PTSD and other war-related issues.  With your support, he raised over 14 thousand dollars. This is incredible and we thank you. 

A special thank you to Juanita Holmes from Bank of NY Melon who got a corporate sponsorship of 3 thousand dollars. Once upon a time she was Ray’s chief at the NYPD. 

After this marathon, Ray swore off Marathons and said he could never do it again – until Steve Munch and Glenn Fiocca reached out and said next year we are all running it together for our buddy, fellow fry guy, Chris. We look forward to next year.  
2 nd Annual Unsung Siblings Gala and Casino Night – November 11, 2019

The room was filled with close to 400 family and friends and it was an incredible casino night with over 100 raffle and auction prizes, dancing and all around good time. We raised over 100 thousand dollars. Truly Amazing! 

Our DJ EDWIN VALENTIN of InStyle Party Events donated his services for the evening and he made sure we all had a blast. If you are interested in booking an incredible DJ that gives back please contact Edwin at 516-761-0061.

A tradition that we have come to love is the incomparable, former NY Islanders,   Clark Gilles who has become our auctioneer when we do our Fund-A-Dog auction. To Date, he has helped us raise 60 thousand dollars in the past two years. 

This year we honored Mr. Richard Volpe , Global Head of Rates at Nomura. Mr. Volpe has an impressive resume but it is his time and dedication to Child Cancer that was the deciding factor. We were so honored to have Richard and his family be there and speak about his own experiences and why service means so much.

We want to thank the following sponsors:
Tobay Printing, Men on the Move, The Gino Macchio Foundation, The Michael W. McCarthy Foundation, Notorious Pink Wines, Mr.& Mrs. Rich Volpe, Mr. & Mrs.  Vincent Chiarruci,  Main Street Financial Group, North Shore Autism Circle, E&J Securities, IMC, Troopers Memorial Fund, D.D. S. Mechanical Plumbing & Heating Corporation, Health Kitchen, Newbridge Securities and the Fiocca family, Paws of War, Kaplan Management Consultants and the Kaplan family, Andreone Metal Works, McCarthy & Carbone, P.C. Attorneys, DMC Plumbing and Heating, The Cassandro Family, Vespa Italian Kitchen, Harleys American Grille, Patrizia’s of Hauppauge, DiCarlo Food Service, People’s United Bank, Let’s Start with Play , St. Francis Prep Terriers, Isle Of Capri, InStyle Party Events, Franwin Pharmacy, Bayside Milk Farm, Frank Petruso Architect, Stephen Joseph Properties, Long Island Health and Wellness, Pace’s Steakhouse, Spuntino, Mabella Restaurant, Waegelein family, Tutti Children’s Boutique and Spectrum Design,

Thank you Michael Graziano who you know if you come to any of our events. He is the man behind the camera and always does an amazing job with a smile.

This night takes months of preparation that we could not do without our board members and volunteers. The usual suspects; Rosemarie Lanzetta, since Day 1 has been there organizing every event and making it run smoothly. Danielle Mora and Debra Miraglia heading up the wrapping committee which is no small feat. Marisa Moravec & Sandy Cialone for running the raffle tables and all the preparation before the event and to our friends who always show up, Jennifer Cassandro, Larissa Martinic, Christina Migliorelli, Nicole Binder and Angela Amato. We are so happy to see the younger generation stepping up and volunteering. Thank you Miranda Martincic, Gabby Martincic, Roisin Garry, Christina Basandella, Tara Nicholson, Stephanie Mecir, Mary Ferrara and Jillian Antretter, Alexa Pappas, Alessandra DiMaria and Sophia Sokolich.

We are already in the books for next Veterans Day on Wednesday, November 11 th so please Save the Date and make this your annual destination for our Veterans. 

Thank you to everyone who donates raffle baskets, auction items, donates their time and comes to our events.  We could not do this without you!
Kindness is Contagious…

This is very true and the reason we have been able to grow so much in such a short time. Last year one of our friends and supporters, Dorian Colucci Mecir, reached out to us because she loved the Paws of War organization we partnered with. She asked if there were any veterans that could use a holiday basket. The Paws of War supplied us with a few names of veterans that did not have a lot and Dorian, her daughter Stephanie and the St. Mel’s Girl Scouts Troop sent the most beautiful baskets for both the veterans and their dogs. At our event, one of the veterans that she made a basket for was there. His name is Mike Kidd and his dog Amira. He was so appreciative and it was nice that they got to put a face with the act of kindness. 

The Paws of War mentioned how much the veterans appreciated the baskets and we decided to do it again this year. With the help of our friends, we sent 15 baskets. We want to thank Dorian & Stephanie Mercir, Vincent & Paula Chiarucci, Theresa Giammona, Maria Rapic , Jeni Bacic, Lorin Cook and Bobby and Daiena Guglielmi D’Arpino for putting together the most thoughtful and beautiful baskets. 

This has inspired us to do even more next year. After a brainstorming session with Dorian we came up with: OPERATION CHRIS’ ELVES. A Program we will implement next year that will be sending baskets to veterans abroad and their families stateside to let them know how much their service to our country is appreciated. We will share more details on ways you can support, sponsor and volunteer soon. 
Christmas Eve Miracle

It’s not every day you can say that you changed someone’s life but on Christmas Eve this year, you did. Larry Keating and Bill Thumm who are both Vietnam Army veterans met with their new family members; Labradors Lydia and Midnight. These men have both suffered for decades with PTSD. It is all because of your support and generosity that the Unsung Siblings was able to donate forty thousand dollars and sponsor these two dogs along with a third that will be getting placed in the next few months. 

This is our second year partnering with Paws of War and we are so proud and honored to be part of such life-changing events. Thank you for your continued support and know that you made a difference. To date, we have sponsored 5 dogs and hopefully many more to come.   

If you would like to know more about Paws of War please visit their website at pawsofwar.org. 

Also, we were thrilled to be mentioned in the following news stories. 



What’s next…. 

Unsung Siblings 1 st Veterans Clothing Drive
Date: Sunday, March 1 , 2020
Location:    St. Mel’s Auditorium
Time:          7am – 2pm

All of the events we run are to raise money and other items to support veterans and special needs communities.  Now we are asking that you please spread the word and give us what you would normally give away.

When Chris returned home from his deployment he dedicated his life to Veterans and their families that were homeless or in need of assistance. He would drive all over picking up clothes and home goods and deliver them so we thought it was only fitting to truly honor him by continuing what he found so much joy while with us.  If you have clothes or goods but don’t want to hold them till March please message me and we will pick them up.

We will be partnering with the United Veterans Beacon House, Inc. (UVBH) a not-for-profit charitable organization established and incorporated in 1994.
UVBH is a 501(c) (3) and their mission is: They provide transitional and permanent housing to U.S. Military veterans. To provide emergency, transitional and permanent housing to men, women and women with children.

We will be accepting; All Clothing, Small Kitchen Appliances, Coffee Makers, Toasters, Blenders and Microwaves. 

Also: Gift Cards; Food Stores, Target, Uber, Visa, Walmart.
In demand: Ladies Zip Fleece Pullovers, Men’s Flannel Shirts.  
Till Next Time…

Thank you again for all of your continued support. We hope your 2020 is filled with peace, health and happiness. 

Cherish your loved ones and always let them know you love them even if you don’t like them at that moment. 

I wanted to share the tree my mother made for Chris at his grave. No parent should have to endure this pain. In the past year and a half my mother and father have grieved with grace and dignity and this is yet another reason why we are working so hard to make a difference.

Wishing you a happy new year,

Kimberly Ryan Levin
Unsung Siblings Foundation, Vice President