Syosset Girl Wins Scholarship for Community Service Efforts

A Syosset girl was one of 12 children from the New York area chosen from more than 37,000 nominees nationwide for making a positive impact on their community.

Alyssa Innamorato, 12, of Syosset, was honored by the Kohl’s Department Stores’ Kohl’s Cares® Scholarship Program, which honors more than 200 deserving volunteers with $1,000 scholarships toward post-secondary education.

Alyssa founded an annual fundraiser that has raised nearly $25,000 for , a camp dedicated to children with cancer and their siblings.

Through the Kohl’s Cares Scholarship Program, Kohl's is assisting deserving youth pursue a college education at a time when 55 percent of bachelor’s degree recipients at public colleges borrow money and are finding education increasingly difficult to afford

“Kohl's has rewarded thousands of amazing kids through the Kohl’s Cares Scholarship Program and this year alone, we are recognizing nearly 2,200 stand out youth who are making a difference with their volunteer time,” said Julie Gardner, Kohl’s executive vice president and chief marketing officer.

“From feeding the homeless at a local shelter, collecting goods for the less fortunate or volunteering time at a community garden, these kids are making a huge impact on communities nationwide," she said. "We are inspired by their stories and are thrilled to recognize their service.”

Other recipients:

• Samantha Debellis, 17, Mahopac – Samantha has donated more than 40 outfits that she designed for her school’s annual fashion show to a local women’s shelter in addition to organizing a bake sale to raise funds to buy much needed shelter supplies.
• Catherine Gorey, 11, Darien – Catherine conducted a service project to help needy families get access to free fresh produce and diapers, collecting more than 1,000 diapers and hundreds of wipes and harvesting food for the local food pantry.
• Abigail Lupi, 11, Stockholm – Abigail founded CareGirlz, a group of young girls who volunteer their time by entertaining at nursing homes and children’s hospitals. Abigail has performed in more than 20 shows and raised more than $3,000 to support the organization.
• Priya Mukherjee, 12, Iselin – Priya co-founded the nonprofit organization Dance for Life USA to generate cancer awareness and has raised $3,000 for cancer research.
• Ian Nugent, 17, Neptune – After losing a childhood friend to cancer, Ian founded the nonprofit organization Kidz Can and has raised more than $50,000 for cancer related charity organizations.
• Victoria Sansone, 17, Glen Gardner – Victoria serves as project chair for the Building Wishes One Brick at a Time project, overseeing the ordering, selling and installation of engraved bricks for a permanent sidewalk to benefit the Make a Wish Foundation, ultimately helping to raise $25,000 for the organization.
• Eliza Stanley, 9, Armonk – Eliza makes weekly visits to the King Street Nursing Home, providing entertainment and spreading cheer to residents through gift giving, performing, puppy therapy and game playing.
• Monica Tedla, 17, Newtown – Monica is a co-founder of VRT Studios, a full service photography studio that donates all earned profits to the ICAN Foundation, which provides higher education scholarships to underprivileged students in rural India.
• Olivia Bouler, 11, Islip – As an aspiring ornithologist and artist concerned about the affect on wildlife following the Gulf oil spill, Olivia created beautiful drawings of birds as gifts for those who donated to the Audubon Society, helping to raise nearly $200,000 to protect area wildlife.

Winners are chosen based on initiative, creativity, leadership and generosity. Each regional-level winner qualifies for one of Kohl’s 10 national scholarships, which will be announced at the end of July.

National winners will each receive a total of $10,000 in scholarships and Kohl’s will donate $1,000 to a nonprofit organization on each national winner’s behalf. In total, Kohl’s will recognize nearly 2,200 awardees with nearly $420,000 in scholarships and prizes.   

Since the program began in 2001, Kohl’s has awarded more than 13,000 youth volunteers with more than $2.6 million in scholarships and prizes. The Kohl’s Cares Scholarship Program is part of Kohl’s Caresâ, Kohl’s philanthropic program focused on improving the lives of children. Kohl’s Cares benefits children’s health and education initiatives nationwide through its merchandise program, featuring special books and plush toys where 100 percent of net profit benefits children’s initiatives, fundraising gift cards and the Associates in Action associate volunteer program.

For more information, visit www.kohlskids.com.