My Mother has been a devoted choir teacher for as long as I can remember, prior to her retirement last year. When her students discovered the challenges she was facing during my father’s diagnoses with ALS, she received an anonymous letter representing the choir. In that letter, they spoke of her love and devotion, her being not only a teacher but also like a second mother, providing them with endless support and inspiration through the years. And now, they feel it is their turn to give back.

Within two weeks, the student body had come together to organize a benefit concert, which they called SerenAIDe. To date, SerenAIDe has raised $44,000 for ALS research and our family. What began as an act of compassion from a few empathetic students, has blossomed into an annual community-wide phenomenon. The tremendous outpouring of love from audience members, students, alumni, and colleagues, has been overwhelming.

In honor of my father’s memory, the students and alumni of the JP Stevens high school choir decided to continue the tradition of SerenAIDe into its eighth year. As always, this was an extremely entertaining night, with performances from current and former students, faculty members, and parents.

It is incredible to see the impact my mother has made in these students lives; how one amazing teacher, could do so much. Just the same, these students have been a huge blessing in our lives. It baffles my mind, how did we get so lucky to have this amazing source of community and constant support from such amazing, young individuals? My family, to say the least, is extremely grateful.