2025 Education & Literacy Award Winner: Kimberly Janeway

Congratulations Kimberly Janeway!

2025 Education & Literacy Award Recipient for volunteer action with Family Services Society of Yonkers

Presented by The Seiden Family

Kimberly Janeway’s life has come full circle. Her journey began with her immigrant grandmother, who made regular trips to the library with her when she was young, insisting that reading would be Kimberly’s “ticket out” of their working-class Pennsylvania town. And she was right. Kimberly attended college at Penn State and later earned a master’s degree in journalism. Today, she carries that same passion for literacy into her volunteer work, providing reading support for students at under-resourced schools through the Family Service Society of Yonkers. 

Kimberly’s commitment to volunteerism dates back to high school, where she actively participated in social events for students with intellectual disabilities. Having a sister who also has intellectual disabilities, she understood the importance of fostering connections and found fulfillment in helping others do the same. As a young professional in New York City, she dedicated time to a soup kitchen, drawn to the idea that people from all walks of life could come together to support those in need.  

Years later during the COVID-19 pandemic, now retired from journalism and living in Westchester, Kimberly sought that sense of connection again — this time at a local food pantry. While rewarding, she missed being around children, who, she says, “energize me and give me hope.” This led her to begin tutoring students in reading, a role she has now embraced for several years. Today, she works one-on-one with six students, offering both literacy support and, at times, emotional encouragement. Kimberly loves seeing the progress that her students make, some of them advancing from reading significantly below grade level to reading above their grade level! She finds it gratifying that her students are “laying the foundation of everything to come,” just as she did as a young reader. 

Kimberly hopes her story inspires others to volunteer. She sees service not as a burden but as an opportunity, and she believes that everyone should find a cause they’re passionate about and “pitch in.” As she puts it, “We’re planting seeds everywhere, and someday it will all blossom.” 

When she’s not working with her students, Kimberly is an active volunteer with the Hastings-on-Hudson Historical Society. She also enjoys spending time with her son, watching her jazz musician husband perform, going to movies, cooking, and, of course, reading.

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75th Anniversary Benefit Committee

Alisa H. Kesten, Co-Chair
Joanne Kirkpatrick
Joanna Straub, Co-Chair
Susan Kushner
Joseph Ali
Valerie Mason Cunningham
Gayle Binney
Matthew McCrosson
Deborah Blatt
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Celia Brown
Agnes Nowak
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Betty Cotton
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David Severance
Nikki Hahn
Geri Shapiro
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Dale Hisiger
Lynn Sobel
Ted Kesten
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VSA Award Judges

Amy Allen
Kara Pacheco
Patrick Bardsley
Daniel Patrick
Tom Gabriel
Alessandra Restiano
Phillip Ham
Becky Silverstein
Joseph Kenner
Linda Tyler
Michelle A. Nicholas
Lilian Wu

VSA Steering Committee

Lydia Kris, Chair
Monica Martinez-Hess
Ilana Arbeit
Amy Seiden
Cathy Boyle
Laura Romeo Sobel
Karen Gabor
Abbe P. Stein
Joanne Kirkpatrick
Christine Stufano

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