Teen Donates Allowance to The Phoenix Center to Honor Her Cousin

Since she was nine years old in 2018, Maryland teenager Eva Szechenyi, who is now 13 years old and about to make her bat mitzva, has been donating part of her allowance to The Phoenix Center, an accredited private special needs school located in Nutley, NJ.

Over the years, Eva has donated more than $500 of her allowance to the school in honor of her cousin Erin who attended The Phoenix Center but has since graduated. Eva’s total efforts have raised nearly $1,200 also through myriad fundraising efforts including making yarn bracelets which she sold, which she also donated to The Phoenix Center. This soon-to-be-bat mitzvah has just raised $700 for her mitzvah project by baking and selling cookies that she donated to a homeless shelter and has donated the proceeds of that project to The Phoenix Center.

“Even though my cousin Erin graduated already, I decided to support The Phoenix Center because I love her and really appreciate all that The Phoenix Center did to help her. I want the children at The Phoenix Center to have a place to go where they feel supported and part of the community,” Eva explained. Erin graduated from The Phoenix Center in 2019.

Julie Mower, M.A.Ed. & Executive Director of The Phoenix Center adds, ‘’Eva is a very special young woman. She has been donating to The Phoenix Center in honor of her cousin, Erin, for many years. Eva’s good work is something we all should strive to emulate – she is truly amazing!’’

About The Phoenix Center

Based in Nutley, NJ, The Phoenix Center is an accredited private special needs school serving the educational, behavioral and therapeutic needs of students ages 5-21 with autism, multiple disabilities, behavioral and intellectual disabilities. Our customized programs are built around the whole child and anchored by a hands-on, real-life, community-based instruction model. For more information, please visit https://www.thephoenixcenternj.org/ .