Fundraiser Benefits Scholarship Honoring Teacher: 'A Ray Of Sunshine'

ORIENT, NY — A Chinese auction will be held Saturday to benefit a scholarship fund established this year in memory of a beloved teacher.

The event, to be held Saturday at the Oysterponds School on Main Road in Orient from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., will benefit the Cindy Goldsmith-Agosta Scholarship fund. Goldsmith-Agosta, 47, died suddenly in January, leaving hearts broken.

Box lunches will be available at the event for $10. The event will also feature door prizes will also be available; you do not have to be present to win auction prizes. Cash or checks accepted.

The many who loved her remembered Goldsmith-Agosta at a vigil in January.

The crowd gathered in the cold night air under a bright full moon, warmed by the love that was tangible as speakers shared memories of their "angel."

Greenport chorus teacher Erika Cabral said Goldsmith-Agosta touched so many lives.

"Our hearts are broken but Cindy has left us so many wonderful memories and life lessons that will live on forever in all of us," Cabral said.

Greenport High School Principal Gary Kalish said he had worked with Goldsmith-Agosta since 2015 and knew how deeply dedicated she was to the school and to her students.

"Cindy will forever be in our hearts and she leaves a legacy that will not be forgotten," he said.

Fellow teacher Carolyn Burke said Goldsmith-Agosta was not just a colleague but a "soul sister. . . She inspired me to be a better teacher, friend and human. The loss to her family, her friends, our school and our community is something that will never be healed but rather endured. Her light shone brightly in the brief time she was here — but, oh, what a legacy she left."

Shyane Jones, a Greenport High School graduate, spoke with deep emotion, remembering the bond she shared with Goldsmith-Agosta, ever since they'd met when she was in eighth grade in 2009.

Her voice breaking with tears, Jones said: "She was the ray of sunshine you needed to get through any day. Her smile, her charisma — she was warm, loving and caring. She was always thinking about the next person, always, always putting people before her. I hope that in my lifetime I am half the person Cindy was."

Frank Musto, who also worked at the school, first met Goldsmith-Agosta in 2006.

"To her, teaching wasn't just a mere job, it was a way of life," he said. "She taught with love."