Alessandra Saracino is an 8th grade student in Westchester County,

New York, and is the Founder and Creative Director of the

Comfort + Care Collective.

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As a young teen, Alessandra began this effort by crafting and selling hand-made hairclips, bracelets and other merchandise at the Ronald McDonald House of Westchester's events, donating all proceeds to the House to be used for purchasing goods and essentials for families staying in their care while caring for a loved one. After raising over $500, Alessandra felt her efforts could be scaled-up through formalizing an organization that helps to gather young volunteers, works with them in finding similar rewarding opportunities, and fundraises for this purpose throughout the greater Westchester community. Within a few short months, she organized adult Board members for the organization, incorporated her organization through the NYS Department of State, obtained an EIN Tax-ID number, applied for 501(c)(3) status as a charitable organization, and ultimately received the official not-for-profit designation from the Federal IRS in September 2026.

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With a passion for volunteering, crafts, and cooking, Alessandra believes it is critical to bridge more volunteer opportunities between middle school students and both organizations and individual families in need. Middle School students need service hours, and families caring for sick loved ones need all of the support and love that they can get.

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Service and volunteering have been core values in Alessandra's life as a student. She is a two-year member of the National Junior Honor Society, a member of her school's Student Council and Kindness Club, a 5-year participant in NY Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) basketball and consistent volunteer in the program at Holy Rosary Church, and was awarded the 2025 New York Knicks "Dave DeBuscchere Award" for leadership and community impact alongside a group of her teammates. 

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Professional inquiries for Alessandra can be emailed to:

alessandra@comfortcarecollective.org

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