“YOUR FONDEST MEMORY OF THE JEFFERSON VALLEY MALL”
High School Student Uses Her Love of Journalism to Recapture and Share Local Residents’ Memories of the Jefferson Valley Mall.
Do you remember how excited you were to find the perfect Christmas gift? Or being eager to meet your friends after school at the mall? What’s your fondest memory of the Jefferson Valley Mall? Lulu Stvan, a rising junior and honors student from Staples High School in Westport, CT, is using her love of journalism and photography to retell and share with the community the experiences people have had at the Jefferson Valley Mall.
Lulu will have a booth at the upcoming Sunset Market event this Thursday, July 25 at the Jefferson Valley Mall (located at 650 Lee Blvd, Yorktown Heights, NY) beginning at 5:00 pm where people are invited to stop by, share their fondest memory and take a photo if they would like. These stories and photos will become part of an exhibit that will tell the story of the mall, its roots in the community, and the amazing transformation the mall is undergoing to become a hub for residents and activities. In fact, the Jefferson Valley Mall is one of the most transformational malls in the country focusing on bringing programming and activities to the public, many of them at no charge, to provide enrichment and increased connection for the community.
Lulu’s project will document those memories and encourage others to think about what the mall has meant to them and their community. Lulu’s plan as her project develops is to incorporate a fundraising element that will raise money and awareness for the Alzheimer’s Foundation as a way of giving back. As Lulu says, “Sometimes we have places even in our own backyard that we look right past that have memories and stories associated with them. It’s part of the identity of that place. When we hear or read someone’s story, it can bring up a memory for us that is meaningful. I want people to think of a memory that puts a smile on their face.”
Alexa O’Rourke, the General Manager of the mall, and Heather Novak, the Marketing Director, are very supportive of Lulu’s project. As Novak says, “I grew up here in Yorktown. I’m raising my children here. The mall has always been an important part of the community for my family and for many families in the area. We want to share these stories about our neighborhood with our neighbors.”