On October 17, 2020, the Mello family had the privilege of awarding two $5,000 scholarships to Harrison and Rye scholar/football athletes for the 18th year. TJ Ciafone of Harrison and Jack Griffiths of Rye were this year’s honorees. The Christopher Mello Scholarship was created in memory of Chris, who was a victim of the 9/11 tragedy, losing his life on American Airlines Flight 11 from Boston to California.
While the traditional Harrison-Rye football game could not be played, due to Covid-19, Rye’s Nugent Football field was the site of the award ceremony. Attendance at the event was restricted, again due to Covid-19. However, those who were there created quite a buzz and lent tremendous emotional support to the football community.
We are blessed to live in these two neighboring communities where family values, respect, and healthy competitive spirit are all evident. As the new Athletic Director for Rye City Schools, Susan Reid-Dullea said, “It was good to celebrate something positive during these difficult times.”
The Mello family is extremely grateful for the kind and generous support received from so many, and we wanted to publicly acknowledge what a great tribute this has been to Chris’s memory.
- Doug, Ellen, JD, Gina, Jaden, and Jack Mello
