Part 14: Close-Up Talk Radio welcomes back Maureen Santora

Long Island City, NY – Christopher Santora had only been a firefighter with Engine 54, Ladder 4 for two months when he died tragically on September 11th.

“It devastated us, but my husband and I both understood we couldn’t change what happened,” recalls his mother Maureen Santora. “We wanted to do something that would benefit the future generations and help them remember 9/11.”

In his memory, Maureen and Al Santora established the Christopher Santora Educational Scholarship Fund, which awards $50,000 in scholarships each year to New York City’s elementary, middle school and high school students. Scholarships awarded based on an essay competition. The essays are evaluated based on the student’s response to the topic, grammar and spelling, originality and their ability to relate the topic to their personal experience.

“It’s always a topic that’s related to current events because Christopher loved history,” says Maureen. “It’s something we hope the kids give some thought to. We’re looking for essays that reveal the integrity of the student’s character.”