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Stuyvesant created a fund for junior Valerie Piro to help her family cover the cost of medical expenses. Piro suffered a spinal cord injury that temporarily left her paralyzed from the waist down in a Saturday, January 12 car accident.

Girls’ Indoor Track assistant coach Erin Taylor was driving Valerie Piro and six other race-walkers to the Dartmouth Relays in New Hampshire when her van swerved off the road, was airborne for a few seconds and rolled over twice.

Piro is currently at the New York University Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine undergoing rehabilitation and physical therapy “to condition her to make her stronger,” said Alfred Piro, father of Valerie Piro.

Shortly after the accident, Principal Stanley Teitel received e-mails from several parents asking him what they could to do help the Piro family. Last month, “the Parents Association asked me about [a fund] and said they wanted to do something about it,” Alfred Piro said.

The fund was set-up the week after spring break.

Faculty members were informed first by way of notices in their mailboxes on Monday, April 28 and Tuesday, April 29.

“Then, we posted it [online] for the greater community,” Teitel said. “I know people have given checks already.”

In about a month, Teitel said he is going to “make a closing date” and then write a check from Stuyvesant High School to the Piro family.

According to Alfred Piro, most of his daughter’s medical expenses will be covered by insurance. He said the fund will probably cover more of what “Valerie needs,” like a ramp for their house, glider for stairs, bathroom adjustments, multiple wheelchairs, rehabilitation equipment and any type of therapy or care that she’ll need after she gets released from the hospital to further her recovery.

The race-walking team will be active in raising money for the fund. The team plans on holding bake sales, and designing and selling t-shirts. “It will help Valerie a lot. I’m doing all I can. I’m sure every other girl on the team is doing all they can,” senior and co-captain of the race-walking team Huili Zhu said. “It’s just no matter how much we help her, it’s still going to be a great cost [to her family].”

“[The fund] will be a great help to the Piro family,” senior and co-captain of the race-walking team Nina Yang said. “I am definitely going to contribute and I think a lot of people will contribute.” 

The Piro family has received other forms of support. “We have been visiting her intermittently throughout since the accident in January,” Zhu said. “It’s important that we go visit her frequently and talk to her.” Alfred Piro believes the visits his daughter receives from friends, teammates and teachers help her maintain a positive attitude.

“We appreciate all the support we’ve gotten from the school, administration, Parents Association and individual parents,” Alfred Piro said.

Those who want to donate to the fund should write checks payable to Stuyvesant High School with “Valerie Piro Fund” written on the memo line and send the checks to Stanley Teitel, Stuyvesant H.S., 345 Chambers Street, NYC 10282.