Yorktown's Ten Ten Recreation raises $4,100 during Screen-Free Week

In the era of technology when children and adults alike are glued to their phones, one local business is working to encourage kids to ditch their screens while bettering their community.

Each year, Joe DaRonco, owner of child care program Ten Ten Recreation, hosts a competition during Screen-Free Week, an annual event held in May to encourage children to unplug. DaRonco’s version includes a jump rope competition, where each jump raises donations for a local organization.

“There are many ways to have fun other than staring at an iPad every day,” DaRonco said.

This year, Alliance for Safe Kids, a nonprofit dedicated to overcoming the drug crisis and promoting youth mental health, benefitted from money raised during the jump rope competition, where the kids raised $1 for every jump they completed.

Ten Ten also encourages children to agree to a parent-monitored pledge to avoid screens. They receive a raffle ticket for each day they forego their tech, which makes them eligible to win a gift card raffled off at the end of the week.

But even though the opportunity to win a gift card is exciting for the kids, the main purpose of Ten Ten’s Screen-Free Week is to raise money for local nonprofits.

DaRonco said 121 children participated in the competition, raising $4,100. He anticipates even more children will participate next year, as Ten Ten’s after-school program continues to grow.

Part of the money raised by Ten Ten was donated to Alliance for Safe Kids, while the rest went toward the purchase of a bench installed at Granite Knolls.

The money came at the perfect time for Alliance for Safe Kids, which learned in December 2025 that its funding from Westchester County would be slashed by 40 percent this year, said executive director Liz Talbert. County funding represents the nonprofit’s largest source of financial support, so the organization has felt the pinch of a tighter budget, making the donation even more impactful.

“It is through the thoughtful support of community members, civic organizations, and businesses like Ten Ten Recreation that we can help close this funding gap and continue the work that keeps our communities safe, healthy and informed,” Talbert said.