YORKTOWN, N.Y.—Yorktown’s Jen Ritz was honored last month during Women’s History Month by Senator Pete Harckham in a special ceremony at his district office in Peekskill.
Ritz, the owner of Sweet Tees Custom Apparel, founded the business in 2015. It offers custom apparel for schools, sports teams, businesses, and organizations across the Hudson Valley and beyond. Hosting free online stores, Sweet Tees has raised more than $14,000 for local schools, teams, and charitable causes, a release from Harckham’s office said. Acknowledging her contributions, Ritz received a New York State Commendation Award and a New York State Empire Award during the March 31 ceremony.
“It is vital that we recognize the significant contributions of women in our local community and reflect on the legacy of women throughout New York’s history and the substantial ways they have helped shape our state identity,” Harckham said in the release, adding that he is “grateful for the work Jen Ritz has done in our community to uplift others and give back.”
In 2013, the Lakeland High School graduate co-founded Jason’s Army in honor of her friend Jason Needle to raise funds for Make-A-Wish Hudson Valley. The organization has raised over $100,000 to date, granting eight wishes for local children. This initiative, the release said, also marked the beginning of Sweet Tees, as Ritz purchased the first screen-printing equipment to produce T-shirts for fundraising events.
After she left Lakeland as her high school’s all-time leading scorer, Ritz attended Iona University, where she continued her basketball career. She served as an assistant women’s basketball coach at Dominican and Concordia colleges. Ritz also worked for eight years as a physical education teacher at St. John the Baptist School in Yonkers.
“The Hudson Valley has supported me through every chapter of my life,” Ritz said. “To be able to run my business here and give back to those same communities is everything.”
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