RETURN OF LOST WALLET BUYS HOPE FOR NEEDY KIDS.

Byline: Dana Bartholomew Staff Writer

The wallet vanished faster than a New York minute in the back of a fleeting taxicab - with John Scardino in mad pursuit down the middle of Madison Avenue.

But the lost wallet that threatened to maroon the Westlake Village developer in the Big Apple eventually led to thousands of dollars in holiday toys and services for latchkey boys and girls.

``Out of all that bad, came good,'' said Scardino, 46, of JHS Development in Westlake Village. ``That's how my life has been.

``Since I was 17, my goal was to provide an opportunity for kids to do something in their lives.''

First, the wallet.

It was fat. Scardino, a real estate attorney and one of the largest developers on the Central Coast, had done well.

On Election Day 2004, he was in New York to cut a big land deal. Lots of meetings, loads of pressure. But after a trip from the Trump International Hotel to midtown, Scardino left his billfold in the cab.

A thousand bucks - poof. Credit cards - zip. With a flight to catch the next morning and no ID, he knew he was a goner.

Worse, Scardino couldn't tell one New York cabbie from another. All he could see was a blur of yellow taxis.

``I ran down the middle of Madison, sprinting in my (cashmere) suit, looking into each taxi,'' he recalls. ``All of a sudden, it dawned on me ... I'm not going home tomorrow.''

Moments later, a money manager with a penchant for helping teens hopped into the same cab and noticed Scardino's thick wallet.

Chuck Posternak, an executive at the investment firm Oppenheimer & Co., was too busy to track down Scardino himself so he handed the task over to his secretary.

After a flurry of phone calls between secretaries on both coasts, the California wheeler-dealer and the Wall Street financier were circling the clock at Grand Central Terminal for the handoff.

The West Coast gesture: For his gratitude, Scardino offered Posternak studio tickets to ``Emeril Live,'' the hit TV cooking show.

The East Coast response: A thank-you-very-much, followed by a three- minute pitch to Scardino to make a donation to Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City, a charity that sponsors mentors and services to latchkey kids.

Sure, Scardino said, no problem. Sure, thought Posternak, another casual promise from California.

Three weeks later, Scardino presented a $10,000 check to Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC at its New York gala on Dec. 15, with a pledge for an additional $10,000 each year for the next three years.

'Twas not all.

As another holiday gesture, the Thousand Oaks resident proposed buying $25,000 in toys from Toys 'R' Us and cramming them into a Hummer to give to the poor on the ``Today'' show at NBC.

When that didn't work out, the sunshine Santa deposited all the goodies at Boys and Girls Harbor in Harlem for a free-for-all bonanza in the middle of a gym.

Posternak was stunned.

``Anybody who hears of it is terribly moved,'' said Posternak, 63. ``It's a wonderful experience, to run into (another) person who cares for children and the community.

``It's just terrific.''

Both men, it turned out, had long given back to the children of their communities.

Scardino, whose mother died when he was 11, was a latchkey kid from a gang-ridden neighborhood in Venice Beach. For solace, he rode the bus to the Boys Club of Santa Monica, where he played basketball with the sons of Jerry West and became a Ping-Pong champ.

As an adult, he became a major donor to such agencies as the Boys & Girls Club of Conejo Valley and Las Virgenes and the Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Luis Obispo. A percentage of each development also goes to charity.

``I was put here to work with kids,'' said the father of two daughters. ``A lot of these kids come from broken families, with no role model and little opportunity. These organizations provide a safe place where these kids can go.

``It's time to give back ... It's that time of year: pick a group, give some time, give some money - give something.''

Posternak, a native of Massachusetts, had seen a blurb on the subway from former New York mayor Robert Wagner that said, ``A man never stands so tall as when he stoops to help a little boy.''

Thus began a 40-year commitment to mentoring children with Big Brothers Big Sisters, beginning with a boy from the Bronx who, on their first camping trip, packed his duds in a paper bag. Today, that boy is a college grad, has three kids, drives a BMW and is himself a Big Brother.

``It just feels so darn good to help kids,'' said Posternak, who has a 34-year-old son. ``(I) often will talk to people about my involvement with Big Brothers Big Sisters. People will say, `What a terrific thing, maybe I'll do it''' - then disappear.

Dana Bartholomew, [phone]

dana.bartholomew(at)dailynews.com

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2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) SCARDINO

(2 -- color) POSTERNAK