Saturday, May 21st at 8 p.m. – Wallace Auditorium @ Chappaqua Crossing
Beethoven Symphony No. 4, Coriolan Overture,
and Concerto Competition winner Sakurako Saimaru in the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with full Orchestra
Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester
by Inside Press
by Inside Press
By Grace Bennett
In the midst of another packed gala for the Chappaqua School Foundation–with a silent auction and a delicious dinner underway–I managed to steal away CSF president David Gefsky to a quiet spot to talk for a few minutes. He spoke proudly, in particular, of the educational showcase in progress too at the gala, where about a dozen kids from the district “displayed projects that were made possible by some of the investments over the last year, inspired by teachers, and driven for the benefit of the students.”
The CSF fosters innovation, Gefsky explained, “working in close partnership and collaboration with teachers and administrators enabling them to recognize their creative capacities.” The CSF then raises the money to make that innovation possible.
“We make possible necessary investments that fall outside the normal school budget,” said Gefsky. A Grant Advisory Committee, comprised of teachers, administrators and technology leaders, “help define educational goals and evaluate and assess investment opportunities.”
In the meantime, CSF actively engages with the community for ideas–planning numerous events in which parents are involved. “We constantly speak with parents as groups and on an individual basis; their feedback is instrumental to us in terms of how we set priorities and how we ultimately invest capital.”
Gefsky, together with his wife Jennifer Gefsky, are parents of three children in the district themselves, in grades 7, 5 and kindergarten. He said that heading into the fall, the programming schedule is primarily designed to raise awareness of CSF goals. These include a Mom’s night event, a Dad’s event, CSF participation at Community Day, and a pre-K event for families new to the district. Notable too is The Harlem Wizards game, the second largest fundraiser for CSF, after the gala.
While the dollars raised was not available just yet, this year’s gala, held again at the Trump National Golf Club in Briarcliff Manor, set a record for ticket sales: over 630 tickets sold. Last year, CSF raised $368,000 at the gala, and a total of $433,000 over the year, and Gefsky said his hope was to surpass those numbers too.
For more information, visit www.chappaquaschoolfoundation.org
by Inside Press
By Jennifer Butler
If you had the ability to prevent more than 50,000 deaths a year, would you do it? If so, join us on May 22nd at Manhattanville College in Purchase, NY for the 13th Annual Colon Cancer Challenge.
The Colon Cancer Challenge is a unique opportunity for survivors, caregivers and loved ones to honor and celebrate the individuals in their lives who have fought bravely against the this devastating cancer killer. By coming together to walk, run, and cheer we are able to raise awareness of this deadly but largely preventable disease and expand the network of support and dedication for our those affected by the disease.
This family-oriented event consists of a Remembrance and Prevention Walk, a 4-mile Mixed Terrain Fun Run, a Kids Fun Run for children under 12, entertainment and a wellness festival. The top male and female finishers will receive trophies while each Kids Fun Run finisher will receive a medal. All participants will receive a commemorative t-shirts and refreshments.
Survivors are invited to participate in a special Survivor Ceremony and our annual photo prior to the start of the walk, and will also have access to a V.I.P. tent.
The Challenge was New York’s first public colorectal cancer awareness event, founded in 2004 by world-renowned colorectal cancer surgeon and researcher – and longtime Chappaqua resident – Dr. Thomas Weber. “When I started the Colon Cancer Challenge 13 years ago, I could only hope that it would grow as large as it is now. It’s amazing how many people join us every year to raise awareness of New York State’s second leading cancer killer,” he says.
“We are so excited to be back at Manhattanville College this year,” says Cindy Borassi, CCCF Executive Director. “No matter what distance they walk or run, every step our community members take reminds us that this disease is largely preventable with early detection and by incorporating a healthy diet and exercise into your lifestyle.”
Challenge participant Beth Beckmann lost her husband John to colon cancer in 2004, just a few months after the first Colon Cancer Challenge. “Seeing the support pour in for John through donations to our daughter’s Challenge team brought great joy to us all in the final months of John’s life,” Beth says. “I continue to participate in Challenge events and support CCCF in memory of John and also in the hope that fewer and fewer families will have a story like ours.”
Despite the progress we have made over the last decade in reducing the incidence of colorectal cancer in those over 50, early age onset cases of colorectal cancer have been dramatically increasing every year, even affecting those in their early twenties. By funding research into this terrifying trend and offering support to survivors and their families, CCCF is at the forefront of the fight against early age onset colorectal cancer.
Challenge participant Samantha Frazier was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer at age 24. Now 27 and cancer-free, Samantha, along with her team of family and friends, believes the Challenge is a way to spread the critical message of awareness and prevention while celebrating survivorship. She says, “I want others to know that they can live too and celebrate their glory as a warrior forever!”
When Samantha took to the stage for the Survivor Ceremony at last year’s Westchester Colon Cancer Challenge, a hush fell over the crowd. Her youthful presence was a reminder that this disease does not discriminate. And her sweet smile and courageous spirit were a reminder that this disease can – and will – be defeated.
Last year more than 3,500 people participated in Colon Cancer Challenge events, raising nearly $750,000. This year CCCF hopes to reach its goal of $1 million to continue its lifesaving public awareness, screening and prevention programs for the underserved and uninsured, as well as research focused on early age onset of colorectal cancer.
To get involved, call 914.305.6674 or visit events.coloncacnerchallenge.org.
by Inside Press
By David Falkner
Did you know that there are more than 100 different “New Castles” or “Newcastles” around the globe, in many different countries and in many different languages? Not only that, but many of them are directly connected through the “Newcastles of the World” network or alliance.
The idea of bringing together places around the world that share the name “New Castle” in the English language came in 1996 from the England-based arts manager John Nicolaou in Newcastle upon Tyne. He created the “Newcastles of the World United” project, which resulted in a book with this title, covering 25 of the Newcastles of the English-speaking world. The aim was to foster links of friendship, culture, education and tourism.
However, there are also many New Castles in the non-English speaking world and, following a visit to Newcastle-under-Lyme in England, it was the mayor of one of them, in Shinshiro, Japan, who took the initiative to bring the Newcastles together via the Newcastles of the World summit. The first took place in Japan in 1998 with delegates from Newcastle (South Africa), Neuburg-an-der-Donau (Germany), Neuchâtel (Switzerland), New Castle Indiana (USA), New Castle Pennsylvania (USA), Newcastle-under-Lyme (England) and Neufchateâu (France) joining their hosts.
Since then, New Castles have met together every two years and more of them have become involved. The only conference in North America was in 2002 when the co-hosts were the New Castles of Indiana and Pennsylvania. But the gathering returns to North America this year when the alliance will meet in Newcastle, Ontario, Canada (near Toronto) from 19th to 23rd September. And the New Castles or Newcastles of the US are being extended a warm invitation to attend.
That invitation is not only to the mayor and other elected representatives but to tourism agencies, chambers of commerce, community groups and to interested individuals. Our Newcastles of the World alliance is about helping our different communities learn from each other and find areas of common interest which we can pursue together.
We link schools through our Global Schools project, and soon we will be launching our Newcastles “Passport” scheme that encourages tourism between us all through special offers and hospitality”.
Meanwhile, increasing tourism will be one of the conference themes in Canada, alongside the sharing of experiences about creating “age-friendly” towns and cities and many other topics and study trips.
To find out more about the Newcastles of the World alliance, check out www.newcastlesoftheworld.com and direct your questions to david.faulkner@newcastle.gov.uk. For further information about the conference in Canada, see http://www.newcastlesconferences.com
David Faulkner is a city councilor in Newcastle upon Tyne, England and was Leader of the Council in 2010/11 (and Deputy Leader for the four preceding years). He acts as coordinator of the Newcastles of the World network on behalf of those mayors around the world whose towns and cities are involved in the initiative. He has been involved with an extensive range of charities and projects in his home Newcastle, and was given an award by Her Majesty The Queen in 2000 in recognition of this work.
by Inside Press
Innovative Assistive Technology Gives Voice to the Voiceless
Ossining, N.Y. — In an ordinary household, on an ordinary day, a seven-year-old boy might see lunchtime as an opportunity to sharpen his negotiating skills and press for chicken nuggets when Mom offers salad.
When seven-year-old Antonio requested chicken nuggets over salad for the first time, it was anything but ordinary. In fact, until recently, Antonio couldn’t ask for lunch at all.
As a non-verbal child with significant cognitive and physical limitations, Antonio could only gesture and hope the loving adults who care for him full-time at the Sunshine Children’s Home could correctly read his cues. They usually could and always tried to the best of their abilities – they’ve been working with Antonio for much of his young life. But while his support team worked tirelessly to meet his daily needs, they wanted much more for Antonio. They wanted him to enjoy the things that typically developing kids can take for granted – things like choices, a sense of control and, perhaps most importantly, the feeling of connectedness that comes so much more easily to those who can communicate and interact with others.
It didn’t happen overnight. One by one, various modes of communication were trialed for a period of time, without success. No tool was able to meet Antonio’s complex needs and help his communication skills advance beyond basic gestures — until the beginning of this school year.
In the fall of 2016, Antonio was introduced to an app called Proloquo2go – a program that enables him to tap a picture on a tablet to express what he wants to say. Antonio had finally been given a voice.
For a boy like Antonio, there’s no such thing as an overnight success. His journey began with a single picture on a tablet. He received training. He practiced. He made mistakes.
And then one day, for the first time in his seven years of life, Antonio asked for his lunch.
The significance of this success was profound – and it was only the beginning. Once Antonio had mastered the concept of using the tablet to make a verbal request for a basic want, he was given the opportunity to communicate a preference – he could choose what he wanted for lunch from a selection of foods.
The Sunshine Children’s Home is specially equipped to give children with complex medical needs a safe, loving home, a school experience, social connections and recreation. And over time, Antonio’s tablet has been programmed to assist him throughout every part of his day, including nursing, recreation and school. There are buttons for morning meeting, for math and for physical education, so he can have the opportunity to actively participate in the program.
Antonio still needs reminders – he spent seven years using gestures to communicate, so at times he understandably reverts to his old habit of communicating that way. But his progress is significant. He has used his buttons to communicate spontaneously; he has requested for specific buttons to be added.
Recently, Antonio had the opportunity to go out into the community for a day to go shopping at a toy store. There, he achieved an important milestone: With verbal cues, he was able to use his tablet to choose a toy and interact with the shop owner.
Antonio still needs excessive verbal and visual cues as he works towards his next goal — increasing his core vocabulary in order to be able to formulate simple, three-word sentences.
The road toward greater independence is long. At the Sunshine Children’s Home, the caring, creative and innovative team will continue to see to it that Antonio has the support, encouragement and technology he needs, every step of the way.
The mission of the Sunshine Children’s Home and Rehab Center is to create a loving and supportive environment that provides the highest level of quality pediatric care for children who need it. Sunshine provides a quality home for children from birth to 18 years of age who require post-acute medical care and/or rehabilitative therapy, combined with psychological and developmental interventions. About 46 percent of the children in residence require palliative care, while an equal percentage of others improve enough with care to be discharged to a group or community facility, or ideally, at home with their families. For more information, visit www.sunshinechildrenshome.org.
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