Holiday Photo Opps
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Ambassador Girl Scouts from Troop 2672, Maia Deforge, Annabelle Stanley, Elena Ludwig, Megan Reynolds and Sarah Jathas (not pictured Dorianna Marambio) with some of the Christmas gifts they donated for a family of 9 for the adopt-a-family program supporting the Don Bosco Center in Port Chester.
The 9th annual WJCS Have-a-Heart for the Holidays Gift Drive run by WJCS Board Member Linda Plattus, second left above, collected almost 250 gifts and 50 gift cards totaling almost $6,000 worth of donations, enough to brighten the holiday season for 600 children across Westchester County, many of whom benefit from WJCS programs for children.
Special guests of the luncheon were a parent and child from the WJCS Infant-Toddler Learning Center in Yonkers. Yesenia Calixto, center above, shared her personal story and explained how her son, Brandon, has grown and matured, particularly in social skills, under the guidance of the program. The Infant-Toddler program recognizes the impact of early experiences on later learning abilities, and Calixto said her family is very grateful for its services. The Infant Toddler Learning Center is just one recipient of gifts collected at the annual Holiday Gift Drive, which was attended by Vicki Forbes, left, program director of WJCS Building Better Beginnings, which oversees the learning center, and Susan Lewen, director of development at WJCS.
Together with Plattus, who hosted the party in her home, several local companies donated food and other necessities, including Buon Amici, Cherry Lawn Farm Market, Cooked & Co., House of Flowers, Lange's Of Scarsdale and Standing Room Only. Support WJCS by sending gift cards, gifts or donations to: WJCS, Attn: Tamar Moskowitz, 845 N Broadway, White Plains, NY 10603
The Arthur Manor Neighborhood Association celebrated the holidays on Sunday, December 7 at Davis Park with a sing along, hot cocoa, the lighting of the holiday tree and a visit from Santa.
It is concert season at Scarsdale Middle School. December 3rd was the first of six winter concerts, featuring the Eighth Grade Band, the Butler/Fountain/Choice Eighth Grade Chorus, and the Seventh and Eighth Grade Jazz Band. Below is a picture of Mr. Nicholas Lieto conducting the Eighth Grade Band.
The Eighth Grade Band performed "Into the Clouds," "Earth and Sky," "Atlas" from Th Hunger Games: Catching Fire, and "The Avengers" conducted by Nicholas Lieto, Band Director.
The Eighth Grade Chorus performed "What a Wonderful World," two of the three songs from "Tres Canciones de Los Elementos: Eschuchar al Viento and Fuego under direction of Chorus Director Daniel Boniello and accompanied by Rumiko Isaksen.
The Jazz Band performed "All the Things Your Are," "Cool Joe, Mean Joe, Killer Joe," and "Blue Bossa" conducted by Band Director Nicholas Lieto.
Local Teens Fight Hunger
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BBYO and DoSomething.org teamed up this fall to launch "Can-Tribute," a campaign that rallied young people across North America to fight hunger in their local community through a food collection drive. The campaign started on September 23, just before the Jewish High Holidays to align with the Yom Kippur tradition of collecting food for the needy during the day of fasting, and lasted through November 30.
"You have a voice and you have power,' said Kyle Price, a high school Junior at Rye Country Day School. "Our involvement in the hunger crisis is crucial and we cannot shy away from our responsibility. Together we can make a difference through awareness and action."
To celebrate the conclusion of the campaign, BBYO Westchester Region, in partnership with Westchester Reform Temple, Tempe Beth Shalom, Mid-Westchester JCC, Hebrew Institute of White Plains, Rosenthal JCC, Solomon Schechter School, Jewish Education Project, Jewish Student Connection, Jewish Community Center of Harrison, and Westchester Jewish Council, hosted a pre-screening of the Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1. The pre-screening was attended by more than 280 teens and was an additional opportunity for teens to socialize and support the community. Over 600 pounds of food was collected at the theater for the Westchester Interfaith Food Pantry. Across North America, the leaders of the top three biggest drives won seats for themselves and 20 friends at their local BBYO pre-screening.
"BBYO has a long tradition of teens coming together to stand up for the causes they believe in and to take action to create change in their communities and our world," said Natalie Spring, Director of Campaigns and Movement Initiatives at BBYO. "Working with DoSomething.org on this campaign, we're able to connect more teens to the value of repairing the world."
"DoSomething.org is all about making social change accessible to young people and working around events in their lives like holidays and movie premieres to make social change a part of a lifestyle" said Naomi Hirabayashi, Chief Marketing Officer at DoSomething.org
The Can-Tribute campaign and pre-screening event is an example of the community-wide events that BBYO offers teens in our community. In December, Westchester Region BBYO will host "Let's Wrap", an event to celebrate the holiday season and conclude our first semester!
For more information about ways to give back to the community and be a part of BBYO Westchester Region, please contact Dana Shakarchy, Regional Director, at dshakarchy@bbyo.org or (917) 968-9638.
Library Invites You to Share Your Story
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Most people come to the Scarsdale Public Library to learn about people, places and things or to get a good book. Now, the library wants to hear your stories and learn about your library experiences as it embarks on a Story Project this month. The Scarsdale Library Story Project will explore the role the Scarsdale Library plays in the life of residents. The interviews with photos will be part of an exhibition about the library and its role in the community in the Scott Room in January.
Patrons are invited to come in for a brief 10-15 minute interview with a librarian and tell us about the connection the library has to them and their family or relate any human interest or funny experience. Did you come to children's programs as a child and now bring your own son or daughter. What is that experience like? Did a librarian assist you with a tough to research term paper? Did you come as a family to films or other programs? Was the library a haven during Super Storm Sandy? Tell us about your experiences or just the joy of coming to the Dickinson Room and sitting down with a favorite mystery author on a cold winter's afternoon.
"This is an exciting program inspired by the national oral history project StoryCorps," said Michelle Lichtenberg, Library Board President. "It is an opportunity to discuss the role the library plays in our lives and for those who read the brief profiles to share the experiences. Don't be shy."
Interviews will be held at the library from Thursday, November 20, thru Saturday, November 22, during library hours. For more information and to schedule an appointment, contact the Reference Desk at 722-1302.
"We're here to listen," Lichtenberg said.
Tales from the Shark Tank
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If you watch the popular TV show Shark Tank on December 12th, you may see a familiar face. Scarsdale's Howard Adler will appear on the show with investor Daymond John and inventor Morri Chowalki who stopped by Adler's office for an update on a product that made its debut on Shark Tank in December, 2013.
At the time, Morri Chowalki was selected from hundreds of candidates to pitch his idea for a "Hanukkah Tree Topper" on the show. He was successful in getting funding from entrepreneur Daymond John to launch the product which is a Star of David that sits on top of a Christmas tree. The product is targeted at interfaith families where one spouse celebrates Christmas, and the other Hannukah.
With funds in hand, Morri met Howard Adler who couldn't have been a more perfect partner to produce the interfaith tree topper. Adler and his brother Cliff, also of Scarsdale, run Kurt S. Adler, a leading producer of Christmas ornaments, lights and collectibles. Though these two are Jewish they could easily be called the Kings of Christmas as they dominate the market for Christmas goods. Their products are sold throughout the U.S. and the world.
The Hanukkah Tree Topper is now produced in two varieties – the original silver star of David and a stained glass star that lights up and is powered by batteries. Adler reports that though the market for the product is limited to families of mixed faiths, it is selling nicely and will continue to be sold in upcoming years.
Adler told us that the Shark Tank crew came to his showroom a few weeks ago and filmed him speaking to Morri and Daymond for hours – but assumes it will be edited down to a short clip to be aired on the December 12th show.
In the meantime, if you're looking for a Hanukkah Tree Topper for your Christmas tree, they are in stock at Bed and Bath in Elmsford and available on Amazon.
Kristof and WuDunn Discuss New Book in Scarsdale
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Even small acts of altruism can go a long way toward solving intractable global issues while providing the donors with a sense of pleasure and fulfillment. That was just one of the messages communicated by Scarsdale authors Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn when they discussed their new book, A Path Appears: Transforming Lives, Creating Opportunity to a packed audience in Scarsdale on Thursday, November 6.
Kristof, a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Times columnist, is often called the "reporter's reporter" for his human rights advocacy and his efforts to give a voice to the voiceless. WuDunn is the first Asian-American reporter to win a Pulitzer Prize, a business executive, a best-selling author and is married to Kristof. She works with entrepreneurs in new media, media technology, and social enterprise at a small investment-banking boutique in NYC.
A Path Appears: Transforming Lives, Creating Opportunity is an inspirational call to altruistic action. It showcases philanthropic innovators around the world who are using research, evidence-based strategies, and brilliant ideas of their own to fight some of the twenty-first century's most intractable problems: poor early-childhood education, sex trafficking, inner-city violence, poverty and malnutrition, homelessness, and many others. In a glowing critique in The New York Times from October 16, 2014 reviewer Paul Collier wrote "If you want to carry on with your life just as it is, best give it a miss."
Kristof and WuDunn spoke to a crowded auditorium driving home some important points about altruism, charitable giving, and how poverty in early childhood can lead to a life of instability. However, it was not all doom and gloom ... in fact the whole point of the book is that even small efforts can have impact.
For example, just $3.50 can provide de-worming medicine for one year to one child in Africa. Treatment with this medicine removes a barrier that keeps children out of school. Every additional year of schooling a child in Africa receives can lead to a more much stable life. Check out www.givewell.org to find some organizations doing work in this area and see how small amounts of money can have impact.
Why don't more people get involved? Kristof referred to as the "empathy gap" and the idea of pointing fingers and laying blame on those who live in poverty rather than reaching out and lending a hand. In developed countries the well to do can lead insular lives without truly interacting with people who live in poverty. Without knowing an individual's story and struggles it is easy to see poverty as "moral failing". He encouraged people to reach out to those in need even as he acknowledged getting his heart broken many times by doing so. Though we have all had the "no good deed goes unpunished experience," Kristof encouraged the audience to keep exercising the muscle that drives them to engage in kind behavior and acts of charity. Kristof and WuDunn were eager to point out that study after study have shown that altruistic acts activate the same pleasure centers in the brains as are activated when receiving gifts, sometimes to an even higher degree. It really is better to give than to receive!
The authors spent time with the community at a reception following the event and signed copies of their book for audience members.
There are still a few signed books available for purchase through www.scarsdaleadultschool.org.
This event was co-sponsored by the Scarsdale Public Schools Interdependence Institute, Scarsdale Adult School, Scarsdale Council of Parent Teacher Associations, Scarsdale Teachers Institute, and Scarsdale Public Library.
