Rural and Migrant Ministry (Aired on April 25 & 26, 2015)

Ruth Faircloth

Ruth Faircloth

The Rural and Migrant Ministry, a group that started with one person in a van about 50 years ago, is now a major force for empowerment for migrant farm workers in much of upstate New York. In this interview, Ruth Faircloth, the Director of the Overnight Leadership Camp and the Women’s Conference, describes how the Ministry works for justice for workers in New York State by lobbying Albany on migrant issues. In New York State there is no requirement for a day off, so most workers labor for seven days each week during the harvest season. In addition to lobbying, the Ministry provides a one-week overnight camp for children of migrant workers as well as a youth art program and a conference for women workers.

Learn More:
Rural and Migrant Ministry
History of Ministry
New York State Farm Workers
Migrant Farm Workers

Did you like this? Share it:
April 25, 2015 · Posted in Children, Hudson Valley, Quality of Life, Support Groups  

Relay for Life (Aired on April 18 & 19, 2015)

(l-r) Jonah Triebwasser, Gabriella Scull, Sarah O’Connell

(l-r) Jonah Triebwasser, Gabriella Scull, Sarah O’Connell

RadioRotary is visited by Gabriella Scull, the community manager for Relay for Life, an affiliate of the American Cancer Society. Each year there are 5,200 Relay-for-Life events in the United State, including many in the Hudson Valley as well as events in 20 different nations. The event is an organized fundraising walk around a track. It last all night and the participants camp out, although individual participants don’t have to be there for the whole time. A principal feature of the Relay is the Luminaria Ceremony, which candles or glow sticks are lit inside of personalized bags, which are then are place around the track as tributes to those who died from cancer. The events celebrate survivors, remember those who have died, and also raises funds for the American Cancer Society.

Learn More:
Relay for Life
Luminaria Ceremony
American Cancer Society

Did you like this? Share it:
April 18, 2015 · Posted in Events, Health, Support Groups  

Abilities First – Education, Housing, Training (Aired on April 11 & 12, 2015)

(l-r) Jonah Triebwasser, Melissa McCoy, Sarah O'Connell

(l-r) Jonah Triebwasser, Melissa McCoy, Sarah O’Connell

Melissa McCoy, Chief Advancement Officer for Abilities First describes this seven-county program that serves developmentally disabled children and adults in the Hudson Valley. Staring with pre-school, Abilities First supplies educational programs that replace the regular special-education classes in twenty different facilities (one facility, in Red Hook, is in the same building as the regular school). When children reach age 21, they are transferred from the educational system to the New York State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities. From that point, Abilities First provides a sheltered workshop, job shadowing programs, and supportive or supervised housing. The focus is on helping individuals do as much for themselves as possible.

Learn More:
Abilities First
New York State Office of Mental Health
New York State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities
New York ARC

Did you like this? Share it:
April 11, 2015 · Posted in Children, Developmentally Disabled, Education, Housing Assistance, Hudson Valley, Vocational  

Libraries in the 21st Century (Aired on April 4 & April 5, 2015)

Pleasant Valley Library

Pleasant Valley Library

Pleasant Valley Library Director Daniela Pulice and Barbara Shapley, president of the Friends of the Pleasant Valley Library, discuss their local library, the Mid-Hudson Library System, of which it is a part, and the status of community libraries today. The Pleasant Valley Free Library is situated in a Dutchess County town of about 10,000 and is one of 21 libraries in the Mid-Hudson System. The Friends of the Library do fundraising, notably a giant book sale once or twice a year, to support such added library benefits as free tickets to the Children’s Museum, movie night, educational programs, signs, and computers. Today’s libraries are not quiet places, but instead are the central place in the community where people meet as well as where they borrow books, audio books, movies, e-book readers, and other materials and use computers, the library’s or free Wi-Fi. Circulation of all items has continued to increase in the 21st century.

Learn more:
Pleasant Valley Free Library
Mid-Hudson Library System

Did you like this? Share it:
April 4, 2015 · Posted in Education, Hudson Valley, Literacy, Quality of Life