Empowering Youth’s Inner Wisdom (Aired on March 16 and 17, 2019)

Mathew Swerdloff and his wife Elise Gold return to RadioRotary to tell about
the many activities and events that the Maya Gold Foundation has been
sponsoring in the past couple of years and into the future. They created the
Maya Gold Foundation in honor of their daughter Maya who committed suicide at
the age of 15, but the Foundation is not primarily involved with suicide
prevention. Instead, they work with youth to help them access their inner wisdom
and realize their dreams—suicide prevention is a side-effect. Because Maya had
become involved in efforts to stop human trafficking in Nepal, the Foundation has
developed a close relation with groups in Nepal, including the Kathmandu Rotary
Clubs. Both youth and adult trips to Nepal work with Nepalese nonprofit
organizations that support youth. Back in the Hudson Valley, the foundation
sponsors empowering events of all kinds, including film screenings, live theater,
improvisations, and panel discussions in various locations. The Foundation also
offers grants and scholarships.

Learn more:
Maya Gold Foundation: http://www.mayagoldfoundation.org/
Kathmandu Rotary Clubs: http://www.rckne.org/ &
https://rotarymidtown.org.np/ & http://therotarynepal.org/78-therotarynepal/88-welcome-to-rotary-club-of-kathmandu-north
Maya Gold Foundation on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaSCIiksR99BV8WceGRNbvg

Did you like this? Share it:
March 26, 2019 · Posted in Education, Events, International Programs, Support Groups, Youth  

Mount Beacon Crashes Recalled (Aired on March 9 and 10, 2019)

Photohistorian and local history activist David Rocco visits RadioRotary to tell
about the project to mount a plaque in Veterans Park, Beacon, NY, to
commemorate two airplane crashes on Mount Beacon. Mount Beacon, named
for its role in the use of a fire atop the mountain during the American Revolution
that would notify Washington’s army of British advances toward West Point, is
the highest peak of the Hudson Highlands. In 1935 two Navy reservists lost their
lives when their biplane crashed high on the mountain; then, ten years later, a
twin-engine Navy plane carrying 6 Navy aviators, including legendary Captain
Dixie Kiefer, also crashed on the mountain, killing all aboard. Mr. Rocco has
been spearheading a group that is mounting a commemorative plaque. Mr.
Rocco has been involved in a number of local projects, including developing the
Walkway on the Hudson, a local dog park, and restoring the Mount Beacon fire
tower. Recently Mr. Rocco has taken 10,000 photographs documenting the
replacement of the Tappan Zee Bridge with the new Mario Cuomo Bridge,
including six showing the dramatic explosions used to bring down the last span of
the Tappan Zee structure.

Learn more:
Mount Beacon Eight Remembered: https://medium.com/thegroundhog/mount-beacon-eight-remembered-5ae37428ed35
Beacon Historical Society: http://beaconhistorical.org/
David Rocco Tappan Zee Bridge Exhibit: https://www.theexaminernews.com/dramatic-tz-bridge-construction-photos-on-
display-at-white-plains-library/
David Rocco on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DavidAllanRocco
The Indestructible Man: https://smile.amazon.com/Indestructible-Man-Story-World-Captain/dp/1548322598/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=The+Indestrctible+Man&qid=1552405409&s=books&sr=1-1-spell

Did you like this? Share it:
March 17, 2019 · Posted in History, Hudson Valley  

Grace Year, an Intentional Community (Aired on March 2 and 3, 2019)

Abby Nathanson revisits RadioRotary to talk about the new Grace Year
program that allows recent college graduates to spend a year of intentional living,
focusing on spirituality, religion, and justice. Ms. Nathanson previously was
interviewed on RadioRotary about another program that she has instituted, EPIC
(Engaging People in Change), which provides leadership training for high-school
students in northeastern Dutchess Country. Both programs are run from a base
in Grace Episcopal Church in Millbrook, NY, although they are
nondenominational, not especially Episcopalian. Grace Year is a year-long
opportunity to live in a small community of young adults as they prepare for
lifelong journeys of sustained leadership for the common good. Each of the five
fellows, who are fully funded by local nonprofits and donations, spends 32 hours
each week working with local organizations and also develops an independent
project. During the year, the fellows live together along with Ms. Nathanson in the
Grace Church vicarage. Applicants for the 2018-2020 year can apply at
hello@graceyear.org or by phoning Ms. Nathanson at 845-420-4280.

Learn more:
Grace Year: https://www.graceyear.org/
Grace Year Program (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/graceyearprogram/
EPIC Justice (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/epicjustice/
Grace Episcopal Church in Millbrook: https://www.gracemillbrook.org/

Did you like this? Share it:
March 6, 2019 · Posted in Humanitarian Service, New Generations, Quality of Life, Youth  

Literary Connections for Non-Readers (Aired on February 23 and 24, 2019)

RadioRotary’s co-host Jonah Triebwasser interviews three members of the staff
of Literacy Connections of the Hudson Valley: Debra Paskowski, Katherine
Stikkers, and Marian Thompson. A surprising number of adults are unable to
read English, either because they did not learn to read as a child or perhaps they
grew up speaking a language other then English. Literacy Connections helps
resolve reading problems in various ways. The Book Buddy program, which
brings adult readers into elementary schools where they read along with children
or have children read to them, gets children on the path to reading success. For
most children, the transition from first-grade struggling to third-grade proficiency
is the key to lifelong reading success. Other volunteers and staff members work
with adult nonreaders or with those for whom English is not their first language.
For the past 18 years, the largest fundraiser for Literacy Connections has been
the annual Spelling Bee for high-school students and adult teams. Various
organizations, such a Rotary, pay to sponsor a team. The Spelling Bee is one of
the major annual events in the mid-Hudson valley, fun for both participants and
the audience.

Learn more:
Literary Connections of the Hudson Valley: http://www.literacyconnections.org/
Book Buddies: https://www.childtrends.org/programs/book-buddies https://www.childtrends.org/programs/book-buddies
Dyslexia (inability to learn to read: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dyslexia/symptoms-causes/syc-20353552
Teaching English as a Second Language: https://teach.com/become/what-can-i-teach/tesol/

Did you like this? Share it:
March 6, 2019 · Posted in Children, Education, Events, Literacy