Dutchess County Fair Returns (Aired on August 15, 2021)

Andy Imperati, president and CEO of the world famous Dutchess County Fair joins RadioRotary to tell about the events at this year’s fair, which has returned for its 175th season after a one-year break due to Covid 19. In 2021, although masks are suggested for the unvaccinated, proof of vaccination is not required for entry. The many familiar Fair events will be returning, including all the animals on display on Livestock Hill (with this year the addition of the Two-by-Two Zoo); milking the cows twice a day, with children allowed to milk Miss Dutchess, a fiberglass cow; the famous 4H milkshakes; the crafts, food, and garden competitions; museum village with its antique engines; the carnival rides; and the shows in the grandstand. A new feature this year will be Thursday mornings cleared for those with sensory problems—no lights on the rides and no pervasive music.

Learn More:
Dutchess County Fair: https://www.dutchessfair.com/
Dutchess County 4H Fairbook 2021: https://www.dutchessfair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/FINAL-2021-FAIRBOOK-dutchess-fair.pdf

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August 18, 2021 · Posted in Dutchess County, Events  

Northern Dutchess Community Coalition (Aired on May 16, 2021)

Crissy Groenewegen

Crissy Groenewegen, project coordinator of the Northern Dutchess Community Coalition, visits RadioRotary to tell about the Coalition’s work with local institutions in the dozen zip codes of Northern Dutchess, which cover the towns of Red Hook, Rhinebeck, Hyde Park, Millbrook, Amenia, Pine Plains, Dover Plains, and Millerton. The coalition was formed in 2009 by citizens concerned with addiction problems in Northern Dutchess schools and has enlisted local businesses, law enforcement,nonprofits, and schools in its drug-free initiatives. The coalition’s concerns include, but go beyond, alcohol, marijuana, and hard drugs to vaping with electronic cigarettes, which deliver the potent addictive drug nicotine, and other addictions. One of their recent events was a contest for the best slogan to put on masks, with winners such as “Spread Kindness, Not Germs” and “Keep Calm, and Mask On.” The coalition works with CAPE (the Council on Addiction Prevention and Education) and SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions).

Learn more:
Northern Dutchess Community Coalition on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ndutchesscc/
CAPE: https://capedc.org/
SADD: https://www.sadd.org/

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May 16, 2021 · Posted in Addiction Recovery, Dutchess County, Education, Mental Health  

The 150th Anniversary of Dutchess SPCA (Aired on March 14, 2021)

Executive Director Lynne Meloccaro of the Dutchess County SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) visits RadioRotary via Zoom tocommemorate the 150 th anniversary of the organization, thought to be the 2 nd-oldest SPCA organization in the United States, formed in 1871, just 5 years aftethe first in the US, the New York SPCA. Like all SPCA organizations, it is a nonprofit that arranges to have stray animals, mostly cats and dogs, adopted by families. In a new program for Dutchess SPCA, the animals may be placed in foster homes instead of being kept at a central location. Although best known for dealing with strayed animals, Dutchess SPCA also has arrangements with many of the towns in the country to be the animal-control officers for the town. There is much more presented in this hour concerning the good works of Dutchess SPCA.

Learn more:
Dutchess County SPCA: https://dcspca.org/
Dutchess SPCA on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DCSPCA
Animal-Control Officers: https://thebark.com/content/job-what-do-animal-control-officers-really-do
Trap-Neuter-Return Feral Cats: https://www.alleycat.org/resources/why-trap-neuter-return-feral-cats-the-case-for-tnr/

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March 19, 2021 · Posted in Animals, Dutchess County, Service Organizations  

Cara Mia and Hope on a Mission (Aired on March 7, 2021)

Cara Mia Bacchiochi, recently featured on NBC’s Today Show, returns to RadioRotary to describe new efforts in her continuing ministry to Poughkeepsiewomen (and men) who are homeless and addicted to drugs or alcohol. For 5½ years she has been at the corner of Main and South Clinton every Saturday morning and evening, sometimes in rain or snow, with the street ministry Hope on a Mission (HOAM). Bacchiochi and volunteers, many from local Rotary clubs, distribute food, clothing, and personal care items, restoring dignity to the homeless and addicted. Now, starting in March 2021, Hope on a Mission is adding a Tuesday night dinner in front of 690 Main Street in Poughkeepsie, a couple of blocks east of the Saturday night event, which also continues. Ms. Bacchiochi has “street cred” herself from life on the street in the 1980s. Periods of sobriety were interrupted by relapses until found herself in 2013 in the same jail cell she had occupied in 1990. While there, she recognized that her purpose in life is to help women with lives like hers. After she was released from jail that last time, she started Hope on a Mission. Check out the website which has opportunities to volunteer or donate—and if you have not seen it before, watch The Today Show interview.

Learn more:
Hope on a Mission Website: https://www.hopeonamission.org/
Hope on a Mission HOAM Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/hoampk/
Cara Mia Bacchiochi on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carabacci
Cara Mia Bacchiochi on The Today Show: https://www.today.com/video/how-1-woman-in-recovery-found-her-mission-to-support-others-100460613922

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March 4, 2021 · Posted in Addiction Recovery, Dutchess County, Homelessness, Service Organizations  

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