Empowering Youth’s Inner Wisdom (Aired on July 23, 2023)
Mathew Swerdloff and his wife Elise Gold created the Maya Gold Foundation in honor of their daughter Maya who committed suicide at the age of 15, but the Foundation is involved with more than suicide prevention. After a trip to India, Maya became involved in efforts to stop human trafficking in Nepal. Today the Foundation has developed a close relationship with groups in Nepal. The program also features Hannah Stillhouse, now a college student who has gone with one of the groups of 16 teenagers the Foundation takes to work in Nepal, but back in the U.S. has led one of the Foundation’s Youth Action Teams who work to help teenagers improve mental health.
Learn More:
Maya Gold Foundation: http://www.mayagoldfoundation.org/
Youth Action Teams: https://www.mayagoldfoundation.org/who-we-are/youth-action-team
Teen Mental Health First Aid: https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/population-focused-modules/teens/
Millbrook Library Serves Village and Beyond (Aired July 2, 2023)
Millbrook Rotarian Courtney Tsahalis, Director of the Millbrook Library, visits Radio Rotary to discuss how the modern library is much more than books to lend. Although this refers to such services as Internet access, audio and video resources, books online, and even physical objects to lend, in the case of Millbrook Library there are community services beyond those. In partnership with Millbrook Rotary, the library houses a community refrigerator where those needing perishable foods can take from what is available. The library also houses frequent programs, including regular music events, children’s story times, and more.
Learn More
Millbrook Library: https://millbrooklibrary.org/
Millbrook Library on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MillbrookLibrary/
Mid-Hudson Library System: https://midhudson.org/
The River Valley Arts Center (Aired on May 28, 2023)
Michelle Martinetti, the founder, and CEO of River Valley Arts Center in Wappingers Falls, visits Radio Rotary to discuss the multiple studio spaces for arts and community programs that constitute the Arts Center. Renters and community organizations provide classes and workshops in music, performing arts, visual arts, yoga, kintsugi, photography, culinary arts, language arts,
robotics, STEM, and more based in the single building that previously was the education building for the United Methodist Church. A commercial kitchen is also available. In the works is also a remake of the church’s former sanctuary into a hall with a stage that will become an event space.
Learn More:
River Valley Arts Center: https://rivervalleyartscenter.com/
Red Hook Rotary’s 2022 Activities (Aired on May 1, 2022)
Live from Locavore in Red Hook, this Radio Rotary show features the annual Apple Blossom Day, the Mother’s Day weekend street festival that starts the spring-summer season in Red Hook and Tivoli with hundreds of food and craft vendors and live music by local bands. President-Elect Adriane Monterre, chair of Apple Blossom Day 2023, describes the array of entertainers, food trucks,
community organizations, and vendors as well as the new-this-year Student Talent Show. The event and parking are both free. Some of the booths also contribute to CLYNK, described on the program by current Red Hook Rotary President Jennifer van Voorhis. CLYNK collects bottles that return a deposit and funnels the savings to Red Hook Rotary, which uses the income to help support community projects. The program also features Red Hook’s long participation in Rotary’s International Youth Exchange and scholarships funded by the Red Hook Rotary Education Foundation.
Learn More:
Red Hook Rotary Club: http://www.redhookrotaryclub.org/
Red Hook Rotary on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RedHookRotaryClub/
District 7210 Youth Exchange (YEX): https://rotarydistrict7210.org/sitepage/youth-exchange-district-7210-long-term/welcome
Rotary Youth Exchanges: https://www.rotary.org/en/our-programs/youth-exchanges
CLYNK: https://www.clynk.com/
Red Hook Rotary Education Foundation: https://www.redhookeducationfoundation.com/