Poughkeepsie « Hudson Valley Mercantile

by admin

The Rhinebeck and Red Hook arts communities are hosting the 10th annual Art Along the Hudson (AAH) Spring Kick-off Media Event on Wednesday May 15, 2013. It’s an opportunity to showcase the expanding arts community in the northern area of Dutchess County. The purpose of this AAH event is to bring together business owners, elected officials, artists, arts patrons and the media with a focus on the many and varied cultural opportunities available and how they generate economic growth.

The evening begins in the Rhinebeck High School auditorium at 5:30 p.m., with guest speakers celebrating the role the Arts have in our lives. We are very fortunate to have NYS Senator Terry Gipson and Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro share a few words about the Arts and Economic Development in our region. Keynote speaker Liza Donnelly, local cartoonist with the New Yorker, will share her views concerning the Arts and Education.

The celebration continues at the Juried Art Exhibit reception at the Betsy Jacaruso Studio & Gallery, 43-2 E Market Sreet (in the courtyard behind Bread Alone) in Rhinebeck, with refreshments donated by village restaurants and live music.

The art exhibit was juried by Dennis Anderson, who served as the Director of Curatorial & Tour Services at the Empire State Plaza Art Collection in Albany for 22 years, and Mary-Kay Lombino, who is The Emily Hargroves Fisher ‘57 and Richard B. Fisher Curator at The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center at Vassar College. They selected artwork representing each of the AAH communities along the Hudson River corridor: Ossining, Peekskill, Garrison/Cold Spring, Beacon, Newburgh, Greater New Paltz Area, Poughkeepsie/Hyde Park, Rhinebeck/Red Hook, Kingston, Saugerties, and Woodstock.

Art Along the Hudson, now expanded to 11 neighborhoods, is a unique year-round collaborative marketing effort to promote towns on or near the river as vibrant arts and cultural communities. It also promotes seven Hudson Valley Studio Tours offering art lovers great opportunities to meet the many artists living and working in the Hudson Valley. A new 2013 brochure will be available at the Kick-Off Event describing the art venues and studio tours.

The Arts are now more than ever a significant economic factor in the revitalization of Main Streets. It is in large part the arts and cultural organizations that help fill restaurants and lodgings, and bring dollars and jobs to the Hudson Valley. From major metropolitan areas to small rural towns, the research shows to what degree the nonprofit arts and culture industry attracts audiences, spurs business development, supports jobs and generates government revenue. Locally, as well as nationally, the arts mean business.

Join us to celebrate our vibrant cultural communities and a year of arts events that will stir the soul and engender prosperity. The Juried Art Exhibit will be on view from Thursday, May 9–Saturday, June 1, at Betsy Jacaruso Studio & Gallery, 43-2 E Market St (the courtyard behind Bread Alone) 845-516-4435. Gallery Hours: Thurs. 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Fri. & Sat. 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

For more information on the exhibitions and offerings of the Art Along the Hudson Kick off evening contact: betsyjacaruso@gmail.com or visit www.artalongthehudson.com

Tags: 10th Anniversary, Art Along the Hudson, arts, Beacon, Betsy Jacaruso Studio & Gallery, Cold Spring, Dennis Anderson, Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, Education, Garrison, Hudson Valley, Hyde Park, Kingston, Liza Donnelly, Main Streets, Mary-Kay Lombino, New Paltz, Newburgh, NYS Senator Terry Gipson, Ossining, Peekskill, Poughkeepsie, Red Hook, revitalization, Rhinebeck, Saugerties, Spring Kick-off, Woodstock
Posted in Arts & Culture | No Comments »

by Joanna Hess

April. Images of Spring, daffodils blooming, the sense of renewal. It is also National Donate Life Month. Established in 2003, this designated month commemorates those who have received or continue to wait for lifesaving transplants.

The New York Organ Donor Network (NYODN) celebrates this April with increased outreach efforts in hospitals, schools, and Motor Vehicle Agencies. While NYODN works year round to educate New York residents about the critical need for more organ and tissue donors, each April, these efforts are enhanced during National Donate Life Month. National Donate Life Month was instituted by Donate Life America and its partnering organizations in 2003 with the support of then Secretary of Health and Human Services, Tommy Thompson.

Across the United States, Donate Life Month features local, regional and national activities to help encourage Americans to register as organ, eye and tissue donors and to celebrate those that have saved lives through the gift of donation. Show your support by wearing the colors of the organization and celebrate National Blue & Green Day on Friday, April 19th.

In my experience speaking to people at public events, despite our efforts to raise awareness about being a donor, the number of people in need of transplants continues to rise. This month serves not only to honor the lives of those who have given and received, but it’s also an opportunity to educate the public about the lifesaving effects of donation and transplantation, and an opportunity to dispel the myths.

Nationally, more than 115,000 women, men, and children wait for a life-saving transplant—nearly 10,000 of them are New Yorkers (for specific numbers visit unos.org). For many, tragically, the gift will never be received. Nearly 6,000 people die a year – about 15 per day – awaiting the gift of life. Yet, every 2½ hours a person is added to NY State Donor Registry.

As of March 1, 2013, only 21% of eligible New Yorkers (age 18 and older) were enrolled in the New York State Donor Registry, compared to the national state average of 44.5%. New York State ranks near the bottom of the list on number of total enrollments.

Transplantation is one of the most remarkable success stories in the history of medicine. Transplantation gives hope to thousands of people with organ failure and provides many others with active and renewed lives. Out of tragedy, much good can be done for another human being waiting for a life-saving organ or tissue transplant. One person can save up to eight lives with organ donation. A tissue donor adds upwards of 50 additional lives – especially for burn victims.

New York residents can add their names to the organ donor registry when applying for or renewing their driver’s license at the Department of Motor Vehicles. There is a box to check off to say “yes” to being an organ donor. It will be filed with the NYS Department of Health and you will have a small red heart on your new license. This simple action while renewing your driver’s license could some day save someone’s life.

For me, my transplant is a “rebirth” to a healthy life. What better way to help one another than pledging to be an organ donor. I have been given 8 additional years to enjoy life and I thank my anonymous donor daily. My hope is that by bringing more awareness to the desperate need for organ donors through Donate Life Month, we can increase participation in the organ donor database and help the thousands more on the waiting list.
To learn more about NYDON Donate Life’s month-long activities, please visit www.SaveLivesNewYork.org.

About the Dutchess County NYODN Chapter:

Jon Nansen, Dutchess County Team Leader:

Jon’s energy toward the effort to enroll people in Dutchess County to be organ donors is endless. Heart issues run in his family, and his kidneys crashed in 2005 from high blood pressure. He had end stage renal failure, and needed to start dialysis.

After several years, his mentor Elaine Ling at Dutchess Dialysis Center in Poughkeepsie firmly told him that it was time to seriously consider transplantation, or face the loss of his kidney, or even his life.

Jon was on the waiting list for three years before getting that all-important phone call. “I was in dialysis when I heard my cell phone ringing. It was in my pocket, but I was all hooked up with hoses and tubes. When I answered the phone I heard, ‘You feel lucky today? Come on up, we have a match for you.’ This was in July, 2008.”

Jon strongly encourages people on dialysis to go through testing to be approved for their transplant. It can take seven months to be approved for the list, and that’s when the clock begins. “Get to a nephrologist, don’t mess with your kidneys,” Jon adds.

Jon is active throughout Dutchess County. He initiated DMV drives in Poughkeepsie and at Adams Fairacre Farms. He speaks at college health fairs, the Poughkeepsie Plaza, and Naturalization Ceremonies.

Barb Adams, co-owner of Adams Fairacre Farm:

The importance of organ, tissue and eye donation came to the forefront of awareness at Adams Fairacre Farms last year, when owner Pat Adams received a heart transplant. One year later, Adams is healthy and active as ever. He and his wife, Barb, as well as many others at Adams, are committed to helping spread the word about the need for donors.

Barb enrolled the Dutchess County group in the recent Campaign4Life, a friendly competition between the 10 counties in NYODN’s district. The intent was to increase the number of designated organ, eye and tissue donors through registration. Surprisingly, the Dutchess County group won with more than 100 new registrations.

“We are proud of our efforts. The $1000 prize will be used to help our education campaign with the purchase of a flat screen TV showing interviews and updated information for the various health fairs we attend, especially the Dutchess County Fair,” Barb explained.

Barb also created a Facebook page for the local group, and continues to write a blog describing local activities and recent news about transplantation. To learn more, ‘like’ Donate Life of Dutchess County on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DonateLifeOfDutchessCounty

Joanna Hess inherited Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) from her father, who inherited it from his father. She focuses much of her volunteer time educating people about organ donation. Her transplant occurred in February 2005, which she considers her “2nd birthday,” giving her the opportunity to help and support others in similar situations. She considers each day a blessing and encourages others to keep an open mind and an open heart.

Tags: Adams Fairacre Farms, Joanna Hess, National Donate Life Month, New York Organ Donor Network, Poughkeepsie, transplant
Posted in General, Health | No Comments »

by admin

There is no clearer evidence that the end of Winter is drawing near than the realization that Adams Fairacre Farm’s annual Garden Shows are only days away. Each year in late February through mid March, the Adams Landscaping crews design and install an amazing backdrop of patios, ponds and walkways for hundreds of flowering spring bulbs, annuals, trees and shrubs in their greenhouses. Vendors, knowledgeable staff and garden experts from throughout the region attend the shows to answer all questions with regards to planning your spring gardens and landscape projects. The Garden Show is free to attend and also includes seminars, giveaways and free raffles.

Some of the designs that will be on display at the Poughkeepsie show this year include: Rosetta Patio with Firepit featuring Adams’ new line Rosetta Hardscapes, which offers the look and feel of nature; a Stone River Mosaic designed and created by Adams Landscaping using Connecticut stone, crushed bluestone, barn red stone and small river rounds with a Unilock Brussels dimensional border; Rosetta Pond and Waterfall featuring the Rosetta Outcropping Collection Pond Kit and bordered with Rosetta Belvederre; Cedar gazebo and foot bridge designed and custom-built by Adams Landscaping; Unilock Fireplace and Patio with a Unilock Elements Tuscany fireplace – a pre-built modular, fully functioning wood- or gas-buring fireplace – and Unilock Beacon Hill flagstone for the patio and Unilock Brussels Dimensional bluestone caps on the walls and pillars. Be sure to attend the family-friendly Garden Shows at all four Adams’ locations and get a taste of Spring!

Tags: Adams Fairacre Farms, Annual Garden Shows, Kingston, Newburgh, Poughkeepsie, Wappinger
Posted in Gardening, Marketplace | No Comments »

by Kathy Leonard Czepiel

At the turn of the twentieth century, Red Hook was home to a now-forgotten industry. In fact, many Red Hook natives are unaware that it ever existed. But at one time Red Hook, Rhinebeck, and the mid-Hudson Valley were known as “The Violet Capital of the World.” Look closely today, and you’ll notice little hints that remain: the name Garden Street, the greenhouses on the Battenfeld farm in Rock City. Some people even claim that the profusion of wild violets blooming in their back yards each spring are the descendants of cultivated violets that escaped from old greenhouses.

Cultivated “sweet violets” were brought to the Hudson Valley from England by William Saltford in 1886. The mid-Hudson Valley was the perfect location for growing violets for several reasons: easy access to the major market of New York City via train, enough seasonal laborers (many of them women and teenagers), and an abundant supply of fresh soil, which was replenished in the greenhouses each year. At its peak, Red Hook had 350,000 square feet of greenhouses belonging to 40 different growers. Milan and Poughkeepsie were also home to numerous violet farms, and Rhinebeck boasted 115 growers.

The violets were hardy flowers. If stored properly in tanks of cool water, some varieties would last for up to two weeks after picking, and Red Hook growers shipped their flowers throughout the eastern United States, to the Mississippi River and beyond. However, the violets were not easy to grow. The plants were vulnerable to diseases and pests such as botrytis, “green fly” and red spider mites, and they required careful attention, particularly in the early, hot months of the growing season. The flowers were grown in greenhouses, which allowed farmers to maintain the desired temperature for the cool-weather crop. In the summer, when the plants were young, air was kept circulating through the houses by opening ventilating panels in the roof, and sometimes the glass was shaded with a coat of lime. In the winter, coal-fired furnaces kept the flowers from freezing. Because they were growing indoors, the plants had to be watered by hand. In those days before most farms had electricity, this meant using a hand pump and a watering can.

The violets were tricky to pick as well. Because every possible foot of space inside the greenhouses had to be planted, aisles between the raised beds were narrow. In order to reach the back of the beds, pickers rested narrow wooden boards on the heating pipes at the far side and the edge of the beds closest to them, and inched their way out on the boards, lying on their sides to pick the flowers. This feat required balance and cannot have been a comfortable way to spend a nine-hour shift. Nevertheless, a strong picker could collect 15 to 20 bunches of 50 blooms each in an hour. The picking season ran from mid-October through Easter. For that end-of-season holiday alone, more than a million blooms were often shipped.

Each violet greenhouse was outfitted with a packing room, where workers would add decorative galax leaves, tie off the bunches, “boot” them to keep the stems moist, and pack them in cardboard crates for shipping. Wagons piled high with violet boxes could often be seen heading down to the railway express office. Residents recalled the especially pleasing aroma of the white violets, but the aroma of manure was always close by. In a 1997 interview with the Rhinebeck Historic Society, violet farmer Richard Battenfeld recalled buying manure from New York City and having it shipped up by box car. According to the interviewer’s notes, “Everybody liked the New York City manure because it was straw-based and had very few weeds.”

The demise of the violet industry has been blamed on a number of factors. The costs of heating and labor skyrocketed after World War I. By the 1920s the violets were seen as old-fashioned, a flower one’s grandmother might wear. Women’s fashions had changed; their clothing was no longer as sturdy, and it was impractical to pin a heavy corsage of fifty violets at the waist or the shoulder. In addition, a short-lived Broadway play, The Captive, about an illicit lesbian love affair, used violets as a love token, thus giving the flower an association that, to many, seemed unsavory. The market was no longer booming, and backyard growers took down their greenhouses and gave up the business. The larger operations continued, although they, too, eventually succumbed to a continued downturn in the market. At one time, there were 400 violet greenhouses in the mid-Hudson Valley. In the mid-twentieth century, the violet enjoyed a brief resurgence in popularity, but even then, around 1956 there were just 50 or 60 houses left in Red Hook and Rhinebeck combined. The Trombini family of Rhinebeck, whose greenhouses stood near the Dutchess County fairgrounds, were the last to cease operations, in the late 1970s.

Nevertheless, nostalgic Red Hook residents can still purchase a nosegay of violets in season from Fred Battenfeld, who maintains one small bed of Frey’s Fragrant violets for old time’s sake. Battenfeld’s greenhouse is otherwise filled with anemones, the twenty-first century crop of choice.

Kathy Leonard Czepiel was born and raised in Red Hook. She is the author of the historical novel A Violet Season, which will be published by Simon & Schuster in July.

Tags: A Violet Season, Battenfeld, Kathy Leonard Czepiel, Mid-Hudson Valley, Milan, Poughkeepsie, Red Hook, Rhinebeck, Town of Red Hook Bicentennial, Violet Capital, violet farms
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by Carole J. Wolf

When I reflect back on Dutchess Arts Camp over the last 30 years, I recall so many creative and amazing experiences, memories that will last forever, and friendships that will continue to enrich my life. Thousands of children throughout the Hudson Valley and beyond have participated in this unique program which has always maintained the philosophy of Building self-esteem, while learning through the arts. How did it all begin?

In 1981 I opened my art studio on Mill Street in the City of Poughkeepsie on the 4th floor of a historic factory building and sublet space to 12 other visual artists. We named the studio Mill Street Loft. As an artist, art teacher, and mother, I recognized the need for an innovative summer arts camp which would totally engage children in the creative process through the visual and performing arts. At that time, there were almost no summer camps for kids in the region and no Arts programs in the area. As a result, I created the Dutchess Arts Camp to fulfill this community need and also to provide a unique and imaginative multi-arts program for my own children. It soon became the first program of Mill Street Loft with our professional studio artists as teachers and 19 children in attendance. It was an amazing success!

Over the last 30 years, Dutchess Arts Camp continued to blossom, serving thousands of children ages 3– 14 at multiple locations. Many of those children are now professional artist educators while others have come back as parents, bringing their young children as campers. I am so excited that this summer my five year old granddaughter will be attending the Poughkeepsie campus, and I can so easily remember back to 1982 when our daughter was a major part of the first years of creating Dutchess Arts Camp.

Dutchess Arts Camps now have campuses in Poughkeepsie, Red Hook, Millbrook and new this summer, Beacon; at The River Center, where we will provide multi-arts programs to children and adults throughout the year.

Children Explore, Discover, Create and Have Fun as they stretch their imaginations and make new friends in a nurturing environment. At Dutchess Arts Camp professional artist educators engage children in the creative process and empower them to express their own ideas. The program is developmentally designed for each age group and activities include clay, stained glass, puppetry, printmaking, fiber arts, animation, digital film, robotics, drawing, painting, set design, music, drumming, dance, magic, mime, drama, creative writing, cartooning, photography and more…

For more information, visit http://millstreetloft.org/dutchess-art-camp/

Tags: Beacon, Carole J. Wolf, Dutchess Arts Camp, Hudson Valley, Millbrook, Poughkeepsie, Red Hook, The River Center
Posted in Arts & Culture, Marketplace | No Comments »

by The Poughkeepsie Farm Project, photograph by Kristen Cronin

The Poughkeepsie Farm Project grows and saves seeds for local distribution, teaches seed saving skills to hundreds of youth and adults each year, and distributes free seeds to nonprofits with gardening programming. Through their Seed Give Away Catalog, a collaboration with the Hudson Valley Seed Library, these two organizations are making free seeds available to school gardens and nonprofit groups with gardening programs.

Poughkeepie Farm Project-grown seeds are available for sale through the Hudson Valley Seed Library, a local company that creates accessible and affordable regionally-adapted seeds that are maintained by a community of caring farmers and gardeners in the Hudson Valley. This year, they expect to offer 60 varieties of locally grown seed and around 100 varieties sourced from responsible seed houses. Through the Hudson Valley Seed Library’s “Green$eed” program, the Poughkeepsie Farm Project will receive 25% of any online purchases made by using the code, ‘PFP’. If you’re planning to order seeds, and would like your seed order to benefit the Poughkeepsie Farm Project, go to seedlibrary.org and at the checkout, submit the code ‘PFP’ before placing your order. Seeds may also be purchased directly at the Poughkeepsie Farm Project’s Open House and Plant Sales in May 14 and 21.

Why Save Seeds? Cultivating Community Self-Sufficiency

Seed saving involves knowledge and skills that have been lost to many of us in the modern age. The control over seed production by a handful of large for-profit corporations is an inherent threat to food security. The top 10 multinational seed firms control half of the world’s commercial seed sales, leaving us all vulnerable to the business decisions and success of just a few corporations. This concentration of seed ownership both reflects and drives the loss of food sovereignty, or meaningful democratic participation in the food system.

There are only a handful of small companies growing seeds in the Northeast United States providing sources of seed that are adapted to the region and chemical-free growing conditions. A working knowledge of seed saving and the self-sufficiency it allows is almost lost amongst modern farmers and gardeners. Locally controlled and maintained seed sources are of primary importance to community food security.

Seed saving allows us greater self-sufficiency and gives us greater control over our own food supply. By selecting and saving the seeds that grow well in our region and giving others the tools to do so, we are increasing the availability of regionally adapted seeds. By teaching gardeners and farmers to grow old varieties and how to breed new ones, we can help protect the biodiversity of our Earth and our food system. The Community Seed Project is a resource for learning and a source for open pollinated, regionally adapted and heirloom seeds in the Mid-Hudson Valley.

Seeds are the First Link in the Food Chain

Seed saving is important in order to:

• Preserve the dying art of seed saving;

• Conserve biodiversity and genetic resources in an era of vulnerable agricultural monocultures and global climate change;

• Gain public control and self-sufficiency of the seed supply and the food we have available to us to eat;

• Work toward regional sustainability and increase regional food security;

• Create seeds that are adapted to organic growing practices in the northeast;

• Preserve cultural heritage.

Through educational programs and hands-on experience, the Community Seed Project inspires the application of botanical knowledge and gardening skills, as well as a sense of community self-sufficiency. In learning to save seeds from plants they have helped to grow, youth and adults draw on the generative power of the earth to nurture the generative power of urban communities.

To learn more about the Community Seed Project, visit http://farmproject.org/content/seed-project. There you will find a link to the Seed Give Away Catalog and the online application. Or, contact the Poughkeepsie Farm Project at seeds@farmproject.org, or 845.240.3734.

The Poughkeepsie Farm Project is located on the Vassar Farm and Ecological Preserve in Poughkeepsie, New York. Learn more about their programs at http://farmproject.org. Adapted from the March 2011 Harvest Line Newsletter. Used with permission.

Tags: free seeds, Green$eed Program, Hudson Valley, Hudson Valley Seed Library, locally grown, organic, Poughkeepsie, Poughkeepsie Farm Project, regional food security, Seed Give Away Catalog, seed saving
Posted in Community, Food | No Comments »

by Heather Gibbons

Sledding:

Burger Hill
Route 9G, Rhinebeck
Popular sledding spot rises to a 550-foot hilltop with panoramic views of the Hudson River Valley including the Shawangunk Ridge, Catskill and Taconic mountains, Stissing Mountain and the Berkshires. Protected by a Scenic Hudson conservation easement, the park is owned by Winnakee Land Trust and managed by the Burger Hill Committee. Several sledding areas with varying degrees of steepness. Open 9 a.m.-dusk.

Clermont State Historic Site
One Clermont Ave. off Route 9G, Germantown
Annual sledding party with bonfire and snowman contest held in late January/early February. http://www.friendsofclermont.org

Seigel Kline Kill Conservation Area
Route 21, Ghent
Newly cleared public sledding hill on land protected by the Columbia Land Conservancy. http://www.clctrust.org

Staatsburgh State Historic Site/Mills Mansion
Old Post Road, Staatsburg
A favorite and prime sledding area with unobstructed views of the Hudson River and Catskills beyond. Grounds are open daily January-March, dawn-dusk. Sleds with metal runners not allowed. http://www.staatsburgh.org.

Ice skating:

Indoors:

Kiwanis Ice Arena
Cantine Memorial Complex, Washington Avenue, Saugerties
Public skate sessions of 1.5 hours each, Monday-Sunday, check website for specific times.
Learn to skate instructional Sundays, 8-9 a.m.; hockey skills instructional: Sundays,s 7-8 a.m.; figure skating lessons, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3:30-5:30 p.m. The rink is enclosed, but not heated. Admission: $6 adults; $4 students; 5 and under, free; skate rentals, $3.
Info: http://kiwanisicearena.com; 845.247.2590

McCann Ice Arena
Mid-Hudson Civic Center, 14 Civic Center Plaza, Poughkeepsie
McCann offers skating lessons, a hockey skill development clinic, and even speed skating lessons. There are Learn to Skate and Learn to Play Hockey programs.
Holiday skating schedule: Mon., Dec. 27-Fri., Dec. 31, noon-2 p.m.; New Year’s Day, 2-4 p.m.; Sun., Jan. 2, 2-4 p.m.
Check website for full schedule. Friday DJ Skate from 7:15-9 p.m., $10, includes admission and skate rental.
Admission: $7, $4 (children under 10); Skate Rental: $3
Info: http://www.midhudsonciviccenter.com; 845-454-5800

Outdoors:

Hudson Park Outdoor Ice Skating Area
3521 Route 9, south of Hudson
Stop by Restaurant to sign waiver before heading to ice rink. Bring your own skates and equipment. Thursday night Pond Hockey. Saturdays, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. & 6-9 p.m.; Sundays, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; Mon. & Tues., 7 a.m.-3 p.m.; Wed.-Fri., 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Free, donations accepted.

Lake Taghkanic State Park
Exit off Taconic State Parkway in town of Ancram; or, 1528 Route 82, Ancram
Skating permitted when conditions are appropriate. Call to check ice thickness. 518.851.3631

http://www.nysparks.com/parks/38/details.aspx

Palatine Park
Palatine Park Road, Germantown
ice skating conditions permitting
518.537.4600; 518.537.6687

Rhinebeck Recreation Park
Located behind Starr Library, 68 West Market Street, Rhinebeck
845.876.3409

Tags: Ancram, Burger Hill, Clermont, Columbia Land Conservancy, Germantown, Ghent, Hudson, Kiwanis Ice Arena, McCann Ice Arena, Palatine Park, Poughkeepsie, Rhinebeck, Saugerties, skating, sledding, Staatsburg
Posted in Community | 1 Comment »

by Laurie Rich

This holiday season, with the economy in the shape it’s in, I find myself thinking more deeply than usual about the spirit of the season – of giving rather than receiving. The shiny, pretty things are singing their siren song—even more loudly since merchants have to work harder to sell their goods in a down year. But that doesn’t mean I have to listen.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m still doing my fair share of conspicuous consumption. But, I also want to give more of myself, buy less for me and mine, and take away as little as possible.
And I bet that many of you do, too.

So how does one do that, and at this late date? I’m sure that there are hundreds, maybe thousands of ways, but I’ll share some that I’ve chosen. Maybe one or two will resonate with you and you’ll do them, too.

• Make a charitable donation in someone’s name, and let him or her know. There are so many worthy organizations and causes, one of them is sure to be tailor made for each person on your gift list. Consider using the website Charity Navigator (.org). It can help you evaluate charities that you are contemplating donating to, and has a helpful holiday giving guide.

• Offer to do a service for a friend or family member who could use the help, like snow blowing their walkway for the season, or babysitting their kids so they can get a few nights out without breaking the bank. Put it down on paper and give it as an IGU (I’ll give you).

• If you have them, use frequent flyer miles to help someone go somewhere they couldn’t otherwise afford to go—like home for the holidays.

• Volunteer. To quote Dutchess Outreach’s website, “give the gift of you and make a difference in your community.” It doesn’t have to be a long-term commitment. For instance, you (or you and your family) could sign up to serve meals at a soup kitchen. They are always short handed. Two local organizations that are always looking for volunteers are the Lunch Box run by Dutchess Outreach (www.dutchessoutreach.org) in Poughkeepsie, and The Queens Galley in Kingston (www.queensgalley.org).

• Go through your closets and bring gently used coats, hats, scarves, gloves and winter clothing that you no longer wear to the Salvation Army, Goodwill, Dutchess Outreach, or a winter clothing drive. There are so many families in need this winter.

• Bake from scratch for your friends and loved ones (you know what Pillsbury says: “Nothin’ says lovin’ like something from the oven!”). Or, make and jar applesauce, chutney, or flavored vinegars.

What all of these ideas have in common is that each requires thoughtfulness and some of your time—two things that can mean a lot more to the recipient than any bauble you can buy in a store. And you will get something in return – smiles, thanks and the warm feeling you’ll have from doing good. It’s true what they say: It is better to give than to receive.

Happy holidays!

Oh! A postscript: If none of my suggestions appeal to you, try Googling “giving of yourself for the holidays” (Use the advanced search function and type in “Giving of yourself” under the “this exact word or phrase” line.). You’ll come up with 73,300 results to browse.

And maybe, while you’re going over them, some will turn into your New Year’s resolutions as well!

Laurie Rich lives in Rhinebeck and is the Director of the Spectrum Services Foundation, the non-profit fundraising arm of the Center for Spectrum Services, a private, not-for-profit program designed especially for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders in Kingston.

Tags: charities, Dutchess Outreach, giving, holiday season, Kingston, Laurie Rich, Poughkeepsie, Rhinebeck, The Queens Galley
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