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Inside Press

Buchwald Scores a “Perfect” Environmental Record for a 4th Time

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Assemblyman Buchwald Receives 4th Consecutive Perfect Score for His Strong Environmental Record

Assemblyman David Buckwald outside his office in Mt. Kisco, New York Photo by Todd Shapera
Assemblyman David Buchwald outside his office in Mount Kisco, New York Photo by Todd Shapera

For the fourth year in a row, Assemblyman David Buchwald (D-Mount Kisco) has received a perfect legislative score from the Environmental Advocates of New York, a leading environmental watchdog group in the state. Assemblyman Buchwald has had an unbroken perfect score for the entirety of his time in the New York State Assembly.

“Being recognized for four straight years as having a perfect environmental voting record means a lot to me,” said Assemblyman Buchwald. “Westchester residents sent me to the State Assembly to deliver the message that we have to protect clean air and water, keep toxic chemicals away from our children and emergency responders, and take on the challenges of climate change. I fight for those principles and at the same time seek to grow our economy through environmental innovation and energy efficiency.”

Peter Iwanowicz, executive director of EPL/Environmental Advocates said, “New Yorkers can be thankful to have people like Assemblyman Buchwald representing their interests in the state Legislature. Year after year, and on vote after vote, Assemblyman Buchwald has proven himself a steadfast champion of our environment and public health. EPL/Environmental Advocates thanks the Assemblyman for his leadership, and applauds him for once again earning the high score amongst his colleagues.”

Every year, Environmental Advocates grades New York State lawmakers according to their votes on bills that could help or harm our air, land, water, wildlife and health. Based in Albany, the group monitors state government, evaluates proposed laws and champions policies and practices that ensure the responsible stewardship of our shared environment.

Earlier this year, Assemblyman Buchwald co-sponsored environmentally responsible legislation that classifies hydrofracking waste as hazardous material and keeps harmful chemicals out of children’s products.

The Environmental Advocates 2016 Environmental Scorecard can be read in greater detail on their website at http://eplvotersguide.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/2016-Environmental-Scorecard.pdf

 

This information is via a news release from David Buchwald’s office.

Rally in Mount Kisco to Support of the Omnibus Child Victims Act

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Elected officials, advocates, and survivors of child sexual abuse will gather August 31 from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Mount Kisco Hall, 104 Main Street, Mount Kisco. The rally, hosted by Ali Boak for State Senate, www.boak4ny.com, intends to highlight the need to protect New York’s children by extending the statute of limitations for those who   are sexually abused.

Facts:

 

●     1 in 5 children are sexually abused.

●     New York’s current laws demand that a victim of child sexual abuse claim justice before their 23rd birthday.

●     Research shows that it takes an average of 21 years for a victim to disclose their abuse.

●     Most victims of child sexual abuse cannot seek justice because the statute of limitations kicks in.

Collaborative Clinical Trial for Children with Brain Tumors Launched

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A Kids’ Brain Tumor Cure Foundation, Solving Kids’ Cancer and the Ty Louis Campbell (TLC) Foundation Co-Fund the Launch of International Immunotherapy Clinical Trial for Children with Brain Tumors

 Collaborative Research Funding Helps to Advance Innovative New Treatments for Pediatric Brain Tumors

September, 2016 – NEW YORK, NY:  A Kids’ Brain Tumor Cure Foundation, Solving Kids’ Cancer and the Ty Louis Campbell (TLC) Foundation announce their joint financial support of a Phase 1 clinical trial to test the safety and efficacy of combination checkpoint inhibitors in the treatment of children with brain tumors.

The collaboration of these three like-minded nonprofits will result in a total contribution of $185,000 to bring this clinical trial to fruition for children battling brain tumors, today. The trial will be led by Dr. Ira Dunkel, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) and enrollment is expected to open some time in the first quarter of 2017.  The International trial will be available to children in six esteemed cancer centers to start, including MSKCC, Dana Farber/Boston Children’s Hospital, Johns Hopkins/Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Great Ormond Street Hospital (UK), Institut Curie Research Centre (France) and Children’s Hospital Colorado.  It is also likely that this innovative study will expand to additional centers in upcoming months.

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Scott Kennedy, Solving Kids’ Cancer & Cindy Campbell, TLC Foundation, proudly wearing AKBTC’s #ChappaCure hats! 

Pediatric brain tumors can be very difficult to treat because of the unique anatomy of the central nervous system, making brain cancer the number one cause of cancer-related deaths among children,” said Principal Investigator Dr. Ira Dunkel, Pediatric Oncologist, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. “Checkpoint inhibitors are not showing the same kind of side-effect profiles or toxicities seen in the standard treatments kids with brain tumors currently receive like high-dose chemotherapy and radiation, which can be critical for increasing quality long-term survival.”

Checkpoint inhibitors are humanized antibodies that take the “brakes” off immune cancer cells to effectively and efficiently kill cancer cells.  This combination treatment targets the immune system rather than the cancer itself.

In this case, children will be treated with a combination approach leveraging two agents, an anti-PD1 antibody (nivolumab), and another antibody targeting CTLA-4 (ipilimumab), a combination that has been highly effective in several high-risk adult cancer trials already. The hope is that children with malignant brain tumors will have similar results while reducing the toxicities that these kids usually receive from treatment.

“Checkpoint combination therapy is the most exciting breakthrough in cancer research this decade.  Adults with previously untreatable cancers like metastatic melanoma and lung cancer have been cured in clinical trials, and we are passionate about partnering with A Kids’ Brain Tumor Cure Foundation and the TLC Foundation to lead the charge in bringing this innovation to children battling brain tumors,” said Scott Kennedy, Executive Director, Solving Kids’ Cancer.

By working together across borders, nonprofits and medical institutions can move the needle faster, which has otherwise been quite stagnant for pediatric brain tumor patients.  Progress has often been slow in recent decades, having little to no improvement in survival rates for many young brain tumor patients with relapse or metastatic disease.

“One of the most frustrating roadblocks we have faced in the childhood cancer community is the lack of collaboration and information sharing – not only across institutions, but also across borders and among nonprofits.  This clinical trial is so exciting because the parameters for funding ensured that the study would be offered across several medical institutions, and it is co-funded by three nonprofits with a shared mission.  It’s a win-win that breaks down these barriers and puts children first,” said Amy Weinstein, Executive Director, A Kids’ Brain Tumor Cure Foundation.

This innovative trial marks the first time this encouraging immunotherapy combination of agents is being used in children with brain tumors. All three collaborating partners expect this study may provide a completely new avenue for treating deadly brain tumors in children.kidcancer2

ABOUT A KIDS’ BRAIN TUMOR CURE FOUNDATION

Cancerous brain tumors are the #1 cancer related death in children.  Current treatments are toxic, cause permanent cognitive and physical impairments, and severely diminish quality of life.  Pediatric brain cancer research is severely under-funded, and as a result, there have been no new treatment breakthroughs in over 20 years.  The mission of A Kids’ Brain Tumor Cure (AKBTC/PLGA Foundation) is to raise funds and awareness for scientific research leading to new, promising treatments and a cure for children’s brain cancer.  For more information, visit www.akidsbraintumorcure.org; contact info@akidsbraintumorcure.org; or connect on social media at www.facebook.com/PLGAFoundationAKBTC/, or #AKBTC or @PLGA

ABOUT SOLVING KIDS’ CANCER

Solving Kids’ Cancer is not just our name, it’s our mission. We focus on aggressive childhood cancers with low survival rates—because Every Kid Deserves to Grow Up. Solving Kids’ Cancer helps accelerate new, next-generation treatments, including immunotherapy, cancer vaccines, and new drugs by applying an understanding of the entire childhood cancer research landscape to wisely invest in innovative projects.  Visit  www.solvingkidcancer.org, @SolveKidsCancer, or www.facebook.com/solvingkidscancer for more information.

ABOUT THE TY LOUIS CAMPBELL (TLC) FOUNDATION

The TLC Foundation is a nonprofit organization that funds innovative research and clinical trials specifically geared toward the treatment of pediatric cancers (including brain and spinal cord tumors). TLC seeks less toxic, more effective treatments designed for children fighting cancer. Their ultimate mission is to help fund the intelligence and technology that will uncover new ways to cure children with cancer.  Visit www.thetlcfoundation.org, @SuperTyCampbell or www.facebook.com/TLCF.org for more information.

 

SCREENAGERS: Growing Up in the Digital Age; Sept 7 & 8 Film and Forum

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Town of New Castle release:

screenagers1-e1454601138886-630x457Chappaqua Moms, a virtual Facebook community which includes over 6,800 members, is thrilled to present its first-ever “live” community event: SCREENAGERS: Growing Up in the Digital Age.

•Kids spend on average 6.5 hours a day on screens and that doesn’t include classroom or homework screen time.
•Boys spend on average the equivalent of 1.5 days on video games every week •Some recent studies show us that screen time increases dopamine production and causes behavior that mimics addiction.

During the frenetic yet optimistic fresh-new-notebook feeling of the first week back at school, we are inviting parents *along with* their children ages 10-18 to come view then talk about a topic that pervades all of our households. As seen on Good Morning America, SCREENAGERS: Growing Up in The Digital Age is selling out audiences around the country. SCREENAGERS is the first feature documentary to explore the impact of screen technology on kids and to offer parents proven solutions that work. SCREENAGERS is blazing a new model of distribution, known as a community viewing model, in hopes that parents and educators can start a conversation nationwide about how screen time impacts our lives.Screenagers

Physician and filmmaker, Delaney Ruston decided to make SCREENAGERS when she found herself constantly struggling with her two kids about screen time. Ruston felt guilty and confused, not sure what limits were best, especially around mobile phones, social media, gaming, and how to monitor online homework. Hearing repeatability how other parents were equally overwhelmed, she realized this is one of the biggest, unexplored parenting issues of our time. Ruston turned the camera on her own family and others—revealing stories that depict messy struggles over social media, video games, academics and internet addiction. Examples of stories, include Hannah’s, an 14-year old victim of social media bullying that stemmed from her trying to hide her use of social media from her mom. Issues are different for boys and girls, and the film also follows Andrew’s story, a straight-A student whose love of video games spins out of control when he goes off to college and lands in an internet rehab center.

Interwoven into these stories, are cutting edge science and insights from thought leaders such as Peggy Orenstein, Sherry Turkle, Simon Sinek, as well as leading brain scientists who present evidence on real changes happening in the brain. SCREENAGERS goes far beyond exposing the risks of screen time, but reveals multiple approaches on how parents and educators can work with kids to help them achieve a healthy amount of screen time.

Our moderators for the Wednesday September 7th event will be Audrey Mann Cronin, Dr. Benna Strober, Eileen Kenna, a 5th grade teacher at Bell, and Greeley Counselor Caroline D’Agastino. Our co-moderators for the Thursday September 8th event will be the Reverend Dr. Martha Jacobs and Rabbi Jonathan Jaffe.

Audrey Mann Cronin is a digital culture entrepreneur, a communications consultant, the founder of blog and Facebook community, Our Digital Daughters, the creator of mobile app LikeSo: Your Personal Speech Coach, and, most importantly, the mother of two Greeley teenagers.

Dr. Benna Strober is a child and adolescent psychologist in private practice in mount Kisco. She is an avid writer, sharing her knowledge and expertise on all things teens. By far, her biggest accomplishment and joy is being the mom of 3 Greeley daughters.

Rabbi Jonathan Jaffe serves as Senior Rabbi for Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester in Chappaqua, New York. He earlier served Congregation Emanu-El of San Francisco from 2007-2014. In recent years, Rabbi Jaffe has served on the boards of the Jewish Community Federation’s Peoplehood Commission, the San Francisco Interfaith Coalition, and the Pacific Association of Reform Rabbis and has served as a regular columnist for the J Weekly newspaper. He currently serves as co-chair of the Chappaqua Interfaith Coalition.

The Rev. Dr. Martha Jacobs is the Senior Minister at The First Congregational Church in Chappaqua. Prior to her coming to FCC, Martha was a professional hospital chaplain for more than 20 years, serving New York Presbyterian Hospital – Columbia Campus, and United Hospital in Port Chester, NY. Martha’s work involved providing care to patients and family members of all ages and religious beliefs. Her training included conflict and mediation skills.

This event is generously sponsored by Camp Breezemont, Armonk New York and the New Castle Arts & Culture Committee. All proceeds from ticket sales will be divided evenly among these 2 local charities: “Chappaqua Cares” and “A Kids’ Brain Tumor Cure”.

WHERE: Wallace Auditorium – Chappaqua Crossing, 480 Bedford Rd, Chappaqua

Sept 7th (7:15-9:15pm): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/chappaqua-moms-presents-screenagers-growing-up-in-the-digital-age-tickets-26287338136

Sept 8th (7-9pm): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/chappaqua-moms-presents-screenagers-growing-up-in-the-digital-age-tickets-26287391295

Movie Trailer: www.screenagersmovie.com<http://www.screenagersmovie.com>

Julie Scott, founder of Chappaqua Moms, stated “It’s ironic that the very thing that brings us together— in this case, the same screens featuring the Chappaqua Moms page on Facebook— is also causing consternation at home (Instagram/Snapchat/Games/texts etc.). The back-to-school week double-showing of the film Screenagers will hopefully serve a dual purpose of bringing our community together as well as provide some food-for-thought about teaching our kids how to better balance the need to be connected with the need to disconnect”.

Kimberly L. Gilman, Director of Development A Kids’ Brain Tumor Cure Foundation, stated “A Kids’ Brain Tumor Cure is thrilled to be chosen by Chappaqua Moms as one of the charities to benefit from the ticket sales to the ScreenAgers movie! Cancerous brain tumors are the #1 cancer related death in children. The mission of A Kids’ Brain Tumor Cure is to raise funds and awareness for scientific research leading to new, promising treatments and a cure for children’s brain cancer”.

Jessica Reinmann, co-founder of Chappaqua Cares, stated “I’m thrilled to be a beneficiary of this production. We are thankful that Chappaqua Moms has continued to be a place where we can rally the troops for those in need. Chappaqua Cares our mission is to connect local philanthropic organizations with residents in the community who want to help with fundraising, donation drives and by volunteering. Our goal is to broaden awareness of our neighbors in need and facilitate successful interactions between the community and these organizations.”

Town Board member Lisa Katz, who chairs the New Castle Arts & Culture Committee, stated “I am so excited that we are able to use the Wallace Auditorium to show SCREENAGERS. The Arts & Culture Committee is committed to expanding arts & culture throughout New Castle. This is especially important for our kids who are growing up in this digital age. The Wallace Auditorium will allow us to host so many great community events like this throughout the year”.

New Castle Town Supervisor Rob Greenstein stated ”I would like to thank the co-moderators of Chappaqua Moms,Julie Scott and Georgia Frasch, for bringing SCREENAGERS to our community. I would also like to thank Rabbi Jonathan Jaffe, Rev. Dr. Martha Jacobs, Audrey Mann Cronin, Dr. Benna Strober, Kim Gilman & Jessica Reinmann for their help in organizing this incredible event. I look forward to the two showings of Screenagers & the discussion about the impact screen technology has on our lives and what we can do to find a healthy balance”.

Contact list:

LawnChair Theater Co. to Present Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” in Chappaqua

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 The Chappaqua-Millwood Arts & Culture Committee Brings First Time Summer Outdoor Theater to Town

The Town of New Castle along with the Arts & Culture Committee present LawnChair Theater company’s version of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, at the Rec Field on Friday, August 5 at 6 p.m. Twelfth Night is Shakespeare’s RomCom of gender confusion and mistaken identity, where the Good People are sometimes indistinguishable from the bullies.

Standing in for Illyria is San Francisco in 1967, the Summer of Love. Shorthairs and longhairs, mods,freaks and hippies. Yes, and rock and roll. This abridged version of the play is approximately two hours long. Bring a blanket or a chair and have a picnic dinner while watching the play. Food will be made available for purchase.

Friends of arts-new castle poster-12030LawnChair Theater is a summer theater program that has brought outdoor performances to the parks of Westchester since 2005. They have had great fun producing nine summers of Shakespeare. Their casts are multi-generational, blending both professional and amateur performers. Their goal is to contemporize Shakespeare without rewriting him, and to create community through their work and play.new castle arts and culture committee logo-08

New Castle Town Board member Lisa Katz, who is chair of the Arts & Culture Committee, stated “The New Castle Arts & Culture Committee is dedicated to the advancement of the arts in the New Castle community.  I am thrilled that LawnChair Theater will bring a summer theater program to Chappaqua.  I am looking forward to the first of hopefully many more productions as we work to enhance culture and the arts in and around New Castle”.

The mission of the New Castle Arts & Culture Committee is to develop, propose and raise awareness of events and programs on art, music, dance, theatre, film and all other cultural art forms taking place in and around the Town of New Castle.  Events and programs of interest shall include arts series, art auctions, concerts and shows, art exhibits, children’s art programs and community creative festivals.

This announcement was courtesy of News from the Town of New Castle.