The Inside Press

on Saturday, September 22 at 7 p.m Acclaimed film, television, and Broadway actor John Bedford Lloyd will serve as Master of Ceremonies for the MKCC’s 8^th Annual Feed Me Fresh: An Edible Evening. The event will be held at Ivanna Farms in Bedford Corners . Proceeds from Feed Me Fresh will provide invaluable scholarship assistance to children enrolled at MKCCC.

“We are thrilled to welcome Mr. Lloyd as our emcee for what we anticipate will be an extraordinary event,” said MKCCC Executive Director, Dottie Jordan. “This year’s Feed Me Fresh promises to be the most fun-packed evening of the year and we are pleased to share it with an esteemed actor and fellow Westchester resident.”

Mr. Lloyd will join the Center in honoring Frances and Isidoro Albanese and Dr. Curtis Beusman for their continuous dedication to the community. The Albanese’s are the husband and wife team behind Mount Kisco eateries Bellizzi and Frannie’s Goodie Shop, while Dr. Beusman is the founder of both Curtis Instruments and Saw Mill Club.

“I’m delighted to join in celebrating those who have contributed so generously to one of the country’s premier child care and early education centers,” said Mr. Lloyd. “Child care is essential to families in our own backyard as well as to the community at large. MKCCC’s exceptional programs ensure children are receiving top-notch care and education, allowing families to maintain employment.”

Feed Me Fresh features gourmet food from a number of the best restaurants and farms in the area, an open bar, a wine tasting, live music, plenty of space to mingle and relax, as well as auctions and raffles.  The evening will end with dessert and dancing.

A longtime Katonah resident, John Bedford Lloyd has acted in a number of films including Bourne Supremacy, Philadelphia, The Manchurian Candidate, Crossing Delancey, Nixon, and Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. This fall, he will portray Supreme Court Justice Byron “Whizzer” White in Stephen Frears’ HBO film Muhammad Ali’s Greatest Fight alongside Christopher Plummer, Frank Langella, and Danny Glover.

Mr. Lloyd has appeared on Broadway in Some Americans Abroad, The Rainmaker, Tartuffe, and at Carnegie Hall in Showboat. His television credits includeJohn Adams, The Bronx is Burning, Blue Bloods, Suits, and PAN AM. He was nominated for a Screen Actor’s Guild Award for his role in Remember WENNand is currently in the USA Network miniseries Political Animals.

Mr. Lloyd also volunteers with Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA), a theatre outreach program operating inside New York State prisons.

Mr. Lloyd has lived in Katonah for 25 years where he and his wife, Anne, raised their daughters, Hannah and Elizabeth.

For information about tickets, donations, and sponsorship opportunities, please visit www.mkccc.org or contact Dottie Jordan at 914.241.2135.

About Mount Kisco Child Care Center:

MKCCC is located at 95 Radio Circle, Mount Kisco, NY and is a nonprofit, non-sectarian, NAEYC-accredited childcare facility that has served the working families of Northern Westchester and Putnam County since 1971. MKCCC provides exceptional and affordable, early-care and education to a diverse group of 160 children, three months to twelve years. The Center is distinguished by a world-class, custom-designed facility, loving, dedicated teachers, and unique and innovative programs.

On September 21, 22 riders will mount their bikes and pedal off for a weekend in the late-summer countryside. But here’s the difference: each rider’s inspiration is a critically-ill child.  This is the 8^th Annual Journey of the Heart, a three-day 150-mile bike tour that covers back roads of Orange and Dutchess counties as well as West Point and Storm King Art Center.  It’s organized by Friends of Karen, a charity that provides emotional, financial and advocacy support to families in the Metro New York region caring for a child with a life-threatening illness.

“September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, but cancer has no calendar or age boundaries,” says Judith Factor, Executive Director of Friends of Karen. “Right now we are helping to sustain over 500 children and their families annually during the most difficult and frightening time of their lives.  No family should have to face cancer alone.”

Each Journey of the Heart rider commits to at least a $2,500 sponsorship and is assigned a Friends of Karen sick child, including a photo and some background information.  The child’s battle with cancer or another critical illness can motivate the rider to keep going when the going gets tough. Lawyer Alan Dubow explains why he participates: “The smiling faces of the children and their families which show their appreciation for the assistance they receive from Friends of Karen during life’s most harrowing experience.  With every ounce of energy expended and every dollar raised, I know our efforts are truly valuable.”

Last year’s Journey of the Heart raised over $150,000 for Friends of Karen children and their families.  Pedaling off on September 21, this year’s event has a few places left.  For information, contact Gwen Salmo 914-617-4051 or GwenSalmo@FriendsOfKaren.org   To find out more about Friends of Karen, visit www.FriendsOfKaren.org