The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

The Inside Press

Mindful and Compassionate Parenting and Communities

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By Jeanette Sandor and Jan Fielder

When it comes to creating a career, we usually get years of training. When it comes to creating a peaceful, happy life as parents, we get far less training. Much of our parenting is based upon personal experience which can oftentimes leave us feeling ill prepared or inadequate to handle the myriad of challenges we face daily.

We all want to be the best parents possible, but sometimes we fall short of our expectations. With all the pressures and stressors we encounter as we strive to manage work, school and social obligations, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed making it difficult to parent. And it’s difficult to parent well when we feel overwhelmed.

Is it possible for parents to thrive despite overscheduled and stressful lives? Is it possible for children to thrive given their obligations and pressures? Absolutely!

There are evidenced based practices grounded in mindfulness and self-compassion that will help you be the skillful parent you want to be. These practices can also help your children become more resilient in the face of the pressures they face in their plugged in, competitive and overscheduled lives.

Jeanette Sandor RN, MA and Jan Fielder, MS, MA, are Life and Wellness Coaches as well as mothers. Together they empower parents with tools and practices so that parenting becomes less stressful and more joyful. Their goal is to help create a more mindful and compassionate world, one family at a time and one community at a time. Their workshops for parents, families and children teach skills for life… a mindful and compassionate life, so that there can be competition with peacefulness, devices with boundaries, and schedules with spaces for breathing and being.

Local Faces Campaign Emphasizes Positivity, Loyalty and Shopping Local

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A photo campaign this summer is intended to help spread positivity, loyalty and shopping local in our community. Culminating in a gallery exhibit, the campaign aims to connect residents of the community with the faces behind our local stores and businesses. Photographed by Carolyn Simpson, Doublevision Photographers. doublevisionphotographers.com  Here are just a few faces in the campaign. Can you name these faces? The gallery show with the final images of everyone who was photographed will take place on September 15, 6-9 p.m. at Chappaqua’s hip-kid lounge, 77 South Greeley Ave.

A Trio of Family Fun “Must Dos” on Sunday September 17 at Wampus Brook Park

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Runners of all ages come from near and far to participate in the run and fun!

This year’s ever popular Cider and Donut Festival and Jamie’s 5K Run for Love are joining hands again with the Byram Hills Preschool Association (BHPA) Carnival for a day of unbeatable family fun. Be sure to save the date, Sunday September 17th, all through Armonk’s Wampus Brook Park, from 9:15 a.m. to 2 p.m.

A Preschooler Enjoying a Ride
PHOTO COURTESY OF NANCY ROSNER
Donut heaven
by Beascakes of Armonk

“It’s just good old fashioned fun and with Jamie’s Run and the Carnival, we are engaging the community more and more each year,” noted Neal Schwartz, Armonk Chamber President. “It’s great to see how this Cider and Donut Festival has evolved over the years and become a favorite ‘must go to’ event.”

Sponsored by the Armonk Chamber of Commerce, it’s an all morning and into the afternoon time of festivities and a great cause to support.

The race is in memory of Jamie Love, a BHHS track star. Runners/walkers and fun seekers come from all over to celebrate Jamie’s memory and enjoy an old-fashioned country fair. There will be carnival rides, live music, a pie eating contest, food, cider and hot donuts from Beascakes! Local merchants will provide fun, free children’s activities. For details, and to register for the 5k, go to armonkchamberofcommerce.com. Race price goes up the day of the event.

Highlights

For the runs:
9:15 a.m.: Donut Dash (ages 2-8)
9:25 a.m: McIntosh Mile (all ages)
10:45 a.m.: Jamie’s 5k Run for Love
10 a.m. – 2 p.m.: The Chamber Festivities and BHPA Carnival Run

Stronger New Castle: Browde, Markels, & Pool

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(L-R): Stronger New Castle’s Gail Markels, Kristen Browde, and Ivy Pool

For a Town You Love to Call Home

Your vote for Stronger New Castle will bring experienced, detail-oriented managers to Town Hall, positioning our town for a resurgence and improved quality-of-life.

We are running for Town Board because we love New Castle and know we can improve our future! We want to live in a community that is resilient in the face of change, welcoming of newcomers and diverse opinions, culturally exciting and safe for our citizens–young and old. After the 2016 elections, sitting back was not an option for us. Collectively, we feel a strong sense of responsibility to step up and do our part to ensure open, honest and transparent governance in our hometown. We bring the skills that are needed and the passion this town deserves. We are Stronger New Castle…for a town you love to call home!

Kristen Browde is a Family Law attorney working in Chappaqua, a trustee of a $2.4 billion dollar pension fund and a director of two Bar Associations. She served on the Town Board of Ethics and helped draft the revised Town Code of Ethics. Kristen sits on the Chappaqua School Board’s Financial Advisory Committee and the Town Diversity Committee. She has two children, including an eighth grader at Seven Bridges.

Gail Markels began her legal career as an Assistant DA. She has served as General Counsel and managed nationwide state and local government affairs programs for several industry trade associations, representing video games and motion pictures. She currently works as a consultant providing government affairs and legal services to trade associations and businesses. She is a co-chair of the Chappaqua Garden Club. Her two children graduated from Horace Greeley High School.

Ivy Pool is a public sector consultant whose clients include Bloomberg Associates and the Obama Foundation. Ivy has managed multi-million dollar projects for the State and City of New York. She earned a Master’s in Public Administration and is an Adjunct Professor at NYU’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. Ivy is Vice President and Treasurer of the Greeley Hills Neighborhood Association and a Girl Scout Troop Leader. She has two children at Grafflin, where she is active in the PTA.

This is a critical election for New Castle. There are shovels in the ground all over town and there is a new and ambiguous Comprehensive Plan. You have a clear choice: the incumbents favor large-scale development in residential areas. We’ll put your interests over those of developers.

We have the ability and the temperament necessary to work together to bring about the improvements and reforms New Castle desperately needs, and to work cooperatively with the two Town Board members you elected in 2015, Jeremy Saland and Hala Makowska.

Stronger New Castle is endorsed by the Democratic Party, the Working Families Party, the Women’s Equality Party, and Up2Us, the former Chappaqua Friends of Hillary.

Our Platform

The following platform is a practical and financially-sound vision for a town you love to call home:

1. Stronger New Castle Will Bring New Energy, Enthusiasm and Solutions to Our Hamlets

  • Revitalize Downtown Chappaqua.
  • Rezone downtown to allow for expanded and creative uses of existing spaces.
  • Solve structural challenges like traffic and parking.
  • Build a Stronger Millwood.
  • Address top concerns, such as the DOT facility, the restoration of the train station, and the bike lane on Route 100.
  • Install sewers and finish sidewalks.

2. Stronger New Castle Will Enhance Safety and Improve Infrastructure

  • Establish a Truck Safety Unit within the New Castle Police Department.
  • Conduct a full review of speed limits; invest in traffic calming measures.
  • Build sidewalks on Route 117 from downtown to Horace Greeley High School and Chappaqua Crossing.
  • Fix failing sewers in Random Farms, Riverwoods, and Yeshiva.

3. Stronger New Castle Will Protect Your Investment and Keep Taxes in Check

  • Minimize town taxes and maximize efficiency.
  • Actively pursue Federal, State, and Regional grant funding opportunities–no more missed deadlines.
  • Employ project management best practices: eliminate “no bid” contracts and multi-million dollar cost overruns.

4. Stronger New Castle Will Put Residents and our Environment First

  • Ensure a full review of environmental impacts as a precondition to any development outside of existing zoning regulations.
  • Work closely with neighboring towns on projects that impact our shared resources.

5. Stronger New Castle Commits to Open and Transparent Governance

  • Bring respect and civility to Town Hall and our meetings.
  • Honor and encourage the active participation in local government by all citizens.
  • Provide adequate notice of all town meetings, and full transparency on all board votes.
  • Improve access to information by streamlining the town website and indexing Town Board videos by topic.
  • Provide clarity on the priority, sequencing, and measurement of the actions identified in the recently adopted comprehensive plan.

For more information, please visit StrongerNewCastle.org.

Celebrate Indie Author Day

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Come to the North Castle Public Library on Saturday, October 14, to celebrate Indie Author day! You can meet local authors Patricia Dunn (Rebels by Accident) and Jimin Han, ( A Small Revolution), participate in a creative writing workshop, have coffee and conversation with an author, attend a nationwide webinar on independent publishing, and more!

Our celebration will start at 11 a.m. and continue through 3:30 p.m. Questions? Contact Mary Johnson at the North Castle Public Library, 914-273-3887. Also, visit: www.indieauthorday.com.