The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

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Feed Me Fresh Nourishes Mount Kisco Child Care Center

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Dottie Jordan
Dottie Jordan

By Michall Jeffers

 The 9th annual Feed Me Fresh event delighted 100s of guests who sampled fabulous food while donating to a great cause. On Saturday, September 28, everyone gathered at the bucolic Ivanna Farms to eat food from top local restaurants, participate in an exciting auction, and listen to a lively bluegrass band. Chappaqua was well represented by board member Clark Robson, and his wife Mary Sue; other sponsors included Nancy and Ken Stein, and Barbara and Paul Jenkel. Sabin and Beverley Streeter were Honorary Event Chairs.

Drinks and passed hors d’oeuvres were served and on display were numerous and varied items for the silent auction. Sale items included winter accoutrements, handmade with the fiber of home raised alpaca.

Dinner providers included Quaker Hill Tavern; owner Kelly Sullivan, whose husband is a graduate of Horace Greeley, had the monumental task of organizing the event. “Our goal is to raise a significant amount of money for our scholarship program, to offset the increasing cost of childcare. It’s amazing what a group of committed, compassionate people can get accomplished!”

The spirit of the restaurateurs was best stated by  Café of Love owner Leslie Lampert, who served kale salad and soup, “I care deeply about what MKCCC is doing; they’re teaching children about eating right from the ground up. They’re the best!”

Food-BountyA highlight of the evening was the auction conducted by Doug Wilson, who amused the crowd with his impression of Howard Cosell, with whom he had worked. Bidding was fast and furious, with the largest amount, over $4,000,  paid for a dinner for 10 in the wine cellar of Crabtree’s Kittle House. Wilson assured the winner, “Drink all the wine you want. Transportation is included!”

The honorees of the evening were retiring Executive Director, Dottie Jordan, and founding member of MKCCC, the late Grace Marwell, and her family. The affection felt for both Dottie and Grace was expressed in speeches by David Griff, MKCCC Board President; master of ceremonies, MKCCC Program Director, Dawn Meyerski; and in short videos. Narrator Dr. Curtis Beusman, of Curtis Instruments, noted that Grace Marwell was aptly named.

When Dottie Jordan took the stage inside the tent, cries of “We love you, Dottie!” filled the air. Stuart Marwell eloquently represented his family when he spoke glowingly of his mother. Lovely birdcages were given to Dottie  and  the Marwell family, as  tokens of appreciation.

Bluegrass-bandSince 1971, MKCC has provided affordable, superb childcare and education for local working families. Innovative programs include informing children how to eat a healthy diet, and involving them in  the growing and cooking of nutritious food.  The event was a rousing success, and when  all the speeches had been made, and no one could eat another bite, many lingered, not wanting the evening to be over.

Photos by Kat McKee

Michall Jeffers is a respected Cultural Journalist. She and her husband, John Warner, are longtime Chappaqua residents; they provided the succotash for the first Thanksgiving ever held in Westchester.

Cheers for Gary Portnoy

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Photo by William Smiles
Photo by William Smiles

Sometimes you wanna go
where everybody knows
your name
And they’re always
glad you came
You wanna be where
you can see
Our troubles are all the same
You wanna be where
everybody knows your name

By Sarah Ellen Rindsberg

This is the first half of the chorus of the theme song from “Cheers,” a popular show which debuted in 1982 and continued for 11 seasons. This catchy tune was co-authored by two-time Emmy nominee, ASCAP honoree and Chappaqua resident, Gary Portnoy.

Portnoy receives countless emails from all over the world about the song. “It imparts some sense of belonging. It seems to touch some place in people that is comforting, uplighting,” he observes. This sentiment is echoed by Dr. Jane Greer, a huge fan and supporter. “It captures the essence of what we all feel and experience,” she relates.

Shobha Vanchiswar, a friend of Portnoy’s, appreciates the empathy he shows in his writing as well as in life. When her mom passed away, he expressed his sympathy. “It was almost like he could feel my pain,” Vanchiswar says.  She also highlights the reason why his songs have a universal appeal:  “He tunes himself into what someone else is all about.”

How does someone “stumble” into a songwriting career as Portnoy says he did? In his case, quite simply –by being born into a “dysfunctional household.”  Luckily, his grandparents had given a piano to the family. The keyboard became his “oasis.”

Musical influences include Paul Simon, James Taylor, Carole King and Elton John. He listens to his favorites while driving his jeep. “I love to crank it up with the top down,” 
he says.

Portnoy also acknowledges watching a lot of tv and being “inspired by early tv themes,” (what a surprise!) One of his favorites is the Mary Tyler Moore theme, “It wraps its arms around you,” he says.

When describing his work, Portnoy notes that it has undergone a tremendous evolution. “When I was young I was much more concerned with having someone sing it. It was less about me than who I was trying to get it to.” In his work for tv, the writing imparts “the needs of the script, the story line.” The script for “Cheers,” was particularly inspiring. “I knew who these people were,” he recalls. The characters were so well conceived. I felt this bunch of losers, looking for validation.” Today his work is “informed by me, my thoughts, joys, worries.” The famous theme song and others are featured on his CDs.

Portnoy’s path to Chappaqua is linked to friendship. He came to visit Bill Smiles and his wife for the first time in the late 80’s. For many years Portnoy maintained apartments in Manhattan and Nashville and continued to visit the Smiles. Then, in 2001 after “walking into walls” during the night–forgetting which place he was in, Portnoy made the move to Chappaqua. Today, he resides in “a quasi-wilderness” on the side of a hill with a rambling brook, reveling in his surroundings.

Portnoy is currently pursuing two of his passions: planting Japanese maple trees and working on his collections of British and American studio pottery. Teaching and performing are in the realm of possibilities for the future. And, of course, when inspiration hits, the writing begins.

So the next time you see a Blue Arctic Jeep Wrangler cruising through the hamlet, give a wave and say “Cheers!”

The “Cheers” theme song is having a positive effect on the dopamine levels in Sarah Ellen Rindsberg’s brain.

 

Chasing the Dream

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(L-R) Charlie and Dan Levitz at September’s New Castle’s “Dawn to Dusk Fundraiser”
Charlie and Dan Levitz at September’s New Castle’s “Dawn to Dusk Fundraiser”

By Dan Levitz

We’re still alive! It was an arduous and hard fought battle to get to this place but certainly worth the blood & sweat. No tears to report…this time. We came together, as a unit, in the face of adversity to confront our contentious foes. With a win, we survive. A loss? Oblivion. Yes, this round of the New Castle B League Softball Play-offs would see our team emerge victorious and eligible for the next round of this year’s Championship Double Elimination Tournament! The wings and beer at Quaker Pub, that joyful Tuesday night, were seasoned with victory!

I’m purposely writing this as our team still buzzes from a sweet comeback victory against a fine and honorable team loaded with grizzled softball veterans (I call them Softball Creatures). This type of player knows how to win and in a big spot usually produces. Luckily, we have a few of these types ourselves and this time ours beat theirs, barely. If I were to write this following next Saturday, this story might (if the softball Gods are singing) be punctuated with glory. However, as we are one loss away from interminable elimination (new season begins April, 2014) it seems prudent to write positively while there is still hope and a semi-realistic chance of The Championship.

When I joined the team in 2004, we had the unfortunate moniker of “The Dream Team.” I guess we were named in the spirit of irony but it was such a disparate and intense collection of ball-players that I never felt comfortable enough to actually ask anyone why the name. This team was talented and played angry. I laid low and did my time as catcher and as the amenable new guy who would do what was asked of him to help the team win. Just as I was finding my groove on this squad,
it seemed to disintegrate from within. There was a talented outfielder that was very hard on himself and others with angry demonstrative reactions to errors that scared certain teammates down to the C league or an early retirement. There was another fellow who insisted on playing every game in too tight black bicycle shorts which aesthetically, to put it gently, was unfortunate. More players bailed.

The next incarnation of the team was “The Replacements,” a name I never quite understood but there were more pressing concerns. At this point, I felt truly part of the team–only negative being that we were just terrible. The next several years, included another name change (“The Gems”) for a jersey buying sponsor but we were all very focused mainly on staying out of last place and a forced demotion to the dreaded (sorry guys,) C league. Winning it all and moving up to the glorious A league (much respect fellas!) seemed a pipe dream in these dark and trying softball days.

chasing-dream-oneOne note about local, older man softball (don’t get me started on the Greeley grad 20 year olds who come in and dominate after school lets out…that is another column). This game is truly a great equalizer. On our team we have lawyers, finance guys, software execs, an art dealer, an assistant principal, an AC/plumbing specialist, a CPA, a teacher and a fiery MD/second baseman. On the field, all of these varied perspectives fade away into the fun of competing on a team playing the same game we loved as children. It’s not all joyful. There’s anger, frustration, sportsmanship good & bad and the kind of pressure to succeed that can, somehow, comfortingly distract one from the real pressures of life for about an hour and fifteen minutes every Tuesday weather permitting.

Back to the team. As I progressed to playing third base and a spot in upper management we adopted “The Dirty Mac” as our latest and finest name.  We’ve slowly built the team into a contender. We’ve underachieved at times but in the playoffs anything can happen. One year we had literally one win all season and took down the team with the best record in the league in the playoffs. So now that we’re actually a pretty talented group I know that four more wins and The Championship are certainly a possibility. It’s ours for the taking and the winter will sweep over us gently if we can hoist that trophy (if there actually is a trophy….I’m not really sure).

So, as I write this all is right with the world in the little universe of competitive New Castle B League Softball.  There’s nothing wrong with being alive and chasing the dream! Oh, and with all the splendor and glory of a potential championship before us I’d be remiss not to say thanks to our wives for letting us play on the tournament on Saturday even though it may take a long time.

Dan is a veteran third baseman (and art/antique dealer) who has lived in Chappaqua for 10 years with his wife Laurie and kids Charlie & Bella. He has predicted a huge 2014 for The Dirty Mac!

“Tina’s Wish” Raises Over $920,000 for Ovarian Cancer Research

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The Brozman family (L-R): Amanda, Nick, Andrew and Alix
The Brozman family (L-R): Amanda, Nick, Andrew and Alix

The legal and financial communities raised more than $920,000 for The Honorable Tina Brozman Foundation for Ovarian Cancer Research (Tina’s Wish) at the charitable organization’s annual benefit dinner on Sept. 23 at Cipriani. The dinner honored the memory of former Bankruptcy Court Chief Judge and co-leader of Bingham McCutchen LLP’s Financial Restructuring Group Tina Brozman and marked the 5th year of raising funds for the early detection and prevention of ovarian cancer.

Since its inception, Tina’s Wish has made available more than $4.2 million toward ovarian cancer research grants. “Tina’s Wish is true to Tina’s character and desire to make a difference,” said Michael Reilly, co-head of Bingham’s Financial Restructuring Group and recipient of this year’s Tina Brozman Mentoring Award. “Tina strongly believed in the importance of investing in early-detection research for ovarian cancer as well as investing in the next generation to carry the mission forward. Tina led by example and inspired us all to give back. She’d be proud of the Foundation’s good work.”

Tina’s Wish was founded after Brozman died in June 2007 at the age of 54 following a two-year battle with ovarian cancer. She left behind her husband, Andrew; three children, Nicholas, Alix and Wallis; and a distinguished legal career. The charity is dedicated to funding groundbreaking research for the early detection and prevention of ovarian cancer. The money raised by Tina’s Wish funds grants given to five world-class research institutions: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania Ovarian Cancer Research Center and Yale School of Medicine/Yale Cancer Center, who are all part of the The Tina Brozman Ovarian Cancer Research Consortium.

Remembering Tina Brozman
Remembering Tina Brozman

The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2013 in the United States, approximately 22,000 women will receive a new diagnosis of ovarian cancer and roughly 14,000 women will die from ovarian cancer. A woman’s risk of getting ovarian cancer during her lifetime is 1 in 72, while her lifetime chance of dying from ovarian cancer is 1 in 100, according to the society. In addition, 61 percent of all ovarian cancer cases are detected in stage III or stage IV, when the five-year survival rate is less than 30 percent.

Brozman became the youngest judge on the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, eventually becoming its chief judge. She issued more than 150 decisions while on the bench, including in the landmark Maxwell Communications Corporation bankruptcy case, which established a protocol that became the template for all complex multijurisdictional bankruptcies to follow.

In 2000, she retired from the bench. During her tenure, she was named one of the 50 Most Influential Women Lawyers in America by the National Law Journal. In May 2007, the UJA-Federation of New York’s Bankruptcy and Reorganization Group unanimously selected Brozman as the first recipient of the Professor Lawrence P. King Award for her contributions to the bankruptcy field.

For more information, visit www.tinabrozmanfoundation.org.

Moving Past Tragedy – Evan Lieberman’s Legacy

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By Alyssa Ashley

Evan’s sisters Rachel (left) and Jamie at an Evan’s Team “Trauma Run”.
Evan’s sisters Rachel (left) and Jamie at an Evan’s Team “Trauma Run”.

Tragedy struck on July 18th, 2011, when 19-year-old Evan Lieberman, a beloved brother, son and friend, passed away after fighting for his life and undergoing several serious surgeries after a horrible car accident. Evan’s family has created many events in his honor to raise money to rebuild the waiting room of the Maria Fareri Trauma Center in the Westchester Medical Center, among other things, and to raise awareness and provide a form of support for other families.

The biggest event is the annual Evan Lieberman Westchester Medical Center Trauma Run. The event is a fifteen-obstacle course spanning three miles of the Medical Center’s Valhalla Campus; the course is designed for people of all ages and athletic abilities, and challenges participants to run through the woods, scramble through mud, and navigate through different obstacles.

Completing the event is rewarding and satisfying, and leaves participants proud to have gone through numerous complicated obstacles in support of a great cause.

Other events created in Evan’s name include the Poker Tournament and Dodgeball Event. What makes the Dodgeball Event so special is that it is not only an opportunity to raise money for an important cause and spend time with friends, but dodgeball was a favorite pastime of Evan’s, and so the event is very close to his family’s and friends’ hearts.

(L-R): Alyssa Lentini, Rachel Lieberman and Alyssa Ashley.
(L-R): Alyssa Lentini, Rachel Lieberman and Alyssa Ashley.

In his senior year at Horace Greeley High School, Evan won the dodgeball tournament and enjoyed going to play the game with friends during his free time. The last Dodgeball Event raised an astonishing $25,000 for the hospital and to help raise awareness and support others struggling through tragedy. These events are ways to carry on Evan’s legacy and help other families going through similar situations, by raising money and spreading knowledge about situations such as Evan’s. The desire to reconstruct the waiting room of the Maria Fareri Trauma Center arose because it is not a comfortable environment and is not one of the nicest places to spend anxious hours awaiting life-changing news.

The Lieberman family has raised $200,000 that has gone directly to the reconstruction of the waiting room, which has been described as a “very small place that adds even more stress to families.” Rebuilding it will add a level of comfort and relief to anxious families during times of unexpected and heartbreaking disaster.

Evan was a very personable and fun-loving young man. A big fan of all kinds of movies and an ESPN junkie, he was always looking for a laugh and fun things to do with his friends. His family, friends, and the entire Chappaqua community will always remember his strength and legacy, as everyone continues to participate in these numerous events and help in any way possible. To learn more about different ways to get involved, please visit
www.evansteamny.com.

are you there coverAlyssa Ashley is a senior at Horace Greeley High School. Growing up, her favorite book was Are You There God? It’s Me, 
Margaret.