The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

Cover Stories

Poetry’s Purpose: A Creative and Charitable Initiative Launched by Greeley’s Devisi Goel

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Last year, Devisi Goel, as a sophomore at Horace Greeley, founded Poetry’s Purpose, to raise funds for charitable causes. It is poetry for a cause.

And today, as a high school junior, Devisi continues to offer her considerable poetry writing skills to raise money for causes she or the poetry requestor supports.

The concept is simple, so elegant and powerful.

People request personalized poems for their loved ones for a particular event or reason, Devisi explains. She will ask pertinent questions and get to work. She and her fellow poetry writers (at this juncture it is Devisi mostly penning the poems, but other students have participated) will then donate 100% of the payment to a charity that she or the person commissioning the poem supports. 

Devisi explains her motivation for continuing the endeavor: “I always loved to write poetry. I loved the precision present in the choosing and placement of words. I loved the unstructured look, the way words would flow across the paper, presenting themselves in exactly the manner with which they should be read. 

“I loved how every line could be interpreted in a multitude of different ways…

 “During the pandemic, I noticed a common phenomenon spreading across my community, and the entire country: A desire to give back. Different students would make groups dedicated to creating masks or raising money for the front-line workers. Celebrities hosted TV specials to raise our hopes and happiness. I wanted to join this worldwide effort, and so I decided to combine my two passions, poetry and community service, to create Poetry’s Purpose.”

It started “simply one or two customers who were family friends. But with the word getting out at farmer’s markets, and through social media and various interviews with newspapers, Poetry’s Purpose grew. 

“We began getting more and more requests from strangers, people who were looking for a meaningful gift to send to their family, or for something silly to make them laugh.”

During the holiday season, Devisi sent donations from poems to the Mt. Kisco Interfaith Food Pantry, as one example.

“COVID-19 has severely hurt our country, and a prominent problem present in our community is food insecurity. Families are unable to get their basic necessities, to be able to put food on their table,” she explains. “The food pantry aids with this. Its volunteers create a safe environment, and they provide hope to those who need it. They make sure that no one leaves without feeling better than when they came in.”

At any time, and not just during the holidays, you can give the gift of poetry to your loved one and at the same time, the gift of food to someone in need, explains Devsi.

To explore the possibility of Devisi writing a poem on your behalf for a special person or occasion, and having your donation go to a charity, contact her, poetrypurpose2020@gmail.com

Also, visit www.poetryspurpose.com

Follow her on Instagram too, @poetryspurpose.

Going, Going, GRAY!

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Photo by Carolyn Simpson
Hair by Donna Dellaero, Donna Hair Design

I was a slave to the salon. Every four weeks it was time for a touch-up. Whenever I had my hair color applied, I’d ask, “How gray am I?” In 2019 my roots were growing in so fast that the contrast of the white and dark color really bothered me. 

I never wanted to dye my hair. My mother was a double process bleached blonde, and I saw the damage all those chemicals did to her hair. But in my forties when I started to gray around my temples a friend advised me to start. 

When I contemplated getting color every three weeks, in January 2020, I thought, “Enough!” Around that time, I noticed celebrities who were my age and older going gray. I always admired Diane Keaton and have often been told I remind people of her–must be the “la, di, da.” So I asked a younger friend whom I rely on for fashion advice. She said, “Keep dying your hair until you can’t anymore.” And my former hairdresser was not in favor of my going gray either. But as it turned out, in February 2020 I sat in the chair at the salon for a lighter base coat and highlights. That was the last time. The Pandemic came, and the lockdown happened, and I saw this as a sign to go for it. 

Life is a journey and going gray is a natural part. I saw it with my 14-year-old dog Maggie Mae, a black and white toy poodle who has been gradually turning gray. It was slightly painful watching the contrast. French hair clips and ponytails helped me get through it, and fortunately the only people who saw me were on Zoom or socially distanced as I walked Maggie Mae.  

I wasn’t alone in this. A friend with whom I had frequently commiserated about this process had taken the leap in November of 2019. She is so happy now that she has gone gray. “I can’t believe I did that all those years. It wasn’t so painful.” 

Another friend who stopped coloring her hair a decade ago says, “I was fed up with all the fuss and tired of all the chemicals. I quite like my hair now.” 

I have a new hairstylist who is helping me be my best and true self. Her philosophy is that going natural is another process for women. “When you get to a crossroad where you are thinking about it and you feel ready to be your authentic self, then do it!” She says the Pandemic pushed people to act on something they had been contemplating. 

Now this is not for everyone. Not all gray is alike. I’ve always had good hair, great texture and was lucky that my gray is silvery. I can thank my maternal grandparents for that. And it’s also about having the confidence to be your genuine self. I’ve always been comfortable in my own skin and feel like I’ve earned these laugh lines along with the gray. 

There are lots of ways to transition to gray from cold turkey by letting your hair grow out naturally like I did, to cutting your hair very short or having a colorist blend the gray tones into your hair. And if you need support there are Facebook groups to join to help you through it. 

Another friend who is a former actress who had been dying her hair forever got help from a colorist to make the transition. “People see gray and immediately say, ‘old.’” But she has embraced her new look and sees it as an opportunity to refresh her wardrobe and wear colors she never dreamed of wearing. 

Going gray has given me the opportunity to sport a hairstyle that is chic and one I wore when I was much younger. 

Proverbs 16:31 says, “Gray hair is a crown of splendor. It is attained by living a righteous life.” I’d like to hope that is the case. It’s been two years and all the old color is now gone. I’m walking into 2022 wearing a crown of splendor and loving it. 

Finding Alvin: A Story of Love, Loss & Renewal on Three Legs

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On April 6, 2021, six months after the loss of our 13-year-old husky Keira, I clicked on a site and saw Alvin, a smiling, young husky with three legs. He’d been shot in Georgia, medically treated there, rescued, and brought to a New Jersey rescue organization, where he was being fostered.

I closed my browser, left the room, and tried to focus on my resolution never again to adopt a dog. It had been a grief-filled six months, my husband and I were now in our 60s, and I didn’t feel capable of enduring such pain again. 

But something drew me to the photo of this puppy, who, described on the site as a “gem,” seemingly refused to be cowed by his two-month-old ordeal. Could he bring joy back into a home that had seemed so dismal these past months? Was Keira somehow engineering this? Don’t be dramatic, I told myself, and closed my Mac. 

We had rescued Keira in October of 2013, during yet another grief-filled period, as our rescued rottweiler had died suddenly. Keira, described as “depressed” by the rescue organization, had not only been abandoned by the only family she’d known in her seven years, but had been rejected as an adoptee because of her age. I felt we needed each other–and the rescue organization agreed. It was a wonderful seven years. 

When we noticed a limp in the summer of 2020, we attributed it to a low-grade Lyme infection for which she was being treated. When she fell one day, we rushed her to the emergency room and learned the worst: it was non-operable bone cancer and our choice was euthanasia or amputation. We waivered, sobbed and ultimately followed the advice of Keira’s loving doctor: “Go see Keira. Her eyes will tell you if she wants to live.” We did and they did. 

In the months that followed the amputation, we put as much of our lives on hold as possible, cheering Keira as she adapted to her new gait; sleeping with her in the living room since she could no longer traverse stairs; renting a beach house in a town she loved–and beginning the treatment regimen that we understood was designed not to cure, but to enhance her quality of life in the limited time we’d have.  As it turned out, it was, indeed, limited. 

In early October, I heard a piercing yelp and found Keira on the floor. The cancer had spread, and it was time to say goodbye.  My husband and I lay on the floor at the emergency room with Keira, holding and kissing her for 30 minutes. it was clear that she was ready to say goodbye. 

As I returned to my computer on April 6, 2021, I felt again the eerie notion that Keira was urging me to buck up and read about Alvin. The adoption requirements seemed onerous: a home 50 miles or less from the rescue organization’s headquarters; experience with a northern breed such as a husky; and a fenced yard. 

No way, I thought. We did have two out of three, but the rescue organization was in a New Jersey city I’d never heard of. Nonetheless, I did a quick map search of the town. My iPhone GPS read, “50 miles, one hour and two minutes.” Not 51 miles, not 53 miles, but 50 miles! The distance requirement, check! Northern breed experience, check! Fenced in yard, check! And, certainly not a requirement, but we had experience with front-leg amputation in a northern breed! Could there be a more perfect family? 

I sent the 12-page application, went to lunch with a friend, and waited for the call that came that very day. While the rescue people were trying to be circumspect, I sensed that they, too, felt this was meant to be. After various steps to verify our appropriateness, including a home inspection, the rescue organization–apparently agreeing that there could be no more perfect a family–decided to forgo additional steps.  Alvin was ours! 

As a young amputee, Alvin has surprised us with his agility. He climbs–no, leaps–up the stairs two at a time, jumps into my SUV with no assistance, swims–and exudes joy. I often think of the encouragement that President Joe Biden brings to those in a state of grief, having himself grieved deeply. “One day,” he says, “you’ll remember that loved one, and a smile will come to your lips before a tear comes to your eye.” 

I often smile these days, even after only one year, thinking of Keira. She had her way. Alvin is home. 

Winners of the Annual Harvey School’s WELLS Speech Contest

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The Harvey School has announced the winners of the 63rd annual Wells Speech Contest which featured several area residents as finalists.

Taking the top prize in the upper school was senior Maria Millette. The runner-up was fellow senior Elyse Rosman of Chappaqua. Other finalists were sophomore Grace Alpern, juniors Julian van den Tol and Jasmine Zhang, and four local residents, senior Greyson Cooper of Katonah, sophomore Kayla Lichtenstein of Armonk, and ninth graders Daniela Rynott of Mount Kisco and Ryan Byrne of Goldens Bridge.

The Harvey Middle School winner was seventh grader Anna Bogenschutz. Honorable mention was awarded to eighth grader Tory Janush of Briarcliff Manor. Among the other finalists were eighth grader Olivia Barsky and two local residents, seventh grader Stephen Millette of Mount Kisco and sixth grader Amity Doyle of Katonah.

Harvey’s school-wide speech contest tasks students in grades 6-12 with writing and delivering their own persuasive essays. The speeches judged the best from each English class advanced to the semifinal round where the finalists were selected.

Bedford Town Justice Jodi Kimmel and Tony-nominated actress Anne Twomey Lloyd of Katonah served as this year’s judges.

 

 

 

 

#CHAPP100 Chappaqua Library Turning 100

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“Celebrating the Past, Inspiring the Future”

The Chappaqua Library is recognizing a major milestone in 2022 as it reaches its 100th year of service. will include activities throughout the year with a Community Centennial celebration on Saturday, June 4, 2022. 

The Chappaqua Library is the heart of a vibrant community where people of all ages, backgrounds and cultures engage in lifelong learning and discovery while actively participating in the life of the community. Its mission: to provide exceptional resources, programs, and services that promote the joy of lifelong learning and discovery and to offer a welcoming place for people to gather and share experiences.

“Over the past 100 years, the Chappaqua Library has enriched the community in meaningful ways, and thrived thanks to the overwhelming enthusiasm and financial support of the community. The Board looks forward to our dedicated staff continuing to provide innovative programs and outstanding service into the next 100 years,” says Ronni Diamondstein, Chappaqua Library Board President. 

Andrew Farber, Library Director says, “The Library has changed dramatically over the last one hundred years. We have strived to respond to our patrons’ needs. Our warm and welcoming staff work is looking ahead to the future and will continue to engage the community with diversity, inclusivity and innovative programs.”

The library welcomes everyone through its doors located in the heart of the community on South Greeley Avenue. In 100 years, the library grew from a space in Lou Kopp’s Coal and Feed Store, located across the tracks on King Street and near the current northbound entrance to the Saw Mill River Parkway, to its current beautiful facility.  Starting with only 2,683 volumes in its collection, the library now offers over 134,000 materials and has added digital content, streaming services, programs for patrons of all ages, and provides space for the community to study, read, and enjoy.  

The upcoming programming  will honor the library’s history and look ahead with book discussions, oral histories, and exhibits. Partnering with many community groups, children’s and family programs will also reflect on the library’s history and commitment to service. Look for garden plantings and a time capsule that will preserve community submissions!  The Chappaqua Library is excited to share its own story as well as the community’s.

2022 also marks the 50th anniversary of the Friends of the Chappaqua Library. In addition to the very popular Annual Book Sale, which will return in April, they will work with the library to commemorate their anniversary. As Katherine Whymark, President of the Friends of the Chappaqua Library, likes to say, “According to my Star Wars friend Yoda, always in motion the future is, and we must move towards and with the future. Thanks to all that have supported the Friends in the past, and thanks in advance to those looking to support us in the future. Never give up, never surrender!”

To learn more about upcoming events, visit chappaqualibrary.org/centennial.

News and Photo Courtesy of The Chappaqua Library