The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

Cover Stories

Navigating a Pandemic & Advocating for Families at the Mount Kisco Child Care Center

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Ruth Goodman with son, Adam, and niece, Sarah, who are both long-time MKCCC volunteers.

Established as a non-profit in 1971, Mount Kisco Child Care Center has served more than 6,500 children over the past 50 years. The Center serves nearly 200 children each year and is committed to its successful model of service–balancing families who can pay the full fee for care, with families who require need-based scholarship support to attend. Each year MKCCC raises more than $600,000 for its scholarship program. Approximately half of our families receive some level of scholarship support. MKCCC provides year-round child care and early education programs for children beginning at three months until elementary school. The Center offers before- and after-school care to children in Kindergarten through 5th grade and a full-time, eight-week summer enrichment camp for elementary students through 5th grade.

The pandemic has posed many predictable hardships for our neediest families. We are lucky to live in a community with a tremendously generous spirit. From the very beginning of this long and unprecedented time of need, we have been able to utilize community resources and services to assure that our families have food, clothing, diapers, and all basic necessities. We are very thankful to have such devoted community partners.

As the pandemic wears on, a less easily solved problem has arisen. It is safe to say that remote learning has posed a challenge for all families. Supervising and assisting our children with remote learning has been a bemoaned task and burden; much validated by countless comedians and commercials. 

There is nothing funny about it, however, if you are a parent who must go to work, in person, every day, in order to provide for your family. These mothers and fathers cannot work from home and provide that imperfect, yet safe model of learning known as remote, or hybrid.  

From the very first day that schools initiated remote learning, Mount Kisco Child Care Center transformed our K-5th grade afterschool program into a full day remote learning program. Serving 30 students from seven different school districts, we set out to provide an option for those parents who had no choice regarding their return to work.

Advocating for Our Students

What we found is that some students had very little trouble adapting to online learning and were able to thrive academically. Others, however, have struggled. We knew that just as we became an online learning setting for families in need, we had to also become advocates for our students, just as a parent or in-home caregiver would. Our teachers and I began collaborating frequently with teachers at children’s schools. In sharing our observations about what a student was challenged by, we were able to formulate strategies to meet goals varying from increased engagement and focus regarding the online learning itself, to increased comprehension of the material, and greater success with assignments.

This intervention served to bridge the gap between “home” and school in many instances. We were thrilled to see happier kids, and parents who were less anxious about their need to work during this unprecedented time. There were, however, some students who needed more support than was possible through our collaborations with the school districts.

One such student is Janet. Janet is a friendly, bright and extroverted 10-year-old. She has been a part of our afterschool program for many years. Historically, Janet was an excellent student with no identified barriers to learning. Soon after the implementation of remote learning, her academic performance declined. Accustomed to academic success, this shift quickly affected her confidence, and thus her engagement with her online classes. A negative pattern became evident to our teachers. Accustomed to positive feedback from her teachers for both attitude and achievement, she felt embarrassed when she was unsure or wrong in class and ceased to participate only serving to cause her to fall further behind. Our MKCCC teachers came to me with their concerns. In meeting with Janet’s teachers, I learned that they too were alarmed by the changes that they were seeing in Janet. 

Janet’s parents were distressed about this development. They felt helpless. Sadly, in many ways they were. Janet’s mother is a store cashier and her father is a handyman. English is their second language. They couldn’t give her the academic assistance that she needed, nor were they able to afford a tutor.

Once again looking to resources in our community made a solution possible. I reached out to a local college student who was living at home during the pandemic, as her classes were online and her campus was closed. As an Education major, Emma jumped at the opportunity to become involved. With input from our teachers, and Janet herself, Emma familiarized herself with Janet’s areas of challenge and confusion. Janet was immediately excited about the prospect of having her own tutor. When she learned it was a college student, she was even more enthusiastic, revealing her hope to go to college one day. Emma has shared with me how disconnected and isolated she has felt since her own remote learning began. Having a connection with Janet and seeing the positive impact of her assistance has given her an unexpected but very welcome sense of purpose during this turbulent time.

COVID-19 has changed our world significantly. What hasn’t changed is our mission of providing high-quality child care and early education for all of our families. We pride ourselves on our commitment to maintaining a diverse student community , both socio-economically and culturally. The children enrolled at MKCCC continue to learn, grow, and thrive, through our innovative and award-winning curriculum, including the intergenerational Joining Elders With Early Learners (JEWEL) program and Feed Me Fresh (FMF) nutrition education program. Mount Kisco Child Care Center looks forward to our next 50 years, pledging to continue our service to our community with optimism and dedication to excellence in child care.

It’s a Wonderful Life for Ian and Lauren Karr

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Lauren and Ian Karr
PHOTO BY CAROLYN SIMPSON

Ian Karr, who grew up in White Plains, always thought he’d live in Chappaqua. Lauren, his wife, was a city girl who was never leaving the city. One day in 1997 Ian came home to their 52nd Street apartment to find Lauren with the Real Estate section of The New York Times. “I’m looking for houses in Chappaqua,” she told him not long after they had visited some friends who had moved up from the city. “It was a nesting thing,” says Ian. “We had a baby. She was six months old and we felt like we needed more space and a nice place to live.”

The Karr’s story is like many who find themselves living in the town. “We liked the location. It’s close enough to the city. It’s sophisticated but country,” says Ian. “One of the big factors is the great school system,” adds Lauren. “We’ve seen the full cycle in Chappaqua from pre-school, playgroups to empty nests.”

Twenty-four years later they are empty nesters. Their baby Jayden is now 24 years old and living in the city pursuing a career in eCommerce. Their son Gregory is a Junior at Syracuse University majoring in Finance and Real Estate.

Ian is an award-winning producer and director and the founder of IKA Collective a production company that celebrated its 35th anniversary on March 11th. Ian began his career on country radio stations in New Orleans and New York, but storytelling, photography and filmmaking were in his system since his childhood. He got his first production job in 1986 with Merrill Lynch. From Merrill Lynch he took on commercial clients in the late 90s doing promos for TV clients and then in the late 2000s original content and commercials. The company has grown to include such clients as the Hallmark Channel. “We do a lot of work with Hallmark Channel,” says Ian. “We do promos, behind the scenes for a majority of their movies, bonus content with stars, and we originated the podcasts. Hallmark is near and dear, and they are incredibly nice people.” Ian kept up his radio work and joined comedian Jackie Martling for the “Joke Hunt” on SiriusXM Radio for eight years.

Lauren had a career as a Print Broker and opened her own printing business which she had for ten years. When she fell in love with Pilates after Gregory was born in 2000, she was encouraged by her instructor Lesly Levy to become an instructor herself. Lauren is now a certified Pilates Trainer and Pilates Teacher Trainer. She has worked in several studios in Westchester and has been with Breathe Pilates & Yoga in Chappaqua nearly ten years. Helping people gives Lauren great satisfaction. “Most of my clients have some issue with their back or their spine. I feel good making them feel better and strengthened.”

Once Lauren embraced the suburban life, she became involved in the PTA. She ran the Westorchard Spring Fair for many years and continued to be involved with PTA when her children were at Seven Bridges Middle School and Horace Greeley High School. She took to gardening and planted a vegetable garden. Raising chickens was always on Lauren’s bucket list so she and Ian found some Pullets on Craig’s List and set up a coop in their backyard for several years. “It was a learning experience,” says Lauren. “And they loved me because I fed them.”

Skiing bonded the Karrs and it became a favorite family activity. Since 2003 they have gone out to Utah with the family. “We really loved the feeling, the vibe of it, the people, and all the people coming from all over to be there,” says Lauren.

A love of cars created a bond for Ian and his son Gregory. “When Greg was nine years old we restored a 1965 Mustang. I wanted a fun father-son activity. Little did I know it would unlock the inner mechanic in me,” says Ian. Ian brought the car to the Auto Center at Reader’s Digest to mechanic Stu Silverman. “Stu would put it on the lift and check my work. He was very encouraging through the process–a great mentor and neighbor helping neighbor.”

The Pandemic has impacted both their careers. For Ian there is a lot less travel. “Production is a team sport, it’s a hive. So we had to develop new protocols which allowed for collaboration at a distance. Once those were in place, it’s amazing how quickly our crews adapted.”

Lauren does virtual Pilates training now. “For me it’s great because I still have the connection with the clients. It’s different in that I can’t be there with them,” says Lauren. “It’s making the best of whatever the situation is. I’m still getting that level of satisfaction of making people feel good.”

COVID-19 brought some other changes to their family. Jayden, their 24-year-old daughter was furloughed from her job at Bergdorf when NY Pause began. It was a challenging time for many young people who were without work. Not knowing what the future held Lauren encouraged Jayden’s creativity and Jayden launched ZIP’D Wear, a casual clothing line. “It took her mind off things, and fortunately in July Jayden was called back to Bergdorf,” says Lauren. Always the entrepreneur, Jayden still keeps up with her business.

The Karrs reflected on their 27-year marriage, their careers and their life in Chappaqua.

“Laughing is a huge part of our marriage,” says Ian. His advice: “Don’t take yourself too seriously and create circumstances for you to grow together.” Lauren adds, “The key is mutual respect and to be on the same page about parenting.”

“With the pace of things today, it’s easy to feel like we’re on a hamster wheel,” says Ian. “One day I watched a hamster in a pet store. You know how hamsters get off the wheel? They jump. I learned from that little rodent that if you want to get off the hamster wheel you have to take a leap, you can’t just slow it down.”

And has their life been like a Hallmark movie? “Typically, in a Hallmark movie one of the important themes is rediscovering yourself and what’s important in your life after you’ve been sidetracked or led astray. It becomes a tug of war and the characters always choose people over things,” Ian says. “The parallel for me in my life with Hallmark is I tend to choose relationships and the happiness of the people around me over almost everything else.”

As a friend once told Ian, “Marriage is like a great movie. Ninety percent of it is casting.” It looks like Ian and Lauren Karr are the stars of their own inspiring journey.

Flourishing, Despite COVID: Musician & Consummate Artist Drew Bordeaux

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Drew and Tammy PHOTO By Donna Mueller

Drew Bordeaux recalls a time when the music scene in Northern Westchester and its environs was bustling. The Mount Kisco born and bred singer/songwriter who plays both guitar and violin would play upwards of 150 gigs a year at local venues including the now defunct Winston’s in Mount Kisco, Village Social in Mount Kisco and Lucy’s in Pleasantville. At these smaller venues, he enjoyed getting to know his fan base. But he also played larger venues in the tri-state area with some well-known musicians including Lauryn Hill, Boz Skaggs, KT Tunstall and the Gin Blossoms.

All this, in addition to holding down a job in his boutique digital marketing firm, Silver Rush Media, and doing fashion photo shoots and portraits of celebrities like actor Kiefer Sutherland, and musicians including Grace Potter, Ani DiFranco and Steve Earle. To say that he’s a Renaissance man is an understatement. And COVID hasn’t stopped him from creating and coming up with innovative solutions to continue his many creative pursuits albeit in new formats. 

PHOTO By Donna Mueller

A Musician at Heart 

The eloquent Harvard educated Bordeaux first fell in love with playing violin in first grade. He recalls many afternoons spent at the Westchester Conservatory of Music and Hoff-Barthelson Music School. Growing up blues music was a fixture in his household. “BB King was my first concert,” he recalls.

After picking up guitar and playing in some indie bands in college, he credits musicians such as John Mayer and Dave Matthews for influencing his music. He played at several Manhattan venues in the eponymous Bordeaux Group post college such as The Bitter End and the National Underground. The managers from those venues recommended him for several gigs which led to a jam-packed gig schedule “much to the chagrin of my friends and family,” notes Bordeaux. 

A Pandemic Pivot

But of course all of that came to a screeching halt in March of 2020 and with that Bordeaux’s gigs. In the beginning of the pandemic, he was literally itching to perform. “Every day felt like a year.” But after talking with his fellow creatives, he decided to experiment and try new platforms to perform. By April, he was performing from his Tarrytown home via Livestream. “This gave me the opportunity to be in pajamas one minute and performing the next.” 

Bordeaux used several of his Livestream performances to raise funds for causes near and dear to his heart such as MusiCares COVID-19 Relief, a Grammy created program to help music industry professionals during the pandemic and also a local beloved landmark, Tarrytown Music Hall. “It was great to have family and friends donate too to these causes who normally might not be able to see me perform.” 

A silver lining of the pandemic is that Bordeaux has had time to finally start working on an album which will be released this spring titled Impulse/Instinct. Bordeaux fans will be happy to hear him playing loop-based acoustic guitar a la Ed Sheeran. “If you’ve seen me perform, it won’t deviate too much from that.” He’s been busy researching platforms for him to release the album himself like Spotify.

He’s also found that the pandemic can actually be liberating for creatives like himself. “Now is the time that we can literally do anything–all preconceived notions about what would or wouldn’t work have gone out the window.” For instance, he has been doing virtual Zoom photo shoots. One photo shoot featuring local  Chappaqua fashion model Danielle Zinaich wound up in Vogue. 

Elevate20 Photography Project

Bordeaux also used his photography skills this past summer for a photo series project he titled Elevate20. Bordeaux’s wife Tammy started working at the Tribeca Film Festival about three weeks before the pandemic hit. They watched a Tribeca-produced documentary in partnership with MCM about the music and fashion scene in NYC together called “The Remix: Hip Hop x Fashion” and Bordeaux was instantly inspired by this amazing community of musicians and fashion designers.

“The Elevate20 series was the nexus of my photography with the Black Lives Matters movement,” he explained. Bordeaux posted to his Instagram this summer that he was looking to do pro bono photo shoots for 20 Black creatives. So for instance if a model needed to update his/her “look book” or a musician needed a new album cover, Bordeaux would photograph it. “I wanted to uplift people and do my best work for people of color. I met amazing musicians and designers through the project.” Photos from the series can be viewed on drewbordeaux.com.

Raising Awareness About Racial Inequality 

The subject of race also propelled him to write several essays on the topic after the George Floyd killing this past spring. “When the video came out, I didn’t want to watch it. I was cynical enough to know how it ends. But when I did see it, it was a turning point. 

I had friends calling me and asking me what they could do to help. My Facebook became a diary and chronicle of my thoughts and feelings about the social unrest that was happening and a way to have a dialogue with people [about race] at a time when I didn’t necessarily feel it was that safe to go out and protest.”

His social media feed and essays caught the attention of editors at Bedford & New Canaan Magazine and they approached him about becoming the arts/culture editor there as well as photographing for various stories. “Any chance I have to be creative this year, I’m like, let’s go,” he explained.

Obviously, Bordeaux has a lot on his plate but when he has downtime, he enjoys spending time at the Tarrytown Sleepy Hollow (TASH) farmers market of which his wife is co-president. With both in creative fields, they’ve had to pivot and rethink how to approach their jobs. “The Tribeca Film Festival this year is going to be this immersive and reimagined experience. I can’t wait,” he said.

Like all of us, Bordeaux is waiting for some sense of normalcy to resume. Once Covid is behind us, he wants to go to his favorite restaurant Mint in Tarrytown for brunch with his wife. “I just want to sit in our window seat and feel transported like you are in Europe.” He also wants to go to a rock concert. “That was one of the last things I did before the pandemic started and I remember standing there thinking this is the last time I am doing this for a while. I just want to feel the music wash over me again.” 

New Resolve, Restored Balance & Enhanced Appreciation

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A Pandemic Year’s Impact on Wendy Craft and Evan Echenthal

Jacob, Wendy, Evan and Tyler    PHOTO BY Carolyn Simpson

It stands to reason that many lessons have been learned over the last year as the COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on society. For Chappaqua resident and finance icon Wendy Craft, she learned the true value and satisfaction in saying no. 

For Craft and her husband, litigation attorney Evan Echenthal, their lives, like so many, were upended last March when the coronavirus halted travel, shuttered businesses, schools, and regular everyday life, and forced them to adjust to a unique routine comprised of Zoom calls, eLearning, remote work, and a continual sense of stress. 

The couple quickly learned the typical 9-to-5 workday would become extinct and early morning phone calls on the weekends and late-night texts or emails during the week with requests to do menial tasks would become something to get used to working from home. 

“It’s endless. There’s no guilt free day off anymore,” said Craft, who was relishing a meteoric award-winning career as the Chief of Staff for Fulcrum Equities. “You’ve lost all sense of boundaries because your home has become your work.”

But in balancing her home life, her twin 12-year-old sons, her work and stressors stemming from the pandemic, Craft over time became more aware of her mental health. As a working professional, being both a woman and a mom, she said she has always felt pressure to go beyond her abilities to say yes to everything. 

Craft, who heads a single-family office in New York City that invests in real estate and operating companies around the world, is a member of several prominent committees, organizations, and bar associations, including the U.S. Supreme Court. She also travels the nation and globe speaking on family office topics and their synergies.

Due to her dedication and passion, Craft has been honored with two Congressional Awards for being a leader in her field. Additionally, she has twice been named in the top 50 most influential women in private wealth by Private Asset Management Magazine. 

Wendy Craft

The Power of ‘No’

But with the pandemic bringing both men and women into the same shared experience, Craft has enjoyed the liberation of saying no and refusing to alter her schedule to satisfy a never-ending workday. 

“I would always take on so much because I felt bad about saying no, but now I’ve gotten to the point where I can say that I’ve gotten to my capacity and I have nothing more to share,” she said. “A year ago, I would have rearranged my whole schedule to appease my job but I’m no longer available 24/7, and the funny thing is, I didn’t have to be, but I felt like I had to say I was.” Craft added, “I just say no. It’s empowering.”

Before anyone could truly comprehend the long-term impacts of COVID-19, the idea of a two-week staycation seemed ideal to most. For Craft, she referred to it as a gift. 

Craft would often spend up to five days a month traveling the nation and globe attending conferences and speaking at events. She’s done this for the last 20 years. 

But on March 8, 2020 that all changed. “I came home and that was it; that was the first time I haven’t traveled in 20 years.” Craft said. 

While the strain of the pandemic helped her realize work isn’t life, her job is part of her identity. She described losing the ability to go to the office every morning, have a normal workday and travel monthly as a difficult adjustment. 

“It was great being home for the first six to eight months because I traveled all over the world so extensively and to be home it was almost like a gift,” Craft said. “And then it became really monotonous not to have my ‘adulting’ time at work, which was always part of my identity.”

Eventually Craft’s structured life started to unravel, as she strived to find the right balance between work, remote learning, and daily home chores. She was also faced with monitoring her children’s mental health as they navigated this new life, where seeing friends and going to school was no longer an option. 

However, despite the already busy schedule, she quickly realized that while the laundry would get done and the school day would eventually end, the workday began to shift. With her job expecting her to be available at all hours of the day, she felt any remaining sense of normalcy vanishing. 

But with 2021 showing signs of hope, Craft said she sees new glimmers of the old structure. With her husband, and her sons having returned to in-person work and school, respectively, she plans a return to the office soon, too, “to normalize my mental health and those boundaries,” Craft said. “And I need that so it’s not Groundhog Day every single day.”

When Worlds Collide: Managing Expectations

As Craft was struggling with her identity and juggling her responsibilities, Echenthal, had similar worries in his work and family life. 

While his office and the courts had been shut down, he was still required to meet the same billable hours as previous years. This constant pressure to find work where there was none resulted in his days devoted to being dad and his nights dedicated to working.

“It’s been very trying since courts are closed and employers aren’t very sympathetic with the lack of work,” he said. “Before I’d go to bed at 11 p.m., but you don’t do that now, so now you fire up the laptop to meet the expectations and just work harder.”

Echenthal said the first half of the pandemic felt like everything was colliding at once and the inability to compartmentalize everyday duties became more and more difficult. He said one moment he could be working and the next he was folding laundry or explaining to his kids why they can’t see their friends. 

And the work-related emails and phone calls never ceased. “When you’re at home, nobody seems to have a problem calling you at 9 p.m. to ask for something. And why am I getting emails 24 hours a day?” he said. “The expectation from the employers, the courts and your adversary haven’t changed. They expect more because you live at your office now.”

While Echenthal has returned to work recently, he said the stress and expectations are still the same. Only now he’s taking on a new venture; running for a seat on the Mount Pleasant Town Board, an endeavor he described as an opportunity to contribute to his community and expand his social bubble. “I’m starting to see outside of myself and consider my neighbors and my community,” Echenthal said. “I’m getting out of my own space and seeing that everyone is in the same situation and everything is different and there’s got to be a way we can come together to figure everything out.”

Echenthal describes a personal shift this year, too. A major homebody pre-pandemic, he said he now takes time out of his day to call his friends and catch up, something he rarely did prior to the pandemic. He has also shared with his sons the pure joy of a White Castle slider, as trips across counties have become a weekly activity. “After being forced to stay home, I’m constantly on the phone with my friends gabbing and I realize I like going out,” Echenthal said. “You don’t realize what you have until you don’t have it anymore.”

Gratitude for Family Time

Despite the stress and hardship the pandemic has brought on Craft and Echenthal, both are grateful to have gotten to spend quality time together as a family. Craft added she has been fortunate to find an identity outside of her occupation. I know I will look back years from now and think how great it was that we got that time as a family together,” Craft said. 

A STAR ON THE RISE: Interview with Chappaqua’s Emma Freeman

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Emma Freeman’s First Single, ‘Verona’, Debuts, and another Single, ‘Do You’, is being Released this Month.

Emma Freeman PHOTO By Face By Dee Photography

First, the stats! Tell me a little about yourself.

I’m 24, a Greeley grad Class of 2014, and I went to the University of Miami where I got a BFA in musical theatre. 

When did you know you were interested in music?

Since I was tiny!  I’d wake up in the morning and start singing from my bed to announce that I was awake! If music was ever playing around the house, apparently I would immediately stop whatever I was doing to listen and just focus on the music. My parents even had to stop playing music around me to get me to do  other things! This eventually turned into an interest in musical theater and acting. But my love for pop music remained and stayed strong through all the years, and even within the theater I always loved the more contemporary and pop-driven musicals. 

Where did you hone your musical skills?

Fortunately, I had a very artistic life at Greeley. I took advantage of every performing and musical opportunity – and there were many- chorus, acting, Theatre Rep, and music theory. I performed in every show possible, and was a member  of the Enchords a cappella group. I am so lucky to have grown up in a town and with parents that presented me with so many opportunities. These experiences made me grow as an artist and performer and motivated me to continue with the arts through college and beyond. I took voice lessons, and even trained classically at an NYU Steinhardt program when I was in high school. I continued with vocal training and performing at the University of Miami, and that’s where I began songwriting as well. 

How would you describe your sound? Who are your musical influences?

My all-time favorite is Joni Mitchell. I also love Regina Spektor, Ingrid Michaelson, Phoebe Bridgers and dodie. My songwriting professor from the University of Miami taught me so much and inspired me to keep writing.

Generally, my music is usually indie-pop or indie-folk style, but varies song to song. I try not to limit myself and just write where the story and feel of the song takes me. But my songs still feel like “me” even with different genres–they are usually very melodic with a wide vocal range, and often change up typical song structure.  I like to include a lot of harmonies in my music, with multiple vocal lines of me singing harmonies and backup vocals with myself. 

In addition to vocals, do you play instruments?

Yes! I learned piano as a kid, and I also play ukulele and recently started guitar. 

What do you generally write about?

I write a lot about love and heartbreak, self-discovery and self-struggle. I try to keep my music relatable but with an air of mystery, in hopes that anyone can hear my music and find it specific to them. I love it when people reach out to me and tell me how they related to my music, or how they interpreted something in my song, because sometimes it’s something that I hadn’t even thought of yet, but completely makes sense. It’s just an amazing feeling to know you connected with someone. 

Still shot from video taken at 54 Below by Famous in NY Video

Tell me about your new (and first!) single, Verona.

Verona is an indie-pop song about longing for love and seeing it everywhere. I had just finished playing Juliet in a production of Romeo and Juliet when I wrote it, and was inspired by the story and the language–I even included some of the text in the song. I wanted to capture the feeling that someone might have of reading the story and wishing for their own Romeo (or Juliet)–seeing other people in love and watching them and wishing they could have it too. 

How did you get it made?

I had been recording vocals for a very talented musician’s own project. I showed him some of my original music and he became interested in producing it for me! It was a very rewarding process working on it during the pandemic when everything was being done virtually. We worked back and forth until we got it just right, but I knew from the very beginning that I was working with excellent people who understood the song and that it was in good hands. This was the first song of mine that anyone worked on and I cried when I heard it all put together for the first time–it was everything I wanted. 

What’s next?

An album is the goal. I can’t wait to share more of my music; a new single “Do You” comes out April 1!

Verona can be found on all streaming platforms. Follow Emma @emmaraldcity and emmapfreeman.com