Past Happenings

COME SEE GREEK GODS AND SENIORS ON ROLLER SKATES AT THE FAMILY FRIENDLY SENIOR MUSICAL XANADU THIS WEEK-END:

A funny, romantic and magical musical adventure!

APRIL 19th-21th Thursday 7pm, Friday 8pm and Saturday 2pm and 8pm

Tickets $20. **Special student Sat. 2pm Matinee price $10/ticket

Tickets on sale at the High School outside cafeteria Mon-Thurs 10:30am-12:30pm. or send email to janelindau@gmail.com or seniormusicaltickets2012@gmail.com

The Rosenthal JCC of Northern Westchester today announced that it will be enhancing and expanding its programs and services for people with special needs and their families in order to address new and emerging needs across the lifecycle and throughout the Northern Westchester community. The RJCC also announced that it has hired Robin Gersten, an experienced special needs professional, to lead the charge in expanding programs and services.

Anyone interested in meeting Robin is welcome to join the meeting of Parents for Parents Special Needs Support Group on Tuesday, April 24 at 7:00 p.m.

New programs being launched include:

• Sibshop™, a therapeutic support group for siblings of children with special needs, on Thursday afternoons beginning May 3, 2012
• Rise Above, a theater program for children in 1st – 5th grades with special needs that is the brainchild of two local tweens studying for their b’nai mitzvah that will be launching in the fall
• Trailblazers at the RJCC, an after-school social skills program for elementary school children with special needs that will be launching in the fall
• Special Needs Intern Training Institute, an internship program for high school students who want to earn college credit and learn to work with children who have special needs, which will be beginning in the fall

Pending a needs assessment, other new programs that the RJCC might bring to fruition could include after school programs, weekend respite for parents, expanded social opportunities for young adults, meaningful job opportunities for older teens.

Gersten, LMSW, ACSW, comes to the Rosenthal JCC from Westchester ARC, the Children’s School for Early Development, where she was a Team Leader in providing social work services to developmentally delayed preschoolers and their families in community based programs. Formerly, she served as a Foster Care Specialist through Bloomfield Youth Services in Connecticut, where she built from scratch the clinical support system and out-of-school engagement program for children and their foster parents in the school system. Gersten has more than 25 years of clinical and administrative experience including psychiatric hospital, outpatient, day treatment, school and residential programs servicing both children and adults.

Earlier this year, the Rosenthal JCC received a grant from the J.E. and Z.B. Butler Foundation through UJA-Federation of New York to hire a coordinator who would comprehensively coordinate and deliver both existing programs and services while building new initiatives and streamlining collaboration with community partners.

Since its inception, the Rosenthal JCC has been mindful of the values of inclusivity and fairness, and has developed numerous well-reputed special needs programs. Some of those include Trailblazers at JCC Camp Discovery, an outstanding support system in its preschools, a state-of-the-art Occupational and Physical Therapy Center in collaboration with WJCS’ Milestones, and a “Parents for Parents” Special Needs Support Network.

“The underpinnings of these initiatives are firmly embedded in the RJCC’s mission, Jewish tradition, and the core values of social justice and responsibility that individuals have one for the other,” said Ellie Aronowitz, JCC Executive Director.  “The Rosenthal JCC is proud that it has been able – to the very best of its ability – to ‘just say YES’ to individuals and families in need – to making programs, services and accommodations possible. With Robin on board, we will be able to say ‘yes’ more often.”

Adding Gersten to its team, the RJCC is enhancing its capacity to strategically plan, coordinate among other community organizations, and offer critical services for educational, social, recreational and cultural programs and services for individuals with special needs and developmental disabilities.

“Robin brings broad-based experience in developing and implementing special needs services for a variety of populations,” Aronowitz said. “She is knowledgeable, caring and energetic, and we are excited that she is joining the Rosenthal JCC team and working with our volunteer leadership.”

Anyone interested in meeting Robin is welcome to join the meeting of Parents for Parents Special Needs Support Group on Tuesday, April 24 at 7:00 p.m.

Louis Thomason, Ph.D. of Chappaqua will be  honored with the Volunteer Center’s 2012 Quality of Life Volunteer Spirit Award for his many contributions to Richmond Community Services.

The Volunteer Center will honor his service and give special recognition to Dr. Thomason and seven other outstanding individuals and groups at the 32nd Annual Volunteer Spirit Awards celebration and benefit. This year’s volunteer event will take place at the Hilton Rye Town on Friday morning, April 20, from 8-10 a.m.

As a retired IBM executive with over 40 years of experience in advanced internet design and management, Dr. Louis Thomason’s professional expertise was channeled for new and inspirational usage, enhancing assistive technology for people with significant intellectual disabilities and designing an intranet platform to facilitate internal staff knowledge sharing.

This past year, Dr. Thomason has volunteered his services at a Richmond Community Services group residence in Ossining, NY. He was instrumental in introducing and implementing a digital art program which allows the user to “paint” a picture on a screen as the system follows the movement of their wheelchair. In addition, he designed customized mounting systems to be used with communication devices that have enabled the people we serve to express themselves in new ways. Louis Thomason’s dedication and commitment to Richmond’s mission has positively impacted the organization by improving the quality of life of each Richmond resident which he has the opportunity to work with.

Dr. Thomason also volunteered extensively with the organization’s workforce development staff to design and develop an intranet platform. He was instrumental in the initial systems analysis, including identifying Richmond’s specific needs and intent of the internal network, including the ability to offer online trainings, enhance agency communication and streamline internal processes. Richmond’s intranet is scheduled to go live within the next few months.

 

“Skilled volunteers such as Lou provide high quality professional services that non-profits would normally not be able to afford” said Edward Spauster, Ph.D., President/CEO of Richmond Community Services.

In addition to his university teaching experience at institutions such as Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Dr. Thomason’s experience includes the architecture, design, and management of internet, networking, distributed systems and advanced technology software at IBM. Louis Thomason is an active member of the IBM Academy of Technology, comprised of 1,000 of IBM’s technical leaders, recognized for their outstanding technical accomplishments, leadership and contributions to the business. He is recently retired and lives in Chappaqua with his family.

About RCS:

Richmond Community Services is the leader in providing family-like support for children and adults in the Hudson Valley region with significant intellectual and physical disabilities. Richmond maximizes each person’s quality of life through innovative services, compassion and advocacy, while providing support and peace-of-mind to their loved ones. Richmond provides residences, respite services, intensive medical, nursing and therapeutic supports, day rehabilitative programs and bi-lingual Medicaid service coordination in communities throughout Westchester County. Founded in 1973, Richmond Community Services is a nonprofit organization headquartered in Mount Kisco, N.Y.

 

Celebrating five years of service to HIV+ children in South Africa

June 1, 2012 at Sleepy Hollow Country Club • Scarborough, New York

UBA Committee: Doni Belau, Nancy Gernert, Gianna Palminterri, Rochelle Rosenberg, Lori Tayar and Carolyn Tenney

On Friday, the first of June, 2012, Ubuntu Africa will host a Blue Jean Ball to celebrate five years of service to HIV+ children in South Africa. The celebration is being held at the picturesque Sleepy Hollow Country Club in Scarborough, New York.

Beginning at 7:00pm, blue jean-clad guests will enjoy cocktails and hors d’oeuvres on the terrace with sweeping views of the Hudson River, followed by a South African-inspired buffet dinner and dancing to music from the rockin’ band, “A Current Affair.” Guests will hear from Ubuntu Africa Founder, Whitney Johnson, and will have the opportunity to participate in select live and silent auctions.

We hope that you will join us for a rollicking evening to support the children of Ubuntu Africa and honor the accomplishments of the organization’s founder, its Board of Trustees, and supporters who have worked so hard to help South Africa’s HIV+ children live healthy, safe and enriched lives.

Sponsorship opportunities are available and range from $15,000 to $1,000. Tickets are $250 per person.

About Ubuntu Africa… Ubuntu Africa is a registered nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of HIV-positive children in under-served communities by establishing community-based programs that provide lifesaving health and support services. Founded in 2007, Ubuntu Africa is committed to fostering an empowered attitude towards HIV/AIDS among young people worldwide, engaging them in the effort to improve conditions for people affected by global health challenges. Learn more at www.ubafrica.org

For sponsorship opportunities and other inquiries, please contact: Sara at sara.garlick@ubafrica.org