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Food Allergy Awareness

Chappaqua’s Jared Saiontz Recognized for Advocating for Children with Food Allergies

August 25, 2022 by Adrianna Cmiel-Walsh

Photos courtesy of Jared’s mom, Stacey Saiontz

Jared Saiontz is only 14 years-old and entering his first year of high school yet he has done so much as an advocate for Food Allergy Awareness. He has suffered from severe food allergies his whole life.

His allergies include dairy, egg, oat, rye, cats, dogs, sesame, and many more. Instead of accepting the difficulties that come with living with allergies, he decided to take action to help improve the lives of all those living with food allergies.

His most recent accomplishment was advocating for the passage of a Westchester County Food Allergy Restaurant Safety law that will allow restaurants to properly serve people with allergies. Every restaurant in Westchester County will now have on-site personnel who are trained in food allergy safety. Additionally, signs will be posted identifying the top nine major allergens (note Jared was part of the successful advocacy effort at the federal level to add sesame as the 9th allergen companies must label for) along with symptoms of an allergic reaction and steps to take to treat it. This new law will not only help so many people suffering from allergies, but it is only one of the great things Jared has accomplished.

Jared has always been passionate about helping other children with food allergies. Most recently he successfully advocated for placement of allergy awareness signs at the Town of New Castle playgrounds. When he was younger his parents couldn’t risk letting him ride the school bus because at that time school bus drivers were not allowed to administer epinephrine. This potentially meant that if Jared or any other child at the time accidentally consumed something they should not, the bus driver was not allowed to administer epinephrine even if it meant saving the child’s life. Jared asked his mom if they could meet with their State Senator Terrance Murphy and Assembly Member David Buchwald to change this.

Jared explained that every May since the age of 4, he, his mother and older brother Elliott would drive hours to attend meetings in Albany so he could be an advocate for not only himself but all the other children that had allergies. Thanks to Jared and other allergy advocates, a law was passed in 2017 to change this rule and now all school bus drivers in New York State can legally administer epinephrine in the event of an emergency. Jared, alongside other advocates testified for and helped pass the following New York State laws: a law that allow schools to stock non patient specific epinephrine; a law that allows students to self carry their life saving epinephrine; a law that requires all preschools to have allergy awareness training; and a law that allows park rangers to carry and administer epinephrine.

Helping Keep Food Pantries Stocked with Safe Food Options

Jared has always been passionate about helping other children and adults with easy accessibility to allergy safe food options. In the midst of the 2020 pandemic, the food shortage made it harder for Jared and his family to find allergy safe food options that worked for him. One day at the dinner table Jared asked, “How are people who cannot afford allergy safe food handling this? Do food pantries provide allergy safe food?”

He and his mom Stacey Saiontz reached out to the Mt. Kisco Interfaith Food Pantry and asked them how they handle clientele with food allergies. The Food Pantry did not yet have food allergy protocols. Roberta Horowitz at the Food Pantry asked Jared if he wanted to partner with her to help create food allergy protocols for the Pantry and he did! He created innovative posters in Spanish and English to be displayed at the food pantry. These signs not only had writing but symbols to indicate to clientele to advise an employee about their food allergies.

But this is not the only way Jared helped the food pantry. The food pantry surveyed its clientele and asked what allergies they had. Using this information, Jared’s former middle school and other local schools conducted an allergy friendly food drive so guests at the food pantries could have options that worked for them. Now every year during Food Allergy Awareness month (May) those schools annually conduct food drives for the pantry. This year with the help from the PTA and the Seven Bridges Share Jr. Club, the Chappaqua schools collected and donated 734 pounds of allergy friendly food.

Next on the Horizon

Although he’s achieved so much already, he is still not done! Jared hopes to help pass a bill that will require all New York State teachers to be trained to recognize if a child is experiencing anaphylaxis and understand how to administer an epinephrine auto injector. Jared noted that “1 in every 13 children suffer from food allergies. This bill would allow teachers who spend most of their time with children to recognize if a child is having an allergic reaction and save their life. A lot of kids try foods for the first time at school and could experience their first reaction at school.” Jared has testified for this bill annually for 10 years now and he will not give up until it is passed into law.

When asked if there was anything he would like the readers to know Jared said, “Even though I have all these allergies I am still able to do all the same things as everyone else… I just can’t eat the same foods.” After an interview with Jared, it’s clear that he can not only do what anyone else can but beyond that. At such a young age he has helped countless people with food allergies and raised so much awareness. Let it be known that Jared has a very bright future ahead!

Filed Under: Cover Stories Tagged With: food allergies, Food Allergy Awareness, Jared Saiontz

Peace & Kindness…

June 1, 2022 by Grace Bennett

I have a little announcement to make. After 25 years of Chappaqua living, I’m downsizing and moving this month to Pleasantville! I look forward to discovering the joy of a Mount Pleasant residency and all its treasures, to meeting new neighbors, and making new friends. I’m also viewing it as a boon to getting more fit as I’ll be just that much closer to two favorite walking destinations, the Rockefeller Preserve and Rockwood, and also to Club Fit in Briarcliff (where, note to self, I really MUST start reserving class time). I’ll also be closer to the upper West Side where my son lives, not to mention dear friends. Life is good.

It’s a demanding transition while producing magazines. In fact, it’s downright stressful! Nonetheless, I feel confident that once I get on the other side of it, a move here will have been worth all the angst.

And since I have ever more paper to shred, drawers to empty and boxes to pack, I’ll try to be brief!

In our June/Summer 2022 editions, I believe you’ll find a nod to the peace and kindness the Arts promote. The upcoming Pleasantville Music Festival is a local giant, and I’m glad we can provide an update on what’s planned in my new hometown. We are also so lucky to live a stone’s throw from some true splendor. I hope you feel enticed by our coverage to set aside time to enjoy the beautiful Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, a Katonah-based, Hudson Valley destination. In Katonah too, there is a gem of a museum to visit and revisit: The Katonah Museum of Art.  And in September, it’s a short trip to the celebrated Phoenix Festival: Live Arts in Nyack; please do check out our spotlight on this intriguing festival, too.

Of course, right here at home, there’s never really any excuse to feel bored. Especially with a world class table tennis center in our backyard! So if you haven’t visited the Westchester Table Tennis Center recently, summer is a great time to grab a partner, and hone your ping pong skills. Please do say hello to owner Will Shortz if you spot him there. If he’s not too busy playing or perhaps writing a crossword puzzle, let him know you saw him on the cover of a magazine!

Of special note in Inside Armonk: During an extraordinary week of Yom Hashoah remembrance programming, the Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center, hhrecny.org,  honored Jennifer Laden, Social Studies Department Chair 6-12 of Byram Hills Central School District in Armonk at the 20th annual Susan J. Goldberg Memorial Teacher Award. https://hhrecny.org/susan-j-goldberg-memorial-teacher-award/ The award, presented at the annual William H. Donat Shoah Commemoration Event at Iona College on  April 27, preceded a lecture and Q&A with historian Dan McMillan, the acclaimed author of How Could This Have Happened? Explaining the Holocaust. 

As the HHREC related: “… Jennifer Laden has promoted global understanding through her development and teaching AP Human Geography and AP World History courses. As one of the developers of the three-year Global Scholars program at Byram Hills, she spearheaded the design of curricular units to help students understand important human rights issues, teaching them about the Uighur Muslims in China, the Rohingya in Myanmar, and the refugee crises in Syria and Yemen. Laden has also encouraged student partnerships with the HHREC, welcoming survivors of the Holocaust to the high school to accompany students to the annual High School Human Rights Institute.

This year, three BHHS students were recognized at the Institute for their commitment to human rights, community service, and racial equity, a testament to the profound impact Jen’s work has had. Byram Hills School Superintendent Jen Lamia thanked the HHREC Board of Directors “for recognizing Jen Laden for her work teaching about human rights and the violations that perpetuate adversity….”

In your Inside Chappaqua & Millwood edition, I note there’s a timeless sense of peace & contentment one feels at a local library, so delighted to read Ronni Diamondstein’s 10 reasons the future of libraries is bright, and of creative Chappaqua Library Centennial festivities.

I am intensely proud to feature Jean Sheff’s beautiful story about Danielle Leventhal’s life and legacy, of her family’s efforts to help realize ‘Danielle’s Dreams,’ and how you can help, too.

There’s always so much ‘good stuff’ happening around town, including Frank Shiner’s and the 914 Orchestra’s rollicking ‘Swingin’ into Spring’ eve introducing “the San Miguel Miracles” at the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center. All that, on the heels of the 2022 Rotary Citizen of the Year Awards to Frank and Suzanne Shiner, the Paul Harris Fellow Award to Eric Nicolaysen, and the Student of the Year Award to Kyra Chung-Olagbaiye.

In another arena, last month too, Town Supervisor Lisa Katz and the town of New Castle kindly introduced 10 food allergy awareness signs in our playgrounds. Local advocates Stacey Saiontz, Jared Saiontz and Heather Brown appeared with Katz and Council member Vicki Tipp to proudly share the news.

 I also learned that the New Castle Democratic Committee extended honors to Nichelle Maynard Elliott and Zabeen Mirza, New Castle Council on Race and Equity co-chairs, and to Vedat Gashi, 4th District Legislator. Congrats!

We were well into press when Grease rehearsals kicked off, but anticipating another amazing Greeley Senior Musical. Wishing all the 2022 graduates a grand future, and all the Dads, heaps of kindness and special attention on Father’s Day!  Peace out, 

 

Jared Saiontz, a student in Chappaqua and a food allergy awareness advocate, points out one of 10 food allergy awareness signs now appearing in New Castle playgrounds. PHOTO BY GRACE BENNETT
Horace Greeley High School Senior Musical, lead cast of Grease, with background setting of competition field. As we were going to press, we learned that, for the first time, the Senior Musical will be performed outside on June 2-4. PHOTO BY CAROLYN SIMPSON
During a May Open House at Caramoor: Inside Press spring and summer intern Adrianna Cmiel-Walsh, a 2022 graduate of Westlake High School in Thornwood, with Ed Lewis, the executive director of the Caramoor Center for Music & the Arts.
The Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center honored Byram Hills’ Jennifer Laden during a Yom Hashoah Remembrance event at Iona College
PHOTO BY GRACE BENNETT
Nichelle Maynard Elliott (left) and Zabeen Mirza, New Castle Council on Race and Equity co-chairs, were honored by the New Castle Democratic Committee this spring. Legislator Vedat Gashi was also honored.

Filed Under: Just Between Us Tagged With: Caramoor, Dads, Food Allergy Awareness, graduation, Grease, hhrec, Kindness, Live Arts in Nyack, peace, pleasantville music festival

A Boost to Food Allergy Awareness in New Castle with New Playground Signs

May 12, 2022 by Grace Bennett

Following the unveiling of a Town of New Castle sign promoting food allergy awareness: (L-R) Vicki Tipp, Stacey Saiontz, Jared Saiontz, Lisa Katz, and Heather Orenstein Brown  PHOTOS by Grace Bennett/Inside Press

Chappaqua, NY–Food allergy awareness received a welcome boost in New Castle last week with the unveiling of a sign–offering key reminders to visitors. Ten are now in place in playgrounds throughout the area. In addition, a proclamation  designating May 8-14 Food Allergy Awareness Week in New Castle was announced by Town Supervisor Lisa Katz. See below for the full text of the proclamation.

To announce the development, Katz appeared at the playground outside Town Hall together with town board member Vicky Tipp along with three community food allergy awareness advocates–Stacey Saiontz, her son Jared, 14, and Heather Orenstein Brown–to unveil the sign and offer comments that convey the importance of these measures.

The board and citizen gathering conveyed that 1 in 13 children are being diagnosed with food allergies, and that with the numbers increasing,  it’s vital that every community take simple steps to help keep kids with food allergies safe.

“This is exactly what the Town of New Castle is doing,” said Saiontz.

Thanks to advocacy by 14 year old Jared Saiontz, the Town of New Castle decided to put up signs in all ten town parks advising our community on how to keep food allergic children safe–wash your hands before going on the playground equipment and don’t eat while on the playground equipment.

From Town Supervisor Lisa Katz writing in the Town of New Castle Supervisor’s Report:

“These signs provide education and awareness about allergies and teach community members how they can help play a part to help food allergic children.  They are also helpful as many who do not live with food allergies may not understand that food residue can lead to a reaction. There is no cure for food allergies.  Allergic reactions to food can range from mild symptoms to anaphylaxis, a serious allergic reaction that can occur rapidly and is potentially life-threatening. We are proud to help educate the citizens of New Castle on the serious nature of food allergies.  Thank you to Jared Saiontz for bring this to the attention of the Town Board, and to our Recreation and Parks Department, Recreation Commission, and our Town Administrator for helping us to get it done!”

TOWN OF NEW CASTLE FOOD ALLERGY AWARENESS WEEK PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS, Food Allergy Awareness Week was established as a national week of encouraging food allergy awareness and supporting those who are impacted by food allergies and anaphylaxis; and

WHEREAS, a food allergy is an immune system response to a food the body mistakenly believes is harmful. When a person with food allergy eats the food, his or her immune system releases massive amounts of chemicals, including histamine, that trigger a cascade of symptoms that can affect the respiratory system, the gastrointestinal tract, the skin, and/or the cardiovascular system; and

WHEREAS, food allergies affect approximately 32 million Americans, including 6 million children; and

WHEREAS, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the prevalence of food allergies is significantly increasing among children under the age of 18; and

WHEREAS, nine foods account for 90 percent of all food allergy reactions: Peanuts, Tree Nuts, Milk, Egg, Wheat, Soy, Fish, Shellfish, and Sesame; and

WHEREAS, there is no cure for food allergies, strict avoidance is the only way to prevent an allergic reaction; and

WHEREAS, anaphylaxis is a serious allergic reaction that comes on quickly and has the potential to become life-threatening; and

WHEREAS, each year an estimated 3.3 million Americans require emergency room treatment for symptoms of a serious allergic reaction to food. Reactions typically occur when an individual unknowingly eats a food containing an ingredient to which they are allergic; and

WHEREAS, emergency medical treatment for severe allergic reactions to food has increased by 377 percent in only a decade; and

WHEREAS, managing a food allergy on a daily basis involves constant vigilance and even trace amounts of an allergen can trigger an allergic reaction in some individuals.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Lisa Katz, Supervisor for the Town of New Castle, do hereby proclaim May 8-14, 2022, as Food Allergy Awareness Week in the Town of New Castle, New York, and encourage the residents of New Castle to increase their understanding and awareness of food allergies and anaphylaxis.

Filed Under: Happenings, New Castle News Tagged With: Food Allergy Awareness, Jared Saiontz, New Castle, Town of New Castle, Town Supervisor Lisa Katz

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