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Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

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Furry Friends and SPCA Supporters Step Out in Style for Top Hat & Cocktails Annual Gala

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Kim Charlton (left) and Stephen Meringoff (right) the event honorees
PHOTO BY GEOFF TISCHMAN PHOTOGRAPHY

Canine companions and pet owners were out in full force last month at the 15th annual Top Hat & Cocktails annual gala for the SPCA of Westchester. More than 300 guests and 50 furry friends were in attendance with several dogs up for adoption onsite at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in White Plains. The event honorees Kim Charlton formerly of Bedford and Stephen Meringoff of New York City underwrote the entire event, helping all proceeds from the event directly benefit the SPCA.

The annual gala was conceptualized by John W. Beach, a former Mount Kisco and Bedford Hills resident and was originally called Top Hat and Tails. Each year the gala’s honorees receive the John W. Beach Memorial Award to outstanding individual (s) for their humanitarian work. Charlton and Meringoff , who recently married and own two dogs, developed a successful SPCA program called “Critter Credit”.  The program identifies shelter animals who may have difficulty getting adopted such as animals with medical conditions, are excessively shy or require more training. Through the program, individuals or families who adopt these pets receive a $250 credit, which can be applied to a trainer or to supplies at Petco or Petsmart. The program has successfully helped 190 dogs and cats find their “forever homes” since its inception.

Conar, a 2-year-old Irish terrier in attendance from Chappaqua
PHOTO BY LARRY PFEFFER

This year the shelter has also taken in 23 cats and kittens from storm-ravaged places such as Florida, Texas and Puerto Rico. The shelter is a no-kill, not-for-profit animal welfare organization dedicated to saving homeless, abused and abandoned animals. They also protect animals from cruelty and neglect through education and enforcement of humane laws.

After the awards ceremony, a lively and entertaining auction took place with auctioneer Joe Di Mauro, the owner and operator of Mount Kisco Seafood. The auction at times was punctuated by laughs and “woofs” and took in $70,000 for the SPCA. Several of the dogs in attendance were decked out in costumes in honor of Halloween and many dined on canine ice cream courtesy of Briarcliff Manor-based Pets a Go Go.

Armonk resident Irma Jansen and her dog Trooper
PHOTO BY LARRY PFEFFER

Irma Jansen, an Armonk resident in attendance with her beagle Trooper has been involved with the organization since 2013. She spends many weekends driving dogs to help them get successfully transported to the shelter. Some dogs may have three legs of a trip and these transports are vital so that the dogs can take a break in between a long ride. She finds the work “rewarding” and thoroughly enjoys it.

Ossining resident Mary Dusenberry founded the SPCA in 1883 after she observed horses being whipped and beaten as they trudged up nearby hills to deliver heavy loads of coal. Together with her friends, she obtained land on which to build the Society’s first home and established a fund to be used to prevent cruelty to animals. The SPCA is still located on the same spot, making it one of the oldest landholders in Briarcliff Manor.

Trooper, again!
PHOTO BY LARRY PFEFFER

Recognizing Dementia: When it’s Time to Seek Care

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Executive Director Maria Scaros (right) with resident, Virginia, during a Drama Arts Therapy session at The Greens in Greenwich, CT.

Personality changes, difficulty coordinating personal activities and juggling multiple tasks at the same time, getting lost in familiar places–the changes may be gradual when a person develops dementia. As medical professionals learn more about how dementia travels in the brain, they are better able to ascertain how that path affects someone with the disease.

Dr. James Noble
PHOTO COURTESY OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
Dr. James Noble, a neurologist at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center’s Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain, said that dementia “is an acquired neurological problem that causes interference with how people live their day-to-day lives.”

Within the umbrella term of dementia, he explained, “Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia (other forms are Lewy Body and frontotemporal dementia). In most cases of Alzheimer’s disease, people present with primarily memory loss that may be alongside other cognitive problems.”

Maria Mursch, LMSW, a Care Consultant and Director of Family Education for the Alzheimer’s Association, Hudson Valley Chapter, clarified, “When we talk about the disease, we’re talking about memory loss and about regions of the brain that control functions, judgment, personality/behavior and insight. That’s why we see a multitude of symptoms.”

Noble cited a middle ground called mild cognitive impairment that doesn’t interfere with day-to-day life. “About 50 percent of those with Alzheimer’s are unaware they have a problem, which poses a challenge for diagnoses and delays someone going to the doctor,” he said, unless a caregiver accompanies a patient during a doctor visit.

Often families face a choice between placing their loved one(s) into a home and keeping them in their own home(s) with an aide or additional caregivers. One facility that focuses solely on caring for those with dementia is The Greens At Greenwich, the first assisted living facility in Connecticut designed for people diagnosed with dementia or memory, according to The Greens Executive Director Maria Scaros.

“All our staff is trained in dementia care and engages with residents daily,” said Scaros. Each of its 31 apartments is decorated with residents’ own furniture to give a semblance of familiarity. Outside each door is a glass-enclosed box filled with pictures, tokens and other objects that can spur recognition. “Although age is the biggest single risk factor for Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia,” Noble explained, “dementia is not part of the normal aging process.” Genetic dementia, while uncommon, presents “in families that have onset under the age of 60, affecting half the family within a generation.”

While families may have expectations and fantasies about the loved one returning to his or her former self, “they are not expected to deal with dementia alone,” Scaros maintained. The facility embraces the entire family, removing the burden of care so they can maintain their roles as spouse, daughter, son and grandchild. “We get to know their family member in the here and now and relate to them as they are in the moment.”

Mursch agreed it’s important to meet the person where he or she is mentally and emotionally. Many patients with Alzheimer’s are first misdiagnosed with depression (the blues), Noble said. “Instead, typical mood changes in Alzheimer’s can be described as ‘get up and go got up and went.’ Addressing this loss of interest in activities can be very challenging. Families may not realize that to engage a loved one in an activity, they need to be proactive.”

A familiar setting will become unfamiliar at some point, Mursch said. “When that starts to happen, we’re looking at someone who progressed in the disease,” she said. “It is important to keep the person comfortable and socializing and active, and there are ways to accommodate the person at home.”

Alzheimer’s Association (https://www.alz.org/) offers support programs and activities and a 24-hour number (1-800-272-3900) that’s answered by the local chapter during work hours and by its national headquarters after hours. Mursch added, “There may be a point when it becomes unsafe to live at home because of the physical environment (i.e. a staircase) or when the caregiver can no longer take care of the person or the situation cannot be resolved by increasing home care.”

Scaros noted The Greens’ biggest competition is home care, which may be the best solution for some. “We need to recognize, however, that when someone says, ‘I want to go home,’ it means, ‘I want to feel safe, secure, loved and engaged.’” Home becomes a feeling rather than a place.

Social activities and cognitive stimulation like hobbies can keep the brain alert. Scaros was trained as a drama therapist and ensures that creative arts therapies are an integral part of The Green’s programs. Lynn Hagerbrant feels the facility goes well beyond the standard of care in sharing, caring and loving for her own parent living there. “They have heart and soul, a caring heartbeat that starts with Maria and flows through all her staff.”

Science continues to research cures for dementia. “New treatments may not be not that far away, and trials to date have helped foresee what next steps to take,” Noble said. For information, visit www.cumc.columbia.edu/dept/taub.

Horace Greeley’s Athletic Teams on November 5: Making a Difference off the Field, too

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Millennials have been called many things, but they aren’t often acknowledged for their consistent and generous support for charities. In fact, 85% of millennial workers made a charitable donation last year, higher than any other demographic group. These young men and women aren’t just donating online, they are also getting personally engaged to support activities in their own communities. This passion to give back is exemplified in the upcoming 4th Annual Greeley All-Athlete Walkathon.

More than a dozen local Horace Greeley athletic teams are coming together to support Pediatric/Adolescent cancer research and programs that assist these children and their families. Now in its 4th year, this grassroots event was started in memory of Gardner Marks (Greeley Class of ’08). Gardner lost his life due to complications from cancer. This year, the walk also honors Horace Greeley student Casey Taub, who bravely fought brain cancer over the past two years but succumbed to it this past summer. Brain and spinal cord tumors are the most common cause of childhood deaths among any specific illnesses and no community is immune.

On November 5th, hundreds of student athletes will walk together on the competition field at Horace Greeley High School. The event will raise awareness and funds for Leukemia, Lymphoma, and Brain and Spinal Cord Tumors affecting kids and young adults. The Greeley Sports Boosters is sponsoring the Walk and are helping to promote the cause.

If you are interested in fighting Pediatric/Adolescent cancer, please join us on November 5th, from 11am-1pm, at the Horace Greeley High School Competition Field. This year’s slogan, “One Team – One Dream” focuses on the power that individuals can have by working together as part of a universal team. You can also donate to specific athletic teams and the cause at www.makingheadway.org/greeley/.

Proceeds from this event will be split evenly to support two local Chappaqua-based non-profit organizations. The Gardner Marks Foundation is devoted to raising money toward helping families in need of financial support, logistics, and mental health. Now in its 21st year of operation, The Making Headway Foundation provides care and comfort for kids with brain and spinal cord tumors while funding medical research geared toward better treatments and a cure. 100% of donations will go directly to pediatric cancer research or services.

The Emergency Shelter Partnership: Helping the Homeless

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Mel Berger and ESP President Phyllis Ruppert
PHOTO BY RONNI DIAMONDSTEIN

In the winter it’s hard to imagine not coming home to a warm dinner, a cozy bed to sleep in, and a nutritious breakfast in the morning. But even in our affluent Westchester neighborhoods, that is not the case for everyone. There are homeless people right in our own backyard.

“My first awareness of homeless in our community was knowing that people lived in parked cars in different locations and in semi-abandoned buildings in the community,” says Rev. Dr. Paul Alcorn, longtime Pastor of the Bedford Presbyterian Church and member of the Northern Westchester Interfaith Clergy Association.

Mount Kisco pharmacist Melvin Berger, Chairman of The Mount Kisco Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention Council often wondered what happened to the immigrants he saw in the courts. Then in 2004 he had learned that a homeless immigrant had frozen to death in the woods nearby. So through this confluence of events, Berger went to Alcorn with his concerns and the seeds for the Emergency Shelter Partnership (‘ESP’) were sown.

The two joined forces with the Northern Westchester Interfaith Clergy Association and the Town of Mount Kisco and developed a plan to launch an emergency shelter by mid-January. Berger also brought in Carola Bracco, Executive Director of Neighbors Link. “I trusted her opinions and judgments when it came to making ESP happen.” Berger values her and Neighbors Link as a resource, and relies on her knowledge of their guests and their culture.

The partnership’s simple concept consisted of houses of worship opening their doors to offer a safe place to sleep to those in need of shelter. Alcorn says that his congregation had been very involved with the homeless in New York City so ESP was a natural next step for them. On January 24, 2005 the Bedford Presbyterian Church in Bedford Village opened its doors to provide shelter for four men. Volunteers from the organizing group provided the coverage each night of that first week. The American Red Cross provided the cots and bedding for the shelter. There are now 17 participating congregations in Northern Westchester.

From November through the end of March, between 10 and 30 shelter guests are picked up by a bus at the court house in Mount Kisco. “The program runs like clockwork,” says Noah Sorkin of Chappaqua who has been the coordinator of Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester’s participation for the past ten years. Arriving around 9 p.m., they eat a buffet dinner and it is lights out by 10 p.m. A paid staffer and congregational volunteer remain with them overnight. Up around 6 a.m. for coffee and something light, they leave with a breakfast/lunch bag by 6:30 a.m.

Twice a week they shower at the Boys and Girls Club of Northern Westchester in Mount Kisco before they arrive for their evening meal. Each congregation adds their personal touch to the experience for the shelter guests from storytelling to musical experiences. Girl Scout Troops or Little League teams sometimes serve dinner, as this is a great opportunity for community service. “The congregants put a lot of love into this. It’s a credit to our congregation that we have a lot of repeat families. It has brought the best out of our congregation,” says Sorkin.

Berger says that the majority of the shelter guests are from Guatemala. “So many come from Chiquimula that the Mount Kisco Library named their Wednesday afternoon film festival for the homeless after that city.”

There is a lot of prep work that goes into this well-oiled machine. Berger has a good relationship with law enforcement. Prior to each congregation hosting the shelter, Berger reaches out to the fire and police departments in those neighborhoods so that they are aware that the house of worship has overnight guests.

Phyllis Ruppert of Mount Kisco had been on the team providing meals at St. Francis of Assisi Parish for at least five years when a year and a half ago she was asked to join the Board of Directors and now serves as President. “ESP is a group of compassionate people who care deeply about serving people in need and who are willing to mobilize their congregations to support homeless people.”

While ESP does so much for those in need, it is also so valuable to those who support the program. “All of a sudden, over the course of a winter we have hundreds of people volunteer and get to know and interact with some of the people who are struggling to survive. Some of the stereotypes are broken down,” says Alcorn.

One of the biggest challenges for ESP is financial support. Each member congregation makes a financial commitment as well as providing shelter. “We have one grant, a couple of holiday fundraisers and a list of loyal donors,” says Ruppert. They have expanded their fundraising activities this year and held an informational and fundraising event on October 15 to commemorate World Homeless Day. The driving forces of the ESP and volunteers spoke about their different experiences at the event that took place at Saint Francis of Assisi Parish Hall in Mount Kisco.

And there are other challenges. “Severe winter weather causes us to move the hosting location to a congregation location closer to where we pick people up to minimize the need to drive,” says Ruppert who would also like to see that the accommodations are more sensitive to women’s needs, although their shelter guests are primarily and sometimes exclusively male.

The ESP has developed into more than just a traveling homeless shelter. With the educational programs they provide such as ones that teach them how to manage money, they have high hopes for their shelter guests. “My goal is to have all our shelter guests in a position to move up the ladder,” says Berger. He is very proud of what he calls his “success story.” One of their documented shelter guests got a place of his own, went back to school and now has a job as a chef.

“Our program is very successful and has been a model for other communities,” says Berger. The partnership has consulted with other towns to set up sister programs in the County.

“In the future I hope to expand the number of congregations hosting ESP and to mobilize the broader community to provide financial support,” says Ruppert. She would also like to see more unaffiliated people help this faith-based organization. “There is a lot of talent out there. We want to tap more members of the community to get involved. Everyone has some faith in something.”

EMERGENCY SHELTER PARTNERSHIP COMMUNITY PARTNERS

Antioch Baptist Church – Bedford Hills

Bedford Community Church – Bedford Hills

Bedford Presbyterian Church – Bedford Village

Bet Torah Synagogue– Mt. Kisco

First Congregational Church – Chappaqua

Katonah United Methodist Church – Katonah

Katonah Presbyterian Church – Katonah

Lutheran Church of the Resurrection – Mt. Kisco

Pleasantville United Methodist Church – Pleasantville

The Presbyterian Church of Mt. Kisco – Mt. Kisco

St. Francis of Assisi Parish – Mt. Kisco

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church – Katonah

St. Mark’s Episcopal Church – Mt. Kisco

Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester– Chappaqua

Temple Shaaray Tefila – Bedford Corners

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship – Mt. Kisco

United Methodist Church of Mt. Kisco – Mt. Kisco

For more information: www.emergencyshelterpartnership.org

Spring Cleaning Challenges? How Westchester Self-Storage Can Help

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There’s no doubt Spring is right around the corner… and for most Americans, that means hours upon hours of arduous Spring cleaning. Lucky for New Castle residents, Chappaqua Self-Storage (part of the Westchester Self-Storage Group) is here to lift the burden, and make the onerous task a little less stressful. With locations in Chappaqua, Armonk, Bedford and Mt. Kisco, this locally-owned, nationally-known business, now entering its 26th year, offers a one-of-a-kind self-storage experience you’ll never forget!

“If you have things in your house, apartment, condo, or office and you’re looking to store them (for Spring cleaning or otherwise), Westchester Self-Storage is the one that you should call!” asserts company President and CEO Peter Ferraro, Sr. “We have the highest integrity in customer service”–as proven by their Gold Key status, recognizing the highest standards in customer service and value–“and we’ve been in business a long time!”

Peter Ferraro, Sr. (Center) with Westchester County Executive Rob Asterino and Board Chairman of the New York Self-Storage Association Frank Crivello. Ferraro, Sr. also serves as CEO of the New York State Self-Storage Association, which represents over 400 self-storage members and facilities.

You can say that again. Now entering its 26th year, Westchester Self-Storage has aimed to provide top-notch service in all areas of decluttering and reorganization, leaving each client not only with a happy, more systemized home, but also with relaxing peace of mind about their storage situations. With over 7,500 customers ranging from homeowners, local business owners and everything in between, there’s no storage need they can’t handle!

“We offer temperature-controlled rooms, and non-temperature controlled rooms for long-term and short-term storage solutions,” explains Ferraro, Sr., on the facility’s unmatched features and benefits. “You can rent a storage room on a month-to-month basis, or [on a] more long-term [basis], depending upon your needs.” Unique to their facilities, too, is the fact that “you get an individual storage room [with] your own lock and key–you’re not co-mingling with someone else–and you can come and go as you please.

“We’re not like any other business,” adds CFO Peter Ferraro, Jr. “At Westchester Self-Storage, we actually take the time to suggest the right-size personal storage room to accommodate your needs and your family’s budget.” To help meet the wide variety of storage needs, room sizes start at 100 cubic feet up to 5,000 cubic feet. What’s more? Westchester Self-Storage offers free pick-up services.

“So, there’s no need to hire a moving company or rent a truck,” Ferraro, Jr. says, with a laugh. “We pride ourselves on our unique ‘Door to Store’ service.”

In short, Springtime is the time to “declutter.” And whether you’re cleaning out your closets for Spring, or downsizing your home…. whether you’ve got kids returning home from college or you just plain need more space in the house, Westchester Self-Storage is undoubtedly your storage solution.

Westchester Self-Storage Headquarters are located at 34 Norm Avenue in Bedford Hills, NY. For more information, please visit www.westchesterselfstorage.com.

Matt Smith is a writer and contributor to The Inside Press. For information or inquiry, please visit www.mattsmiththeatre.com.