The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

Inside Press

Planned Parenthood: A Special Place for Excellent Care

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Editor’s Note: Susan’s column was written a month prior to the recent shootings at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs and at Clinica Hispania, a woman’s health clinic in Houston, that have left four persons dead.

By Susan Chatzky

Susan Chatzky (right) and her daughter Maile Hamilton at a recent Planned Parenthood fundraiser.
Susan Chatzky (right) and her daughter Maile Hamilton at a recent Planned Parenthood fundraiser.

You may be blissfully unaware of the raging controversy surrounding Planned Parenthood right now. You may not even really know what Planned Parenthood does, or where the nearest one is. Planned Parenthood may be completely off your radar, and that’s totally understandable.

Here in Chappaqua and many of the surrounding towns and villages, most people can afford excellent health insurance, there’s no need to go to a health center that accepts Medicaid or that has a sliding scale fee structure. If you have teenage kids you have most likely talked to them about sex, STDs, birth control, and personal responsibility. You may even have taken your daughter to your own OB/GYN.

We live in an amazing community where most of the people who live here do so because it’s such a great place to raise kids. Raising my own children here was an incredible privilege. The schools are great, the other parents are all dedicated, many parents volunteer. It’s a wonderful place to raise a family. So even though I really couldn’t afford it, that is exactly what I chose to do.

I raised two kids in the Chappaqua School District as a single mom with a low paying job. I was a personal trainer, which had really flexible hours, but the pay is pretty terrible (the trainer you pay $100 dollars an hour for probably sees $35 of that, and that’s before taxes), I had zero benefits, no health insurance, no vacation, no sick pay. I probably should have moved, but I wanted my children to have all of the advantages of going to such excellent schools.

It’s not easy to be poor in a wealthy neighborhood. My kids didn’t have the same clothes, vacations, or camp experiences. Our house was a tiny little rental. We ate a lot of pasta. It was a struggle, and it was humiliating. It is humiliating and degrading and soul crushing to be poor. To know you don’t belong somewhere. I’m sure it was hard for my kids.

While my kids had health insurance, I did not. There was no ACA, and I didn’t qualify for Medicaid. I did however need healthcare. I’m a mom; it’s my responsibility to stay healthy. I went to Planned Parenthood. Unlike private practices, they took me without health insurance, they charged on a sliding scale, and no one even blinked when a poor, single, mother of two had the nerve to want birth control. No one judged me, or made me feel like I was less than a person. No one made me feel bad for having a sex life.

Recently, someone from Chappaqua wrote on Facebook that women could just go someplace else for care. It actually brought me to tears. There is something special about Planned Parenthood that can’t just be replaced. It is a place you can go and receive excellent care without anyone judging you. It is a place where teenagers can go to ask questions about their bodies and get real answers.

It is a place where someone will hold your hand if they are giving you bad news after a PAP smear. It is a place that will take you, and help you, and care for you no matter your ability to pay them. And yes, it is a place that will help you if you find yourself pregnant unexpectedly. I’m married now, and I have health insurance. I finally “belong” in my own community. But there are other women who, like I did, struggle. They sit next to you at parent teacher conferences, are on line behind you at Walgreens, they volunteer for PTA events, and they live here because they want their kids to have a good foundation and to have better opportunities than they had themselves.

Planned Parenthood is here for them, so I will always be here for Planned Parenthood.

Susan Chatzky is a mom, step mom, wife, blogger, and sometime yoga teacher. She rescues dogs and sits on the board of directors for Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic. For more info, please visit www.pphp.org.

Inside Westchester Art Studio

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By Amy Shaw

A long and winding road…many forks, twists, turns and here we are…

Alan Reingold and Amy Shaw
Alan Reingold and Amy Shaw

Coming from very different backgrounds, Alan and I formed Westchester Art Studio in the summer of 2015 after creating and teaching art for many years. We recognized a need for an individualized art program that would offer all the elements of teaching and fun that seemed to be missing in many other art schools. We also wanted to have a school that had programs tailored to each student, and have a specific curriculum aimed at enhancing our older student’s portfolio and artistic goals. Our teaching experience in conjunction with professional expertise in the field gives our program the added dimension of tying art to career and the world beyond the classroom.

Now here’s a little bit about us, and why we believe that Westchester Art Studio is the way to go for art … With a BA in fine arts, I veered into a career in graphic design for many years as an Art Director in promotion at Readers Digest and at various Ad agencies in NYC. Meanwhile, I wanted to work with kids and get back into the fine art process, so I created a program teaching children in the Bronx on Saturdays about important artists, art history, the elements of art, etc. They also learned about art in everyday life and how it ties into math, history, science, music, nature and most things we experience. In addition, the students created mini-masterpieces while soaking up relevant historical information.

I was having so much fun teaching art that I thought: why not do this after school in Westchester and Connecticut … and I did just that. Meanwhile my daughter, who was very interested in art,
spent many afternoons studying art with Alan Reingold; her friends from Horace Greeley and their siblings (many went to top rated art schools) studied with Alan as well. He tailors his teaching to the student’s specific interest and needs. For example, if one were working on a fashion or other specialized portfolio he would help in that area. He is currently helping a student with an animation portfolio, and another with fashion design. He has taught at Parsons, MICA, and RISD for over 20 years and evenings in Westchester. In addition, Alan is in the field himself, having been to the White house drawing presidential portraits and illustrating many of the covers on TIME Magazine. With his credentials, patience and direction (and I can’t forget sense of humor), I knew starting Westchester Art Studio with Alan was a great decision.

Looking forward to a creative and fun 2016 at Westchester Art Studio… Vist: www.westchesterartstudio.com

A seven year old student inspired by Monet’s water lilies
A seven year old student inspired by Monet’s water lilies
These brothers are falling for Cezanne’s Apples... Pastel, acrylic and watercolor
These brothers are falling for Cezanne’s Apples… Pastel, acrylic and watercolor
A colorful selection of color shape and texture
A colorful selection of color shape and texture
Twelve year old student created this marvelous beast
Twelve year old student created this marvelous beast

MUSIC & MILES: CHANGING MINDS

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MusicAndMilesFinal-2-4

A pre-show benefit reception to raise funds and awareness about mental health and suicide prevention among young adults with a special appearance by members of the funk band Lettuce

Saturday, January 23, 2016 Garcia’s at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY

Tickets Go On Sale Friday, November 20 at Noon

Friends, family, and members of Westchester County’s music-loving community will gather for MUSIC & MILES: CHANGING MINDS, a pre-show benefit reception supported by the funk jam band LETTUCE in Garcia’s at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY on Saturday, January 23, 2016 from 6:00pm-8:00pm.

MUSIC & MILES: CHANGING MINDS is an evening to celebrate life and support music education and performance while bringing attention to the importance of emotional health and suicide prevention among teens and young adults.

All proceeds from the reception benefit The Jed Foundation and The Miles Applebaum Music Scholarship Fund at Lagond Music School, established to honor and remember Miles Applebaum, 21-year old jazz guitarist from Armonk, NY and former Lagond student, who suffered from depression and took his life in 2014.  The scholarship will help provide disadvantaged aspiring musicians an opportunity to ignite their passion and study music at Lagond where Miles received his training.

“As a teenager, Miles found a passion and haven in music at Lagond that set him on a life time direction, ” says Rosanne Lana, Executive Director – Lagond Music School. “He was inspired to continue his studies at Temple University’s Boyer School of Music and Dance in Jazz Guitar and performance. Mental illness cut his life short, but his passion and memory can live on. Miles’s story was felt throughout the county and beyond. Unknowingly it touched all the people we have asked to come together for this very special event.”

MUSIC & MILES: CHANGING MINDS benefit reception takes place in Garcia’s and includes an appearance by members of LETTUCE in advance of their headlining performance at The Capitol Theatre that evening, open bar, silent auction, gourmet food and live music by Lagond Music School faculty and students with special guest artists plus a General Admission or Reserved Loge ticket for the LETTUCE concert. Benefit tickets are $125 (GA) or $200 (Reserved) and available online at Ticketfly.com, by calling 877-987-6487 or in person at The Capitol Theatre Box Office.  Tickets go on sale Friday, November 20 at Noon.

Rosanne Lana continues, “I want to thank the JED Foundation, Lettuce Band, C3Management and Garcia’s at The Capitol Theatre for acknowledging the need to get information out in the hands of those in need and to keep the legacy alive of a beautiful but brief life.”  

About The Jed Foundation (www.jedfoundation.org) A leading nonprofit working to protect the emotional health of teenagers and colleges students. Our programs are inspiring a new national dialogue on mental health, encouraging millions of young people to speak up and take action, and changing the way academic institutions create healthier campus communities and prevent substance abuse and self-harm.

About LETTUCE: (www.LettuceFunk.com) Formed in 1992 at Berklee College of Music in Boston, LETTUCE have brought a new vitality to classic funk, matching their smooth and soulful grooves with a hip-hop-inspired urgency and mastery of beat. They have developed into a can’t miss festival act with a worldwide reputation for highly danceable rhythms, infectious energy, exceptional songwriting and explosive live performances. Founded on a shared love of legendary funk artists like Earth, Wind & Fire and Tower of Power, LETTUCE is currently touring in support of its newest album, Crush. The band is drummer Adam Deitch (Pretty Lights), guitarists Adam Smirnoff and Eric Krasno (Soulive), bassist Erick “Jesus” Coomes, keyboardist Neal Evans (Soulive), saxophonist Ryan Zoidis (Soulive), and trumpet players Eric Bloom (Pretty Lights) and Rashawn Ross (Dave Matthews Band).

About Lagond Music School: (www.Lagondmusic.org) Located in Elmsford, New York, Lagond Music School is a charitable not-for-profit organization dedicated to music education and live music performance, serving a diverse community of students throughout Westchester and surrounding counties.

 

MUSIC & MILES: CHANGING MINDS

Saturday, January 23, 2016

Benefit Reception:   6:00 – 8:00pm

Garcia’s  at The Capitol Theatre

149 Westchester Avenue  – Port Chester, New York

For additional information, please visit www.musicandmiles.org

 

 

From Paper to Screen: How New Media Platforms Are Changing Journalism

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“And I am learning that writing truthfully and emotionally about my own experiences often resonates with readers the most.”

By Lindsay Hand 

Being a young millennial is a truly unique experience. Born in the mid-90s, I have been privy to incredible technological and societal change and advancement. I am still young enough to never have lived without a computer in my house, but old enough to remember a world without smartphones, now staples. As a college student, I cannot even begin to imagine my life without my iPhone, Macbook, and constant access to e-mail, social media and the Internet. In our increasingly multi-media world, journalism is perhaps the largest field affected.

lindsay hand picture for odyssey story
The way people access and read content is evolving, mostly moving online to various outlets. My parents still watch television news and read the newspaper, but I definitely do not. Especially since coming to college, though, keeping up with current events has become extremely important to me; I get daily news blast e-mails, and use Twitter and my phone’s News app to constantly keep myself updated between classes. I also enjoy and search out different ways to see my peers’ thoughts about events both on campus and around the world, and visiting the growing online outlets where college students express these opinions.

Part of the Change

I am fortunate to have the opportunity to work directly with one of these groundbreaking new platforms. As Contributing Editor for Cornell University’s branch of the Odyssey, I have the privilege of playing an important part in the growth of this exciting new business. Founded by two Indiana University students and launched in 2014, Odyssey already has over 3,000 writers and a massive presence in campus media nationwide. According to Odyssey Editorial Director Kate Waxler, “We believe that the traditional top-down editorial model is broken, and created Odyssey to flip that model upside down. We’re redefining the way content is created, tapping into the relevance and engagement associated with hyper-local content and distributing our content in a unique and authentic way.”

Odyssey is unique in that it is both entirely online, and allows for the expression of diverse viewpoints and opinions. This was what initially drew me to Odyssey: the idea of writing each week about whatever I wanted, without limitations, constraints or assignments. It is a distinct platform for college students to speak their minds, explain their views, and discover how influential their writing can be. “We felt that there were many perspectives unrepresented and many voices not breaking through to the surface,” Waxler adds. “Odyssey enables those perspectives and voices to be heard.”

Advertisers love it, too. According to Waxler, since Odyssey is closely integrated with millennials, brands and agencies are “offered access to and insights about this sought-after demographic through our research and advertising opportunities.” What also makes Odyssey unusual is its reliance on social media and “shares” to spread content. “We are a hybrid between a publisher and a social media platform, and bring the best of both,” Waxler explains. “Our audience encounters Odyssey content (90% of the time) because someone they know shares it with them in social channels.” In this way, Odyssey is distinctly attuned to millennials–our lives, particularly our online lives, are defined by our mediated social circles, the way we hear about happenings local, national, and international.

Looking Toward the Future

Beyond gaining important leadership experience and practice meeting weekly deadlines, I have found in Odyssey an outlet to express things I would have never previously thought to write about. And I am learning that writing truthfully and emotionally about my own experiences often resonates with readers the most.

Possible topics are unlimited. I have written about everything from a review of “Supergirl” to heartfelt reflections about my sister and being a summer camp counselor. Interestingly, these personal pieces have clearly struck a nerve in others, based on the number of social media shares they have received. Other Cornell Odyssey pieces have ranged from campus libraries to the show “Friends” to the current conflict in Israel. Odyssey always gives students the opportunity to express their thoughts about absolutely anything.

Odyssey and its ilk represent the future of journalism. As a millennial and a Communication major, I know that I have an obligation and a challenge to bring traditional journalism into today’s world. It is a changing field, and my generation will help bring about this change. As Waxler says so well, “We are investing in the next generation of writers, and are using our proprietary technology and data science to bring content and ideas to the world.”

Interested? Check out theodysseyonline.com. Search for particular colleges on the Odyssey homepage.

Two-time Inside Chappaqua Guest Editor Lindsay Hand is a sophomore at Cornell University. 

 

Inside the Theatrical World of Pia Haas

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By Heather Skolnick

Pia Haas
Pia Haas

Finding ways to express oneself is an individual journey. No surprise, I found my personal outlet in writing.  For others, there are a myriad of creative outlets that exist. For Pia Haas, Director of The Armonk Players, her outlet was always the theatre–acting and directing.

Pia began developing her love for the theatre at a young age, starting her acting career in elementary school. By high school, her interest in acting had grown significantly, but her love for Biology reigned supreme. Pia intended on majoring in Biology. Before matriculating though, she met someone who would become her mentor who changed all that.

Lend Me A Tenor
Lend Me A Tenor

Pia met Mort Clark who gave her a taste of the life in the theatre. He was the chairman of the Arts Department at SUNY Westchester Community College and he exposed her to the many exciting aspects of theatre as her teacher and mentor.  Based on those experiences, Pia chose to pursue theatre as her major in college. After graduating from Sarah Lawrence College, she started teaching part time at the college, while also performing. She succeeded in landing a variety of roles from commercials, to soap opera appearances (The Guiding Light and One Life to Live!) to plays.  She sought a steadier form of income so Pia next went back to school to get a Masters in Educational Theatre at NYU.  With Masters in hand, she began to teach both Acting and Directing at Westchester Community College as an Associate Professor. At the same time, Pia directed the theatre group called The Theatre Connection and was also freelancing as a Director on the side. Pia was one busy lady!

Fools
Fools

After 10 years of teaching at Westchester Community College, it became too much to manage along with raising her three children. Pia gave up teaching and focused on freelancing. In 2000, Pia was approached to work for the newly formed Armonk Players.

The Armonk Players was an idea conceived by Barbara & Hal Simonetti and Susan Geffen. The Armonk Players is a not-for-profit organization supported by Friends of the North Castle Public Library and is made up of mostly North Castle residents. This symbiotic relationship benefits both organizations–the library raises money for the Players and allows the Armonk Players to utilize Whipporwill Hall as a stage. Any money earned by the Players goes right back to the library–all the while enriching the Armonk community. In fact, Pia said that the people involved in The Armonk Players “think of the Players as a gift to the community.”

The Armonk Players annually does two main stage productions and three to four staged readings where the actors carry scripts. The Players just wrapped Mothers and Sons, and will be doing a one day staged reading on 12/16 called Looking at Christmas, a light hearted fun comedy. Next up is Love, Loss and What I Wore in February, also a staged reading.

A Flea in Her Ear
A Flea in Her Ear

Their next main stage production has not yet been determined. Now 15 years as the Director, Pia speaks fondly of The Armonk Players. She said that her fellow actors and peers “became like a family.” She continued to say that “working with such a great group of people made it fun, made it my outlet.” While Pia predominately directs the productions, she occasionally acts as well–something she called “the ultimate creative outlet.”

Pia’s three children have “all dabbled in acting and directing”–as middle schoolers, campers and then as counselors.  Pia’s eldest daughter leverages some of those skills and techniques learned when she was younger with her students at a New York City Montessori charter school where she teaches.

CAST AFOOT 2

Want to express yourself but acting isn’t your forte? There are many ways to be involved with The Armonk Players without being an actor. Pia suggests that creative involvement can include set building, costume design, building /designing props, make up, gathering music, social media/publicity, poster design and execution, programs. If interested go to the website: www.armonkplayers.org

As if she weren’t busy enough serving as the Director of the Armonk Players, Pia also does all Public Relations for the Westchester Broadway Theatre, and most recently helped promote a stellar production of Showboat. For those of us who may not be theatrically inclined but still enjoy watching productions, there are two great options to see the fruits of Pia’s labor!

Heather Skolnick, husband and three children reside in New Castle. She works for a major retailer on their Omnichannel Strategy. While Heather is not theatrically inclined, she enjoys writing for Inside Chappaqua and Inside Armonk as a vehicle for self-expression.