The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

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MHA’s 5K Run/Walk & 1-Mile Kids’ Race: The Inside Press Rallies for Mental Health!

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MHA on the Move 2013 Hector M(207)On Sunday, May 4th, you have the opportunity to join your neighbors and go the extra kilometer for mental health in our community.  Inside Chappaqua and Inside Armonk Magazines are media sponsors and residents, Cathy Gursha, Judy Fuhrer, Sharon and Alan Pollack and Seven Bridges librarian, Karen Baker are all Race Ambassadors. Whether you run or walk or volunteer, your participation helps raise the money that makes mental health services more accessible to community members who need it most. With the data now showing that 1 in 5 live with a mental health condition, more effective help and better resources are essential.

The Mental Health Association of Westchester’s MHA on the move 5K Run/Walk and 1 Mile Kids’ Race is from 8am to noon at FDR State Park in Yorktown Heights, NY. Celebrating ten years, it’s an inspiring, fun, family-friendly community-wide event. Eight-time Emmy winner, WCBS’s Lou Young will kick off the event along with 10th Anniversary co-chairs Ann Mandel Laitman from Bedford, Amy Collins, of Somers and Randi Silverman, from Dobbs Ferry.

Children get their own fun warm-up and 1-Mile Kids’ Race (ages 4-12) plus ribbons for each runner and medals for the top three girls and boys. Everyone gets healthy food and a fun morning in the park. All participants receive a free t-shirt. Runners enjoy a race timed by the Taconic Road Runners with medals awarded in each age category as well as overall top male/female. Walkers get a 5K walk in the park.  Parking is free.  For more information and to register, visit www.mhawestchester.org

MHA is a community-based mental health agency that has been helping Westchester County residents for 68 years through direct services, professional and community education and advocacy. MHA supports 18,000 individuals annually through a comprehensive array of mental health services striving to help each individual to achieve their personal goals and to lead independent and healthy lives.

Moving Past Tragedy – Evan Lieberman’s Legacy

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By Alyssa Ashley

Evan’s sisters Rachel (left) and Jamie at an Evan’s Team “Trauma Run”.
Evan’s sisters Rachel (left) and Jamie at an Evan’s Team “Trauma Run”.

Tragedy struck on July 18th, 2011, when 19-year-old Evan Lieberman, a beloved brother, son and friend, passed away after fighting for his life and undergoing several serious surgeries after a horrible car accident. Evan’s family has created many events in his honor to raise money to rebuild the waiting room of the Maria Fareri Trauma Center in the Westchester Medical Center, among other things, and to raise awareness and provide a form of support for other families.

The biggest event is the annual Evan Lieberman Westchester Medical Center Trauma Run. The event is a fifteen-obstacle course spanning three miles of the Medical Center’s Valhalla Campus; the course is designed for people of all ages and athletic abilities, and challenges participants to run through the woods, scramble through mud, and navigate through different obstacles.

Completing the event is rewarding and satisfying, and leaves participants proud to have gone through numerous complicated obstacles in support of a great cause.

Other events created in Evan’s name include the Poker Tournament and Dodgeball Event. What makes the Dodgeball Event so special is that it is not only an opportunity to raise money for an important cause and spend time with friends, but dodgeball was a favorite pastime of Evan’s, and so the event is very close to his family’s and friends’ hearts.

(L-R): Alyssa Lentini, Rachel Lieberman and Alyssa Ashley.
(L-R): Alyssa Lentini, Rachel Lieberman and Alyssa Ashley.

In his senior year at Horace Greeley High School, Evan won the dodgeball tournament and enjoyed going to play the game with friends during his free time. The last Dodgeball Event raised an astonishing $25,000 for the hospital and to help raise awareness and support others struggling through tragedy. These events are ways to carry on Evan’s legacy and help other families going through similar situations, by raising money and spreading knowledge about situations such as Evan’s. The desire to reconstruct the waiting room of the Maria Fareri Trauma Center arose because it is not a comfortable environment and is not one of the nicest places to spend anxious hours awaiting life-changing news.

The Lieberman family has raised $200,000 that has gone directly to the reconstruction of the waiting room, which has been described as a “very small place that adds even more stress to families.” Rebuilding it will add a level of comfort and relief to anxious families during times of unexpected and heartbreaking disaster.

Evan was a very personable and fun-loving young man. A big fan of all kinds of movies and an ESPN junkie, he was always looking for a laugh and fun things to do with his friends. His family, friends, and the entire Chappaqua community will always remember his strength and legacy, as everyone continues to participate in these numerous events and help in any way possible. To learn more about different ways to get involved, please visit
www.evansteamny.com.

are you there coverAlyssa Ashley is a senior at Horace Greeley High School. Growing up, her favorite book was Are You There God? It’s Me, 
Margaret.