The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

Thank you cards

Notes of Deep Gratitude

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From the Founder and Director of the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival

Have you ever had the feeling of teetering but somehow knowing that a safety net was beneath you, ready to make sure you didn’t hit the ground?

This was the disorienting but ultimately comforting feeling I had in March and April of this year. I was hospitalized and in intensive care and yet knew that my friends and community would take care of me and my boys…and somehow make sure the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival would go on.

Dawn Evans Greenberg. Dawn’s Hair and Makeup Courtesy of Aura Salon and Style Bar in Chappaqua. www.auraboutiquesalon.com Photo by Donna Mueller

I had to hand over control to my husband, Paul, and to friends, and just focus on keeping myself alive for Jackson and Ben, my teenage sons. I don’t recommend falling ill, but for a means to learn to appreciate every breath we’re allowed, becoming vulnerable that way can’t be topped.

I entered the hospital for elective surgery on February 10th. My next memory was waking up to dozens of cards taped to my hospital wall. The cards were the only thing that held my attention–the only thing that made any sense. I recognized “Ossining Children’s Center” and read the message over and over again. And why did author Dan Gutman feel the need to write “get better soon?”  I was flattered but also puzzled. How did he know where I was and how did he know I needed well wishes?

The date was March 1st and I had lost three weeks of my life. I had a tube coming out of my trachea. I couldn’t speak or lift my arm.

The cards and what they represented from the community ended up being a highlight of my days. My husband would drive to NYU Langone Hospital each afternoon, always with more cards. So many cards. He told me that two dear friends Karen Visser and Robin Chwatko were taking care of our kids, along with dozens of other friends jumping in to help, even coordinating walking our beloved dog Flare. Beloved merchants reached out too. The Kings’ Scribe was facilitating the cards and they never seemed to stop. I couldn’t count them all and still treasure each one. 

Each day my husband would offer me my iphone, usually my umbilical cord, and I flat out declined it–a sign of just how sick I was. But he also knew I was worried about the festival and kept me current on book festival developments. Paul assured me that our volunteers were making sure it would happen in October. As the days went by toward my discharge of April 10th, I started to feel relief and excitement about getting back to real life.

Now, we’re three weeks away from the festival. I have gradually gotten stronger and feel incredibly optimistic about the future. The love that our community showed me that my family will be with me throughout the rest of my life. I will never stop being grateful.  

 

 

 

 

 

Thank You Cards to Hillary Clinton

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An Ongoing Courtesy from the King Street Salon

Article and Photo by Grace Bennett

 When the cards began to arrive for Hillary Clinton from all over the country—“from Washington State to Indiana to Pennsylvania”–Ann Styles Brochstein and Carolyn Filancia-Vento knew they had struck a chord with their post Election effort.  

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Ann Styles Brochstein (left) and Carolyn Filancia-Vento inside the King Street Salon in Chappaqua following a delivery of some 200 cards expressing gratitude to Hillary Clinton.

Ann had posted and tweeted from her popular local Hillary advocacy blog–Chappaqua 4 Clinton/Kaine(now called Left of Main Street on Facebook and on Twitter @Neighbors4Hill) and on the Facebook “Pantsuits Nation” page that a collection was underway for thank you cards to Hillary Clinton during the harrowing first few days after the election was called to Donald Trump.

“I felt so lost and devastated after the election; I wanted to do something,” said Ann, who together with Chappaqua’s Cynthia Metcalf produces Left of Main Street.  “I asked Carolyn if we could drop off at or mail to the King Street Salon, and she said yes.”   

“Until about eight months before the election,” Carolyn noted, “I was a Republican. I finally realized I could never vote for that man.”  She described Ann as ‘the catalyst’ for her change of heart during long conversations together. Ann is a regular customer.  “After those, I started to also love Hillary.”

 Town Supervisor Robert Greenstein cordially helped make arrangements for delivery, and to date, about 200 cards have been delivered to  the Clinton household. 

Collections for cards will continue until Christmas too. Anyone who wishes to send a card to Hillary Clinton in her hometown, may mail to or drop off at this location: King Street Salon, 229 King Street #2  Chappaqua, NY 10514