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The Greenwich Weekly Newspaper, where we celebrate our hometown with Greenwich news, people, and events.
October 9, 2020
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New Children’s Book BCA & Town Raise Flag, Awareness By Anne W. Semmes “When the World Went Quiet” is a children’s book of charm for 4 to 10-year olds that speaks to our lockdown times, with a Greenwich Academy graduate as author, Martina Faulkner. But you’ll find her pen name, Tia Martina, on the illustrated cover of a city scene where deer and a fox roam, and dolphins cavort in a nearby river. The book in lively rhyme takes the young reader around a world gone quiet where a dolphin leaps outside a Venetian window, where “Wild pumas roamed the streets in Chile,/ near homes with fun new smells,” and wild boars caused havoc in European towns. Martina is now based in Chicago where she oversees a women-owned and operated publishing and multimedia company, Inspirebytes Omni Media. She’s best described as having “a focus
on the role hope plays in our lives,” with skills as a certified life coach, licensed therapist, and Reiki Master Teacher. Her idea for her new children’s book might be traced to how her world went quiet. “Every morning I would get up and there'd be no car noise there, no plane noise, and I could hear the birds again. It took me about a week after lockdown to hear all the birds were singing, and it was so lovely.” But the idea for this children’s book came from conversing with her Canadian illustrator and “kindred spirit” Kelly Ulrich. “Kelly, we need to do something for the kids. This [pandemic] is scary.” A nd there it was on Facebook, the stories of those dolphins in Venice’s canals, “which turned out not to be true,” notes Martina, “but it set the spark… for something fun and whimsical and
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Author Tia Martina searched out stories from around the world of animals exploring human habitats.
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Last Thursday, the Breast Cancer A lliance (BCA), a Greenwich-based nonprofit, held a flag raising ceremony at Greenwich Town Hall to kick-off Breast Cancer Awareness Month for October. The BCA’s mission, according to their website, is to improve the survival rate and quality of life for those impacted by breast cancer through better prevention, early detection, treatment and cure. The BCA promotes these goals by investing in innovative research, breast surgery fellowships, regional education, and dignified support and screening for the underserved. While the COVID-19 pandemic has certainly altered many facets of everyday life over the past seven months, the BCA remains steadfast in raising awareness and fighting breast cancer. “During the pandemic, understandably, people have been focused elsewhere. We’ve been social distancing, we’ve been quarantining, we haven’t had events, we’ve been altering our lifestyles, but that hasn’t changed the rates of diagnosis. What has changed is accessibility to treatment; it has stalled research, it has prevented women who were not in immediate crisis with breast cancer from getting the screening that they would normally get in a timely fashion,” said Yonni Wattenmaker, Executive Director of the BCA. Wattenmaker pointed out that breast cancer affects one in eight women and one in just under 1,000 men. “The pandemic has instilled greater fear in the women who are going for treatment during this time. It’s delayed surgeries. Being aware of breast health is perhaps more important at this time, because it’s so easy for it to take a backseat to everything else that we’ve all been having to deal with.” Greenwich First Selectman Fred Camillo was on hand at the flag raising ceremony, and issued a proclamation which recognized the work of the BCA and the month of October. “As we celebrate the success and the ef forts of organizations like the Breast Cancer Alliance, groups that have contributed to the early detection survival rate of almost 90%, there is still work to be
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participants can join or support high school and college students nationwide in getting fit by running, biking, swimming, or practicing with your school team. For more information and to sign up, go to breastcanceralliance.org/getfit Also going through the end of the month is the BCA’s annual GoForPink event, in which retailers and restaurants donate a percentage of sales and/or items to the BCA’s silent auction. Fo r m o r e o n G o Fo rP i n k , g o t o breastcanceralliance.org/shop-for-bca. Wattenmaker said it means a lot that the town of Greenwich is showing up to offer support to the BCA, even during a global pandemic. “Since BCA was founded in 1996, the town of Greenwich has supported our work and seen the impact that we can have on our neighbors and our friends,” Wattenmaker said. The BCA has awarded more than $29 million in grants to support its mission since 1996. “To have First Selectman Camillo be willing to come out to give a proclamation about the importance of our work, to still know there are partners in town who want to do what they can to continue to partner with us, and for all of our supporters who live here, we’re just so grateful for their faithfulness and continued commitment to the organization.”
Radar Screen
The Breast Cancer Alliance is holding its Annual Luncheon and Fashion Show on Monday October 19. Please come to the virtual luncheon to help raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research. Our silent online auction for the event is opening on Sunday October 9. Please use this link to sign up and bid in the auction: https://one.bidpal. net/BCALuncheon2020/welcome Illustrated by Wajih Chaudhry
EVENTS Editor@GreenwichSentinel. com
SPORTS Paul@GreenwichSentinel.com
done,” Camillo said last week. “We salute their passion, focus, and success, and stand in support of them as the race towards the goal of 100%.” The BCA is holding several fundraising and awareness events throughout the month of October. The annual luncheon and fashion show, which highlights survivors, will be held on Oct. 19, and it will be entirely virtual. Actress Kate Walsh will be the speaker during the luncheon. The program will also include a memorial tribute to BCA co-founder, Lucy Day, who passed away earlier this year. Fo r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n o n t h e accompanying silent auction, and to purchase tickets for the luncheon and fashion show, go to one.bidpal.net / BCALuncheon2020/welcome. Back in May, the BCA raised over $100,000 during a one day fitness event for breast cancer patients who have been affected by COVID-19. This month, the second Get Fit For Hope Challenge will take place through Oct. 31. “Exercise is not only important for prevention of breast cancer and recovery from treatment, but especially during this time. It’s so good for mental health,” Wattenmaker said. With a minimum $25 entry price,
Calls to Action
Kintsukuroi
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“Since BCA was founded in 1996, the town of Greenwich has supported our work and seen the impact that we can have on our neighbors and our friends,” said Yonni Wattenmaker, Executive Director of the Breast Cancer
By Jill S. Woolworth, LMFT Kintsukuroi is a type of Japanese porcelain considered more valuable than a perfect, neverbroken piece of porcelain because of the gold or silver used to mend it. Our own lives are much like Kintsukuroi. By the time we reach adult- hood, everyone has experienced breaking and mending. None of us is “never broken.” Do we perceive the break ing and mending process as one that makes us more valuable or one that devalues us? Do we look at the pieces of our lives and see their artistic potential or just a pile of pieces? Veins of pain and the dark colors of our lives may add texture and beauty depending upon how we tell our stories. Sometimes we become part of the silver and gold that helps others’ mend their lives. Becoming kintsukuroi is something to celebrate. Matt would have preferred to not have been an alcoholic for nine years. It caused pain to him and to those he loved. On the other hand, now that he has been sober for a decade, it is because of his mended brokenness that he is approachable. He volunteers at a rehabilitation center for addicts. There is nothing in another person’s life that shocks him. Matt would not trade his gold scars for anything. Greenwich resident, Jill Woolworth is author of the book, The Waterwheel, which is available locally at Diane's Books (203-869-1515) or info@dianesbooks. com) or at Amazon.
Neighbor to Neighbor: Most needed items at the Arch Street Teen Center food pantry are oatmeal, peanut butter and jelly. The NTN Food Pantry is open online for donations of fresh produce for 23 more days. Please follow this link to donate fresh produce: https://amplify. ampyourgood.com/user/campaigns/3363 . If you prefer to go and help in person please volunteer to pack and distribute food by using this link: https://www.ntngreenwich.org/how-you-can-help/volunteer/ TAG, the Transportation Association of Greenwich, is delivering grocery bags of food collected by Neighbor to Neighbor for over 500 families a week. They are in dire need of volunteers to deliver groceries Monday-Friday between 9:30am and 12:30pm. Volunteers are desperately needed on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings. You will travel on the TAG bus to deliver grocery bags for contactless delivery. Please call TAG at 203 637-4345 or email debbie@ridestag.org to volunteer. Meals on Wheels Volunteer drivers needed. COVID is a challenge for many seniors. Please come help us bring our community together by helping to deliver meals to seniors. Please contact Lynne Stewart 203 869-1312 or email greenwichmow@optonline.net for more information. Greenwich Chaplaincy Services is in need of new or gently used ipads to facilitate virtual family visits. Please reach out to Kate Noonan Glaser: kate@greenwichchaplaincy.org with your donations. http:// www.greenwichchaplaincy.org/ Kids in Crisis Autumn Scavenger Hunt: The Kids In Crisis Scavenger Hunt is an exciting, fun, family-friendly virtual event. The game will be ‘live’ October 23 – November 1, 2020. The Autumn Scavenger Hunt is full of cool challenges in the categories of Family Fun, Do Good, and Community Awareness & Support. Use this link to join the scavenger hunt: https://kidsincrisis.salsalabs.org/ autumnscavengerhuntregistrationform/index.html Domus Kids, an organization located on 83 Lockwood Avenue in Stamford, builds loving relationships with young people facing adversity, empowering them towards self-sufficiency. They are looking for virtual volunteers to share their career paths and also do mentoring with Domus youth. If you are available to mentor please reach out to Mitch Depino at mdepino@domuskids.org. They are in need of school supplies and hygiene supplies immediately which can be dropped off at the Domus Stamford location. Contact info: https://www.domuskids. org/ or 203 324-4277.
By Beth Barhydt On the radar screen this week are new Greenwich residents and the changing character of our town. Long-time Greenwich residents (sounding a little bit like Mainers) are complaining loudly and often about the cars with out of state plates that are too aggressive; don't know where they are going; and refuse to stop at crosswalks. With over 500 new residents from "away" by some counts, there is no doubt that the impact is very real. Imagine, however, moving to a new community like Greenwich in the middle of a pandemic. You cannot get to know people through your church or synagogue; you cannot meet your children's new teachers or classmates' families face to face; and you cannot ask your neighbors where the best place is to buy fresh fish (BonTon BTW). The internet is no substitute for human contact. They feel isolated and stressed and who can blame them? Change is difficult for everyone but perhaps more so for the people who are trying to figure out their new town in the middle of a pandemic. The Greenwich Sentinel Foundation is reaching out to many of these new residents with welcome baskets filled with goodies and information from all over town. McArdle's is generously adding a bouquet of flowers. The huge influx of new residents in such a brief period of time may change the character of Greenwich in ways we have not yet begun to sort through but they are here to stay. How we show our character and welcome them is something that should be on our radar screen.