January 31, 2020 by Greenwich Sentinel

FRIDAY, January 31, 2020

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The Greenwich Art Society presents “The Figure as A bstract Composition” recent paintings by Nancy W. M c Fa r l a n d . T h e s o l o exhibition from the artist’s persona l col lection ta kes place from Feb. 2 to Feb. 28 at the Greenwich Art Society Gallery, 299 Greenwich Ave., 2nd f loor. There will be an Artist’s reception on Feb. 6 from 6 to 9 p.m. McFarland has recently r e c eive d t he 2 019 D ag ny Hultgreen Prize for Painting at the Greenwich Arts Society 102nd Annual Exhibition at the Bendheim Gallery. She work s f rom her studio in Westport. The paintings are on view Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday, 12 to 4 p.m. All works can be purchased by contacting the Greenw ich A r t societ y at 203-629-1533 between 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Monday through Friday or by emailing g r e enw icha r t so c iet y@ ve r i z on . n e t . Pl e a s e v i s it greenwichartsociety.org for more information.

Genealogy Story Slam Join the Cos Cob Library for a captivating morning of "American Idol" meets "Finding Your Roots," on Saturday, Feb. 8 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ‘Genealogy Story Slam’ is a Genealogy storytelling competition in front of a live audience, for fun and prizes. No costumes, no visual aids, or special effects - just authentic tales of family history.Each storyteller will have five to ten minutes to tell a personal Genealogy-related story. The stories must be told and not read, no notes and props. There will be a maximum of 12 contestants, who can sign up in advance by writing to info@ connecticutancestry.org, or, if there are still places available, at the Cos Cob Library on the day of the event. Judges will be chosen from the audience. The event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served. Co-sponsored by the Connecticut Ancestry Society and The Friends of the Cos Cob Library.

Commissioner of Greenwich's Department of Human Services, Dr. Alan Barry; Joe Kaliko; Executive Director of Neighbor to Neighbor, Margaret Tjimos Goldberg; First Selectman, Fred Camillo; NTN Operations Manager, Duncan Lawson.

By Richard Kaufman S e ve n ye a r s a g o , t h e n State Rep. Fred Camillo, and Greenwich resident, Joe Kaliko, started Needs Clearing House, a 501(c)(3) organization which helped charities help the needy around the state of Connecticut. Now, two years after NCH closed, First Selectman Camillo and Kaliko are reuniting for a public/private partnership to address food insecurity in Greenwich. On Wednesday afternoon i n s i d e C a m i l l o's o f f i c e at Town Hall, Camillo, Kaliko, Commissioner of Greenwich's Department of Human Services, Dr. Alan Barry, along with Neighbor to Neighbor (NTN) Executive Director, Margaret Tjimos Goldberg, and NTN Operations Manager, Duncan Lawson, met to a n n o u n c e t h e G r e e nw i c h SNA Pb ack P u b l ic / P r iv ate Partnership. With potential federal level cutbacks for the Supplemental

Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) on the horizon, the partnership aims to help qualifying schoolchildren and their families with gaining access to food. “Whether the SNAP cutbacks happen or not, we all know there are people here who go hungry. We're a town of 63,000 people, we're very diverse, but there are people who struggle,” Camillo said. The partnership is a natural fit. Barry said the town had been looking for ways to better approach the issue of food insecurity, and one idea was to tackle the problem in area schools. At the beginning of 2019, N e i g h b o r t o N e i g h b o r, a nonpr of it or ga n i z at ion i n G r e e nw i c h w h i c h c r e ate s access to food, clothing and basic living essentials to those in need, piloted a program where they distributed food for six months to qualified families at New Lebanon School. "It definitely worked. But

what we really need is we need the social workers at the ground level to identify families for us so we can help them," Lawson added. Kaliko, who helps to address food insecurity around t he st ate w it h t he help of private donations, turned to NTN and Camillo. They all met to find out what kind of help Greenwich needed. "Dr. Barry and Margaret, they had an idea to possibly go into the school system here, where the principals and some of t he elementa r y schools have knowledge of families that are food challenged, and that maybe we could develop a program to target them," Kaliko said. Kaliko of fered NTN a $5,000 check over a five month period from February through June, which they matched. The plan is to rollout a program beginning with four schools -- New Lebanon School, Hamilton Ave. School, Western Middle School, and

Julian Curtiss School -- in midFebruary that will distribute fresh produce, eggs and other sourced food items to qualified families. The hope is that eventually the partnership can grow and help more schools, and more residents who need food. Camillo said he will soon reach out to principals at the schools to discuss the initiative. "This is a perfect example of how we can all sit at the table, and each one of us has that touch and treasure to say, 'Gee, I can reach out to that contact for you, I can open up that communication.' This is how things get done," said Goldberg. "Everyone is involved in this. Whatever side of the equation you're on, we're all a part of this endeavor. It sort of qualifies a sense of community identity across the spectrum." O ve r t he c ou r s e of h i s campaign, Camillo stressed the importance of Public/Private Partnerships, or P3. This is one

Thrifting: The New Trend By Julia Lucey In a day and age where fast fashion brands turn out clothing lines in tune with the newest trends, these brands have become many’s first choice in an effort to keep up with the ever changing st yles. It ’s understandable, these brands are inexpensive and convenient, and the options tend to be plentiful. But with efforts to become a more environmentally friendly community on the rise, reducing our spending on fast fashion is a good place to start. The fashion industry alone accounts for 10% of global carbon emissions, as well as 20 percent of global wastewater, reveals the UN Environment Programme. Textile dyeing is one of the largest sources of water pollution worldwide, and one garbage truck full of textiles is either burned or placed in a landfill per second. As the idea of fast fashion is rooted in quickly and routinely releasing new styles, the demand for textiles remains high. Simply put, this industry is no friend of our environment. Fortunately, as more and more people are excitedly beg inning to r e a l i z e , t h e r e i s a p l a c e to s h o p t hat of fers t he a bi l it y to ke ep up with any fashion trend without the environmental consequences: your local thrift shop! Shopping second hand has come in and out of style over the years, found Time Magazine, but the recent surge in thrift shopping suggests this practice could be one here to stay. People are beginning to see thrifting i n a fa r more posit ive l ig ht, w it h younger generations leading the pack.

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Gofer’s Supports Indoor Girls/Boys Track Teams By Michelle Moskowitz It’s never too cold out to eat ice cream, especially when it’s for a good cause. This Saturday, Feb. 1, Gofer’s, the popular ice cream spot located at 5 51 E a s t P ut n a m Ave . , i s donating a portion of its proceeds to help support the boys and girls indoor track teams at Greenwich High School. “ We a r e a lw ays h appy to support our community and we especially love work ing w ith

the schools,” said Justin Ragusa, co-owner of Gofer’s, who often participates in fundraisers that aid local organizations. “ The f u nd ra iser w i l l help support the teams as they get ready to compete both in the Fairfield County Interscholastic Conference (FCIAC), States and Nationals,” said Peter Janis, a team parents whose daughter is captain of the girls’ team. “Many of our runners have qualified for Nationals this year which is very exciting.” When asked about the

aftermath following the f ire at their location at Indian Field plaza this past October, Ragusa was non-plussed. “Actually, the Greenwich community has been so supportive of us just by coming to visit us at our Riverside location,” the company’s original location and one-time home to a Howard Johnson’s hotel and ice cream parlor. Janis said Ragusa jumped at Ragusa’s flavor of choice? He the opportunity to help raise money loves the popular Gofer’s Tracks, and awareness for the track teams. which consists of praline, Heath Gofer’s is expected to re-open Bar, brownie, and caramel. Coming in time for summer.

Column: On My Watch

this spring, Gofer’s will launching its new plant-based ice cream. Visit gofericecream.com for more information and to learn about catered events and additional offerings. They also have a message center 24/7 hotline (203) 340-2728 for customers to leave a message, order a cake or provide feedback. To learn more about the GHS Track Teams, visit greenwichschools.org. Store hours are 12:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m., and patrons must mention their support of the track teams.

Your Mental Health

A Salute to Jean P. Moore of the Renting Brain Space Oral History Project By Anne W. Semmes Greenw ich w r iter, Jea n P. Mo ore , is a n awa rd-w i n n i ng novelist of “Tilda’s Promise,” and “Water on the Moon,” and she’s penned a book of poetry, “Times Tyranny.” But she’s also managed through the years to serve as volu nte er for t he Gr e enw ich Library Oral History Project (OHP). For the last nine years she has served as editor/writer of the OHP online blog featuring interviews from the Project’s vast collection. With news of her retiring that post, we reached out to her with a few questions. So, why and when was she drawn to OHP? “I joined in 2003 when I learned the project was look ing for volunteers. I have always had an interest in history, so I was drawn to the organization’s mission of recording and preserving Greenwich history through the words of its residents. I n 2 01 1 , t h e p r oj e c t b e g a n a blog, posting news about recent interviews. I volunteered to take it over. I became very interested in the scope of the collection and, with recommendations, I began writing pieces usually dedicated to one or

A 2016 OHP Christmas party at Greenwich Library. Left rear, John Twomey, Harriet Feldman, OHP co-chair Robin Edelston, Jean P. Moore, the late Dick Blair, and Tara Stone. OHP office manager. two interviews at a time. I found the interviews to be enchanting.” A nd, when did students begin to volunteer? “In 2016, we began soliciting volunteers from the schools, knowing that our collection could be of great interest to students with a love of history and writing. Our f irst student

blogger was Olivia Luntz, then graduating senior at Greenwich High School. Today our student blogger is Noor Rekhi, a junior at G r e e nw ich Ac ade my. O u r OHP volunteer blogger is Joseph Campbell.” Have any of those oral histories

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By Jill S. Woolworth, LMFT

ILLUSTRATED BY WAJIH CHAUDHRY

The Greenwich Art Society Opens New Exhibit

JOHN FERRIS ROBBEN PHOTO

Round Hill Community Church invites the community to participate in its Winter/Spring Bible Study: ‘Introducing the Gospel of Matthew’. The first meeting of the Bible Study group will take place Sunday, Feb. 2 at 11:30 a.m. inside the Meeting Room at the Church. T h e R e v. D r. E d Horstmann, Senior Pastor at Round Hill Community Church, will lead the discussions. The Bible Study is open to all and there is no cost for participation. The group will meet from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Please contact the Church at 203869-1091, to secure your spot and to ensure that you receive all advance materials.

Camillo Announces Public/Private Partnership

ANNE W. SEMMES PHOTO

Round Hill Holds Bible Study

We own all the storage capacity in our brains. What stories do we want to store there by telling them again and again? Are we the hero, the survivor, the observer, or the victim of these stories? Do we really want to give difficult people a central room in our brain? This is our choice. We have the power to re-wire our brains: we can either feed or starve our thoughts as they arise. Thoughts that we feed reconsolidate our memories and our emotional experiences every time we dwell on them. Thoughts that we starve lose their power. There is no point in being hard on ourselves when negative thoughts arise. They will come. Imagine them like a cold fog: annoying, but not life-changing. The fog will pass. Even after years of thinking and feeling a certain way, we can choose to let thoughts go and set ourselves free. Maria was angry at the way a school official had mistreated her daughter. Her point was valid, but after two years, she evicted the official from space in her brain when she realized that her anger was only affecting her. He was oblivious to her concern and might as well be “ dancing through a field of daisies.” Her daughter had moved on. Once Maria did too, she no longer suffered an unwelcome tenant in her brain. Greenwich resident Jill Woolworth is the author of the book, The Waterwheel available locally at Diane's Books and Dogwood or at Amazon.