Veolia sponsor STEM Alliance’s STEM-tastic Festival

After a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic, The STEM Alliance will be hosting their 7th STEM-tastic—a free festival for more than 1,000 people which brings STEM—Science, Technology, Engineering & Math—to life with dozens of hands-on activities. This festival will be held on May 12, 6 p.m.-9 p.m. at Hommocks Middle School in Larchmont.

STEM-tastic will be providing fun for all ages, giving children and their families the opportunity to spark their interest in STEM disciplines by participating in various challenges. Families will be experiencing space with SkyDome, exploring circuits with iCamp, exploring the science of sound with Bach To Rock, and much more with over 30 expert-led experiences. This evening event will bring STEM learning to a whole new level as kids learn, touch, do, create, build and innovate.

STEM-tasic is proudly sponsored by Veolia North America. Veolia aims to be the benchmark company for ecological transformation.

With nearly 220,000 employees worldwide, Veolia designs and provides game-changing solutions that are both useful and practical for water, waste and energy management. As one of Westchester’s premium water providers, Veolia is committed to helping their customers save water at schools, municipal buildings, offices, and more. They have also made a substantial commitment to philanthropic causes in the county, including their sponsorship of The STEM Alliance’s festival.

STEM Alliance President Margaret Käufer says, “We are so grateful to our sponsor Veolia for supporting our area’s only free festival on hands-on science. Science festivals are critical to our mission of inspiring and growing the next generation of diverse STEM leaders. Thanks to Veolia, we are able to make STEM-tastic a free event for all.”

To learn more or volunteer at this event, please visit www.thestemalliance.org/ stem-tastic

BOL FROM 1 likely to experience discrimination and harassment as a result of housing affordability. The population is also less likely to have children or other family members to help meet their needs as they age, further exacerbating the crisis.

The LOFT: LGBT Community Services Center will also be leasing space at the new mixed-use development. They will coordinate outreach to the eligible LGBTQ+ seniors and assist them with applying for the available units. This ensures that the new development will be an inclusive community that meets the needs of all seniors.

Judy Troilo, Executive Director for The LOFT, said, “There was a time in our history, in the not-so-distant past, when mem- bers of the LGBTQ+ community weren’t living long enough to need senior housing. There was also so much fear associated with identifying as LGBTQ+ publicly. This housing today is a symbol of how far we have come. Granted, we still have a long way to go, but this is a tremendous day. Our long-standing goal of providing Westchester’s LGBTQ+ elders with safe, affordable, and affirming housing has arrived! In addition, our brand-new center will include space for our growing programs, and a home for a partner provider to offer medical and mental health services specifically to LGBTQ+ individuals and families here in Westchester County. Having all these incredible services under one roof is truly groundbreaking and will no doubt become a model for others to follow nationally.”

New Rochelle library to celebrate National Library Week with ‘Meet the Authors’

In celebration of National Library Week, the New Rochelle Public Library will host a “Meet the Authors” Exhibition on Saturday, April 29, 1:30-4 p.m.

Nearly twenty authors, all from New Rochelle, will be on hand to share their work. In line with this year’s theme “There’s More to the Story”, attendees will hear firsthand from the authors about their writing process, inspirations, and the stories behind their latest works. The event will be exhibition-style, where attendees can walk around and meet the authors in an informal setting. Authors of both children’s and adult books will be in attendance.

“National Book Week is a time to celebrate the joy of reading and to appreciate the hard work and dedication that goes into writing a book. This exciting event is an opportunity for book lovers to come together for an afternoon of literary conversation”, said Tom Geoffino, Director, New Rochelle Public Library. “We’re grateful to the diverse and impressive group of authors who will join us. I know it will be an inspiring day”, said Geoffino.

Authors scheduled to exhibit include:

Amy Bass: Not the Triumph but the Struggle (2002), In the Game (2005), Those About Him Remained Silent (2009), One Goal (2018)

Marisa Boan: Series of Bilingual Children’s Art Books based on the lives of famous artists including Frida Kahlo, Pablo Picasso, Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet, Henri Matisse, Wassily Kandinsky, and Diego Rivera (2021-2022)

C.J. Farley: Zero O’Clock (2021)

Dr. La Ruth Gray: What about Barnard? (2019)

Dr.G (Juanita P. Guerra, PhD): Mind Your Business: 6 Key Strategies Guaranteed to Help You Speak and Live Your Truth (2022)

S.T. Haggerty: Cows in the Fog and Other Poems and Stories (2014), Norman Rockwell’s Models, In and Out of the Studio (2023)

Cedric Lucas: What’s in Aunt Mary’s Room (1996), Night Golf (1999), Frederick Douglass-The Last Day of Slavery (2005)

Susan Moorhead: The Night Ghost (2015), Carry Darkness, Carry Light (2021)

Rhiannon Navin: Only Child (2018)

Chris Poggiali: These Fists Break Bricks: How Kung Fu Movies Swept America and Changed the World (2022)

Rosemary Rivera and Mario Menjivar: Myra and the Drawing Drama, Myra y el Enredo del Dibujo (2023)

David Saperstein: author of 17 novels, 32 scripts - features and TV including the story for Cocoon, the two-time Academy Award-winning film.

Clarence “Chip” Shelton: Excel in Two Careers...Plan Be Your Dream (2021)

James Swinehart: It’s Here Somewhere and Other Poems (2021)

Michael N. Tripicco: Old Mamaroneck: Pictures from Postcards (2021), Fort Slocum: Pictures From Postcards (2022)

Zenda Walker: Know Your Hairitage: Zara’s Wash Day (2021)

Kent Washington: Kentomania: A Black Basketball Virtuoso in Communist Poland (2021)

The event takes place at the Main branch of the New Rochelle Public Library, 1 Library Plaza, New Rochelle, and is free and open to the public. Visitors will have the opportunity to purchase books and have them signed by the authors, or bring their own copies of books for signing.