Now is Not the Time to be Complacent

Irene - who as I write continues to wring out the towel overhead - can't dampen the joy my heart feels because of the incredible steadfast, die-hard, invaluable DAILY votes folks have cast to help me bring the Uptown Troy Community Harvest Festival to life this year.  After months of supporting other organizations through the Refresh Everything program, I'm within reach of bringing something to my neighborhood so sorely needed - a full day of FREE family fun.  I'm preparing for the best possible outcome.  There's tons of planning that goes into an event like this and that planning has begun. Vendors have been selected and contacted for estimates and groups are gathering volunteers to man the booths.
 
I've reached out to Jim Blessing and the wonderful staff at The ARC of Rensselaer County to let them know it's looking like a "GO".  Pastor Willie Bacote at Missing Link Street Ministry is putting together his shopping list to ensure a festive menu for the days activities. Tom Techman is warming up his vocal cords and songlist so that he can thouroughly entertain us. Joe over at Jumping Bean Party Rental is sharpening his pencil to allow for the maximum amount of fun and games.  And wait till the kids get a load of the prizes they can get with their stash of tickets won at the games.  The cherry on top? Well that is a special four-day residency by reknowned cello virtuoso and my dear friend Dr. Steven Elisha when he brings his Mr. Cello program to the area.

We're close yet we're NOT there.  This is NO time to become complacent. It is vital to continue voting EVERY day and it will take a small city of daily votes for funding to be realized.  In addition to your online daily vote (logging in with your FB account or direct with Pepsi or BOTH), those of you with texting capabilities get to cast a third daily vote by sending 107824 to Pepsi (73774). Your daily votes coupled with our collective POWER VOTES are the reason we're so close.  Those little yellow Pepsi caps contain the codes we need to solidify funding.  Find them where you can & drop them off at Smoker's Choice in either Troy Plaza or Latham or at Troy Discount Beverage in South Troy.  Tell them The Dartlady sent ya.

Beyond a doubt, the hope of funding would not be possible without the strong support by my partner projects and their supporters. Please continue to cast a daily vote for Angels4Epilepy (107962), Nicholson (107973), Cohoes Music Hall/C-R Productions (100081) and most importantly National Inclusion Project (108169) with your daily votes over the next three days.  That's right.  Only three more days till we know whether our projects will be considered for grant funding. A special shout out goes to Uptown Initiative's Youth Supporting Youth partners from January Project Hope/Ft Edward, who have re-activated their voting machines to help make this festival happen.
Tonight as I've been writing this entry, a section of my old neighborhood was permanently altered. I lived both on top of that hill on Highland Avenue and at the bottom of that hill on Congress Street.  My thoughts and prayers are with my neighbors up there especially those directly affected by the mudslide. For those neighbors not living in Mt. Ida, please send your good thoughts to them as well. With the rain continuing to fall, the risk of further slides and the flooding of the Poestenkill on the southside of the road increases.  Ida Hillers & South Trojans are being evacuated. Stay safe my friends.

Into the Final Stretch

This week is Traver's Week in Saratoga Springs which marks the entrance into the final stretch of the local horse racing season.  Well, the same can be said for my campaign to bring the Uptown Troy Community Harvest Festival back this year through the Refresh Everything program. Only 11 voting days remain and the winners are determined by the placement in the ranks as of 11:59 PM on Wednesday, August 31st.

$10,000 is a good sum of money and will allow me to expand on last year's event.  In addition to the Bounce House and carnival games, prizes, food & fun, I'm hoping to bring something to these families that they've never seen before - Mr. Cello.  Most kids in these neighborhoods have never seen a cello let alone heard someone play one.  So happens that Mr. Elisha's mother was an educator in the Lansingburgh School District, teaching string instruments.  His roots are here in Troy and he is happy to offer his program as part of the festival. 

Please support my efforts today by clicking here and casting a vote of support today? Please continue to support my partners at Angels4Epilepsy, Nicholson and National Inclusion Project with your daily votes as well. Most importantly, save or salvage as many of those yellow pepsi caps that you can and drop off at any of our Cap Collection Centers: Smokers Choice in Troy Plaza, Troy Discount Beverage Center in South Troy or High Maintenance, Low Budget Consignment Shop in Lansingburgh.  Remember, together we can.

We're All in This Together

Today, over 100 people will gather at Troy's Prospect Park to share photos, stories and memories of growing up on Ida Hill and the surrounding neighborhoods.  Many of those neighborhoods have been lost, like Herb Hyde's neighborhood at College and Eighth. Today's picnic is a way for those who lived in these lost neighborhoods to share this part of Troy's history with younger generations who haven't been able to experience them personally.

I became an Ida Hiller later in life, moving onto Congress Street in 1997 just before the dam burst on the Poestenkill. When that dam burst, Miles Blakeborough rallied the neighborhood to take action and the Mount Ida Preservation Association was born. Along with MIPA, Troy's Earth Day activites were also born. Something that started as a neighborhood project has grown into an annual city-wide event. Miles understood that we're all in this together and that if it's good for ANY part of Troy, it's good for ALL of Troy. I have no doubt that he will be with us today in spirit.

Miles continues to inspire me especially as I seek funding to hold the Uptown Troy Community Harvest Festival through the Refresh Everything program. It's this inspiration that drew me into partnering with Nicholson Heritage Association, Angels4Epilepy, and the National Inclusion Project. It's this inspiration that drives my support of other groups like The Scott Delforte Foundation & Harrisville Free Library. We're all in this together and it's by working together that our goals can be achieved.  Your continued support of these efforts will help each of us to do just that.

Please save ALL your yellow pepsi caps as they contain codes worth extra votes.  Cap Collection Centers are located at Smokers Choice in the Troy Plaza, High Maintenance, Low Budget Consignment Shop, CAC Woodside and all ARC of Rensselaer County offices.  Codes must be used by September 30, 2011 so get those in asap.  There will also be a collection box for them at today's picnic.  Sure hope you can stop by for a little bit. After all, we're all in this together.

Everyone is Included

At a planning meeting for Uptown/North Central's National Night Out event, I got a bit bent out of shape at what I percieved to be an exclusion of a group interested in participating as volunteers.  As can sometimes happen with me, my passion for the underdog blinded me.  In other words, I jumped when I should have just sat still. In the end, that group was welcomed with open arms and written acknowledgement.

Maybe I'm so passionate about inclusion 'cause so many people I knew were picked on by "the popular" kids in school. Maybe I'm so passionate about inclusion 'cause kids I knew were excluded from activities due to circumstances beyond their control.  Maybe I'm so passionate about inclusion 'cause I'm a Libra.  What ever the reason, it is certainly something I am passionate about. That's why I am so excited to have partnered with the National Inclusion Project while we vie for Refresh Everything grant funding to hold the Uptown Troy Community Harvest Festival again this year.

The National Inclusion Project serves to bridge the gap that exists between young people with disabilities and the world around them. They partner with communities and inclusive programs creating awareness about the possibilities that inclusion can bring.  For me, this is a perfect partnership given that The ARC of Rensselaer was instrumental in getting last year's festival up and running.

Please continue to support my efforts to bring the Uptown Troy Community Harvest Festival back this year with your daily votes along with my partner projects National Inclusion Project,  Nicholson Heritage Association and Angels4Epilepsy. Please remember them when voting too. Cap Collection Centers are established at CAC Woodside (a previous grant recepient), High Maintenance, Low Budget Consignment Shop, Smokers Choice in the Troy Plaza and all ARC of Rensselaer County offices. Save those yellow caps and drop off to any location when ya can. Voting continues until August 31st.

Being an Active Member in your Community

For those who know me, they know my passions run deep and I can get fired up when they become inspired. If I sense an injustice or feel someone being attacked that can't defend themselves, I'm right there looking out for them. I could blame it on being the oldest of six siblings. Truthfully, I was just born that way. I look out for the underdog. I stand up for what I believe is the right thing to do. I speak up, speak out and take action. That's why I'm seeking this Refresh Everything grant. The families in my neighborhood NEED access to family fun activities. 

Way back in 1982, there was a massive flood in Ft. Wayne, Indiana - my son's father's hometown.  John Mellencamp did a benefit concert that summer to help raise funds for his neighbors and their communities.  He saw a need and knew a way he could help. For me, he's one of the greats.  His music is insprirational.  His Cutting Heads album is one of my favorites.  There's a line in his song Peaceful World that inspires my work in my community - "It's what you do not what you say. If you're not part of the future, then get out of the way."  Yeah, I say plenty, that's for sure and I do plenty too.

Please continue to support my efforts to bring the Uptown Troy Community Harvest Festival  back this year with your daily votes. I've partnered with two incredible projects Nicholson Heritage Association and Angels4Epilepsy.  Please remember them when voting too. Cap Collection Centers are established at CAC Woodside (a previous grant recepient), High Maintenance, Low Budget Consignment Shop, Smokers Choice in the Troy Plaza and all ARC of Rensselaer County offices.  Save those yellow caps and drop off to any location when ya can.  Voting continues until August 31st. 

The Sacred Disease

When I was about 14 I witnessed an epileptic seizure while waiting for a bus. One of the men suddenly convulsed, fell to the ground and began to foam at the mouth. Fortunately someone there knew what to do, sticking something in his mouth to prevent him from swallowing his tongue. Within moments, his shaking stopped and all that remained of the episode itself was the nasty bump on his head where it had hit the concrete sidewalk. It was a frightening experience.

The ancients referred to Epilepsy as the Sacred Disease believing that seizures were either attempts by demons to possess humans or a means of punishment inflicted by the gods.  Given the limited knowledge of the human body at the time, it is understandable why they held such beliefs.  Hippocrates, the father of western medicine, believed otherwise.  He held that there was nothing sacred about the seizures and that there manifestations were purely psychiological in nature. He worked to remove the stigma just as the Epilepsy Foundation works today to do the same.

Approximately 125,000 people here in the US are diagnosed annually with Epilepsy. It is not a single disorder but rather a syndrome with vastly different degrees of abnormal electrical activity in the brain. Although most common in children and the elderly, it can occur to anyone at anytime. Some people with Epilepsy will simply stare blankly for a few seconds while others will suffer grand mal seizures. In most cases, Epilepsy is controlled with medications. Although a diagnosis of Epilepsy may prevent a person from driving or operating heavy machinery, it shouldn't prevent them from participating in life.

Bud Abbott, Danny Glover & Ward Bond each suffered from recurring seizures yet had fulfilling acting careers. Neil Young, Lindsey Buckingham and Prince too are epileptics. I recently met a 10 year old boy who said he couldn't play baseball because of his Epilepsy.  Well, it didn't stop Grover Cleveland Alexander, Buddy Bell or Tony Lazzeri from playing so I don't see why it should stop him.

Along with the Uptown Troy Community Harvest Festival, please continue to support my partners at Angels4Epilepsy and Nicholson Heritage Association as together we vie for Refresh Everything grant funding. Voting is open till August 31. Cap Collection Centers have been opened at Smokers Choice in the Troy Plaza, High Maintenance, Low Budget Consignment Shop and all The ARC of Rensselaer County locations.

NY-PENN Connection

Troy is rich in history, we all know that, but did you know that Troy was home to one of the first rail lines in the country? Incorporated in May of 1836, the Schenectady & Troy Railroad began operation in the fall of 1841. The road itself was constructed by the City of Troy.  All that remains in Troy is a section of the roundhouse once used to turn the engines around and lots of old photos. It's this rail history that drew me into partnering with Nicholson Heritage Association this month as we both vie for funding through the Refresh Everything program.

Nicholson, PA is fortunate enough to still have their 1849 railroad station.  I sure wish Troy still had her Union Station.  She was a beauty.  Each of my parents grew up on Eighth Street near Rensselaer Street just south of the roundhouse and have clear memories of the trains traveling through their childhood neighborhood. And although they stopped running years before I was born, the tracks remained.  I spent many an hour playing with my friends along those old tracks up by the coal shoots.  In the early 80's the tracks were covered and the Uncle Sam Bikeway was born.

Please continue to support my efforts to bring the Uptown Troy Community Harvest Festival back to Troy this fall with your daily votes as well as supporting my partners at Nicholson Heritage Association & Angels4Epilepsy.  Another way to help is to collect yellow pepsi caps and dropping them off at one of our Cap Collection Centers such as CAC Woodside or High Maintenance, Low Budget Consignement Shop.