WWBA September 2020 Newsletter - M

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○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ WWBA VOLUNTEERS KICK OFF A YEAR OF GIVING BACK from page 1 house. That’s where the WWBA stepped in! After a particularly large donation by Shop-Rite, volunteers from the WWBA descended on the warehouse and sorted and shelved all of the items so that the deliverers could easily create their care packages the next day. Literally thousands of cans and boxes were neatly stacked and arranged during the roughly two hours that the volunteers were there. Several volunteers even broke out their winter coats and gloves and happily stocked items in the walk-in freezer! Hillside is thrilled to partner with the Westchester Women’s Bar Association in efforts like this so watch your email for future opportunities to serve. And for more about Hillside Food Outreach, visit hillsidefoodoutreach.org. ◗ Giving Back: My Work with Hillside Food Outreach Lisa M. Denig [Setting: the basement of a community center, a group of people in a circle of chairs] “Hi, my name is Lisa D. and I’m a Chronic Volunteer.” “Hi Lisa!” Ok, so perhaps there isn’t a support group for my particular malady but if there were, I envision that it would have to meet at 3 AM, since that is probably the only free time Chronic Volunteers like myself have. However, when WWBA President Lisa M. Smith asked if I would write the inaugural article for the WWBA Newsletter’s “Giving Back” column, I jumped at the chance. ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ “Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart.” ~Elizabeth Andrews While my volunteer exploits range from walking dogs at the Animal Haven shelter in New York City to serving on numerous non-profit boards and committees, one that has become an even bigger part of my life since the Covid-19 pandemic is my work with Hillside Food Outreach. Hillside is not just a food pantry. Most food pantries require clients to come to the pantry and pack up the food they need. Hillside’s mission is completely different-they deliver food to the elderly, sick or shut-ins that do not have the ability to get to a pantry. They also focus on providing healthier alternatives than traditional food pantries such as fresh fruits and vegetables and sugar-free, low-sodium, and gluten-free foods. This is particularly important for clients who suffer from chronic health issues such as diabetes and high blood pressure. My husband, Jim Carpiniello, and I volunteer with Hillside as food deliverers. One Saturday a month, we pack up boxes and bags from the warehouse and deliver them to our five, regular families. Currently, we can only drop the food off on the front step but before the pandemic, these families looked forward to our monthly visit, as many of them do not have family or friends who stop by. For some, we are their only connection to the outside world. We have gotten to know them, their life stories and situations, and their food likes and dislikes (one of our clients hates cereal!). When the Corona virus hit with full force, Hillside took on another role-delivering food to those who were ill or quarantined due to possible exposure. Because Hillside already had a decontinued on page 11 ➥ Page 4 Westchester Women’s Bar Association News
○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ UNCERTAINTY IS THE NEW NORMAL What Does This Mean for Parents and Students? Jennifer N. Netrosio, Julie Passman, Alison Morris, and Susan Mills Richmond On July 14, 2020, WWBA’s Education and Wellness Committees hosted a virtual lunchtime program via ZOOM: Uncertainty is the New Normal: What does that mean for Parents and Students? Panelists Sarah Rubin, Psy.D, school psychologist at Todd Elementary School in Briarcliff Manor and Director of Child and Adolescent Counseling at The Center for Behavior Therapy in White Plains, and Linda Bond, Ph.D., licensed psychologist specializing the Cognitive Behavior Therapy, working with adolescents and adults. Both psychologists offered strategies to help parents manage stress, balance work with parenting (and possibly home-schooling again), accept Linda Bond, Ph.D. uncertainty, and support the developmental needs of their children during this uncertain time. A prevailing theme from both panelists is that parents should prioritize self-care. Both psychologists agree that the more care you give yourself the better able you are to support your children and family. Selfcare recommendations: exercise, practice yoga, meditate, journal, be aware of your social needs, and create a new schedule that fits the family’s needs right now. Dr. Rubin, who works Sarah Rubin, Psy.D. largely with children in grades K-8, offers parents the following tips to help young children cope with frustration and anxiety, due to uncertainty stemming from COVID-19: 1. Develop a concrete plan with your child for when your child becomes frustrated. Have your child brainstorm their top two frustrations along with strategies to handle those frustrations; then, write these on a piece paper and post the paper on the computer: “When I get frustrated, I will take deeps breaths.” 2. Name the skills you are trying to strengthen in your child, i.e., positive thinking and resilience. Discuss and explain those skills in age appropriate language. 3. Identify negative thoughts and brainstorm together with your child a positive replacement thought. Your child can keep a journal that they decorate! 4. Parents and children can keep a daily gratitude journal. 5. Book recommendation: My Hero is You, How kids can fight COVID-19! by the World Health Organization. 6. Acknowledge and empathize with your child’s feelings of uncertainty, but also remind them that this is a “temporary” or “time limited” situation in the world that will pass. continued on page 8 ➥ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ President’s message from page 3 ing a once in a lifetime pandemic, racial unrest and extreme inequity, and unsettling political polarization. One event that jumpstarted our efforts to Give Back this summer is highlighted in this newsletter; on Friday, July 24, a group of about a dozen WWBA volunteers gathered at Hillside Food Pantry to unpack and organize a large quantity of food that would subsequently be distributed to those most in need of assistance in our County. It took almost exactly 90 minutes, and everyone not only felt good about having volunteered, we also had a great deal of fun. Another important WWBA effort that has recently begun is to encourage voter registration across the County, in a bipartisan way. In this way, too, we can Give Back to our community, and to our entire country. I recently had the pleasure of swearing in 120 brand new citizens of the United States, from countries all around the world. They were from Bangladesh, Ghana, the Dominican Republic and the Philippines, South Korea and Ecuador, among many others, and I assure you that each of them will treasure the opportunity to cast a ballot in November. In 2016 only 58.1 percent of eligible voters cast a presidential ballot. By comparison 73 percent of the voting age population of Finland voted in 2015; 87 percent of the voting age population of Belgium voted in 2014; 78 percent of the voting age population of South Korea voted in 2017; 73 percent of the voting age population of New Zealand voted in 2014; 65 percent of the voting age population of the U.K. voted in 2016. We can and must do better than 58.1 percent. It is crucial that everyone has a say in selecting our leaders in government, and the way to do that is to vote; the precursor to voting is to register. So please help WWBA’s efforts in this regard by talking to your families, your friends, your book club and dog walking colleagues, anyone you can think of, to make sure they are registered, and that everyone they know is registered. We have included registration information and flyers in a recent email blast, and WWBA will happily provide additional registration documents to any group, organization, or locale that you identify. Completed registration forms should be delivered or mailed to the Board of Elections at 25 Quarropas Street in White Plains, by the registrant. Mailed applications must be postmarked no later than October 9, 2020, and received by the Board of Elections no later than October 14, 2020 for a newly registered voter to be eligible to vote in the November election. In person registration must be completed no later than October 9, 2020. Registration is the first step, and when election day comes around make sure that you encourage those you know to vote, even if you disagree with them politically B because every citizen continued on page 13 ➥ Westchester Women’s Bar Association News Page 5
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WWBA September 2020 Newsletter - M

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