Successful Aging, other programs slated

Diabetes selfmanagement program offered in Phoenicia

A six-week diabetes self-management program will take place Mondays from 1 to 3:30 p.m. from March 27 through May 1 at Phoenicia Methodist Church, 29 Church St. The program is free. The program will include an overview of the disease, making an action plan, monitoring diabetes, and nutrition/healthy eating. Other topcis include preventing low blood sugars/complications, fitness and exercise, stress management, relaxation techniques, difficult emotions, positive thinking and working with the health care system.

Call the Ulster County Office for the Aging at (845) 340-3456 to register for the program. For more information, call Marge Gagnon, a registered nurse, at (845) 706-6459 or send an email to rwcscrc@aol.com.

Greene County residents will receive honors

The Greene County Legislature has recognized Richard Brooks at the 2017 Senior Citizen of the Year.

Edward Bloomer of Athens was named by the legislature as the recipient of the Outstanding Contribution by a Senior Citizen award.

The two were selected after a search by the Advisory Council to the Greene County Department for the Aging. Other nominees were John Pulice and Margaret Snyder of Athens and Cynthia LaPierre of Hunter.

The county’s Department of Human Services will recognize all of this year’s nominees at the Seventh Annual Senior Citizen Day on Friday, May 19, from noon to 3 p.m. at the Historic Point in Catskill. In addition, Brooks and Bloomer will be recognized by New York state at a ceremony as part of the Older New Yorkers Day in Albany on Tuesday, May 9.

Brooks has lived in Greene County for more than 50 years. He was a teacher at Pieter B. Coeymans Elementary School in Coeymans until his retirement. Since then, he has volunteered as a cook for seniors in the New Baltimore Reformed Church Food N’ Fun Luncheon. He has also been a guest speaker at various senior citizen clubs. In addition, he is a featured columnist in ColumbiaGreene Media.

Brooks served as board president of Cornell Cooperative Extension and was instrumental in establishing the Agroforestry Center in Acra. A Greene County Council on the Arts board member, he demonstrated woodcarving at numerous functions. He is a founding member of the New Baltimore Conservancy. He also served on the planning committee for the Greene County Youth Fishing Derby and has provided guide service in the museum at the Freightmaster’s Building in Catskill.

Bloomer has lived most of his life in Athens. He helped his parents run the family farm and attended St. Patrick’s Academy in Catskill and Coxsackie-Athens School.

He worked on railroads as a laborer, engine service and as a fireman (co-engineer). He retired as a passenger engineer for MetroNorth before attending Columbia-Greene Community College and graduating with honors.

Bloomer enjoys gardening. He and his partner, Tami, raise goats and chickens on the family farm. As a volunteer, he has served the Greene County Department of Human Services by delivering meals, providing medical transportation and assisting at the Rivertown Senior Center. He has also served as a volunteer tutor with the Literacy Volunteers of America, where he is also a member of the board of directors. In Athens, he has volunteered at the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse Preservation Society, the town’s Zoning Board and for activities at the Athens Cultural Center. In addition, he is a Greene County Planning Board member.

Bloomer is a volunteer for the “Y-Tri,” sponsored by the Greene County branch of the YMCA, and serves as a Colleburgh Cemetery Association trustee. He has also served for terms as president of the CoxsackieAthens Rotary Club.

The following Successful Aging events and other events are scheduled:

• Friday, March 24, at 10 a.m. Successful Aging at Parkinson’s group meeting at Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Poughkeepsie. Call (845) 471-6580.

• Thursday, March 30, at 12:15 p.m. Successful Aging at St. Simeon Apartments, 700 Second Mile Drive, Poughkeepsie. Call (845) 471-5766 for more information.

• Monday, April 3, at 2 p.m., “Wills, Trusts and Elder Law,” with John Wirth of the Dutchess County Office for the Aging Advisory Board, at Pawling Library, 11 Broad St. Call (845) 8553444 for more information.

• Wednesday, April 5, at 2:30 p.m., Successful Aging at Parkinson’s disease support group meeting at Starr Library, 68 W. Market St., Rhinebeck. Call (845) 8764030 for more informatiion.

• Thursday, April 6, at 2 p.m. Successful Aging at Blodgett Library, 37 Broad St., Fishkill. Call (845) 8969215 for more information.

State of County forum rescheduled for April 5

The State of the County forum with Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro at the Town of Poughkeepsie Senior Center, 14 Abe’s Way, which had been scheduled for March 14, was postponed due to the snowstorm.

The event has been rescheduled for Wednesday, April 5, at 1 p.m.

Call (845) 462-265 or visit poughkeepsietownrec.com for more information.

Adjustment to Aging support group begins meeting April 24

An Adjustment to Aging support group will meet for 10 weeks from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Mondays from April 24 through June 26 at Rhinebeck Hospital’s Center for Healthy Aging, 6529 Springbrook Ave.

This small, private therapy group will help participants having difficulty adjusting to the many challenging life transitions related to aging. There will be discussions on common aging experiences, managing difficult emotions, significant everyday challenges and grief after loss. Participants will learn effective coping skills for managing anxiety, reducing stress and finding peace with the aging process. Registration is required.

To register, call the Center for Healthy Aging at (845) 876-4745 (TTY: 800-

GROUPS

The Arc of Ulster-Greene on Feb. 18 hosted its annual Wine & Dine for supporters of the not-for-profit organization, which offers programs and services for people with autism and other developmental disabilities.

The event took place at the Chateau in Kingston. The venue was decorated and included custom centerpieces handcrafted by Green Thumbs Plant Care in Kingston. Scott Herrington, Wine & Dine chairman; and Tim & Laurel Sweeney, wine sponsors, helped make the event a success, with more than $15,000 being raised.

The Wine & Dine, which previously took place at Frank Guido’s Little Italy in Kingston, moved this year to The Chateau to accommodate the larger number of guests.

After the dinner, an exclusive live auction was held featuring rare wines from around the world, a case of locally sourced spirits and a fourcourse dinner for eight, catered by Little Italy, with wine pairing service by Stone Ridge Wines & Spirits.

••• Frost Valley YMCA received a $500 grant from the Farm Credit Northeast AgEnhancement Program. The grant will be used to underwrite the 2017 Farm Leaders Project at Frost Valley’s farm Camp.

The Farm Camp is a program set on 515 acres and allows children to care for animals, cultivate and harvest vegetables as they learn to live a healthy life and the importance of taking good care of the earth.

The farm leaders enrolled at Frost Valley’s summer farm camp training program will create a Pollinator Patch to increase the vegetation at the farm that supports pollinators such as bees, butterflies, birds and others. Pollinators are vital to farming because they help plants reproduce by moving pollen to fertilize them. The project will teach 10farm leaders, the 220 resident campers at the farm, who will range from ages 7to 15, and 65Farm Day Camp participants about the importance of pollinators to agriculture.

••• Ulster Lodge No. 193 and the Blue Light Foundation recently presented a check for $1,600 to the Saugerties United Methodist Church. The donation will be used to prepare meals for the Saugerties Boys & Girls Club.

The Blue Light Foundation, Inc. is a local non-profit 501.3c charitable organization. All money raised goes toward foundation’s many charity projects, which include the Boy Scouts, Saugerties Food Pantry, Saugerties School PTA and many others. The foundation’s missions also include providing Thanksgiving, Christmas and holiday dinners for the poor and needy, providing support for other non-profit organizations, shut-ins, the elderly and children in need, and helping support children’s sports and activities in the area.

••• Girl Scouts Heart of the Hudson, Inc. received a $3,550 grant from the Ulster Saving Charitable Foundation.

The grant will provide support for Girl Scouts Heart of the Hudson’s “Becoming A Savvy Money Manager” program. The program provides much-needed financial literacy curriculum to 100 girls in grades 4-8 during in-school programs in three underserved school districts in Ulster County.

The targeted schools will be the J. Watson Bailey Middle School in Kingston, Kerhonkson Elementary School in Kerhonkson and Lenape Elementary School in New Paltz.

— Maya Englehardt-Lorenzana, Xxaria Makely, Giovanna Manoli, Amber Powell, Drew Sirago.

High Honor — Alyssa Barbato, Kadie Galewaler, CONSIGNMENT SERVICES • ON-SITE JEWELRY DESIGN & REPAIR

421-1220).

Senior groups list meeting schedules

The Board of Managers of the Hudson Valley Senior Residence will meet Wednesday, March 22, at 10:30 a.m. at the residence at 80 Washington Ave.

Note that the usual meeting date has changed for this month. Activities for the spring will be planned. Those people unable to attend should contact Anna Mae Knowles.

The Esopus Seniors will meet Monday, March 20, at 1 p.m. at the Esopus Town Hall Community Center, 284 Broadway.

Cake will be served and “Golden Oldies” will be played.

A few places are available for the April 27 tribute to see a tribute to the “Rat Pack.”

The Town of Ulster Senior Club will meet Thursday, March 23, at the Town of Ulster Senior Center, 1 Town Hall Drive.

Refreshments will be served at 12:30 p.m. The meeting will start at 1 p.m.

The owner of Harmony Kennels will be the speaker. He will bring some of the puppies he breeds. A coworker will provide details of how puppies are trained to be service dogs.

The group’s meetings are a time for friendship, socialization and the sharing of ideas. New members are always welcome.

After the meetings, those who wish to stay can play bingo. Kingston AARP Chapter No. 2039 Monday, March 27, at 12:30 p.m. at Christina’s, 812 Ulster Ave., for a corn beef and cabbage dinner.

Reservations are required.

The next executive board meeting will take place Friday, April 7, at 1 p.m. at Esopus Town Hall, 284 Broadway.

The following trips are planned:

• June 8 and 9, Essex steam train and riverboat, plus many more attractions, in Connecticut. Includes lunch. The cost is $290 per person, double occupancy; $281 per person, triple occupancy; and $353, single occupancy.

A $100 deposit per person is required when signing up. Final payment is due March 29.

• Sept. 6 through 8, Gettysburg, Pa. Included are the Visitor’s Center museum experience, a guided tour of the Gettysburg Battlefield, the Lincoln Train Museum, Evening Ghostly Images Ghost Tour and many more attractions, The cost is $415 per person, double occupancy; $534, single occupancy; and $399 per person, triple occupancy.

A $100 deposit per person is required when signing up.

Call Pat at (845) 338-6744 or Cathy at (845) 331-8424 for more information. COLLEGIANS

Valerie Myers of Kingston graduated from Western Governors University in Salt Lake city, with a bachelor of science degree in accounting.

••• Tarinah Faircloth of Milton, a student at the State University of New York at Geneseo, was inducted into the Golden Key International Honour Society during an induction ceremony on campus.

Juniors or seniors with grade point averages that places them in the top 15 percent of their class are eligible for membership.

The society provides academic recognition to top-performing college and university students, as well as scholarships and awards, career and internship opportunities, networking, service and leadership development opportunities. The society has more than 400 chapters at colleges and universities around the world.

••• Paul A. Henke of Rhinebeck, a student at St. Lawrence University in Canton, was selected for membership in the university’s chapter of Pi

— Robert Lampman, Ally MacGiffert, Colleen Unzelman.

High Honor — Aidan Bailey, Samuel Bruck, Kyra Byrne, Kelly Cardarella, Avien Coffey, Megan Coons, Angela Cooper, Mu Epsilon, the national mathematics honorary society.

Membership eligibility varies by class year, but all students must have taken a qualifying number of mathematics courses and have achieved minimum grade point averages in those courses, as well as overall, depending upon one’s seniority.

A Rhinebeck High School graduate, Henke is a member of the Class of 2017 and is majoring in economics-mathematics.

••• Mecca Walters of Kerhonkson, a student at the State University of New York at New Paltz, was selected to participate in the college’s First Year Internship program.

The program gives firstyear undergraduate students the opportunity to gain professional experience while working with an alumni in one of many on-campus departments or offices during the spring semester. The internships are designed to give students a learning experience and skill-developmental goals in fields that are of interest to them.

Walters chose to work alongside SUNY New Paltz alumni Keith Kenney in the Athletics, Wellness & Recreation Department.

••• Alaire Pryce of Highland, a student at the State University of New York at Oswego, volunteered with Habitat for Humanity of Omaha, Neb., as part of the college’s Alternative Winter Break service program.

Pryce worked with Habitat for Humanity to build simple, decent, affordable homes in partnership with local families. SUNY Oswego’s Office of Community Services offers students many different opportunities to volunteer and travel during Alternative Breaks in winter and spring.

Pryce is a sophomore majoring in psychology.

••• Edward King of Mount Tremper was named to the president’s list at Morrisville State for the fall semester.

Students earn president’s list status by achieving a 4.0 grade point average.

••• Brian Pesavento of New Paltz, a student at The College of Saint Rose in Albany, was among the student-athletes named to the Northeast-10 Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll.

Student-athletes are named to the honor roll if they achieve a grade point average of 3.5 or higher.

A junior, Pesavento is a member of the men’s golf team.

••• Two area residents — Erika Rosenkranse of Highland and Nina Scheff of Germantown — were named to the dean’s list at Marist College in Poughkeepsie for the fall semester.

Rosenkranse is majoring in biochemistry. Scheff is majoring in interior design.

••• Sara Elizabeth Fleischhauer of Rhinebeck was named to the dean’s list at Simmons College in Boston for the spring semester.

Students earn dean’s list status by achieving a grade point average of 3.5 or higher.

She is majoring in nursing.