Healthy Kids Day at Frost Valley YMCA
The 22nd annual Healthy Kids Day is a national YMCA initiative held every spring and designed to encourage youth to pursue habits of well-being for their spirit, mind and body. Frost Valley is hosting Healthy Kids Day this Sunday, April 28 from 1 to 4 p.m. And it’s free!
Frost Valley is located at 2000 Frost Valley Road in Claryville. For more information, call (845) 985-2291 or visit www.frostvalley.org.
I am different, not less.
– Temple Grandin
According to the National Family Caregivers’ Association, “In a single year, more than 65 million people provide free care for chronically ill, disabled or aged relatives or friends.” Wow. Here are some resources to help.
“Caring for the Caregiver” retreat in Kingston
This Friday, April 26, the Resource Center for Accessible Living (RCAL) presents “Caring for the Caregiver,” an all-day retreat for family caregivers. This is such an important family issue that I want to help spread the word; so even if this doesn’t apply to you, I encourage you to hang this up somewhere and pass the information along, because it could help other people get the information that they need.
Workshop topics include “Caring for the Caregiver: Body, Mind and Spirit”; “Special Needs Trust: How It Can Address the Medicaid Spend-Down Issue”; “Advocacy for Special Needs/Technology in Caregiving”; and “Managing Stress through Pre-Planning.” The cost is $25 per person and includes breakfast and lunch, and scholarships are available.
The conference takes place at the Garden Plaza Hotel (formerly the Holiday Inn), located at 305 Washington Avenue in Kingston. For reservations or more information, call (845) 443-5488 or visit www.caringconnectionsofulstercounty.com.
Autism Walk at Dutchess Fairgrounds
On Sunday, April 28 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds, rain or shine, it’s one of the most remarkable events in our area: the Autism Walk & Expo of the Hudson Valley. This walk has three main purposes: to help build awareness of autism spectrum disorders; to continue to fund community respite, recreation, education programs and research right here in the Hudson Valley; and to have a family fun day!
Registration for the walk begins at 9 a.m., opening ceremonies begin at 10 a.m. and the walk begins at 10:30 a.m. There are so many resources to learn about in the information tent, and families tell me every year how important this event is to them. Whether you walk or sponsor a walker or both, I invite you to be a part of this event.
Registration costs $10 for adults, $5 for youth ages 11 to 17 years and is free for persons with special needs and children aged 10 and under. Vendor pricing is also available. The Dutchess County Fairgrounds are located at 6550 Spring Brook Avenue in Rhinebeck. For more information, to volunteer or to make a donation, call (845) 331-2626 or visit www.autismwalkhv.org.
Workshop on Applied Behavioral Analysis for students with autism
The first of the Center for Spectrum Services’ spring lineup of workshops is “Increasing Positive Behaviors in Students with Autism.” Presented by Sandra Brownsey, the session focuses on Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) and takes place on Tuesday, April 30 from 4 to 7 p.m. This workshop is free for direct, in-home family support staff, $40 for other interested professionals and $20 for family members of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The Center for Spectrum Services is located at 70 Kukuk Lane in Kingston. To register or for more information, call (845) 336-2616, extension 110, or visit https://centerforspectrumservices.org.
Snapology programs at area libraries
One of my favorite lines is, “On a scale of one to stepping on a Lego, how much pain are you in?” If your child’s time can be counted among the world’s 5 billion hours of Lego playtime a year, you will be happy to hear about the new kid in town: Snapology, the learning concept combining play with education using Legos. “We provide a fun environment for children to learn math, science, technology, engineering and literacy concepts using Lego bricks and other similar building tools.”
The franchise just opened up here in the Hudson Valley, and to introduce itself to the community, it has created a free Snapology program for area libraries. On Wednesday, April 24, it’ll be at the Woodstock Library; on Saturday, April 27, it’s at the Saugerties Public Library; on Monday, April 29, it’s at the Plattekill Library; and on Tuesday, April 30 at 5:15 p.m., it’s at the Kingston Library. These classes are free and open to ages 5 through 12 years, but registration is required at most libraries.
For more information about Snapology, additional upcoming free library programs, summer camps, workshops and other Snapology offerings, call (845) 255-1318 or visit www.snapology.com. To register for the library classes, contact the library directly.
Looking for live performances? Here are three great ones to consider!
Anti-bullying play in Newburgh
Bullying can be such a charged topic, but how about educating children about bullying through the use of puppets? That’s how the musical puppet show Helping Drew came about. Up in Arms puppeteer David Manley and educator Alex Ishkanian developed Helping Drew as an interactive performance designed to engage kids ages 5 through 10 years and help them connect with the characters: Drew, who’s being bullied; and Lee, the bully.
Helping Drew will be performed at the Theatre at West Shore Station on Saturday, April 27 at 11 a.m. and again at 1 p.m. The show will be followed by a question-and-answer session with the puppeteers and writer. Tickets cost $10 per person, and reservations are recommended. The Theatre at West Shore Station is located at 27 South Water Street in Newburgh. By the way, the show is at a great time, because you can schedule in an easy lunch stop at the Pizza Shop: It’s located in the same building. For reservations or more information about Helping Drew, call (845) 875-4325 or visit www.justoffbwy.com. To learn more about the production, visit https://upinarms.biz. For menus and restaurant information, go to www.pizza-shop.com.
American Boychoir at Bethel Woods
The Bethel Woods Center for the Arts hosts such good concerts! On Sunday, April 28, the American Boychoir presents “An Afternoon of Choral Artistry.” Celebrating their 75th year, these fourth-through-eighth-grade singers hail from around the US and the world, and they are “America’s most widely touring and frequently performing choral ensemble.” They have performed with James Levine, Jessye Norman, Wynton Marsalis, Sir Paul McCartney and at the Oscars with Beyoncé.
The doors open at 2:30 p.m., and the concert begins at 3 p.m. Tickets cost $30 for reserved seating, $10 for students aged 17 and under. Bethel Woods is located at 200 Hurd Road in Bethel, the original site of the 1969 Woodstock Festival. For tickets or more information, contact Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 or visit www.bethelwoodscenter.org. To learn more about the musicians, visit www.americanboychoir.org.
Healing Ana Concert at High Meadow School in Stone Ridge
This Sunday, April 28 at 3 p.m. at the High Meadow School in Stone Ridge is the second event in the Healing Ana Concert Series, a fundraiser for young Ana Dooley, who is recovering from a recent liver transplant. Here’s a recent quote by her mother, Jackie Dooley, from her incredible Healing Ana blog that I wanted to pass along to you all:
“Sunday’s concert is going to be a celebration of healing and a reminder that life’s journeys are easier when you don’t go it alone. It’s also humbling. I always thought I could do everything on my own, but cancer was too big even for me. My constant juggling of work, family and my own needs was an illusion of control I never had. When I pay the medical bills that keep coming in, I’m reminded of this because I’m not paying them. You are. There’s no way I could’ve kept it going without you – and the endless support of the community for one child – my child – is as miraculous to me as Ana’s new liver. My family is now your family. I hope we see you on Sunday so I can thank you in person.”
You can learn more in Sharyn Flanagan’s piece on page 7 of this week’s print edition of Almanac Weekly. See you there!
Erica Chase-Salerno lives, laughs, loves, cries and celebrates heroes in New Paltz with her husband Mike and their two children: the inspirations behind hudsonvalleyparents.com. She can be reached at kidsalmanac@ulsterpublishing.com.
Join the family! 
