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June/Summer 2015

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DepartmentsFrom the Inside Out... 6. Good Things Come in Small Towns By Beth Besen

Happenings28. Chamber Honors Sam Morell30. Service Dogs Star at ECAD EventEt Cetera36. Community Matters By Jodi Baretz

Advertorial35. Musical MindsBy Kaila Allison for Music in Chappaqua.

Features8. President Bill Clinton Goes to Bat for Tina’s Wish Emphasizing the critical need for a test for ovarian cancer, honoree Bill Clinton commends a medical consortium formed for that express purpose. And via an interview with Andrew Brozman, we also learn more about the special woman behind the wish. By Grace Bennett

15. Boys with an APPtitude for Improving the Face of AutismA network television show once asked Are you smarter than an eighth grader? While the mer-its of that show remain questionable, there is nothing debatable about the work this brilliant team of boys has shared with the world. By Beth Besen20. Sharing Memories, Expressing HopeIntroducing Armonk resident and Holocaust survivor Betty Knoop who has, yes, shared her excruciatingly painful experiences, but also her optimism and love of life, for a remarkable 45 years, via the Speaker’s Bureau of the Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center. By Marianne Campolongo

CoverPresident Bill Clinton Accepting a Tina’s Wish Honorary Award

Photo by Bill Bramswigwww.bramswigphotography.com

22. Armonk’s Answer to UberMeet Jason Rosenzweig, local dad and owner of the popular transportation alternative, Castle Cabs. By Deborah Notis

25. Summertime Fun with Town Recreation“Mommmm, I’m bored”… Worried this plain-tive whine may be around the corner? Fear not, the North Castle Recreation Department has so much going on, you’re only worry will be which programs to choose. By Liz Susman KarpPlus: “First Thursdays”

32. Planning Ahead to Pay for CollegeAre you ready for your kids’ future education? Much as we like to think there’s always plenty of time, the truth is much like that overused saying–“time flies.” Local financial planning company Raymond James has some great savings advice. By Dan Levitz

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From the Out…

Ask anyone in town what attracted them to Armonk and you’ll likely hear some version of the Ameri-can dream. Outstanding schools, pastoral beauty, small

town vibe and values within commuting distance of big city lights. Young families move here with every hope that they and, especially their children, will put down roots, grow and thrive.

I too grew up in a relatively small town; one in Connecticut. When I mention this locally, is widely assumed that I’m likely referring to Greenwich or, more generally, Fairfield County. Not the case, not by a long-shot. But I have come to understand the assump-tion as not so much a reflection of me personally, but of a collective expecta-tion–the fact is, many who live here now grew up here too; if not right in Armonk, then in one of the beautiful Westchester or Connecticut towns nearby. People return because what worked then, works now.

Take, for example, the many options available to families through the North Castle Recreation Department. There’s something special about a community pool; this year, run by town recrea-tion, the Anita Louise Ehrman Pool promises to be that place. Day camp and sports programs for kids and

adults alike mean town is the ticket to Ready…Set…Summer!

Of course, a community is about more than its public face. While most would agree that Armonk is, as the New York Times once called it, “an area of rugged beauty”, it is the caring community that makes it equally, if not more, attractive.

As Jason Rosensweig puts it in our profile piece Armonk’s Answer to UBER, people move here to be able to walk into any store and see a friendly and familiar face. His business is built on just that philosophy of neighborly goodwill and trust.

The same can be said for a business like Raymond James. Sure, one can get advice from the internet or an anonymous large city financial plan-ner, but how much nicer, friendlier and, frankly, easier it is to know there’s a local business with a vested interest in town families’ lives and livelihoods. Whether your children are close to college age or still part of sandbox-set, College Planning 101 is a great re-minder that we can all use a little help from our (savvy business) friends.

Speaking of college, let’s talk about Armonk’s schools. Widely recognized among the finer public high schools in the country, Byram Hills regularly sends graduates to many of our na-tion’s outstanding universities. How-ever, while June graduation means pomp-and-circumstance celebrations, a BHHS diploma stands for so much

more. Students work extraordi-narily hard in this town. Parents and teachers do too. And, while college may be the ultimate goal for most, the years of committed focus are also about the learning process, and the students’ ability to synthesize knowl-edge while moving it and themselves forward in the world.

Armonk resident Betty Knoop would agree that education is para-mount. A Holocaust survivor, Knoop’s own childhood was cut short by the horrors of war and the atrocities of concentration camp existence. All too aware that “that racism is evil…and it debases men,” she speaks about her experiences in order that others may bear witness, and think about how the past affects our collective present and future. Through her efforts, hundreds have heard first-hand about a chapter in history in which the world went dark. And yet, her message is one of Hope Not Hate.

When it comes to hope, another attention-worthy story comes courtesy of five of the most engaging eighth-grade boys I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. Collectively, they’re known as the Robobenders. And, together with their parent-mentors, they’ve de-veloped an internationally recognized iPhone App that helps those with Au-tistic Spectrum Disorders decode facial expressions and related underlying emotions. What’s My Face might very well help make the neuro-typical world become an easier place for ASD others.

And then there’s our cover story: Former President Bill Clinton was Guest of Honor at the Tina’s Wish Glo-bal Women’s Award evening. Clinton, recognized for his outstanding contri-bution to global healthcare through the Clinton Foundation, gave a pas-sionate acceptance speech in which he praised local founder Andy Broz-man and all involved in Tina’s Wish for their tremendous efforts in the funding of, and research leading to, early detection of ovarian cancer. As a woman, as a cancer survivor myself and as the mother of a daughter, I am moved by and appreciative of the vital importance of this work and the incredible people involved.

When John Cougar Mellencamp sings Small Town, I always smile to myself and picture towns like ours. Like him, “I can breathe in small town.” How about you? Please send your thoughts my way: [email protected] or post a comment to our facebook page.

Have a great summer!

Beth Besen

– Beth

Good Things Come in Small Towns

Inside Armonk may not necessarily agree with any one editorial viewpoint or necessarily endorse a particular product or service advertised. Editorial submissions should be mailed to

the above address (please enclose an SASE) or sent to [email protected]. For more information, rates and advertising calendar, go to www.theinsidepress.com.

www.theinsidepress.comJune/Summer 2015 • Volume 12, Number 3

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Publisher & Editor in Chief, Grace BennettGraphic Designer

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President Bill Clinton…on the Brilliance behind

“The Honorable Tina Brozman Foundation for Ovarian Cancer Research”

By Grace Bennett • Photos by Beatrice MoritzThe story of The

Honorable Tina Brozman Founda-tion for Ovarian Cancer Research (better known as Tina’s Wish) began well before Presi-dent Bill Clinton generously took to the podium at the Waldorf Astoria this spring to accept the inaugural Tina’s Wish Global Wom-en’s Health Award.

Of course, it was certainly monumen-tal to the efforts of Tina’s Wish, and to Tina’s family, the Brozmans, to have Bill Clinton, their neighbor and 42nd President of the United States, at different junctures express a profound optimism about the increasing availa-bility of state of the art cancer care but also lament the lack of early detection systems. Most importantly, President Clinton would continuously commend Tina’s Wish as a unique foundation for its remarkable efforts toward creating a collaborative research effort that ap-pears to offer such a promising chance at finding an early test for the detec-tion of ovarian cancer.

Clinton: “Thanks to this consor-tium we have a chance to solve the early detection riddle…We can make it so that 100 percent of people recover and live normal lives…it is the finest network of creative and intelligent minds imaginable.”

The story truly begins, however, with one cancer victim’s acute frustra-

tion–Tina Brozman’s. “Recently, I was asked yet again if I’m angry about having cancer,” Tina wrote (about six months before she passed). “I’m not angry about the disease. But I am dis-mayed and yes, angered that it wasn’t diagnosed sooner, when perhaps the treatments would have been more effective.”

Clinton: “Ovarian cancer is a terrible scourge…It’s crazy that we can’t detect this early.”

Tina Brozman, former chief judge of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, and a devoted wife and mother of three, died on June 26th, 2007, at the age of 54, after a two-year battle with ovarian cancer. Immediately post her diagno-sis, Tina underwent major surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital and later multiple

rounds of chemo-therapy. She fought her battle against the cancer while still en-grossed in an excep-tionally high profile career and spend-ing precious time at home with her beloved husband An-drew (Andy) Brozman and three children. At the same time, Tina would steadfastly share her wish with multiple colleagues, said Andy.

“It was her idea,” said Andy wistfully, in an interview inside a contemporary, glass door studio Andy had built to com-plement his 1960s house, where he and Tina raised a family and where he now

lives alone with his black lab Jerry (the remaining lab of four that the Brozmans had raised together), though with regular visits from his three grown children. “This remains home to me,” said Andy, an empty nester.

“It’s very grounding. The kids are very happy with me here. They enjoy having me up in Westchester and know the place is still here. I’m here to stay as long as I work in the metropoli-tan area.”

Since 2006, Andy has been a finan-cial restructuring lawyer at Clifford Chance, a global law firm employing 2600 lawyers, 300 in New York City. “We basically represent banks facing difficult problems. The issues get very complex which requires a lot of crea-tive thinking.”

President and neighbor Bill Clinton with Andrew Brozman


It was impossible not to conclude that the same creative thinking was at work as Andy eventually took the reins on seeing Tina’s wish to fruition.

Outside the glass doors, the back woods were alive with birds chirping and the rustle of tree leaves from a gentle wind blowing. Although mid-April, winter had not quite turned to spring in earnest but it was still a pri-vate place projecting a sense of peace. The studio, which Andy designed with a local architect, has served as a refuge for him on this lovely property situated in Chappaqua, close to the Armonk border.

A Consortium is BornIn the months before her passing,

Tina approached a group of her friends about starting the Foundation–the mission, to find an early detection screen for ovarian cancer, was formal-ized after her death. Relationships Tina and Andy had fostered through-out their careers all served to help es-tablish Tina’s Wish, which would come to not only raise dollars for research but also coordinate and fund the most effective model possible for research to detect ovarian cancer early. Auspi-cious beginnings: Paul Cleary, the Dean of the School of Public Health at Yale, whose late wife was a partner of Tina’s at Bingham, was integral in helping get the Foundation off the ground. The first fundraising event, in 2008, was held in London and hosted by INSOL, the International Associa-tion of Restructuring, Insolvency & Bankruptcy Professionals, which Tina was involved with before she passed.

In 2013, after over six years of raising initial funds and providing grants for early detection research, Tina’s Wish created The Tina Broz-man Ovarian Cancer Research Con-sortium, bringing together scientists from different institutions to work together to advance research into the early detection and prevention of ovarian cancer. In the spring of 2014, Susheel Kirpalani, partner at Quinn Emanuel and Chairperson of the firm’s Bankruptcy and Restructuring Group, donated $100,000 to seed a consor-tium grant in honor of his mother who died of ovarian cancer. It is one of the first ever consortium grants to benefit ovarian cancer.

According to President Bill Clinton, it was almost unheard of for a private

foundation to create what the Broz-mans have created.

Clinton: “It is a testimony to Andy’s family that Tina’s Wish has emerged as the third largest funding source dedicated to the detection of ovarian cancer.”

The consortium is comprised of six teams at five major cancer centers–Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania Ovarian Cancer Research Center and Yale School of Medicine/Yale Can-cer Center (which has two teams). The researchers are pooling intellect and their specific knowledge bases

to successfully break new ground in the early detection of ovarian cancer. (To understand how the consortium “works,” see sidebar here: “Collabora-tive Science toward a Test.”)

“I now think we’ve got some of the best scientific minds and institutions pursuing this,” said Andy. “We want to make sure we are converging as much great science as we possibly can.”

Clinton: “The most important thing you have done is to organize a co-operative network.”

Love and Two Fledgling AttorneysA future world with early detection

for ovarian cancer is the essence

To elucidate the honor to President Clinton from Tina’s Wish, Cecelia Morris, Chief Justice of the U.S. Bankrupt-cy Court for the Southern District of New York, recalled the Fleetwood Mac theme song that was used during Clinton’s campaign.

Included in her comments to those gathered: “In his first year in the White House, President Clinton was di-rectly touched by the ravages of cancer when his mother, Virginia, was diagnosed with breast cancer...

• While President, he established the National Action Plan on Breast Cancer.

• In 2005, President Clinton helped launch the Virginia Clinton Kelley Fund to honor the memory of his mother.

• In 2012, he was named the hon-orary chair of Breast Cancer Dead-line 2020, which seeks to end breast cancer by January 1st of that year. As we now know, breast cancer and ovarian cancer are linked. The same genetic mutations that put a woman at risk of developing breast cancer may also increase her risk of devel-oping ovarian cancer…”

And in keeping with the theme song, Judge Morris segued from describing his earlier support for breast cancer research to citing the establishment of and successes of the Clinton Foundation since leav-ing the White House. “To date, the Clinton Foundation has helped to improve the lives of more than 430 million people in 180 nations.” She noted, in particular, that the Clinton Foundation’s initiatives are driven by the power of creative thinking and collaboration.

In a phone interview post the event, Judge Morris lauded the president for “a deep understanding of the organization and what we are trying to do. He offered mesmer-izing remarks, continuously return-ing to the collaborative efforts and initiatives of Tina’s Wish.”

“Don’t Stop Thinking About Tomorrow”

President Bill Clinton with Judge Cecelia Morris


of Tina’s Wish. I asked Andy for some background about their relationship. He related that he met Tina at Anderson Rus-sell, a law firm in the city, where she was a fledgling bankruptcy lawyer, and he, a fledgling litigator.

“Tina asked for help on one of her bankruptcy projects and her practice area turned out to be much more interesting than mine,” said Andy, with a smile.

Tina, who had grown up in Mamar-oneck, “saved me from Long Island,” Andy said, grinning again. The couple was “nomad-ic at first,” moving to White Plains, then to Larchmont, before settling in Chappaqua. “We wanted land and quiet,” said Andy.

Andy describes proudly how he and Tina created a happy home for their family: Nick, 31, who today runs his own promotional marketing firm and married a Greeley classmate, Amanda Eshghi; Alix, 27, is a lawyer in New York City; and Wallis, 27 (the girls are identical twins), who has become the face of Canine Companions for Inde-pendence, the country’s largest service dog organization.

Growing up, the Brozman kids ex-celled in sports. The schedule was hec-tic but “Tina loved all of it,” said Andy. “She was game for anything. We used to love going to races and to games.”

Wallis competed in the NY State High School Ski Championship while at Greeley, while Alix became MVP her senior year on the Greeley Girls’ Softball team. Nick was a Little League player and an avid skier; indeed, the entire family would take off regularly for ski vacations in Stowe, VT.

Food also was a big focus for the family. “Our lives centered around the dinner table,” Andy said. “Tina was a great and innovative cook and before she died she put together cook books of the kid’s favorite recipes and gave each one a copy.”

Clinton: “The challenge is how to get a detection system out to eve-ryone, to maximize the impact of dramatic scientific advances.”

Rearing its Ugly HeadIn 2005, Tina began to experience

“the typical diffuse, unremarkable symptoms of ovarian cancer,” Andy said. “She started feeling bloated, had intestinal problems. She visited a series of gastroenterologists and gynecologists, and no one thought to consider ovarian cancer.” A long time internist took a sonogram and discov-ered the cancer. The tumor had already spread to other organs in the abdomen and the surgical goal was to rid Tina of most of her tumor. But the survival prospects were poor…she was depend-ent on chemotherapy to get rid of the remaining, but still very aggressive, tumor. “The cancer typically mutates; what works for a while, stops work-ing,” said Andy. “After chemo, she ran out of options.”

“Tina was such an insightful per-son,” noted Andy. “But knowledge of ovarian cancer in both the lay and medical populations was so poor that no one thought there was anything wrong. Even today, there’s not enough awareness. In contrast to breast cancer, where early detection, aware-ness and survivors abound, ovarian cancer simply does not receive enough attention. There are so few survivors,

which translates into few advocates for the cause and much less awareness in the general public’s con-sciousness.”

But today, with all the rapid advances in human genome se-quencing, in particu-lar, an early detection system is more urgent than ever.

Clinton: A woman who had sequenced her genomes had advanced stage pan-creatic cancer, three years later, she is still alive…Advances are happening in ways that will take your breath away…This thing is running like a freight train,

but people are being held back by lack of detection.”

The high profile event with Bill Clin-ton as keynote speaker, which took place on April 14, offered a dramatic opportunity to raise additional funds to expand the depth and breadth of grants that Tina’s Wish can make, said Andy.

A mutual friend, Bill Brandt, who is very active within the Democratic Party, and also a very strong supporter of Tina’s Wish, helped pave the way. “I spoke to Brandt about the global women’s health award event and how Bill Clinton would be an obviously wonderful honoree, and the rest is now history.”

Inside the Waldorf, and mingling amongst previous donors and new supporters, the Brozman family mem-bers were not unlike any other family excited to meet the former President. When Nick met Clinton, said Andy, they didn’t talk about Tina’s Wish, initially. Nick told Bill Clinton that he used to wash his car at the local car wash. Clinton said he remembered Nick, too. “It was a nice moment,” he said. “We all come from the same small town.”

Grace Bennett is the publisher and editor of Inside Chappaqua and Inside Armonk Magazines.

Nick Brozman found a moment to chat with President Bill Clinton, too.


Upcoming Tina’s Wish Fundraisers

Upcoming events for Tina’s Wish include an annual medical symposium

this month. “It is an event I’m very proud of,” said Andy Brozman.

“It brings all the research teams together in-person to discuss the

state of the research they are working on collaboratively. After that closed door meeting, our donors have the

opportunity to hear the Consortium researchers speak about their work at

a cocktail event.” Also taking place this month, the Tina’s Wish Junior Com-mittee will host its annual Summer

Cocktail Event at a salon on Madison Avenue, where owner Alessandro Mangerini used to take Tina to a

private area to cut her hair after her diagnosis. The Foundation’s 7th An-nual Benefit Dinner will take place in September in the Whale Room at the

American Museum of Natural History. More information about the founda-tion, research efforts and events can

be found on www.tinaswish.org

Remembering Tina

Photos Courtesy of Tina’s Wish

Thanks to funding from generous donations to Tina’s Wish, leading researchers at five major U.S. can-cer centers have an opportunity to synergistically discover a test for early detection of ovarian cancer. “With the rapid pace of biomedical research, it makes little sense to work in a vacuum; there’s much greater synergy in a collaborative project,” said Ronny Drapkin, M.D., Ph.D.,* director of the Penn Ovarian Cancer Research Center at the University of Pennsylvania. “The concept of team science has evolved. The truth is that no one can really do this on their own.”

Ovarian tissue specimens for the Consortium are obtained with consent from patients undergoing surgery. “The goal of treatment (upon diag-nosis of ovarian cancer) is to remove all visible tumor so that only micro-scopic cancer remains and is hopefully more responsive to chemotherapy,” explained Douglas A. Levine, MD, FACOG, FACS,* who heads the Gyne-cology Research Laboratory at Memo-rial Sloan Kettering. “The patients are our partners in our research,” Dr. Levine noted too, “in that they have shared their specimens. We obtain and share the specimens in the most safe and ethical manner.”

The specimens are being collected from Yale, University of Pennsylva-nia and Memorial Sloan Kettering into one tissue bank for study by six research teams–the collection from several locations is done to eliminate bias (biomarkers for a 35-year-old African American woman may be very different than one from a 70-year-old white woman, for example). The specimens are ones of “high grade serous carcinoma,” the most common and most clinically challenging form of ovarian cancer.

Applying diverse skills and research methods, “We are all crunching data examining the same samples in search of biomarkers,” said Dr. Drapkin. A biomarker is any clinical parameter that signals cancer is present. “For instance, it could be a radiographic image, a tissue biopsy, or a blood test; we compare the DNA, blood and tissue proteins between normal tissues and matched tumor tissues in search of a biomarker for the early detection of ovarian cancer.”

“Our strength is that we can inte-grate our various methods and find ways that the biomarkers interact,” said Dr. Levine. The researchers engage in a monthly conference call and in an annual meeting to evaluate the

data from each center; a key goal is to characterize the tumor’s charac-teristics and also search for whatever might be unique to all of them. With the Consortium just in its pilot phase, the researchers are hoping to gather some 30 tissue samples in the next few months, “a big enough number,” said Dr. Levine, “to evaluate variability and genetic subsets.” –Grace Bennett

*Both Dr. Levine and Dr. Drapkin are Tina’s Wish funded researchers and part of the consortium grant. Dr. Levine is also Chair of the Tina’s Wish Scientific Advisory Board.

Ovarian Cancer’s TollWith all the attention surrounding

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Making News Far And Wide, Local Boys Develop An Emotion-Recognition App For Children On The Autism Spectrum

By Beth BesenEvery parent knows the inexpress-

ible and all-consuming love felt when embracing their newborns for the first time. It would seem there’d be noth-ing better, nothing deeper. But, then, miraculously, there’s more; the babies

start to respond to us, they recognize our voices, they follow us with their eyes, they smile for the first time and smile back at us. Without words, we start to communicate our feelings.

Now imagine a different scenario. Your baby seems locked in his or her own world and doesn’t respond; doesn’t seem to hear let alone rec-ognize your voice, and looks fixedly into space, inward, or everywhere but at your face and into your eyes. It’s heartbreaking, but it’s the reality ex-perienced by many parents of children diagnosed with autism.

Autism, currently identified in one out of every 68 children,* is recognized

as a spectrum disorder. This means that there’s a great range and diver-sity of disability. The hallmark of the disorder, however, is social impair-ment. And regardless of intellectual and other abilities, most of those diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Dis-order (ASD) will be mildly to severely impaired with regards to social skills development and will score so on any measurement thereof.

Enter five brilliant, thoughtful, energetic and motivated young men from Chappaqua and Armonk. Chirag Kumar, Daniel Shih and twin broth-ers Zachary and Nicky Eichenberger are 8th grade Bell students, and Tyler Harp is an 8th grade H.G. Crittenden student. Together, the boys are the Ro-bobenders, and, with their innovative new App, What’s My Face, plus inter-national recognition following their Semi-Finalist placement (one of only 20 teams chosen out of 527 entries) in the annual FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL®) Global Innovation competition, they are changing the ASD world for the better.

How the Team Got Started“Friendship definitely came first,”

laughs Chirag, while the others chime in with whole-hearted agree-ment. The boys are often in the same classes and, ad-ditionally, their fami-lies are all friends. Accord-ing to

Alexandre Eichenberger, who is not only the twins’ father, but also a self-described IBM “nerd” and mentor to the Robobender team, the boys came together three years ago. They were drawn to FLL®’s cooperative philoso-phy which, explains Alexandre, “is the equivalent of team sports applied to STEM study.”

While true that the boys met regu-larly that first year together, moms Christina Lee and Regina Eichenberger explain that the group really grew into something special a year later during Superstorm Sandy. The Eichenberger house was the only one with electricity and, says Regina, “food and laundry were very bonding.” There are smiles all around as parents and boys fondly remember the variety (it’s a multi-ethnic group, after all) and fun of their shared meals. Then, with an impish grin, Chirag adds, “the greatest advan-tage was so many days without school, and having plenty of time to brain-storm ideas and work them out.”

The Brainstorm that Led to Develop-ment of the App

The FLL® competition themes are specified annually, but, overall, the mandate is to develop “innovative solutions to real-world problems.” This year’s real-world problem topic: the future of learning. The boys came together last August to begin thinking about their project for the year, and brainstormed for about a month. They each have a specific area of specialized interest and talent. For Chirag, it’s re-search; for Tyler, content; for Zachary, outreach; for Nicky, programming and for Daniel, design. The final decision? That was inspired by Daniel’s brother, Martin, who was born severely autis-tic. The Chappaqua boys also had a classmate at Grafflin and Bell schools with ASD. Says Nicky, “Improving the way someone with autism learns” ap-pealed to each of them. With that idea uniformly settled and agreed upon, the boys began their work in earnest.

Alexandre describes a disciplined schedule, “They met for the entire FLL season (Oct-April) for a couple of hours per week, and as the competi-tion drew near, many weekends were spent on the project and the robot. In addition, Nicky and Zachary used the Xmas break to learn the Swift programming language to program an iPhone. They learned a lot of skills; teamwork to achieve a common goal, focus and dedication to reach this goal, robotic and mechanical skills to build a competitive robot (they won the robot

Robobenders Photo

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What’s My Face logo, designed by Tyler Harp

Screenshot of the engaging opening pagefor the free Robobenders iPhone App


performance in their first competition)and programming skills.”

It’s a Family AffairEveryone participated in the project,

kids and parents alike. The boys real-ized early on that music was going to be a key part of their invention. Says Regina, “Music stimulates the whole brain.” Nicky explains further, “Stimu-lating the whole brain creates a deeper understanding of the whole emotion. Video-modeling leads to raw memori-zation, but music goes further. You’d think it would just affect auditory processing but it actually evokes emo-tion.” Daniel and Christina attest to the fact that music had and continues to have a dramatic impact on Martin, changing his life, and therefore the en-tire family’s life too, for the better. The boys spoke and worked with Martin’s Chappaqua music therapist, Barbara Yahr, as well as the UK organization Music for Autism, as they developed and integrated music as an important component of their App.

With a Ph.D in Cognitive Psychology and current work in the area of deci-sion-making, Chirag’s mom Poonam Arora, was also a valuable source for the boys, particularly in their research and development period. She worked with the team, helping them hone the critical neuroscience questions that led them to find and refine their answers. To this end, they exchanged emails and spoke with neuroscientists at Colum-

bia and IBM. In fact, crafting emails to professionals and hearing back from them “de-alienated these famous researchers for us. It made them less imposing,” says Zachary on behalf of the team.

Even their eye-catching yellow polo shirts are an in-house team effort. Tyler designed the bold graphics, and Christina had the shirts stenciled; in fact, she shares that the shirts were still wet from the screening process as she packed them for travel to the FLL®

Global Innovation Award Semi-Finalist competition in St. Louis. And, yes, every Robobender attended with at least one parent.

So, How Does the App Work?One of the biggest surprises and a

motivation for the boys’ work was the realization that autistic people can actually feel emotions very strongly, often even more strongly than do neurotypical people. With this in mind, Nicky explains that WHAT’S MY FACE was developed to help medium-

to-higher functioning ASD school-aged children recog-nize and identify the four “most basic and necessary feelings: Happy, Sad, Angry, Scared.” It’s an easy-to-use Iphone App that connects the dots of music, gaming, social skills, computer interface and autism. At first, a player hears music associated with one of the four emotions. Slowly, with a deliberate de-lay built in so that the music has time to make the Associa-tive Learning connection, a face takes form on screen and the emotion is clearly identi-fied and spelled out. As the game progresses and points are awarded and accumu-lated, the player is slowly weaned off the music and better prepared to identify emotion in real life as well as in the game.

Zachary Eichenberger explains the team’s app to interested convention goers.

Returning heroes (L-R): Zachary Eichenberger, Nicky Eichenberger, Chirag Kumar, Tyler Harp and Daniel Shih

Lesl

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Dream Kitchens & BathsCRAFT-MAID BIRCHCRAFT HOLIDAY CABICO STONE QUARTZ CORIAN DECORATIVE HARDWARE

March/April 2012 Inside Chappaqua 39

T O P T E N A N Y T H I N G !

10. When shopping for kitchen and bathroom cabinetry, be sure to compare apples to apples as to cabinet manufacturer, construc-tion options, and most importantly quality of finish. There are a million cabinet makers out there from low end to the most prestigious; pick one that fits your budget.

9. Find the right salesperson. Work with someone who understands you and can guide you properly. Ask for referrals.

8. Spend a little time researching cabinets and cabinet dealerships. You will feel much better about your purchase decision and you will be armed with information when you enter a showroom. Knowledge is key.

7. Ask around for opinions as far as design and cabinet details (door style, finish, etc.). One idea may lead to another and all of the sudden you have the start of something beautiful!

6. Start a “kitchen ideas” file. When something catches your eye in a magazine (door style, finish, design, counter top, etc.), clip and file it. After awhile you will return to the file and eventually find exactly what you want.

5. Hire a General Contractor to manage the renovation . Unless you have been through a renovation by yourself, the value of a one-stop-shop is priceless. You work with one person who in turn hires the trades.

4. Be sure the contract for any renovation includes a payment schedule. Never give more money than necessary up front; ask for pay-ments to be payable upon completion of job tasks.

3. Make a decision and stick with it. Your first decision about something is usually your best; never second guess yourself.

2. Remember that your renova-tion is an investment! Kitchens and baths are the selling points of a home on the market. On the other hand, if you plan to live in the home after the renovation, what better way to spruce up your house and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

1. First and foremost, avoid being pound wise and dollar foolish. You get what you pay for, so do your home-work and you will definitely make the right deal with the right person.

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Hope, Not HateBetty Knoop and the Holocaust &

Human Rights Education Center’s Speakers BureauArticle and Photos by Marianne A. Campolongo

Anne Frank has always been one of my heroines. Armonk resident Betty Knoop, who survived the unspeakable horrors of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp where Anne Frank and 50,000 others met their death, has now joined that hero-ine list.

Knoop, originally a Dutch citizen, grew up in Amsterdam. Though the two never met, like Frank, her childhood was cut short by the Nazis and she eventually was taken to the Ber-gen-Belsen concen-tration camp. Unlike Frank, she survived.

Although her story is not as well known as Frank’s, hundreds of area students, civic group members, syna-gogue and church-goers have heard Knoop speak about her experiences over the past 45 years, most recently as part of the Speakers Bureau at the Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center in White Plains. She is one of 20 survivors and liberators who share their message of hope and determina-tion. Said Millie Jasper, the Center’s Executive Director, “You must be an ‘upstander' not a bystander. When you see something, you need to speak up.” That is their message.

“Betty is a brilliant woman and she has a full life,” said Jasper. “Almost all of our survivors have full lives, families and no room in their lives for hate,” she adds.

This past April marked 70 years

since Knoop, her parents and brother were liberated from Bergen-Belsen. Then, 14 years-old, 5’ 7” tall and

weighing only 54 pounds, she has since grown into a strong, cheerful, lovely woman who still does yoga twice a week, is quick to offer a visitor coffee and hospitality, and who drives herself all over the region to share her story and a message of hope with her audi-ence. “I should thank God on my knees every day,” she said.

She first spoke in public about her experiences 25 years after her libera-tion. Having asked her Rabbi at the Rye Community Synagogue to say Kaddish for her family, he asked that she speak to his confirmation class that night in return.

“How do you want me to do this?” she asked.

“Go back to your very first memo-ries,” he told her.

“I still speak like that,” she said, recalling her childhood fears as she picked up on the anxiety of the adults around her when the Germans arrived, but then headed out to play the next

minute, forgetting the anxiety as children are wont to do. “When I talk, I’m there again,” she said.

Knoop attended the Wilhelmina Catharina School in Amsterdam. Her eyes light up as she describes the “huge wooden front doors and beautiful vestibule. I thought it was chic,” she said. Although the Neth-erlands was neutral, nevertheless the Germans invaded, occupying the country in May 1940, when Knoop was nine. Jew-ish pupils were forbid-den to attend school, but “my school didn’t want to give up their

children.” No longer safe for them to enter through those front doors, they arrived surreptitiously via a back al-ley. “Classes got smaller daily because children had gone into hiding, left the country, or been picked up. We lost teachers too,” she sighed.

Three years later, Knoop's family was taken to Westerbork in January 1943 and on to Bergen-Belsen in February 1944. As the forced evacuations of camps closer to the front began in late 1944, a barracks that held 50 people when she arrived suddenly held 1,000 people, and scarce food became nearly non-existent, she said. The cremato-rium there was small, so the bodies of those who starved to death were left for long periods. Records show the camp’s population went from 7,300 in July 1943 to 60,000 in April 1945. Prisoners went for days without food. When the British arrived to free them, “I looked like Olive Oyl with my head shaven. I was all arms and legs,” she said. Her mother, age 36, died just three days after they were freed.

Large photo: Abraham and Clara Knoop. Smaller photos: also Betty’s mother, Clara Knoop


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“I’m happy that I had my mother with me,” she said, though she is saddened that “the time I remem-ber her best unfortunately were the war years.”

After graduating from high school at 19, her father wanted her to visit family in South Africa. “I had come from Apartheid. I didn’t want to go there,” she said. When her step-mother’s cousin invited her to New York, she jumped at the chance, vowing she would only return to Holland on vacation once she left. Coming to the U.S. in 1950, she stayed, meeting and marrying her soon after. Though surprised and distressed by race relations in the U.S., she was happy in America.

Knoop has been back to Holland many times, visiting family and friends, but even now she finds walking through the city “painful.”

Early on in the war, she told her father that she hated the Germans. Her father replied, “Hate is a word that has to go out of your vocabulary,” a les-son she took to heart.

Most of those in the Speaker’s Bureau are now in their 80s and 90s, so the Holocaust Center has a group

of about 75 children and grandchil-dren of survivors, called Generation Forward, whom they are training to carry on their work.

Now widowed, Knoop raised her

three children in Rye, but has lived in Armonk for eight years. Her son Gregg, who intends to take up his mother’s mantle and join Genera-tion Forward, also lives in town with his wife and two sons, Zachary and Jason. Her son Henri lives in White Plains and her daughter Clara, named for her grandmother, lives in Florida.

Although she was only 12 when she was taken to the camps, and even younger when the German occupa-tion began, Knoop says she doesn’t like to speak of her experiences to young children, believing 15 or 16 is a better age. When asked to sum up her message in a few sentences, she said, “That racism is evil. It’s always evil and it debases men.”

Marianne A. Campolongo is a freelance writer and photographer from Chappaqua, New York. Her website is www.campyphotos.com

Betty Knoop


Jason Rosenzweig Has Armonk’s Answer to UBERJason Rosenzweig, owner

of Castle Cabs, grew up on Long Island and worked in his family’s New York City-based taxicab business since he was a young child. So when he moved to Armonk ten years ago, his parents asked why he wanted to move “upstate.”

For Rosenzweig, the answer was simple. He wanted his family to live in a community that had a neighborhood feel, a town in which you could walk into any store and see a friendly and familiar face. For his family, Ar-monk is the perfect tight-knit, nurtur-ing, small town community in which he and his wife can happily raise their

two daughters. His daughters, now 11 and 13 years old, attend Byram Hills schools and spend their non-school hours dancing and playing the occa-sional game of golf with their father.

But there was one thing that Rosen-zweig felt Armonk was missing. “This town has grown tremendously since we moved here. With the restaurant scene in Armonk becoming more vibrant, and the town growing and becoming a destination for Westch-ester residents, I saw a need for a safe, convenient, and reliable mode of transportation in our area,” states Rosenzweig. So he leveraged his years of experience in his family’s business to create Castle Cabs, North Castle’s answer to UBER.

Rosenzweig created an app that lets customers reserve a cab for a future appointment or call a cab for an im-

mediate pickup. Customers create an account with Castle Cabs, and they can securely pay for their ride and track the ride via the app. Rosenzweig priced rides competitively, giving a flat rate for certain, more popular destinations like the North White Plains train sta-tion and Westchester County Airport. All rides include tax and tip in the price of the trip.

Launched in October 2014, Cas-tle Cabs is Armonk’s answer to limo service in a taxicab package. The driv-ers, who are all TLC licensed, finger-printed, and drug-tested, are required to wear khaki pants, a blue hat, and a blue shirt with a Castle Cabs logo. Rosenzweig employs 12 drivers, each of whom drives one of his new hybrid four-seater vehicles or new seven-seater minivans.

“Castle Cabs provides our town with the next level of service. We go the extra mile for our customers. They are part of our family,” according to Rosenzweig. He proudly states that his drivers don’t just leave you at the door; they make sure you safely and happily reach your destination. Even if it means getting out of the car to walk a senior into a doctor’s appointment or waiting until a group of kids give the driver a “thumbs up,” telling him that he can leave them at the movie theater. On any given day, Castle Cabs accommodates 65 to 80 trips, servic-ing many residents who have become regular customers. These trips include taking seniors to appointments, com-muters to local train stations, couples to and from dinners, travelers to the airports, and children to after-school activities, Bar Mitzvahs, and the movies.

Rosenzweig says that residents feel safe putting children in his cars because so many of them know him from town. To add to their security, the Castle Cab app enables people to track the rides. When it comes to the kids, Rosenzweig tries to send the same driver to the same family all the time, giving families an added level of comfort. “I have kids, so I understand. My daughters and their friends use the cabs all the time. I want to feel secure when children are in a car.”

As his business flourishes, Rosen-zweig is becoming involved in the Armonk Chamber of Commerce. The community-based organization enabled him to get to know other local business owners and to become further entrenched in Armonk’s thriv-ing business district. This year, he co-chaired the Chamber’s May 12th Citizen of the Year golf event honoring Sam Morell, the co-founder of Ar-monk’s Smalltown Theater.

Rosenzweig is pleasantly surprised by the positive response that he’s received from his community. “I knew I was going to put us out there, but I didn’t know where this would take us. Now I see that North Castle residents really trust us.” He plans to leverage that trust to promote his “Get Home Safely” program, suggesting that his neighbors should leave their keys at home, enjoy their night out, and rely on Castle Cabs to get them to and from their destinations safely.

In the future, Rosenzweig hopes to earn the trust of residents in nearby towns. Long-term, he is contemplating potential partnerships with other local taxicab companies as he expands to service Armonk’s neighboring towns. Right now, Rosenzweig is happy to be serving the North Castle commu-nity. It looks like Rosenzweig made the right decision when he decided to move “upstate” to Armonk.

Deborah Notis, a writer and co-owner of gamechanger, LLC, is looking forward to Castle Cabs expanding to Pleasantville to help transport her four boys to their sporting events.

Castle Cab Corp–yes, there’s an App for that!

by Deborah Notis

Jason Rosenzweig

Photo by Brian Marcus



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At last, the warm weather is here, and the North Castle Rec-reation Department is gearing up to make the most of the sum-mer season.

Serving residents of Armonk, North White Plains and Banks-ville, Matt Trainor, M.S.C.P.R.P., Superin-tendent of Recreation & Parks, says, “Sum-mer is more than just camp.” There are now programs before and during the camp sea-son for pre-school and school-age children, in addition to a host of varied offerings for them and adults extended throughout the summer.

This is also the first year North Castle Recreation will run the Anita Louise Ehrman Pool at Greenway Road. According to Trainor, who has an extensive aquatic management background, it will be run like a true municipal facility with a reasonable and varied fee structure for residents and non-residents. Open from Memo-rial Day through Labor Day–weekend hours of 10 a.m.-7:30 p.m. through June and then every day from 9 a.m.-7:30 p.m. through Labor Day–he encourages all to come out and enjoy the pool.

Passes were available at the Hergen-han Recreation Center, 40 Maple Ave, the first week in May. As of this writ-ing, rates will range from $200-$600 for resident individuals and families and up to $950 for a non-resident family barring any late registration fees. Those interested in working as a lifeguard can download an application at www.northcastleny.com.

The camp season runs from June 30th-August 7th, with two popular traditional day camps and a teen tour option. Now in its fourth year, Camp

Kick-a Poo, held at Coman Hill School, serves up to 120 pre-schoolers age three to five (age three by Dec. 1st, 2015 and toilet-trained) with two three-week sessions for three-year-olds, and up to six weeks for four-and-five year olds. Children can get acquainted with the school they will attend before the first day of kinder-garten, easing that transition.

Bus transportation is available for most areas of town for children grades K-8 who attend Camp Chippewa, held at Wampus School. This longstanding program accom-modates up to 330 children for up to six weeks. Activities at both camps include swimming, arts and crafts, water play, sports, music and special events in outdoor and indoor facilities if necessary to beat the heat.

For those who’ve completed grades 6-10, Trainor recom-

mends the exciting four-week teen tour program, which alternates weekly overnight and day trips; some upcoming highlights are a visit to Hershey Park, white water rafting in the Lehigh Valley, and attending a Mets game and Wicked on Broadway.

Programs of-fered before camp and throughout the summer in-clude youth tennis and basketball and US Sports Institute soccer for pre-schoolers, with and without their parents,

which are “insanely popular during the year and we’re hoping that trend con-tinues into the summer,” says Trainor.

A range of week-long camps are available after August 7th, including tennis for children entering grades K-5, TGA Premier Golf for those who have completed grades K-8, Mad Sci-ence programs Secret Agent Lab, Red Hot Robots and Eureka! Invention for children entering grades K-4 and First Play Soccer by US Sports Institute for ages 5-11.

By Liz Susman Karp • North Castle Recreation Photos

North Castle Recreation Offers Host of Programs

Proud campers showing off their artwork

Swimming is a favorite activity at camp


For the first time, Pilates classes at Hergenhan Rec Center, and tennis clinics at Lombardi Park will run for adults throughout the summer. As in the spring, all tennis courts will be available on a first-come, first-served basis in one hour increments.

Special events for seniors include a trip to Belmont Race Track on June 18th, and to see the classic musical, West Side Story, at the Westchester Broadway Theater on July 1st.

Other events of note: family bingo nights are June 5th and 19th at the North Castle Com-munity Center (10 Clove Road, White Plains), a daylong New York State Boating & PWC/jetski safety certi-fication (licensing) course is offered on June 27th and July 25th at the Hergen-han Center (register at safeboating.com) and four summer concerts, including

a Broadway revue, are planned by the Small Town Theatre Company (visit www.SmallTownTheatre.com for sched-ule and venues).

Walking trails, playgrounds and fields at all 13 parks are open for use; park or recreation facilities are avail-able for rental, for recreational purpos-es or for commercial use with special permission. Forms are available on the recreation department’s website at www.northcastleny.com or by calling 914-273-3325. Trainor praises the

convenience of the department’s online registration system at recrea-

tion.northcastleny.com and encourages all to always register early so a class is not cancelled due to low enrollment. Financial aid forms for Camp Kick-a-Poo or Chippewa can also be obtained at the center.

To stay up to date with recreation news, visit www.northcastleny.com, click on e-services and then on e-news to sign up for their email list.

Liz Susman Karp is a freelance writer and public relations specialist. The moth-er of two teenage boys, she and her family live in Briarcliff Manor.

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Armonk Chamber of Commerce Honors “A Pillar in the Community”

Article and Photo by Matt SmithFriends, family, and Cham-

ber members gathered at the Whippoorwill Club in Ar-monk, NY on the evening of May 12 to celebrate longtime Armonk resident Sam Morell, and his achievement of being named 2015 Citizen of the Year by the Armonk Chamber of Commerce.

The award is bestowed–as it has been twice before, first to Dr. Evan Powderly of Crit-tenden Middle School in 2013, and second, last October, to Hickory & Tweed proprietor Skip Beitzel–to an individual who has made a significant long-term contribution to the North Castle/Armonk com-munity. A “natural choice” for the honor, Mr. Morell more than fit the bill.

“He’s been a real pillar of the com-munity,” says Jason Rosenzweig, a member of the Chamber and coordi-nator of the evening. “He has been instrumental not only in the town’s cultural advancement, but the growth of the business community as well. He’s so supportive of everyone.”

But why shouldn’t he be? asks the grateful Morell himself. “After all,” he theorizes, “the town we live in is simply an extension of our house and there are many ways one can add value to make this very large house appeal-ing.” To that end, he states, with a smile, “I strongly believe in patroniz-ing our [local] services.”

His seven-year involvement in the Chamber of Commerce has certainly impacted how he carries out that be-lief. “The more you learn about fellow members the more you develop the kind of relationship and trust to trans-act with them,” he explains. “I now use many chamber members for my personal and business matters.” These members include Steve D’Angelo, from Stephen D’Angelo CPA PC, as his accountant; Robbi Morris, from The

Morris Group, as his health care insur-ance provider; the aforementioned Jason Rosenzweig, from Castle Cabs, as his car service provider; and Julie Dickens, from Beascakes Bakery, from whom he buys all his holiday cookies. Adds Morell, “The joy for me is devel-oping new and interesting personal friends from all walks of life, as well as knowing that I can be of assistance to their goals.”

His support of the community doesn’t end there. He found a way to combine his overwhelming love for the town of Armonk with his undying love of the performing arts, and began his own not-for-profit company, the Small Town Theatre Company, in 2008. Co-founded with Katonah resident Donna Garr, the organization pro-duces plays, summer concerts, theatre festivals, and film festivals in Armonk and Katonah.

Morell also says he leverages his enjoyment of photography and videog-raphy to support other local organiza-tions, such as the North Castle Historical Society, the North Castle Communications Committee, and oth-er Westchester-based not-for-profits.

Preceding the dinner was an afternoon-long golf outing, at-tended by Morell, Rosenzweig, and a mix of Chamber mem-bers, guests of Chamber mem-bers, and Morell’s personal friends, that was anything but a bogey. “We enjoyed it very much,” comments the honoree. And what of his score? “It was touch-and-go at first, but I broke even,” he says with a laugh.

To discourage any self-doubt among each players’ golf abili-ties, the outing was run as a scramble; each player hit their own shot from the tee, but everyone played from the spot of the best shot. In the end, “it worked out for everyone,” says Rosenzweig. “It was a lot of fun.”

And as for the recognition itself? “I’m overwhelmed and honored,” Morell says quite simply. “It’s a real tribute.” Humble as ever, Morell added: “Everyone in this town does such tremendous work, and we should recognize that.”

The entire celebration was present-ed by the Armonk Chamber of Com-merce. The evening’s cocktail hour, which followed the golf outing and preceded the dinner, was sponsored by Breezemont Day Camp and the Castle Cab Corps. Throughout the evening, volunteers sold tickets for a raffle, a new addition to this year’s festivities; all prizes and rewards were complete donations from local Armonk busi-nesses, including Certa Pro Painters, Eye Designs of Armonk, Susan Blake, and Peachwave Frozen Yogurt. For more information on the chamber, visit www.armonkchamberofcommerce.org.

Matt Smith, a graduate of Skidmore College, is a regular contributor to The Inside Press, Inc.


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Lee Marcella, ECAD Coor-dinator, and Service Dog in Training, Daisy!

Honorees for the evening were John Crabtree, Crabtree’s Kittle House and Inn, and Glenn Vogt of the RiverMarket Bar and Kitchen.

Jeff Joseph, President ECAD Board of Directors, and his wife, Pat Jones. Both are community activists in Westchester.

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College Planning 101by Dan Levitz

When I received the as-signment for this article it certainly seemed like a perfect fit. Suburban Dad with a high school senior seeks and finds expert advice regarding the daunt-ing reality of paying for college. I’m pretty sure my Editor was confident I was the right guy for the story because, presumably, my family was already knee-deep in the college process and must have planned ahead for this wonderful rite of passage that comes with an inevitable, and sometimes tremendous, financial burden. I eagerly accepted the assign-ment, self-assured that I was the Man for the job. Notably, after doing my research, I realized that I was not quite as well-informed as I believed and wish I had known then what I know now. Story of my life!

In 11th grade, as my son began thinking seriously about where he might like to continue his education, my wife and I felt strongly that our pri-ority should be helping him make an informed decision about college. Years ago things were certainly different; I didn’t visit a single school when I was applying and, in retrospect, I couldn’t have been less informed. It’s quite possible that I may have decided where to attend college based on a sweatshirt worn by a cute girl in my class. So, this last year was absolutely fruitful in that we visited over 10 varied schools in different parts of the country, and my boy was able to find the right situa-tion for him. Now, small deposit made, the sobering reality of paying for the privilege of his higher education has abruptly arrived.

When I walked into the offices of Raymond James in Armonk to gather some expert advice on how parents should start financial planning for col-lege, I journalistically took the position of pure ignorance on the subject which was not much of a stretch. I met with Bradley E. Silverman, a junior partner and financial advisor with the firm, and within minutes he informed me

that he not only had already enacted a college savings plan for his three year old son but also had one in place for his daughter who is not expected to join the family until she’s born several months from now! Clearly I was in the right place and also talking to the right person.

I complimented Mr. Silverman on his vision in planning so early for his children’s future and he modestly pointed out that college planning is part of his job and that he would be remiss if he didn’t do so himself. I told him about my family and that, while my wife and I certainly saved money over the years, we did not use any spe-cific method or instrument for college savings. Sensitively, Mr. Silverman didn’t comment on our lack of finan-cial vision but did proceed to inform me of a variety of financial plans that parents can benefit from in planning for their children’s education.

Mr. Silverman described several methods of financial planning for col-lege but the one he and his family are utilizing, and that he recommends, certainly sounds like a responsible and educated approach. The 529 Savings Plan is state-sponsored and offers tax-deferred savings as well as a certain amount of flexibility that can be beneficial to the family and stu-dent. A 529 Plan offers a number of investment portfolios allocated among stocks, bonds, mutual funds, CDs and money market instruments. Signifi-cantly, in addition to parents contrib-uting to a 529, grandparents can do so

as well and, at the same time, potentially affect their estate planning in an advantageous manner. An important aspect of the 529 is that qualified higher education expenses like tuition, books and sup-plies can be paid for via the plan while maintaining a tax advantage. And, of course, the big picture is that if a 529 Plan is enacted when a child is small the gains from the investment will hopefully be substantial and go a long way towards paying for a higher education with very favorable tax consequences.

As we chatted, I expressed genu-ine amazement at the cost of college in 2015, especially private colleges. We discussed the financial advan-tages of state universities like the fine SUNY system in New York, of which Mr. Silverman and I are both proud graduates. I asked him about the ideal value-wise scenario for college and Mr. Silverman replied, “Financially that would be an Associate’s Degree at a good Community College and then on to a great University.” I think this pragmatic approach might be a hard sell to an ambitious college senior, but Mr. Silverman will find this out for himself as his kids mature. In any case, I was impressed with his knowledge and ability to communicate the many advantages of thinking ahead and sav-ing early in a child’s life.

After our conversation, I felt very positive about learning more about this type of financial planning because college is a tremendously important experience and it shouldn’t have to be a crippling financial burden. I’ve given some very broad strokes but the folks at Raymond James can answer any and all questions on the subject and certainly get young parents started on intelligently saving for their children’s higher education. Not a bad idea.

Dan Levitz, an art dealer and writer, has been a Chappaqua resident for the past 11 years and has a blog on The Huffington Post.

Bradley E. Silverman, a junior partner and financial advisor with Raymond James of Armonk


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Win-WinThe boys and their families are still

flying high after their return from the Semi-Finals in St. Louis. While they did not make it to the final three, they are proud of themselves and of their contribution. Regina reminds the boys that theirs was the only fully devel-oped App, up and running at pres-entation time. Nicky remembers and shares that other participants came over to express interest in What’s My Face for people they know with ASD. The parents recognize what a great

life and learning experi-ence this year has been. In addition to all the technical work and hours of research and development, Alex-andre speaks for them all when he says that the boys also learned, among many things, how to contact and present work to profession-als in various fields, how to take constructive criticism and how to work truly col-laboratively as a team.

And the best part of the whole experi-ence from the boys’ points of view? Zachary puts it in perspective saying theirs is one step in the march of a million steps towards a cure for Autism. Chirag nods and suggests, “We’re 13 years-old, but we can still have an impact.” And Daniel adds, “We’re helping people like my brother so the world can be more meaningful.” Nicky points out they’re not actually finished because there are always ways to improve and update the App. And, while Tyler agrees with

his teammates that “the best thing was being able to help and have an impact,” he then pauses for a brief moment, before adding one final thought, “oh, yeah, and hanging out with friends. That was the best too.”

*Estimate per the CDC’s Autism and De-velopmental Disabilities Monitoring Network

Familiar with the disappointments that can play all too frequent a part in the ASD world, Beth Besen was thrilled to meet the Robobenders, and share their story with Inside Chappaqua and Inside Armonk readers.

The Championship 2015 poster

The international event attracted thousands of people.

All five team members on stage for the formal presentation

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Musical MindsBy Kaila Allison

Kids these days are bom-barded by activities. After school, the To-Do list seems endless! So how is it possible to prioritize? What activi-ties are most effective for a child’s development?

Music lessons can be an answer. Music has been proven to help promote the growth of a child’s intellec-tual, emotional, and physical capacities, while also being a great source of expression and fun.

Among the many ben-efits that music provides, one is social intelligence. It is an aspect of intelligence encompassing emotional and cultural processing, characterized in children by their sensi-tivity and sympathy. Music is not only an individual pur-suit, but is a timeless cultural practice. Music comes from all over the world, and not only requires discipline for personal practice, but respect for the past and the bigger picture of human development.

Music lessons also demand focus. Because kids are con-stantly inundated with stimuli, it is increasingly challenging to capture their attention. Music is a way to take a break from the virtual world for a while and “recharge.” It gives them a chance to make something organically with their hands or voices.

Music is also a natural de-stressor. For example, listening to and playing music releases the same endorphins in our brains released when we exercise or eat chocolate. It actually produces calming waves in our brains that influence our mood.

But how can we compare the minds of musical children with those of non-musical children? One way is in the classroom. Test scores show a positive correlation between students who play music and their performance on as-sessments. Kids that take music lessons use more of their brains than kids who do not take music lessons. Musical children’s brains are involved in more neuron activity, and as each new motor skill is acquired, both muscle memory and new connections are made that can stay with a child throughout their lives.

Music lessons are really the gift that keeps on giving. The more musicians there are out there now, the more there will likely be in the future. Let’s keep our minds musical! For more information, visit www.musicinchappaqua.com

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E T C E T E R A

Community Matters: Mindful Advice on Conflict Resolution

By Jodi BaretzConflicts can be personal, commu-

nity-based, global. They can cover all sorts of topics and divide us in a variety of ways. Conflict is part of the human condition, and, while inevita-ble, is healthy and normal too. How-ever, just as we all experience conflict in different and unique ways, so too do we go about resolving our issues using a variety of methods and manners. Often, it is not the conflict itself, but the resolution process that determines the outcome and impacts our ongoing thoughts and feelings.

Gathering ideas from different view-points can be informative and helpful. Town meetings and, more recently, so-cial media are great ways to share ideas and come together; however, there are challenges as well. Emotions and tensions can run high at the meetings, and words and posts can be miscon-strued on social media.

Social media is a wonderful resource, but it can also be a place where tension and conflict arise. Local online forums (whether Chappaqua, Armonk, Mount Pleasant or others) reflect community interest in a range of helpful to hot-button topics such as coyotes, com-munity pools, dog curbing, train track crossings and future developments like that of Chappaqua Crossing. It is won-derful that we all have opinions, but pausing to think about how we express them is critical.

When we respond too quickly, based on emotion, we often regret it. Creating space between stimulus and response can make a huge differ-ence. Victor Frankl, author of Man’s Search for Meaning, writes: “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and freedom.” Before you respond to conflict, you may want to stop and ask yourself–am I being clear and respectful? What am I really reacting to here? Is it the issue itself or is this personal? When have I felt like this before? Craig Ferguson, late-night host and comedian, had this to say on com-municating with his ex-wife: He asks himself, “does this need to be said,

does this need to be said by me, does this need to said by me right now?”

The ability to create space sounds great in theory, but in the moment can be difficult to attain. It takes a lot of practice and we are always a work in progress. Personally, I work on this through meditation and mindfulness, but still have moments where I forget to pause. Just recently, I reacted to a situation, without the pause, and ended up hurting someone I care about and regretting my actions. After apologizing, I immediately tried to use this experience as a way to understand myself and uncover what triggered me. Even though it was a less than ideal

response, it was an opportunity to ex-amine my behavior in a compassionate non-judgmental way, understand that I am human and that I make mistakes. Hopefully, this will lead to growth, healing and forgiveness, and it won’t happen again.

We all have different triggers de-pending on our past experiences and how we were raised. People can have varying reactions to the exact same stimulus. We tend not to be open to new ideas and beliefs and only really “see” the ones that we agree with, what we already know to be true. If we can drop our ego when conflict arises, and try to understand what exactly we are reacting to, as well as the other viewpoint, we will be more effective at coming to a resolution. Understand-ing, rather than accusing, goes a long way in conflict resolution. This does not mean you have to agree with the other side or condone their viewpoint or actions. We are usually protecting

something that means a lot to us when we are fighting for it; for example, it is likely that a wildlife conservationist and small dog owner will have differ-ent opinions regarding the coyotes in our midst. Opening to what the other person is fighting for can really help with reaching a compromise. It will make you more effective in your posi-tion. Can we learn to see our experi-ences through a wider lens?

When we engage in conflict and get angry at others, it often results in stress and inner turmoil. We want to get our point across, but when we fight, we end up harming ourselves. We may feel wronged, disrespected, misunderstood, but holding on to anger and hostility can affect us more than our adversary. I tell my clients to try to let things go and forgive selfishly. Nelson Mandela once said, “Resentment is like drinking poison and hoping it kills your enemies. “

The open exchange of ideas is what all relationships are built upon. Under-standing another’s perspective makes us better leaders and more effective problem solvers. Thinking about why we are triggered by certain issues can be useful, give us insight, and help us respond rather than react. Coming together, we accomplish more; coop-eration rather than discord. In the end, we want the same thing, a prosperous vibrant community.

Jodi is a psychotherapist and holistic health coach with a private practice at The Center for Health and Healing in Mt. Kisco. She runs a variety of mindfulness workshops and small groups. Jodi helps “stressed out” adults manage the chal-lenges of daily life and build harmonious relationships with their kids, spouses, bodies and themselves, so they live with more joy, peace and fulfillment.

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Find us on “First Thursday” Catch the Buzz! Armonk The Magazine … · June/Summer 2015 Inside Armonk 1 Armonk 48 Banksville Rd Custom Built Colonial w/exquisite Great Room, a