#GivingTuesday

I'm guessing that I'm not the only one who is sick to tears of hearing about Black Friday & Cyber Monday. This is why I was especially thrilled today to hear about a very new movement that seems to sincerely capture the spirit of this giving season. Today is #Giving Tuesday. The founding partners, which include great organizations like our good friends at the 92nd Street Y, are encouraging all to "Get out the Give." If you visit the site at www.givingtuesday.org you will find a lot of large corporations and organizations who are already on board with a variety of ways to help your contributions go farther, as well as an Ideas page with creative gestures we can all make within our own communities. This can include simple acts like bringing a non-perishable item to a local food pantry; or a baked treat to a public servant like our police, firefighters or ambulance volunteers; or visit a senior center to spend some time brightening the residents' day.  

After days of excessive focus on shopping, doorbusters and mega sales, I find this launch of #GivingTuesday to be a very welcome change. The site also shows ways to maintain the spirit of giving beyond just the day.  We can remember those who are less fortunate for the rest of the month as well as throughout the year. This becomes even more imperative during difficult economic times. We all have something to give. If you don't have discretionary income, there might still be gently used items and clothing in your home, and always time to give of yourself. The Mountaindale Community Development Project is always looking for volunteers who might like to help out in Mountaindale. Many other Sullivan County organizations can also use a hand. On this #GivingTuesday, how will You give back?

Welcome Back!

Glorious Fall by Rachel

Somehow, the past couple of months have positively flown by in a complete blur. I apologize for not having an opportunity to post for a while. I wanted to keep this site out of the election ruckus, but then got incredibly busy with all kinds of things going on in Mountaindale, Hurricane Sandy, wonderful new business developments, and all the community groups I support. I want to thank the many, many readers who still checked in regularly and went back to re-read some of the older postings that are archived on this site.

Some interesting things have been occurring locally.  We congratulate Chef Robert Uccelli of Uccelli Restaurant for reaching a one year anniversary in Mountaindale a few weeks ago. This is an important milestone for a Sullivan County restaurant. We also see a lot of growth in Mountain Charm Market Cafe on the corner, which is filling a big need we had in our community. Please stop in for coffee or lunch if you haven't already done so. Classes have resumed with Janet Gula of Radiant Yoga of Mountaindale. Upstate Karate of Mountaindale enjoyed a few very busy events. Studio owner, Alexandra Lalieu was recently promoted to 5th Dan Master level and celebrated by hosting the annual fall Region 2 Soo Bahk Do Moo Duk Kwan Testing. It was held at the Fallsburg High School and brought between 100 and 200 visitors to the Town of Fallsburg last month. Upstate Karate also held a Buddy Week and it was wonderful to see so many friends and parents participating in classes all week. For anyone who comes to town to visit Evadne Gianinni at HospitalityGreen, she can be found in their new location at 58 Main Street in Mountaindale.

Lastly, please stay tuned for news from Louisa Pabon of Verde & Co, our local sofrito verde manufacturer. She is hoping to re-open the cafe and offer a special pre-order menu, with both single serving and family sized take out portions. I am also trying to convince her to offer some evening cooking classes for some of her special cuisine. The items would include delicious sofrito and might instruct in dishes like empanadas, eggrolls and soups. Please let me know if this would be of interest to you - 845-434-4747, so I can encourage her to schedule this sooner.

I hope you are enjoying the glorious autumn landscape above and to the right by Rachel. She is currently taking a Photography class at the Fallsburg High School with Pam Garritt. Ms Garritt is the wonderful teacher who previously helped Mountaindale build the flower planter boxes as part of a Technology Ed student class assignment. With Rachel's enthusiasm and assistance, we will be updating the photos on the blog for the season.