by Eric GrossCounty officials are call-ing it a sign of the times:Putnam’s foreclosure actionsand judgments have reached all time highs.During a meeting of theLegislature’s Economic De-velopment Committee last week, Legislator Dan Bir- mingham of Brewster, whochairs the panel, forecast a “doubling in foreclosures by year’s end. This is a sad in-dication of how the economyis affecting local propertyowners. We as a government must do all we can in mak-ing sure that the burdens of government don’t fall hardest on those who are the most vulnerable.”Information provided bythe Office of Real PropertyTax Services indicated that for the first half of the year,269 foreclosure actions had taken place across Putnam, which compares to 140 for the same period in 2008.As the nation’s economic picture darkened this year, the monthly rate of foreclosuresincreased, with 21 reported in January and 47 in June.Likewise, foreclosure judgments also increased dramati-cally, with 68 reported for the first six months of 2008and 104 reported for the first half of 2009.Legislator Dini LoBue, whoalso serves on the committeealong with Legislator TonyFusco, described the situation as “tragic. People are losingtheir homes for no fault of their own. Job losses, illness,and the high cost of livingare the major factors in thissad equation.”Fusco believes the county must begin an immediatecampaign to attract “qualityindustry, resulting in the cre-ation of jobs and tax relief.”

50¢

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We are 143 years old but new every Wednesday

(See Dueling on Page 11)

hat

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BUS SCHEDULES

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School Board Meeting Calendar

pages 14-15

Schools

Unemployment in Putnam Hits Record High

page 2

NewsOpinion

The ABCs of theBack to SchoolExperienceLetters to the Editor

page 6

Forecasting a doubling of foreclosures by year’s end

Worried property owners besiege town hall over zoning

A Case of Mistaken Identity

PUBLIC HEARINGNOTICE

hiliPstown

Notice is hereby given, that the Town Board of Phil-ipstown will conduct a Public Hearing on September 3,2009 at 7:30 p.m. at the Town Hall, 238 Main Street,Cold Spring. The purpose is to hear comments for/ against the proposed increase and improvement of thefacilities of the Garrison’s Landing Water District.See notice on page 16 for more details.

Dueling Over Health Care

Angst Spurs Action

by Joe Lindsley Jr.The Philipstown Town Hall has been unusually busy in the past week. According toTown Clerk Tina Merando,in her 17 years of service,she has never seen so many people requesting copies of official documents from thetown. In fact, so many people have showed up at the town hall issuing Freedom of Infor- mation Act (FOIA) requeststhat Merando has “made up packages” of pre-filled ap- plications. Some visitors tothe building report that thecopy machine has been run- ning virtually nonstop.What are they seeking?“It’s people asking for thecomprehensive plan, new zon-ing information, and about how much Joel Russell has been paid,” Merando said.Russell, a land use attorneyand planning consultant, wrotePhilipstown’s new compre- hensive plan along with a town committee. Russell has been paid $170,000 by Philipstown since 2001.As part of the plan under consideration, Philipstown might adopt new zoning laws, which, while allowing current land use to continue, will place restrictions on much of theland in the town. When land owners sell their property,or if they seek to expand a business, the new restrictions might severely limit the waythe land can be used.Russell notes on his websitethat he is currently a fellowof the Glynwood Center in Cold Spring, “where he isdeveloping an advanced train-ing program in drafting land use regulations that addressissues of climate change and sustainable development.”Besides working for the Town of Philipstown, Russell also works for Open Spaces, Hud-son Highlands Land Trust,and Scenic Hudson.“Both visionary and prac-tical, I break through stale- mates between developers and conservationists,” Russell’s

Waterfront Lights to Change

by Joe Lindsley Jr.While at first sight the Cold Spring waterfront may not seem to be in need of fixing, plans are underway to takedown all the existing tall polelighting lampposts pictured above and install new shorter hip height lamps called pan-orama bollards lights around the bandstand by the end of October.The project, a joint ventureof the Village of Cold Springand the Hudson HighlandsLand Trust (HHLT), has a price tag of approximately$55-thousand dollars to ac-quire the new lights. Instal-lation fees are not included in that amount.This week the land trust re-ceived a $2,000 grant from TheHudson River Valley NationalHeritage Area which will gotoward buying the bollards.Andrew Chmar, executivedirector of HHLT, initially proposed the landscape light-ing changes at a village board workshop in February 2008.His organization’s goal is to bring “dark sky technology”to the village’s waterfront.The term refers to an environ- mental movement to reducethe amount of light humans project into the atmosphere.Light pollution is seen byenvironmentalists as a wasteof energy that is disruptiveto ecosystems and that posesan unspecified health threat.When Chmar and his as-sociates, Tim Culbert of the New York City-based architec-tural firm Imrey-Culbert and Oliver Heller, architecturalsales associate with ERCOLighting, Inc. presented tothe village workshop eighteen months ago, they said a moveto change the lighting would enhance both visibility and security at night, while reduc-ing electricity usage. They provided computer-generated photographs illustrating thedifference between present lighting and the potential of the new technology.Some experts, though, while praising panorama bollardsfor their lack of glare, havecautioned against using them due to concerns that their low height might not allow for facial recognition of thosein the area.Opponents of the new lights

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A computer generated image of the proposed “panoramicbollards” at the Cold Spring waterfront.Seagulls rest on the light poles at the Cold Spring waterfront on an August afternoon.Special to the PCN&R

Taking another step in itscampaign to Save the Land That Matters Most, ScenicHudson has purchased 13acres next to the organiza-tion’s West Point FoundryPreserve.One of the largest primarily undeveloped parcels in this historic village, the hilltop property features a mix of lawn and woodlands overlook-ing Foundry Cove, a popular destination for kayakers and bird watchers. Lying within the state-designated Hudson Highlands Scenic Area of Statewide Significance, theland is visible from the adjoin-ing heavily traveled Metro- North commuter railroad line,the Hudson River and pointson its western shore. From the property there are excellent views of Constitution Marsh,the river, West Point and theHudson Highlands.A home on the property was built circa 1830 for William Kemble, co-founder of the nearby West Point Foundry, whose ruins lie within West Point Foundry Preserve. Boththe house and its grounds arelargely unmodified since the19th century; author Washing-ton Irving was said to have been a frequent guest of theKembles. Scenic Hudson isseeking potential users for the building and intends to makethe site a community asset.The property was acquired from the Campbell family, de-scendants of William Kemble who have owned the housesince the early 20th century.Scenic Hudson Land Project Manager Matt Shipkey final-ized the purchase.At adjacent West Point Foundry Preserve, ScenicHudson plans to create a world-class “outdoor mu-seum” telling the story of this 19th-century industrial powerhouse that manufac-tured some of America’s first steam engines and locomo-tives, as well as the Parrott gun, a cannon credited with winning the Civil War. Dis- plays also will explore thestunning ecological renewalof this 87-acre property, whichScenic Hudson purchased in 1996 to halt development of a hotel complex. The pre-serve is listed on the NationalRegister of Historic Placesand recognized by the fed-eral government’s PreserveAmerica program.Scenic Hudson also ownsFoundry Dock Park on Cold Spring’s waterfront. Site of the foundry’s wharf, it fea-tures a small-boat launch and viewing decks that providespectacular Hudson High-lands views.“With its historic foundry ruins and stunning FoundryCove, few places in the Hud-son Valley contain as much history and natural beautyas West Point Foundry Pre-serve. This transaction en-sures that development will not encroach on this nationaltreasure as we work to makeit one of America’s premier industrial-heritage attrac-tions,” said Scenic Hudson President Ned Sullivan.“Our family first ap- proached land trusts 20 yearsago, hoping to keep the placefrom commercial development. Now we know it’s safe,”said Alice Campbell Romano.Funds for this transaction came from Scenic Hudson’sLila Acheson and DeWitt Wallace Hudson Valley Land Preservation Endowment.

Scenic Hudson Buys 13 Acres next to Foundry

Foreclosures Reach All-Time High

by Eric Gross and Michael Brendan DoughertyIt was an unbelievable end-ing to a day-long search for a missing teenager,when the16-year-old Guatemalan na-tive was found inside thePutnam Correctional Facility under a false identity.Last Thursday, under thedirection of Captain Rich-ard Stellacci of the Sheriff’sDepartment, more than 100volunteers, firefighters, EMS providers, and police, repre-senting agencies on the state,county, city, and town levels,spent eight hours in scorching heat scouring the hills and dales, mountains, bodies of water, and neighborhoods in Brewster searching for the boy, who had reportedly last been seen outside a popular Main Street convenience storeat 11pm on August 15.Sheriff Smith’s rivals in the race for the Republican nomi- nation for sheriff pounced in press conferences the follow-ing day. Former NYPD Cap-tain Andrew DeStefano called it “a complete breakdown in communication, a complete breakdown in law enforcement policy. This would not happen if you had a Sheriff who wasa police commander.”Judge Jim Borkowski, an-other challenger, also criti-cized the sheriff. “This weeksevents demonstrate the best of Putnam county and the worst of Putnam County,” he said.“The community, when noti-fied of a missing child, spent night and day searching ...they didn’t care what his race was ... The community cametogether as never before.”“All these volunteers, and firefighters, first respond-ers came out because of theincompetence of Sheriff Don Smith,” Borkowski said.“They were all led on a wild goose chase.”Cold Spring’s Kevin Mc-Conville, the Democraticcandidate for sheriff, said,“we should never be in the position of not knowing whoour detainees are and what their needs may be.”

Sheriff’s department searches for teen, finds him in county jail

by Joe Lindsley Jr.Americans give more tocharity than any other na-tion, and typically they ex- pect their money to go wherethey intend. The InternalRevenue Service has signifi-cant reporting requirementsfor nonprofit organizations, but it can be difficult for an average donor to determine whether a charitable organization is spending money wisely or wasting it on ad- ministrative largess.In the face of this, Gar- rison residentsJohn and Marion Dugan created Charity Navi-gator in 2001 toevaluate the in-tegrity of Ameri-can nonprofits.Today the service, with itsextensive website, monitors5,448 charities using a four-star rating system. Due tothe number of nonprofits, theorganization only looks at those with more than $500,00in public support.Even as the IRS strengthensits 990 reporting requirements, Charity Navigator has been seeking ways to measure the actual effective- ness of America’s nonprofits,a relatively unprecedented goal and one that sends shiv-ers down the spines of some nonprofit executives.According to its extensiveand award-winning website,Charity Navigator measuresthe day to day functioning of nonprofits as well as their long-term financial health.If an organization relies on only a few key donors, it will receive lower marks than onethat has built up a broad baseof support, less contingent on the whims or fate of a handful of donors.Additionally, the service reports on donor privacy policies, a keyconcern for many; 2,100of the chari-ties it rates have no such policy, while 2,550 have verystrict policies. The remaining800 allow donors to removetheir names from any liststhat might be shared withother organizations.

Keeping an Eye on the Nation’s Nonprofits

Charity Navigator’s four star rating systemhas had an impact

(See Sheriff on Page 11)(See Charities on Page 10)(See Lights on Page 10)(See Angst on Page 10)

Inside ThisBack to School Issue:

Bus Schedules!

by Michael Brendan DoughertyAround the country, forumson health care reform havesparked intense debate and resistance, and the 19th NewYork Congressional district is no different. DemocraticCongressman John Hall and his presumptive Republican chal-lenger, Assemblyman GregBall, held separate meetings on health care reform last week,each meeting simmering withthe passions of engaged citi-zens.Assemblyman Ball’s town- hall event, the first of the two, brought a big and sometimes raucous crowd of his support-ers. Ball, and his audience,largely covered the reasons why health care reform ascurrently proposed by theObama administration should not be enacted. Congressman Hall’s gathering the follow-ing evening was sponsored bythe NAACP, which initially refused to allow entrance to non-members, but Hall re-sponded to the complaints of would-be attendees (includingAssemblyman Ball) gathered outside the venue—and per- haps to Mr. Ball’s accusation that Hall prefers to work in “scripted settings”—by agree-ing to allow as many citizensas could legally fill the hall.On Wednesday at the Ho-tel Sienna in Fishkill, GregBall invited participants togive their own thoughts on health care. The forum at-tracted more than double the

Wednesday, August 26, 2009CXLIII No. 34Philipstown & Putnam Valley

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John Hall speaks at his health care forum while challenger Greg Ball looks on. Marion and John Dugan of Philipstown

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Wednesday, August 26, 2009

As we enjoy what’s left of the summer, please don’t forget that a gift subscription to the

PCN&R

is the perfect way to keep your college student up to date on happenings at home.There was another bear sighting last week. LorraineO’Keeffe, who lives on Hustis Road, off of Route 9, visited the

PCN&R

office to report that she had seen something unusual investigating her garden hose hanging coiled in the yard and realized that it was a young (not a cub) bear. After the animal ambled off she investigated and found a bees’ nest inside the hose rack. The brave lady didn’t seem at allalarmed, and laughingly said it reminded her of Winnie thePooh and his honey jar.In this issue we are offering bus schedules for both theHaldane and Garrison school districts. Putnam Valley district families will get theirs in the mail direct from the district.Be sure to pencil in your Board of Education meeting datesfor the year, also listed in this issue.As we look forward to part two of Don McDonald’scharming history of the movie theater in Cold Spring, don’t forget that you can get current movie listings for all of our local theaters online at pcnr.com. Just click on “Movies.”The listings are updated every Friday.Finally, a Happy Birthday to all of these friends and neigh- bors: Leanne Kearns, Elizabeth Hynes, Elisa Barlie, Margaret Sternberg, Michael Evans, Kenny Dini, Julianne Starr Fiala,Kerry Downes, Jake Burke, Larry Turner, Kathyrine Thorpe,Lewis Brighton, Bhaktiben Shah, Cameron Harper O’Dell,Chloe Wareham-Gordon, Cory Lyons, Edward R. Finch, Jr.,Dakota Kannenberg, Kristen Savastano, and Betty Budney!

orreCtions

The website listed at the end of our 8/12/09 articleon St. Luke’s Nursery School was an old one. The cor- rect website for St. Luke's Nursery School is as follows:

www.stlukesnurseryschool.com

Our 8/19/09 article entitled "Monitoring Marathon" in-correctly stated that part of the former Marathon Batteryfactory site is now owned by Scenic Hudson. Marathon Battery did not own the property now known as the West Point Foundry Preserve, which is owned by Scenic Hudson.However, the Superfund Cleanup Site which the EPA web-site refers to as the " 70-acre Marathon Battery Co. site"extended beyond the boundaries of the factory itself and included parts of Foundry Cove and Constitution Marsh.

ark

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7:00 PM - PVCSD BOEMeeting - PVHS Cafeteria7:00 PM - Cold Spring ZBA7:30 PM -PhilipstownPlanning Board (PublicHearing, VFW Hall)

hursday

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9/3

The Independence Party has endorsed Richard Shea for Philipstown Supervisor,and John Van Tassel and BettyBudney for Philipstown Town Council for the 2009 GeneralElection to be held on Tues-day, November 3.Candidate Richard Shea said: “On behalf of myself,John and Betty, I would liketo thank everyone would par-ticipated in this effort. Thisis a great start for our Phil-ipstown slate. Thank you for your endorsement.” by Eric GrossPutnam’s rate of unemployment is the highest in 20 years.The Putnam Legislature’sEconomic Development Com- mittee received the disturb-ing news at its meeting last Thursday night—7 percent of the county’s population isout of work.The numbers compare toa 4.4 percent unemployment rate a year ago and a dis-tant reminder that in 1998,Putnam’s 2.2 percent rate of unemployment was the low-est in all of New York State.Legislator Dan Birmingham of Brewster, who chairs theEconomic Development Com- mittee, called the number “so- bering. The economy has been on a downward spiral nationally.We in Putnam County have be-gun to feel the pinch, as well.”Legislator Tony Fusco of Mahopac Falls, who alsoserves on the committee with Legislator Dini LoBueof Mahopac, agreed that the number of unemployed Putnam residents was “scary. This isa hardship. We must do morefor our local constituents byattracting business and de-velopment to our towns and villages.”The NYS Labor Department released its monthly report last week, indicating 17,900 jobslost throughout the Hudson Valley in July, upping the totalto more than 745,000 people who have become unemployed in the nine-county region in the past year.Seven thousand residentsof Putnam were unemployed in July as compared to 2,500in July 2008.Putnam’s rate of unemployment, while much higher than the rate recorded in June 2008,is still the lowest in the entire region. The Labor Department reported a 7.5 percent rateof unemployment for bothWestchester and Rockland; 7.9 percent in Columbia, and 8.1 percent in Dutchess County.John Nelson, an analyst with the New York State De- partment of Labor, told the

PCN&R

the greatest loss of jobs was in the areas of trade,transportation, and utilities:“Professional and businessservices were next, followed by manufacturing positions.”On a brighter note, Nelson said employment gains took place in the fields of educa-tion and health care services, where 3,700 positions werefilled during the past month.

Putnam Unemployment Rate Highest in 20 Years

by Eric GrossPutnam County sales tax revenue is in a free-fall with no relief in sight. The coun-ty legislature’s Audit and Administration Committee received its monthly report Monday evening indicatinga $496,137 decline in salestax receipts from the same period a year ago.For the first seven monthsof 2009, county coffers aredown by $3.75 million re-sulting from the economicdownward spiral.Legislator Vincent Tamag- na of Cold Spring forecast a “difficult budget year. Our constituents are being faced with a horrible choice, since without sales tax revenue, property taxes will rise dra- matically. People can’t af-ford high taxes, so elected officials must make countygovernment more efficient.This is our goal and our re-sponsibility in the upcoming budget process that gets un-derway in September.”Legislator Sam Oliverioof Putnam Valley agreed,calling the current economy“very frightening times. We never anticipated this big a hit on our sales tax revenue.Without sales tax receipts,the county has to move to property tax—which poses a very dangerous scenario—or else cut services which noone wants. The 2010 budget process that gets underwayin a week or two promisesto be extremely convoluted.”Legislator Dan Birming- ham of Brewster said if thecurrent trend continues, Put- nam will experience a 16 percent decline in sales tax,or $7 million for the year.Birmingham called on CountyExecutive Robert Bondi toopen the current 2009 budget in order to make cuts. “Pain-ful reductions have to be made now in order to prevent a catastrophic situation from developing in 2010,” he said.Putnam’s sales tax rev-enue increased for the first two months of the year, by$82,000 in January, and $138,000 in February. Com- missioner of Finance William Carlin said March was the wake-up call, when salestax receipts plummeted by$1.7 million compared toMarch, 2008.The free-fall was on. In April, receipts dropped by$259,000, followed by May’sdismal shopping picture when sales tax revenue fell by an-other $609,000. In June, the picture darkened even more when the county received a $917,000 hit in sales tax receipts over the previous year. July’s numbers continuedownward with $496,000 lesscollected than in 2008.Last year, the county col-lected $51 million in salestax or $6 million more than in 2007.Legislature Chairman TonyHay said the county needed a “miracle” just to come closeto those numbers this year.

Shea Gets the Nod

Sales Tax Revenue in Free Fall

pcnr.com

No Meetings ScheduledPV TOWN HALL CLOSED6:00 PM - PVPlanning Board7:30 PM - Philipstown ZBA7:30 PM -Cold SpringBoard Weekly Workshop7:30 PM-PhilipstownBoard Weekly Workshop

Wednesday, August 26, 2009 T

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Obituaries

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Elizabeth V. Bitil, age 90,lifelong resident of Cold Spring, passed away peace-fully at home on Thursday,August 20, 2009.Born in Cold Spring on Sep-tember 21, 1918, she was thedaughter of the late Ralph and Frances (Cervone) Landolfi.Mrs. Bitil was a retired seamstress, having worked at the former S & A Togs,Inc. in Cold Spring. She was a devoted wife, mother,and grandmother, and ac-tive parishioner of Our Ladyof Loretto Church in Cold Spring. She was also a member of Court Rita of CatholicDaughters.She is survived by her loving husband, Joseph V.“Chick” Bitil, of the homeaddress; one daughter, Isa- bel McDonough of Fishkill;two grandchildren, JosephMcDonough and Michel Ber-lingieri; five great grandchil-dren, Joseph Jr., Marissa,Sara, Jenna, and Kathleen;and many nieces and nephews.She was predeceased by two brothers, John Landolfi and Joseph Landolfi, and fivesisters, Amelia Serino, RoseLyons, Eleanor McConville,Mary McCaffrey, and Julia Mancari.A Mass of Christian Burial was held on August 22 at Our Lady of Loretto Church, fol-lowed by interment in Cold Spring Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Mrs. Bitil’s name toPhilipstown Volunteer Am- bulance Corp, 14 Cedar St.,Cold Spring, NY,10516.Marion Corcoran, age 87,of Cold Spring, passed away peacefully on Wednesday,August 19, 2009, at her home.Born May 27, 1922, in NewYork City, she was the daugh-ter of the late Patrick Josephand Mary Margaret (Veale)Whelan of County Waterford,Ireland.Mrs. Corcoran worked asa secretary at Columbia Uni-versity in New York for many years, and more recently for Merritt Meridian in Beacon.She was a longstanding parishioner of St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Fishkill who also loved sewing and was a gifted seamstress.She is survived by her loving husband, Michael Corcoran of the home address, and four children: Mary Pat Corcoran of Beacon, James and his wife Michele Corcoran of Hopewell Junction, Thom-as Corcoran of Greenwich,CT, and Theresa Corcoran of Cold Spring. One sister, Nora Cameran of Edinburgh,Scotland, and two grandchil-dren, Amanda and Kathleen Corcoran also survive her.One brother, Joseph AnthonyWhelan, predeceased her.A Mass of Christian Burial was held on August 22 at St.Mary, Mother of the Church,in Fishkill, followed by in-terment in Cold Spring Cem-etery. Donations may be madein Mrs. Corcoran’s name toHospice of Westchester and Putnam, 540 White PlainsRd., Suite 300, Tarrytown, NY 10591-5132.

Marion CorcoranElizabeth V. Bitil

Marie Markis, 79, of Put- nam Valley, passed away with her family at her side on August 21, 2009.She is survived by her lov-ing family, daughter Suzanne(Eugene) Mauriello, grand-children Lauren and Rebecca Mauriello, Richie, Melissa,Jessica, Matthew, Michael,and Christopher Markis and two great-grandchildren. She was pre-deceased by her be-loved husband, George PaulMarkis, and her two sonsRichard Dennis and Robert Markis.Mrs. Markis greatly enjoyed her time at the Putnam Val-ley Senior Center and all the wonderful friends she madethere.Because she had such loveand compassion for animals,donations in her name areasked to the Putnam HumaneSociety 68 Old Route 6 Car- mel, NY 10512.A Mass of Christian burial will take place on August 26, 2009, at St. Columbanuschurch 122 Oregon Road,Cortlandt Manor, NY, 10567at 10am.Arrangements are under the direction of the Clinton Funeral Home Peekskill, NY.

Marie Markis

VNA Home Health Services(VNA HHS), a not for profit provider of home health aideservices in Westchester and Putnam, and member of theVisiting Nurse Association of Hudson Valley family, isoffering free home health aidetraining classes that result in certification and guaranteed employment for participantsthat pass requirements. The next classes will be held on September 14 throughOctober 2 and November 2through November 20. The home health aide trainingcourse lasts for three weeks,and classes will meet dailyfrom 9am until 5pm at thecorporate office in Tarrytown.Training is available to anyindividual, regardless of their experience, who wishes to be-come a certified home healthaide. The training program also offers an opportunityfor personal care aides to upgrade to a home healthaide with a one-week train-ing course. Certified nursesaides employed in institu-tional settings can also enrollin the program for training on techniques specific to homecare to become a Certified Home Health Aide.Professionals from the Vis-iting Nurse Association of Hudson Valley are teachingsegments of the training in-cluding: Registered Nurses,Physical Therapists and Hos- pice specialists. The trainingcourse was approved by the New York State Department of Health in 2008 and thereare 25 individuals who par-ticipated in one of the threecourses offered last year who have graduated and been of-fered employment.VNA Home Health Servicesis a recognized leader in thecoordination and deliveryof services needed to assist patients with their in-home medical needs and the ac-tivities of daily life. They provide services to individu-als in Westchester & Putnam Counties.*Pre-Registration is re-quired to participate in train-ing program.To register, please callCharlotte Smith at (914)666-7079, ext. 155.

Free Home Health Aide JobTraining Program Offered

St. John’s Church, Gray- moor, in Garrison, was thescene for the profession of perpetual vows by Sister Ana Maria Causa, as a Franciscan Sister of the Atonement. TheRite of Final Profession took place on Saturday, August 8,at 11am, before a capacitygathering of Sisters, family,and friends.In a powerful voice for allto hear, Sister Ana Maria professed:“I desire to consecrate myself more completely toGod and to follow Christ more intimately and so, in your presence, Sister NancyConboy, I, Sister Ana Maria Causa, vow to live in chastity, poverty, and obedience untildeath, according to the Ruleand Life of the Brothers and Sisters of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis and theConstitutions of the Francis-can Sisters of the Atonement.Relying on the grace of theHoly Spirit and the help of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Icommit myself to this con-gregation and its mission in the Church.”Following this eloquent and moving profession, Sis-ter Nancy Conboy, Minister General of the Franciscan Sisters of the Atonement at Graymoor, responded:“By the authority given me, and in the name of theChurch, I accept the perpetualvows which you have just professed in the congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of the Atonement, I commend you to go so that you may beable to fulfill the oblation you offer today, in union withthe Eucharistic Oblation of the Mass.”The profession of vows wasfollowed by a ring ceremonyduring which, the Celebrant,Father Wilfred Tyrrell SA, blessed the simple gold band with the words, “Lord, weask you to bless this ring.May it always be for Sister Ana Maria, a symbol of her consecration to you.”Minister General, Sister Nancy Conboy then placed the ring on Sister Ana Maria’sfinger with the words: “Sister Ana Maria, receive this ring, which is a sign to all of your consecration to God. Mayit be a continual reminder of God’s fidelity and of the pledge of love that you maketo Him today. Sister Nancycontinued with the words:“We receive you now as one with us in the Franciscan Sisters of the Atonement,sharing in all things with usfor the future.”The service concluded withthe words: “It is God who has achieved this great work and given you this wonderfulgift. May He fill you with hisgrace to build up his people by your life and ministry.

Sister Professes Her Vows

The Franciscan Friars of the Atonement will host their Sixteenth Annual SharingHope Celebration Dinner at The Plaza in New York Cityon Friday, October 2, 2009, at 7pm. Mary Higgins Clark will be the Master of Ceremonies.Each year the Friars honor those who have shown a com- mitment to helping othersand inspiring hope. This year the Graymoor SharingHope Award will be presented to His Excellency, TimothyMichael Dolan, Archbishopof New York. The Graymoor Award will be presented toStephen J. Sweeny, Ph.D.,President, The College of New Rochelle. William P.Harringon, Esq. of Pound Ridge, will be awarded theGraymoor Community Ser-vice Award for his outstanding years of dedicated service to his community and parish.Dinner Chairs are Raymond and Patricia O’Rourke of Garrison. Journal Chair isMr. Rory O’Moore, also from Garrison.Their worldwide ministriesinclude serving the homelessand those suffering from alco- holism, drug addictions, and HIV/AIDS; pastoral care in parishes and hospitals around the world; offering respite and hope to those in need of spiri-tual renewal; and Christian unity and interfaith dialogueamong Christians, Jews, Mus-lims, and Buddhists.Individual tickets for theSharing Hope Celebration Dinner are $500. For moreinformation, call (845) 424-2137 or visit

www.atonementfriars.org/sharinghope

Sharing Hope Honorees Named

Last year, Alexis and Col-leen Bancroft collected over 120 red, white, and blue lapsize blankets for injured soldiers at the Walter Reed Hospital. They were delivered just in time for Christmas withcards attached from many of the people who knitted, cro-chet and quilted the blankets.They had an overwhelming response and an outpouringof generosity from not onlytheir upstate New York community but from neighboringcommunities in many differ-ent states. They were asked by many people to continuethis project again this year and hope that you will helpthem reach their goal of 140 blankets this year.The blankets will be de-livered to to the V.A. homein Montrose, as well as to a similar institution in Bristol,Rhode Island.If you would like to makea handmade lap blanket in red, white, and blue, pleasecontact Alexis or Dylan at 845-496-6866 or by emailgbrassil@hvc.rr.com or Col-leen at 845-496-5050 and let them know that they mayexpect a blanket from you.If you are in New York, they will come collect the blanket from you the first week of December, or contact them for mailing information. If you would like to attach a card, you may certainly dothat but it is not necessary.

Create a Blanket of Hopefor the Montrose Veterans

So many veterans feel con-fused about benefits and ser-vices they’ve earned. There’sso much to know...and so many changes from one year to the next. That’s why the nonprofit D-A-V offers help.The DAV Mobile ServiceOffice will be available to personally provide the best counseling and claim filingassistance available. Like allD-A-V services, help from theMobile Service Office is freeto all veterans and membersof their families.The unit will be set up at Jefferson Valley Mall, 650Lee Boulevard, Yorktown Heights, on Tuesday, Sep-tember 8, 2009 from 10am until 4pm.

Mobile Service Office OffersFree Help to Veterans

ST. MARY’SEPISCOPAL CHURCHIN THE HIGHLANDS1 Chestnut St.Cold SpringFr. Shane ScottHamblen, Rector, 265-253Mr. Ron Greene,Senior Warden,265-3624www.stmaryscoldspring.dioceseny.orgSun. Masses:

8am (spoken);10:30am (sung); Sundayschool in Parish Hall dur-ing 10:30 mass

Thurs. Fri. & Sun.:

AAin parish hall, 8pm

FRANCISCAN FRIARSOF THE ATONEMENTRoute 9, Garrison424-3671graymoorcenter@atonementfriars.orgSunday Eucharist

- 11am,Pilgrim Hall.

Daily Mass

- Mon. - Sat.11:30am.

Mondays

- Holy Hour, 8pm.

Centering Prayer

- 8pm.Monthly Prayer Meeting 2nd Sunday of every month at 2pm. Recovery Inc. every

Wednesday

, 7:30pm.

Sat. Aug. 27

- Career Coaching Workshop 7pm, res. req’d

Renewal Farmers’ Mar-ket:

Every Friday, 10-3,

ST. JOSEPH’S CHAPELA mission Chapel of Our Lady of LorettoChurchUpper Station Rd.,Garrison, 265-3718OUR LADY OFLORETTO CATHOLICCHURCHFair Street, Cold Spring(845) 265-3718www.ourladyoflorettocs.comFr. Brian McSweeney,Pastor

Masses: Sat. 5:30pm, Sun.7:30am, 9, & 11:45am.,Weekdays: 8:15am, St. Jo-seph’s - Garrison, Sun.,10:15am. Holy Days: 8:15am & 7:30pm Mass, Holy DayVigil: 530pm Confessions: Sat., 4:30-5pm

Wed/Sun Sept 13/16 -

“AParish Mission” w/ Fr. An-gelus Shaughnesy, 7pm, dif-ferent topics each night Bingo - Thursdays, doorsopen 6pm, first game begins7:15pm. $1,500 in TotalCash Prizes. Concessionsavailable.Weekly Events: Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, Mon.7pm; Miraculous Medal:Wed., after Mass. Rosary,Sat. after Mass.

ST. PHILIP’S CHURCHIN THE HIGHLANDS1101 Route 9D, Garrisonstphilips.highlands.comRev. Francis H. Geer, Rec.424-3571 - e-mail:stphilips@highlands.com

Summer schedule:8am - Holy Communion 10am - Main Service; child-care available for 10am ser-vice

GRACE UNITEDMETHODIST CHURCH337 Peekskill HollowRoad, Putnam ValleyPastor Tony Mecca845-526-3788Sunday Service & SundaySchool

: 10 am.

Prayer Service w/ Com-munion

: Tues 7 pm. “Tues-days w/ Tony” - Discussion group, 9am.

ST. LUKE’SLUTHERAN CHURCH65 Oscawana Lake Rd.,Putnam Valleywww.stlukesputnamvalley.org528-8858,

mail@stlukesputnamvalley.org

Sunday Worship

- Service:9am, Coffee hour: 10:15am,Family Communion Serviceincluding Sunday School:10:30am

Thu.

- Prayer Service, 8pm

FIRSTPRESBYTERIANCHURCH OFPHILIPSTOWNAcademy & CherryStreetsCold Spring - 265-3220Rev. Leslie Mott, Pastor

www.presbychurchcoldspring.org

email: FPCP@verizon.net

Worship Service: 10am Chancel Choir Rehearsal:Wednesdays 7pm Office Hours: Tue, Wed &Thu, 8-12

UNITED METHODISTCHURCHES OF COLDSPRING & SOUTHHIGHLAND (Garrison)(265-3365)South Highland UMC,19 Snake Hill Rd.GarrisonCold Spring UMC,216 Main StreetPastor Margaret(Peggy) Laemmel

South Highland in Garrison worship service at 9:30am.Cold Spring worship serviceat 11am.

Sat. Sept. 12

- Bake Sale,Foodtown, 9:30am-noon

Sat. Oct. 10

- Bake Sale,Foodtown, 9:30am-noon

COLD SPRINGBAPTIST CHURCH(American BaptistChurches, USA)Jay Camp(Interim Pastor)245 Main St., ColdSpring265-2022

Sunday Services, 10:30am

Wednesdays

: Prayer- Fel-lowship time, 7pm

BEACON HEBREWALLIANCEConservative Synagogue331 Verplanck Ave.,BeaconRabbi Josh WohlCantor Ellen Gersh845-831-2012

www.beaconhebrewalliance.org

Fri. night Shabbat services7:30pm Sat. morning Shabbat ser-vices, 9:30am Check website for religiousschool, services, events info.

TEMPLE ISRAEL140 Lake DriveLake PeekskillRabbi Jeff Cymet845-528-2305Shabbat Services

: Fridays8pm; Saturdays 9:15am.

PHILIPSTOWNREFORM SYNAGOGUEP.O. Box 94Cold Spring, NY 10516

THE HIGH HOLY DAYSServices led by Can-torShoshana Lash, Or-ganist Douglas KeilitzAll Services at St.Mary’s Parish House

Sat. Sept. 12

: Shabbat/ S’lichot Services, 9:30am,Discussion, 10:30am

Fri. Sept. 18

: Rosh Hasha- nah Evening Services, 8pm

Sat. Sept. 19

: Rosh Hasha- nah Morning Services, 10am

Sun. Sept. 27

: Kol NidreEvening Services, 8pm

Mon. Sept. 28

: Yom Kippur, morning services, 10am, dis-cussion, 1:30pm, afternoon services, 3:30pm, communi-ty break fast immediately fol-lowing Afternoon ServicesSat. Oct. 3: Shabbat/Suk- kot services at SurpriseLake Camp,9:30am, Suk- kah Building by the Lake,10:30am, servicesFor more information call265-8011 and leave a mes-sage or e-mail philipstown- reformsynagogue @gmail.com

PHILIPSTOWNWORSHIP GROUPQuaker Meeting(845) 424-3525

Meeting for Worship – 2nd &4th Sundays of each month,10am, at 848 Old AlbanyPost Road (Whyatt StoneCottage), Garrison. Call for directions. Children of allages welcome.

REFORM TEMPLE OFPUTNAM VALLEY362 Church RoadPutnam ValleyRabbi Allen Darnov(845) 528-4774www.rtpv.orgShabbat Services:

Fridays,8pm; Young people’s ser-vice- third Friday of the month, 7pm. Hebrew School,ages 3+

HISTORIC TOMPKINSCORNERS UNITEDMETHODIST CHURCH729 Peekskill HollowRoad, Putnam Valley845-528-5076www.tompkinschurchny.org

1st Sunday of the month worship: 2pm

FIRST HEBREWCONGREGATION OFPEEKSKILL1821 Main Street,Peekskill914-739-0500www.firsthebrew.orgsfma@optonline.netRabbi Lee Paskind

Services: Sat. 9:30am; Fri.8pm; Monthly Fri. familyservice, 6:30pm

CAPUCHIN YOUTH &FAMILY MINISTRIES781 Route 9D, Garrison424-3609www.cyfm.orgFri/Sun Aug. 28/30 -

G.I.F.T. (Growing in FaithTogether), Catholic retreat for teenagers. Call or visit online.

Fri/Sun Sept. 4/6

- Refreshand renew, retreat for CYFMalumni. Call or visit online.

Sun. Sept. 6

- Cap CorpsVolunteer CommissioningMass, join in welcoming the2009-2010 group of volun-teers, 2pm, CYFM Gym.