| Community Matters |
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Residents of Westchester have little opportunity to engage in civic dialogue on matters of local importance. In response, the Foundation launched "Community Matters," which provides a venue for informal discussion of local issues in a nonpoliticized environment, resulting in better informed and more engaged citizens.
On Thursday, March 15, 2012, the fourth film in our Community Matter series will be shown at the Jacbo Burns Film Center. "Forks Over Knives" centers on the work of famed nutritionists Dr. T. Colin Campbell of Cornell University and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn of the Cleveland Clinic. It makes a compelling (if controversial) case for the health benefits of a plant-based diet. The Westchester Community Foundation is currently supporting efforts to promote healthier food and lifestyles.
Post film there will be Q &A with a panel including: Douglass DeCandia, Food Growing Program Coordinator with the Food Bank for Westchester; Cheryl Archbald, M.D., MPH, Deputy Commissioner, for the Division of Community Health at the Westchester County Department of Health; and Laura Rossi-Ortiz , Program Officer at the Westchester Community Foundation, where she manages grantmaking in the areas of Health and Sustainable Food Shed. Conversation will continue at a reception at the Film Center.
Our first film, in May 2011, was Lost Mountain, a film showing the impact of an environmental issue on a communty. Panelists, including producer Bill Haney and Robert Kennedy, Jr., discussed the impact an environmental issue can have locally, as well as nationally.
The second film in this series was Wretches & Jabberers, a film about the desire of autistic people to be part of the world, not apart from it -- and to be understood. The film was shown on Wednesday, September 21. The screening was followed by a panel of three local experts on autism: Cindy Alterson, PhD, Director of Programs at Devereau Millwood Learning Center; David, O'Hara, COO at Westchester Institute for Human Development; and Lisa Sandagata, Director of Outreach Services for the Music Conservatory of Westchester's Music Therapy Institute. Each of these organizations have received grants from Westchester Community Foundation.
The third film was Mothers of Bedford, which examines the effect of a long-term prision sentence on the mother-child relationship. It explores the struggles and joys of five mothers and what they face as prisoners. It was presented November 15 at 7:15 at Jacob Burns Film Center.
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