65°
Welcome to the World Baby Griffin!
Griffin Italo Piccolo Hill was born at 12:49pm on October 4. He weighed in at 9 lbs, 1 oz, and was 20.25" long. His parents, Michelle Piccolo & Tom Hill, are doing fabulously. His brothers, Bixby and Walker, and his sister, Parker, are thrilled with the new addition to their family!
The Power of Pink
The Avon Walk is an event many of us know about. I know I have donated to the cause for many years and am always moved when I read about why someone is participating. Our community had two teams that shared with me who walked and why they walked.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is from Cindy Barry of Cortlandt Manor:
We walked almost 40 miles over two days, 26 the first and 13 the second. Dan (Cindys husband) and I have walked four times in New York and one time (this past May) in Boston. We walk with my cousins (Andrea Steenstrup, Joanne Gatto, and Terry Berntsen) in memory of my sister, Dr. Lynda Gatto, who died at the age of 36 years old. We walked as part of a team called the Wellness Warriors who had approximately 33 members this year. Our members are mostly from Long Island but some are from Westchester, Boston, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. So far, the team has raised over $106,000 this year alone and over $583,000 (yes, over a half a million dollars!) for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer since the team was started eight years ago.
We came in third place out of over 350 teams for fundraising. Our dollars have helped raise awareness, fund mammograms and state of the art testing, treatments and meals for those in need, and research for early detection and a cure for Breast Cancer! Our main goal is to ultimately wipe out Breast Cancer so that we never have to do another walk and so that our grandkids will have to learn about it in their history books.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Team Goddesses is a group of 10 dedicated women from our area: Joanne Bartoleomo, Lori Blaney, Karen Cigna, Denise Ellis, Suzannah Kincannon, Lorie Melomo, Marissabina Russo, Sharon Salameh, Cara Sax, & Natalie Warner. Together they raised over $30,000 for their first walk. As a result of this amazing experience these 10 women have started a walking club.
This is from Cara Sax, the team captain for Team Goddesses of Cortlandt Manor:
I realized the importance of community a few weekends ago when I participated in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in New York City. Walking 40 miles on concrete and sleeping in tents on the ground at night challenged my mind, emotions and physical body.
In my group of 10 women who fundraised, trained, and participated in the walk together, one woman was a cancer survivor. In the larger community of 4,000 people walking and crewing, there were hundreds of survivors. We were a community because we were all there together for a common purpose to raise money and awareness for this disease that takes the lives of so many people.
After completing 26 miles on the first day, many of us were sore, blistered, and swollen. The pain and suffering that we felt paled in comparison to those who have had, or will have cancer.
Without the love and support of volunteers, walkers, and even strangers that made up this community, many of us may not have had the strength and fortitude to complete the 40 miles on the second day. As we walked through the streets of Manhattan, it was the thank you's and the you can do it from the community of supporters that helped to raise up as if we were no longer walking, but being carried by their love.
At the closing ceremony, the 4,000 walkers and crew members were joined by our families and friends creating an even bigger, stronger, and more love filled community of people supporting the cause.
The feeling of love on that day is something that I will NEVER forget and I know that everyone there will be able to draw on that strength when we will undoubtedly need it one day. I imagine that it is the love and support that sustains those people living or dying with cancer, and that community joining together as one has a ripple effect that can create change in the world. I will be forever grateful for the reminder that the communities that I am part off; my family, my friends, and my yoga community are what make me remember that I am not alone but an equal part of one magnificent WHOLE.
To have your social event, announcement or honor included in Cortlandt Neighbors Notes, email Maggie at magpinque@aol.com
Click here to follow Daily Voice Cortlandt and receive free news updates.
