The children's home of Kingston

KEEP DOING THE GOOD STUFF - I don't know about anyone else but I'm looking forward to November 9th.  I'd say it's been a pretty stressful presidential campaign for just about everyone I know; anyone with common sense, and I count myself as one of them, does not  even discuss presidential politics. So please,  let us elect someone, anyone, to the office of US president and let the animosity be over.  

Locally, the news out of Newburgh is just too sad to discuss.  Too many violent deaths, too many shootings and too many young people gone too soon.  I don't have the strength to write about it at the moment; however, I'm going to stick to my plan which is to keep lifting people up.

We can all do our part. First of all, even if the person that you were not rooting for is elected, please do accept that person as your president and let's all be friends again.  Really, all this sniping at each other on Facebook and Twitter -- it's not good for your blood pressure.  If you want to elevate your blood pressure, do something more enjoyable, like chowing down on French fries from McDonald's.  

Back to the point of this blog though, I wanted to tell you about some of the good stuff that I'm doing.  You probably know by now that I am the founder and director of America Rows and swims Newburgh.  This is a not for profit organization and I obtain grants and donations to support our programs. Primarily, we provide free swim clinics to underprivileged youth in Newburgh as well as scholarships to allow underprivileged youth to enjoy the sport of Rowing, at the Newburgh Rowing club. And next week, we will be announcing a major expansion of the program.  

ARSN will be joining forces with the Children's Home of Kingston to provide them with a rowing club for the boys who are residing there.  The Children's Home of Kingston has been around for 140 years, providing services to boys and young men between the ages of 8 and 21 whose personal, social, developmental, or family situations preclude them from living at home or in a less restrictive setting, and who may benefit from milieu therapy, active psychotherapeutic interventions, and specialized care.

Thanks to Coach Kennedy and Coach Sheila Wise, we will be starting the boys off with an indoor rowing program this month. At the beginning of next year, we will bring our nationally recognized swim program to the boys and finally, this spring, we will be moving them into crew shells on the Roundout so they can enjoy the great sport of Rowing.  We are very excited about expanding the program to a group of children and youth who can truly benefit.

My grandmother always said, you can't change the world but all you need to do is give one person a hand up.  And that is what I am trying to do every day; and I hope that everyone reading this will do the same. You don't have to go out and start your own not-for-profit foundation but you could start by looking more kindly upon your fellow American, even if they are rooting for a candidate you don't like.  Bring someone a cup of coffee. Drop some food at the food pantry -- every little bit helps.   Have a great day everyone! 💛 Mrs. Lo 

(Here I am with Jay Mooers the director of operations at the children's home of Kingston on Friday).