Monday, May 6, 2013


Thanks to all who came to our Earth Day~Tab Night Program on April 22nd!  It was a phenomenal success!  Below is an article written for the TJ.  Enjoy!  
erika

Library's Tab Night Refuels Shriners
Erika Schmid

Schoharie Free Library celebrated Earth Day Monday night with a unique blend of environmentalism and community service. Since 2009 the library has been collecting pull tabs for Shriners Hospitals for Children in Springfield, MA in honor of patient, and lower limb amputee, Jubilee Schmid. As part of the library's Earth Day programming a tab collection night was planned as well as a program presented by Shriners John Minozzi, Associate Member of the Board of Governors, Jerry Divendorf, Donald Bond, Jack Norray, and Richard Huntermark all members of the Cyprus Shrine which was chartered in 1877 in Albany.

“The only thing I can say is that Shriners is a place where miracles happen,” John Minozzi began as he shared about the program.

Newly elected to the Board of Governors, Mr. Minozzi has been making several visits to the hospital to meet with the doctors, patients and staff. “One day I got lost, and Dr. D. (Dr. David Drvaric), the chief-of-staff, found me and walked me right to where I needed to go. What other hospital can you to to where a chief-of-staff does such things?”

Mr. Minozzi went on to explain how Shriners has 22 hospitals in the United States that are funded through private donations and fundraising. The very tabs that the library was collecting were going to be used to help fuel the vans that transport patients to their Springfield hospital. “Every single hospital we have built is exactly the same, and we treat patients regardless of their ability to pay,” he shared. “I cannot walk into the hospital without shedding a tear.”

At the close of his presentation the floor was opened for a Q&A session. One participant inquired about how the tab program worked. Jack Norray, a Shriner from Glenmont, shared pictures with the audience of 55 gallon drums filled with pull tabs. “Each one of these containers is filled with enough tabs to fuel a van round trip to Shriners. One drum holds 80 pounds of tabs,” he explained.

The next set of pictures showed pick-up trucks filled with tabs from a school in the Capitol District area whose goal it was to fill one pick-up truck with tabs for Shriners. “They filled two!” Mr. Norray replied proudly.

Another audience member was amazed at how she had never heard of such a wonderful institution. “For many years we confess we have hidden our light under a bushel,” Jerry Divendorf admitted. “We are currently remedying that. We have begun advertising, and of course you can see us in parades. In fact I am one of the Shriners who drives the cars you see in the parades.”

All Shriners are volunteers and donate their time and energy to help support the hospital from marching in parades, to driving the vans, to helping man the visitor desk at the hospital. In fact, Richard Huntermark spends a great deal of time woodworking and making projects for the hospitals which can be seen by the patients upon their visits.

Donald Bond, a Cobleskill resident and president of the Schoharie County Shrine Club, is a van driver who recently made his 80th trip to the hospital. However, it is not just to Springfield where he is asked to drive. Other trips have included shuttling patients to Shriners hospitals in Boston where they have a burn center, and Philadelphia as well. “In all of my time as a driver,” he began, “I have never heard a child cry.”

The goal of the Shriners is to make their hospitals a home away from home for children who go through, for many, a life time of procedures. “Some of these children come into the programs when they are babies,” Mr Minozzi explained, “and are with us until they are twenty-one. I was there the other day when a young woman was graduating out of the program and had come to receive her records. It was very emotional. She was saying good-bye to people who had been her family.”

Mr. Minozzi continues to explain that children are referred into the Shriners program by a local Shriner. They then have an assessment to see if their medical condition is treatable by the hospital. Once this is completed the child is entered into the program where they receive treatment regardless of their ability to pay until the age of 21.

At the conclusion of the Q&A a video montage of testimonials of patients was shared followed by the ceremonial filling of the thirty gallon trash can. Jubilee Schmid received the donated tabs and began to pour them into the can. When it was seen that there was more than she could fill on her own other children from the audience were called in to assist.

The library received word from Shriners on Friday that fifty pounds of tabs were collected on Earth Day, enough to put enough fuel into the van for a one way trip. “It took two people to load the tabs into the pick-up truck,” Director Cathy Caiazzo said. “Fifty pounds of tabs made their way out of the library! That is just phenomenal!”

Schoharie Free Library continues to be a collection center for pull tabs and welcomes residents of Schoharie to drop off their tabs any time during library hours. The library also has literature on Shriners Hospitals and information on how to refer a child. Shriners Hospital in Springfield specializes in Orthopaedic, Cleft Lip/Palate and Rheumatological care. You can also learn more at www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org.


Hello Friends of Schoharie Free Library!

We have a lot of exciting events coming up for the month of May, including an exciting event for all you moms out there!  Girls' Night out is this Thursday, May 9th from 7-9pm.  Come in your loungies for a chick flick, chocolate and prizes!

Another exciting event is the launching of our new program: Munchies & a Movie on Tuesday's at 2:00pm.  Come and enjoy your favorite movies of yesteryear and your new favorite movies of today and have some munchies while you are at it.  Snack on our munchies or bring some of yours to share.  Library friend, Linda Lown, is your host!

I've also added a few teasers for the month of June just to whet your appetite!

Also, please note that we are a stop on the Schoharie Promotional Association's  Huckle Buckle Beanstalk Contest beginning May 12th and running through May 25th.  We will be hiding an article in plain sight right here at the library.  Come in and find it and say, "Huckle Buckle Beanstalk", and we will initial your entry form to help you win a prize!

And finally....to all who have dropped by to see our rebuilding progress, supported our new programs, and just stopped in to say, "Hi" and "Welcome", I just want to say THANK YOU!

See you at the Library!

Erika

 

May Library Events
Mondays Knitting & Needles 6:00-9:00pm Open time We are expanding! Bring your latest project to share. Whether it be knitting, crocheting, sewing, quilting. Come for a good old-fashioned work frolic! There is nothing more relaxing than to sit and work a needle and chat about the latest news! Call 295-7127 for details.


Monday, May 6th & May 20th Chess Club (All Ages) 7;00-9:00 pm Whether expert or just beginning, join an enthusiastic group of chess players every 1st and 3rd Monday in theEaton Room learn new strategies and play! Open to all ages! Contactjpschmid@nycap.rr.com or eschmid@mvls.info or call 295-7127 for details.
 
Tuesdays, Munchies & a Movie 2:00pm Come for a midday matinee and enjoy some of the greatest movies of yesterday and today! Showing in the Eaton Room: May 14th Last Chance Harvey, May 21st The Help, May 28th The King's Speech


Thursday, May 9th Girls Night Out! 7:00-9:00pm Give Mom and early Mother's Day treat and send her in her lounge clothes to the library for a chick flick and chocolate! We will be screening the film Persuasion starring Rupert Penry-Jones and Sally Hawkins. A drawing for a special Mother's Day basket valued at over $100 will be held.
 
Fridays, Storytime! with Mrs. Jill Sholtes (PreK+)10:00-11:00am Join Mrs. Sholtes and CELEBRATE MOM! Enjoy stories crafts with Mrs. Sholtes. Themes for the Month of May include: Mother's Day, Armed Forces Day & Memorial Day

Monday, May 13th Movie Night Encore Presentation “Lincoln” (PG-13) 6:15pm Response for our Tuesday matinee was so great we are offering an encore! Join us Monday night. As the Civil War continues to rage, America's president struggles with continuing carnage on the battlefield and as he fights with many inside his own cabinet on the decision to emancipate the slaves.”

Friday, May 17th Understanding Social Security 2:00pm Mohawk Valley Library System and NBT Bank have joined together to offer this free seminar. This seminar is aimed at answering your questions and helping you understand the maze of social security. Presentation and Q&A session. Call 295-7127 for details.
 
Saturday, June 8th Meet the Author and Illustrator of Rescued! 10:30am-12:00pm Join the Library as we celebrate local illustrator, Cathleen Berry, and her sister, author Coleen Balch, as they share the story of Hannah and her friends, a group of stray pit bulls. Learn about pit bull rescue and meet Hannah! Come and enjoy a fun-filled morning including a presentation, book signing and refreshments, along with a photos with Hannah and a free activity booklet with every book purchased. Call 295-7127 for details.
 
Thursday, June 13th (6:30-8:00pm) & Saturday, June 15th (10:30am-12:00pm) Dream Big Seminar with Life Coach Cyd Collischonn. In the aftermath of Hurricaine Irene and the Great Recession many of us in the Schoharie Valley have lost our dream, whether through loss of our home or employment. Join Cyd as she equips us with the tools to dream big once again. We are a resilient people, but sometimes we just need a little encouragement to get us back on track! PLEASE NOTE that the Thursday and Saturday sessions are duplicate sessions to meet the needs of the community. Call 295-7127 for details.