Town Shop Youth Center

by John Mariani

More than an hour and a half before the forum was to begin, the line of spectators to see Vice President Joe Biden and his all-star education panel extended from the metal detector at the entrance of Goldstein Auditorium, through the lobby of Schine Student Center and out the door.

It included Grace Castaneda, a Syracuse University freshman from Corpus Christi, Texas. “My parents supported President Obama and Vice President Biden. It’s pretty cool to see something they were a part of,” Castaneda said.

It also would be cool if the panelists talked about how to help college students get their education, she said.

David Vermilya, co-director of the The Town Shop youth center in Camillus, was escorting several teenagers from the center. They got their tickets courtesy of Rep. Dan Maffei, whom Vermilya said wanted teens from his district to attend the forum. Dan Nolan, now a Maffei aide, is a Town Shop alumnus, Vermilya said.

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After a busy and successful summer schedule that filled the calendar right up to the doorstep of Labor Day weekend, the Town Shop will be mostly shut down from September 8 to October 5 (reopens 4pm) so that staff can vacate, recreate, and rejuvenate. There will be some activities in September… Seva every Wednesday (Samaritan Center) at 3pm, Chenango Colorscape Arts Fest September 12 and possibly 13, kayak down Onondaga Creek on Sunday, October 4 (an urban adventure). Contact Cheryl or David at 635-6495 if interested. A rich and robust autumn schedule will be posted soon and will include more seva opportunities (Samaritan Center and Sunshine Horse Rescue), dodgeball, Town Shop overnight, “Eating our way around the world” (Chinese), apple picking, autumn hiking along the Finger Lakes trail and Chimney Bluffs, more kayak trips, and a weekend trip to the Big Apple (NYC). Stay Tuned!

Meanwhile…

Former Town Shop participant and longtime friend Travis Sky Ingersoll has been busy. A few years ago he bought a home in Philadelphia, married Mindy Massaro (Director of International Studies at LaSalle University) this past July, has acquired two masters degrees and is close to earning his PHD from Widener University, and has created an online business that raises money for worthwhile youth development programs. Check it out, and start to peruse your own book collection. Later this year the Town Shop may organize a book drive as a fundraiser.

Well, it took us awhile to plan it all out but this is a longer summer than usual (school doesn’t restart until September 8th), plus it was important to carefully consider staff capacities in the midst of knee replacement surgery recovery. That’s a long process.

The building will be open Mondays and Tuesdays 4-10pm, unless otherwise posted. Summer building hours are greatly reduced to allow for a variety of quality outdoor experiences.

A Few Highlights

• Kayak (Nine Mile Creek) Mondays
• Kayak (South Sandy Creek) 7/16, 8/9, 8/29
• Kayak (Seneca River) 8/3
• Kayak (Tioughnioga River) 9/1
• Volleyball (Gillie Lake) Tuesdays 6:30pm
• Seva (Samaritan Center) Wednesdays 3pm
• Seva (Sunshine Horse Rescue) 7/18
• Green Lakes State Park 7/9, 7/21, 7/30, 8/25
• Taughannock Falls/Blue Sky Mission Club Concert (Blue Sky Mission Club) 8/1
• Ithaca Gorges 8/27
• Falcon Ridge Folk Festival 7/23-7/26
• Whale Watch 2009 8/15-8/20

Cheryl is slowly but surely recovering from May 26 knee replacement surgery, and the Town Shop is reopened with an abbreviated June schedule (July and August will be loaded with experiences).

A Few Highlights

• Building opens at 4pm and closes at 10pm, Mondays and Tuesdays, but is closed during volleyball.
• Kayak (Nine Mile Creek) Mondays
• Volleyball (Gillie Lake) Tuesdays 6:30pm
• Seva (Samaritan Center) Wednesdays 3pm
• Picnic (Onondaga Lake Park) 6/11, 6/18 3:30pm
• Picnic (Green Lakes State Park) 6/25 12pm
• Seva (Sunshine Horse Rescue) 6/13, 6/20 9am
• Chimney Bluffs State Park 6/28
• Kayak (South Sandy Creek) 7/2 10am

Coming This Summer

Falcon Ridge 2009 July 23-26, Whale Watch 2009 August 18-23, Ithaca Gorges, more South Sandy Creek trips, moonlight hikes, lots of volleyball, kayaking, and seva opportunities.

Congratulations to White Picket Fence for all their success in 2009 starting with Top Ten list and culminating with two Sammy Awards! Good people get what they deserve.

This year saw a great turnout for Earth Day. We say thank you to the following people:

Special thanks goes to Mike Pekala, Trevor Grant, Sahra Roberts, and Amanda Doxtetor for volunteering four years in a row! Amazing!