Letters to the Editor - July 31, 2025

Thanks from the North East Community Center

On behalf of the whole North East Community Center, its staff, volunteers, and board of directors, I would like to personally thank our local community for the incredible support we have received over this past weekend. Our 2025 Chef and Farmer Brunch in Millerton was a huge success thanks to those who gathered to celebrate our work and the vital programming we provide.

NECC would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to those who attended this year’s event as well as those who chose to support us in other ways. We are humbled by our community’s generosity and by the difference this community’s sustaining support makes in the lives of our friends and neighbors. Though donations are still being counted, we are beyond gratified to report that thus far, our community has helped us raise much more than we had hoped - all to support our essential programs and services! These contributions are a testament to the area’s resolve for community betterment and the trust our supporters have in NECC’s work.

We would especially like to thank the volunteers and local businesses who participated in this critical fundraiser. Without the support of individuals, vendors, sponsors, chefs, farmers, and artisans we would not have been able to celebrate in such style! We

encourage our neighbors to remember the businesses that reinvest in their community whenever shopping locally. Visit our website to see a list of sponsors and photos of this incredible event: neccmillerton.org/chef-farmer-brunch.

Thank you all for helping us celebrate the work of our vital programs! As always, we are

moved by your generosity and dedication to making our community a better place for all to live.

Christine Sergent

Executive Director of North East Community Center

Millerton

Realizations from Galway Bay

I sit, eyes closed,

Your presence wraps me like a warm wool blanket.

The wind kisses the right side of my face,

As it gently carries my hair along with it.

I am not alone.

The gentle waves sigh in rhythm,

Their conversations are ever flowing.

They shh and whisper as they crisscross amongst themselves,

As they soak into the sand and crash against and within the faded, jagged rocks.

I am not alone

The blue hills across the bay, covered and protected by layers of soft grey clouds call to me

across the salty water.

They have always been there and will forever be.

I am surrounded by kisses, by whispers, by invitations.

Life is everywhere.

Everything is alive.

And I am not alone.

Grace DeMarco

Marist University