Please share a little bit of your background and how you became involved with Family of Woodstock. My background is eclectic. I have a Masters Degree in Ancient Greek from the University of Pennsylvania ( that’s where I learned to write) I ran a woodworking business in Saugerties for 30 years and I have been involved with Family of Woodstock from a few months after it started for the last 37 years. I got involved with Family to participate in a initiative called The Soft Landing Machine which was a group of about eight people (at its height) that committed to handle any drug emergency that came to Family through the 24 Hour Hotline or Walk-In Center. Most of the work was to help talk people down from “bad trips”, involving psychedelics. I then helped run the Agency from the position of Board President and Treasurer until I took over the Executive Directorship in April 1981.

Is there any one area of social service that you are called to more frequently—either by necessity or by passion? The Agency is very broad in its scope and I help where I need to. However, I am spending most of my time these days on the issue of affordable housing (I chair the Ulster County Legislative Affordable Housing Task Force), and Domestic Violence issues (I run a weekly ongoing group for men who have been violent within their families). I do not believe that these issues are more important than the many other issues that Family deals with, but they are currently receiving a lot of my attention.

For Thanksgiving, is Family of Woodstock hosting any sort of special meal or services? For the past 32 years, Family of Woodstock has hosted a Thanksgiving Dinner in the Rock City Rd Community Center in Woodstock. Food is donated by individuals and local businesses. Dinner begins at 1 pm on Thanksgiving Day and all are welcome to attend. The dinner usually serves three to four hundred people. Those wishing to donate food or time at the event should call Family of Woodstock at 845 679 2485 or 845 338 2370. Family of Ellenville and Family of New Paltz give out Thanksgiving Baskets and can be reached at 845 647 2443 and 845 255 8801 respectively.

If Family of Woodstock were given a 1 million dollar check tomorrow, what area—child care, domestic violence, homelessness, AIDS prevention, Teen Programs—would require the most funding? There isn’t a service area that does not require more programming, more staffing, and richer options. The Agency’s priorities for the last 10 years has been to raise the level of wages for our staff to a livable standard, and this would receive some attention with the new money. I think the most pressing issue facing our County is affordable housing, and I would encourage the Agency to begin developing permanent housing resources, both for the individuals who work and live in the community and for those that are homeless. Finally, the issue of youth employment is a critical one if we are to both develop a work force that can attract new businesses and instill a belief in the young people of our community that there are opportunities for them at home. Therefore, I would recommend utilizing some of the money to develop business ventures which created jobs, particularly those that would serve as a training ground for our area youth (the check can be sent to Family of Woodstock, Inc, PO Box 3516, Kingston, NY 12402)

What are some ways that folks can donate to Family of Woodstock, especially during the holiday seasons? Donations can be sent to us through the mail or through our Web site, which is new and something we are very proud of: www.familyofwoodstock.com. Finally, if someone has a specific interest that they would like to contribute towards, they can reach me at 845 331 7080, extension 103.