Flash - Update on Kodi Kids

Sent: To Ellen Osgood, Thu, 31 Jan 2008 1:52 pm
From: Christine Dinsmore
Subject: Update on Kodi Kids & Kenya

Dear Friends of the Kodi Kids:

As the violence in Kenya takes center stage, many of you have been asking about the Kodi kids and their safety. I'm happy to report that all the children are safe. Unfortunately, the tainted election and the subsequent bloodshed has not left them untouched. As you know, Valaria and her aunt and cousin who she lives with had to move to another neighborhood. She was also transferred to another school as she was the only Luo in her previous school and the family feared harassment and retaliation. So she has been enrolled in a school of mixed tribal roots. The school year, which began in January, has been disrupted with the session beginning, only to be closed on a pretty regular basis.

The boarding schools of the other children have been more closed than opened. With the country's violence erupting nearly daily, the children are more out of school than in. Additionally, one of their uncles was trapped by a mob in Nairobi and was rescued by police. His home was burnt to the ground. He is safe, however. The Kodi family is understandably distraught about what's happening in Kenya, but have faith that Kofi Annan will mediate the two parties to a positive place. They believe that their homeland will return to its former calm and peaceful state and life will return to normal.

Below is a link to an analysis of what's the underlying cause of the bloodshed. http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/01/29/6719/

I'll keep you posted.

Best, Christine Dinsmore
http://www.christinedinsmore.com/kodi_kids.html
La única lucha que se pierde es la que se abandona. (The only struggle you lose is the one you abandon.)-- Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo

The Creative Process - Danger Alert for the Hudson River

We asked Doris Goldberg to tell us about the piece she is exhibiting at "Focus the Nation."

I was inspired to conceive this work after attending John Cronin's class at Bard on the Hudson River and hearing about his experience on the River and with environmental activism. "Danger Alert for the Hudson River" is an 8 by 11 foot hanging assembled for the "Focus the Nation" conference that addresses climate change at Bard College.

I chose to represent the River’s past with photographs taken in the late 1800's primarily by Seneca Roy Stoddard. These photographs show the energy and grace of the River in a former time.

My thoughts distilled into a Haiku-esque statement which I made into a banner:

salt waters pulse north mountain streams cascade south
mighty river flowing both ways
danger alerts as ice caps melt and seas rise flooding
high banks drowning both past and present
calling us to guard, calling to protect the life of
our Hudson, our comfort and joy
mighty river flowing both ways

Native Americans recognized the tidal aspect of the Hudson, calling it the 'river that flows both ways'. We now know that for over 150 miles -- from New York Harbor to the dam at Troy -- the River is tidal. As the ice caps melt and the seas rise -- some estimate over 30 feet by the year 2050 -- there will be dramatic changes as the banks are flooded with sea water.

Mounting the photographs and banner on fish netting, using fabric to suggest mountains, developed into more of a project with thread and needle than I could manage. Jane Sunshine graciously came to my rescue, volunteering her sewing expertise for several days

"Danger Alert for the Hudson River" will be exhibited at the Bertelsman Campus Center at Bard College from Friday, February 1st until Monday, February 4th. Update: the exhibit has been extended through February 7th.

All are welcome to view works on climate change by regional artists. The opening reception will be Friday, February 1st at 6:30-7:30 pm.

Lucien Freud and Alexander Calder - Together Feb. 21st

Join us Thursday, February 21st, 4-5:30 pm, at the Kingston Area Library.

Whether you are going on the Kingston AAUW bus trip to the Museum of Modern Art or not, you are invited to a pre-trip presentation on Lucian Freud, (self-portrait at left), Sigmund's grandson, by Sue Kiok. Sue Kiok is a Woodstock artist and founder of the NY City Arts Mural Workshop.

We will also see PBS's excellent American Masters series of Alexander Calder's Circus.

Come enjoy, all are welcome to this free, public event sponsored by the American Association of University Women.

And, you can learn more about the March 8th trip to the Museum of Modern Art here [link].

For more information please contact, AAUW President Garnette Arledge at aloha.garnette@gmail.com or call 845-702-2120.

The Kodi Family Update - Coping with Violence

At the September branch meeting we heard about the Kodi family in Miyuga, Kenya. Many in our community, including the branch, contribute to the children's education, so the violence in that part of the world takes on a personal note for us.

Ellen Osgood followed up with our September speaker, Christine Dinsmore, to see how the family is faring. Christine's feedback:

The Kodi family members are affected by the violence to different degrees.

First, they are from the Luo tribe -- the minority tribe that feels as if the election was stolen. But they do not support the violence being committed by their tribe or any other tribe or the government.

Of the children, Valaria is most affected. She is the youngest of the sibling group and lives in Nairobi. Her family moved her to a different school because she was the only Luo attending her school -- her classmates were Kikuo. School was not in session when the violence broke out so she was not directly accosted by anyone. However, the family didn't want to take a chance that she would be taunted or assaulted, so she was moved to a mixed tribal school. The new school is not as strong academically as her previous school, but her family didn't want to chance her safety for school achievement.

Valeria lives with her aunt and cousin. They moved to another part of town because their section was extremely dangerous. So, in addition to a new school, they have been uprooted and are now waiting out the violence.

The rest of the children have been affected less. The boarding schools began a week or so later than normal, but the violence has not followed them there.

Inviolata has transferred to a different boarding school, but that's more to do with the stigma of her pregnancy and the birth of her son. She was forced to leave school because of the pregnancy and her family thought that she might be shunned by fellow students and teachers because of being tossed from school last year.

Oliva, who hopes to go to nursing school, remains on the army base with the father of her child. She wants to return to the farm but it’s unsafe at this time. However, the family also worries that the army base could explode if the crisis spreads to the army. Fortunately, that hasn’t happened. We hope it won’t.

Photo from Wikipedia - traditional Luo village

One Book/One Community 2008

This year, One Book/One Community will be joining Bard College to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the publication of Chinua Achebe’s classic Things Fall Apart.

One Book/One Community 2008 Schedule

Tuesday, Feb 26 at 8 PM A TRIBUTE TO CHINUA ACHEBE

Presented by the Pen American Center, at Town Hall, 123 West 43rd Street, NYC Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe is joined by Toni Morrison, Chris Abani, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Edwidge Danticat, Suheir Hammad, Ha Jin, and Colum McCann for this exciting anniversary tribute to Things Fall Apart (1958) -- one of the first African novels written in English to receive global critical acclaim. The evening features a special performance by the Francesca Harper Dance Project with dancers from the Alvin Ailey School. Presented in collaboration with Vintage Books.Ticket Price: $15 available at Ticketmaster

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Thursday, March 27 at 7 PM ACHEBE, CONRAD AND IMAGES OF AFRICA IN THE WEST

Explore two literary classics on African themes: Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart and Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness with a panel of Bard and SUNY Ulster Professors - Vanderlyn Hall, Student Lounge, Ulster Community College. Free

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Saturday, March 29 1:30 PM MODERNITY & TRADITION IN AFRICAN LIFE

The clash of civilizations will be discussed by Professors Wendy Urban Mead and Myra Young Armstead - Poughkeepsie Library Auditorium, 105 Market Street, Poughkeepsie Free

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Thursday, April 3, 12:30 PM LISTENING TO ACHEBE'S WORDS

Nicola Sheara will read passages from Things Fall Apart. A light lunch of salads and desserts will be provided by the AAUW - Kingston Library, 55 Franklin Street, Kingston, Free

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Friday, April 11, 7:00 PM A PREMIER WORK OF LITERATURE TURNS 50

Panel Discussion with: Chinua Achebe and Jesse Shipley, Bard College; Amadiume, Dartmouth College; Simon Gikandi, Princeton University; Christine Griffin, Red Hook High School; Moderator: Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina, Dartmouth College. Sosnoff Theater, Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, Bard College, Free

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Tuesday, April 15, 1:00 PM Kingston AAUW Book Club

The Book Club will discuss Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, Kingston Library

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Sponsored by SUNY Ulster, Bard College and the Kingston chapter of the American Association of University Women

Funding provided by the New York Council for the Humanities (any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily reflect those from the National Endowment for the Humanities)

AAUW Trip: NYC and MOMA - March 8th

Saturday, March 8th

NY City and the Museum of Modern Art

Join us for this one day trip to Manhattan. Spend the day browsing the MoMA collections. Enjoy the City and leave the driving to us.

Current exhibits include Alexander Calder, Jan DeCock, Lucian Freud’s Etchings, RAW-WAR, and Panoramas of the Moving Image.

Cost: $52 (Seniors); $55 (Adults); $38 (bus alone).

Leaving at 8:30 AM and returning around 6 PM

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All trips leave from the rear of the former Ames in the Kingston Plaza

New! AAUW members receive an additional discount which may vary by trip. Be sure to request the discount when you reserve your place.

Cancellation Policy: No refunds unless KAAUW cancels the trip. If you find you cannot attend you may arrange for someone else to take your spot. Let us know in case there is a waiting list. In some cases trip insurance may be available.

For more information and reservations, write aloha.garnette@gmail.com or call Garnette at 845-704-2120. Checks, made out to the AAUW–Kingston Branch, may be sent to Garnette Arledge, PO Box 14, Glenford, NY 12443

To make your reservation on-line click here.

Open to non-members, so bring your friends

AAUW Trip: Tosca at the City Opera April 5th

If you're an opera lover, don't miss this trip. If you want to learn more about opera, what better way than joining us for this performance.

The NYC Opera's production of Tosca has been lauded by the critics.

Anna Shafajinskaia, one of opera’s most exciting dramatic sopranos, triumphantly returns to the leading role, performing with a sound The New York Times calls “appealingly dark and rounded.”

Join us for the Saturday matinée on April 5th.

Cost: $103 (3rd Ring); $129 (Orchestra)

Hate opera? Enjoy our company on the bus and explore Manhattan on your own. $38 (bus alone)

Leaving Kingston at 9 AM and return around 7 PM

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All trips leave from the rear of the former Ames in the Kingston Plaza

New! AAUW members receive an additional discount which may vary by trip. Be sure to request the discount when you reserve your place.

Cancellation Policy: No refunds unless KAAUW cancels the trip. If you find you cannot attend you may arrange for someone else to take your spot. Let us know in case there is a waiting list. In some cases trip insurance may be available.

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For more information and reservations, write aloha.garnette@gmail.com or call Garnette at 845-704-2120. Checks, made out to the AAUW–Kingston Branch, may be sent to Garnette Arledge, PO Box 14, Glenford, NY 12443

To make your reservation on-line click here.

Open to non-members, so bring your friends

AAUW Every Member Poll Extended

National sent a message today that the poll, so important to the national strategic planning effort, has been extended to February 1.

Hard copy and return envelop were distributed in the Fall/Winter issue of Outlook, the National AAUW magazine. You can also complete it on-line by clicking on the 'DEADLINE EXTENDED for Every Member Poll - Jan 25, 2008' link in the AAUW News feed in the right column.

Don't wait! Have a voice in AAUW's future. Do it now!

Note: if you don't know your membership id number to sign in, just click the link for the member id search. It's quick and easy.

How to Register for Focus the Nation

Our AAUW Board Member Doris Goldberg's artwork of the Hudson River past-present-future has been chosen for the Focus the Nation teach-in and Art Installation.

You can see Doris' work at the Bard Art Reception Friday, February 1st, 6:30-7:30 pm. Update: the exhibit will be on display through Feb. 7th.

Update: you can read Doris' post on her creative process here -- link.

FOCUS the NATION is a national teach-in at over 1,300 institutions of learning. Government, educational institutions, faith groups, civic organizations and businesses will collaboratively engage in an interdisciplinary discussion about " Global Warming Solutions for America."

Click for more information:
REGISTER (note: you will not get a confirmation email after registering)
SCHEDULE (Word document)
Panel sessions (Word document)

AAUW Discount for Stroke Screening Feb. 28th

From Vivi Hlavsa

"I got an announcement from Ruth Sweetser, President of AAUW, that Kingston will be the site for administering Life Line Screening Radiology's ultrasound tests for stroke caused by carotid artery disease, abdominal aortic aneurysms and other vascular diseases.

This one day event is scheduled for Thursday, February 28th at St. John's Episcopal Church on Albany Avenue.

AAUW members are to be given a special discount rate of $125 for all four screenings, which insurance companies typically will not pay for unless there are symptoms (50% of stroke victims have no symptoms).

Those interested can make an appointment for this mobile health screening (only socks and shoes need be removed) by calling 1-866-229-0469. "

Call Janine Fallon-Mower to support Voter Turnout

KAAUW Branch Luncheon January 19 was so great. Well informed speaker, Deising’s lunch and made me happy in that a number of members have signed up to participate in the National AAUW project on a-political Voter Turnout. Let member Janine Fallon-Mower know if you are willing to make a few telephone support calls on voting. She’s in your yellow directory.

Pay Equity & AAUW Make the NBC Nightly News

"The Truth About Boys and Girls" AAUW's Behind the Pay Gap report and the subject of pay equity was prominently featured on the NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams special series "The Truth About Boys and Girls." The segment features Catherine Hill, author of the report and AAUW director of research, and Janet Conney, a former LAF plaintiff and an AAUW member.



Here is the longer interview with Catherine Hill:

Debates 101 - How to watch political debates

From: Bill Moyer’s Journal Guest Blogger:

Debate Watching 101 with Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Director
Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania [link]











(Photo by Robin Holland)

By Kathleen Hall Jamieson
1) I recommend not watching the coverage immediately before the debate and, when the debate is finished, turn the television off and talk with your family about what you saw and what was important to you. And think about what you saw.
2) Candidates make different assumptions about government's role, about economic policy, about the value of government regulation, about the role of the US in the world, about appropriate use of military power, about US relationships with other countries... and the like. What are the governing philosophies of the candidates?
3) Come to a debate with a list of the issues that matter to you and ask what you learned about each candidate's record and promises on those issues. Where are they similar and how do they differ?
4) When a candidate promises a new program or any move that will reduce government revenue -- how will the candidate pay for it? Increase the deficit? Cut spending elesewhere and if so where? Raise taxes? On whom?
5) How accurate are candidates' descriptions of opponents' programs? And how accurate are a candidate's descriptions of his or her own record?
6) Is the candidate willing to tell voters things they don't want to hear about the challenges facing the country and what is required to address them?
7) If the country were faced with a crisis, what can you know from the candidates' past performance, character, and dispositions about whether the country would be in good hands?
In addition to Professor Jamieson's advice, you might wish to check candidate accuracy at one of the following websites:
FactCheck.org FactCheck.org is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, which Jamieson directs, that aims to monitor the accuracy of major national candidates' statements and rhetoric.
COLUMBIA JOURNALISM REVIEW: Campaign Desk The journalists at CJR turn their attention to "auditing" campaign ads, speeches and other media moments. In addition to CJR staff a group of veteran journalists will add their perspective to the Campaign Desk's analysis.
The Fact-Checker Run by veteran journalist Michael Dobbs, The Fact-Checker is a project of the WASHINGTON POST that publishes research evaluating and providing background and context to candidate statements and popular political stories.
Politifact and Truth-0-Meter Politifact is an extensively cross-referenced fact-checking resource run as a joint project by the ST. PETERSBURG TIMES and CONGRESSIONAL QUARTERLY.

Support the Fair Pay Restoration Act

We've been tracking the Fair Pay Restoration Act since the Supreme Court ruled against Ledbetter last May.

Next week, the Senate Committee holds its hearings on the bill. (The House passed it in July.)

Take two minutes to thank Senators Clinton and Schumer for sponsoring this bill. Fewer than a third of the senators have committed themselves as co-sponsors, so our senators need our support and appreciation.

"The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in the Ledbetter v. Goodyear case in May severely limited the ability of victims of pay discrimination to sue under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Fair Pay Restoration Act restores the law to how it was previously applied to be consistent with Congress' intent and the Court's own precedents. The bill would also apply to all claims of discrimination in compensation. Thanks to the hard work of AAUW members and other coalition partners, the House passed its companion bill, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (H.R. 2831), in July."

To send your thanks just click on this link:

American Association of University Women - Two Minute Activist

AAUW Member To Participate in Bard Teach-In Feb 1st

We're delighted that Doris Goldberg, has had her art installation accepted for this Focus the Nation exhibit and teach-in.

Make plans to attend the reception Feb. 1st at 6:30 pm.

Bard College Press Releases - Full Story: "ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y.—On Friday, February 1, Bard College will participate in Focus the Nation, an unprecedented teach-in on global warming solutions. “Today’s college students are truly the greatest generation,” says ... professor of economics Eban Goodstein, author and project director for Focus the Nation. “No other generation has ever had to face this kind of civilizational challenge. And we as educators would be failing if we did not prepare them to meet this challenge.”"

1/19/08: Branch Meeting and Annual Luncheon

Have you made your reservations for our annual AAUW Kingston winter luncheon?

This year, Arnold Jones, our speaker, will talk about Wilderstein, the Rhinebeck home of Daisy Suckley (cousin of FDR), its restoration, and its fascinating collection of memorabilia.

This will be a most interesting presentation, so bring your family and friends. Non-members are welcome.

Saturday, January 19th, noon at Deisings. Reserve a place for lunch now.

We will be ordering from Deising's lavish menu and each paying for our individual choice.

For reservations, contact Anne Gordon, 331-7380, by January 16th.

AAUW Says "Say No To Violence Against Women"

Jeanne Townsend reports that the International Federation of University Women (IFUW) is encouraging us all to support Say No to Violence Against Women. This is a campaign sponsored by UNIFEM -- the United Nations Development Fund for Women. The IFUW is a launch partner.

Some statistics from the Say No to Violence Site:

• At least one out of every three women around the world has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime — with the abuser usually someone known to her.
• For women aged 15 to 44 years, violence is a major cause of death and disability - with rape and domestic violence rated higher as risk factors than cancer, motor vehicle accidents, war and malaria.
• One in five women will become a victim of rape or attempted rape in her lifetime.
• Some 70 percent of the casualties in recent armed conflicts have been non-combatants — most of them women and children. Women’s bodies have become part of the battleground for those who use terror as a tactic of war — they are raped, abducted, humiliated and made to undergo forced pregnancy, sexual abuse and slavery.
• Estimates of the number of trafficked persons range from 500,000 to two million per year, and a few organizations have estimated that up to four million persons are trafficked every year; the majority are women."

What can we do?

We can start by learning more about the campaign and lending our names to the virtual book of supporters here.

Then, we can ask our friends to do the same.

Note: Although AAUW is no longer an IAUW member organization, the two organizations support each other's efforts.

Holding Schools Accountable

There's a management truism that applies here -- if it's important, measure it.

National AAUW sent a Two-Minute Activist request this morning about participation in sports --

American Association of University Women - Two Minute Activist: "Title IX's fight against sex discrimination in federally-funded schools and educational programs in the U.S. has led to a 400 percent increase in the rate of female participation in college sports and a more than 800 percent increase in participation at the high school level."

They go on to say, though, that under Title IX, high schools don't have to report on the level of funding and participation. Colleges do, and we've seen a terrific growth in women's sports as a result.

But high school is where life-long interests and habits begin. And, it's far too easy for opportunities for girls to be slighted when budgets are tight and no one is paying attention. Reporting will focus that attention.

So, I encourage you to take two minutes to tell our senators' staff that we support the High School Sports Information Collection Act (S.518). Just click on the link, enter your zip code, and tailor your message.

Photo by MarkHaertl

Two minutes. It's important, so let's measure it.

11/28/07: A United Nations Day Trip

On November 28th, 2007, seven branch members traveled to the United Nations. AAUW-NYS is one of the co-sponsors of the League of Women Voters' annual briefing at the UN in NYC.

This year's topic was Briefings on the Effects of War on Women Around the World.

Trip impressions follow.

Garnette Arledge: We left Kingston at a peach and rose dawn, shortly pulling off the FDR Highway to see the sun highlighting the UN tower. I hadn't been there for 30 years; my heart soared to see the symbol of one Earth. Such hope and necessity founded this institution. We immediately found security was high, school groups and tourists, official visitors, an
international melee.

The tour focuses on world tragedies amidst some spectacular art work donated by member nations: nine-foot carved ivory from China too delicate to imagine the artists' eyes; intricate Persian wood and gold gateway; giant sculpture and murals from multiple nations. An outlaw NY cockroach almost Kafkaesque crept out of the ceiling over the display of women's deprivations.

I have not yet released the image of nuclear radiation: 8- and 10-year-old male and female soldiers, super-billions of dollars for weaponry vs. millions for health care, etc.

And then the briefing: Speaker Sylvia Hordosch cataloging the too-horrible to be named sexual abuses of women around the world perpetrated as acts of war. I knew about rape but to destroy a woman's ability to bear children as an act of war. To impregnate as an act of war. To abort as an act of war.

Yet, as horrific as the presentations could have been, Sylvia enabled me to understand that one of the major roles of the UN is to observe, catalog, and report to the world what is out of personal sight due to global distance.

So how have I dealt with the sorrows of our potentially beautiful planet?

For me, and I am not suggesting my way is to be your way, I have upgraded my prayer time. Somehow, despite the inspiring array of the nations' flags, the encouragement of seeing so many multi-cultural peoples serving and working for a united nations, I came away resolving to take a part that works for me. I can, and do, pray more.

It was of great benefit personally for me have the opportunity offered by the AAUW to be reminded of the UN. I am not really able to actively know what the ins-and-outs of international policy, life and death squabbles in the UN, although I can imagine. What I can do well as Rev. Matthew Fox suggested is “pray the news.”


ViVi Hlavsa: Most memorable to me was the statistic that in 1950, the civilian population constituted 5% of the deaths from war; now the figure is 70%! And most of these people are, of course, women and children.

I found myself somewhat disappointed to return to the site where, as a teenager, we had all been so full of hope for the UN. Although many of their goals have been achieved since that time (for example, the decolonization of most of the world), the UN seems enmeshed in intractable power politics, especially with the rise of the new form of colonialism – globalization.

On the other hand, I enjoyed the good company of fellow Kingstonians at lunch and on the ride home.


Susan Holland: On our way to the General Assembly Hall, we passed through a corridor in which both walls were lined with large color photographs, each of a single child in native dress, from countries all over the world. Then came a huge inverted triangle painted on the left wall. The largest part at the top showed the billions and billions we spend on all things military, compared to the much smaller parts of the triangle below for everything else: incidentals such as the environment, education, and health care.

Our guide, a young Japanese woman, next focused our attention on a small glass display case holding remnants of melted coins and clothing – fallout from the atomic bombs we dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. At the center of the disarmament exhibit: a statue of St. Agnes, which once stood in front of a Nagasaki church. The church was completely destroyed in the explosion. The 1.5-ton statue fell forward, lost its right arm, and sustained ripples on its back from the radiation.

As I circled the stone saint, tears blinded my eyes. What have we learned in the past 62 years?

Happy New Year!

We welcome the new year with this quote from Benjamin Franklin:

Be at war with your vices; at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better [wo]man.

The Kingston Branch of AAUW celebrated the holidays by sharing favorite holiday traditions. Pictured here is Susan Holland reading the Polar Express -- her favorite Christmas story.

We were pleased to send armloads of simple gifts to the women at Family of Woodstock's shelter for victims of domestic violence.

We look forward to a great year together.

Kingston AAUW Trip Reservation Form

Complete the reservation form below to reserve your place for any of our trips. After you submit the form, Kingston AAUW will send you a message, usually within 48 hours, that either confirms that we are holding a place for you, or where you are on a waiting list if the trip is full.

The Small Print

We look forward to having you join us and we believe that clarity yields happy fellow travelers. We hope this information brings clarity.

Payment terms: generally, we expect payment within a week of your confirmed reservation. Your confirmation message will note any exceptions -- for example, the Washington DC trip requires an initial $200 deposit and full payment by March 4th.

Send your check, made out to AAUW–Kingston Branch, to Garnette Arledge, PO Box 14, Glenford, NY 12443

Cancellation Policy: No refunds unless KAAUW cancels the trip. If you find you cannot attend you may arrange for someone else to take your spot. If you aren't coming, do let us know. If there is a waiting list we may be able to help you find someone, but we make no promise to do so.

In some cases, you may be able to arrange private trip insurance. If you provide your address on the reservation form, we will send you information about a company that offers it. Please note: we have no connection to this insurance company. If you choose to contract with them, it is strictly between you and them.

Departure and Return: All trips leave promptly from the rear of the former Ames in the Kingston Plaza. Departure times are firm. Return times are estimates that may be impacted by traffic or weather.

Questions? Leave a Garnette Arledge message at 845-704-2120 or send her an email. She will get back to you.

To reserve your space on one or all of our summer 2008 trips,
go to our reservation form here.

Thanks! We look forward to traveling with you.