Grateful Thanks, Trudy

“A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to grow.” Shakespeare

I have an announcement! Many, actually, but this comes first: After 10 years as Vice President of Laible & Fitzsimmons Inc, Trudy is retiring.  I feel a bit like Dumbo without his feather. Even more, I am grateful for Trudy’s friendship, support and more as we’ve worked together in one capacity and another for over 20 years “to serve and celebrate folks who care for Art, Science and the Common Good on LI and Beyond.”

As Founder Emeritus of the Synchronicity Network Newsletter, Trudy will be the first member of an honorary advisory board that we look forward to inviting others into soon. For now, though, let us focus on Trudy.

She will tell you that since coming into this world in 1952 she “has done every crazy job that was legal and moral.” In the last 20 years I’ve known her to serve as a field manager, a seamstress, an architectural assistant, interior designer, bus driver, snowplow operator, cleaning lady, and a receptionist. She has worked with microchips and in product testing. She often serves as a poll worker during election season. In 2009, she informed me that she “wanted to volunteer somewhere she was really appreciated.” She then proceeded to become a nanny that gave Mary Poppins a run for her money, magic carpet bag and all. It was around then that she also became my business partner.

That story actually begins in 1997, three years before I met her when Charles Agius of Cablevision went through Long Island’s only community leadership program, Leadership Huntington. As he was her employer, Trudy ended up learning a lot as she assisted his participation. The nine-month intensive program was designed to Develop, Connect and Engage diverse community leaders using the Town of Huntington as a living laboratory, fostering stewardship across diverse perspectives. Once graduated, Charlie came back to Trudy – who was already an entrenched volunteer in her church, for local theater and in organizations surrounding her children — and said he would nominate her to go through the young program.

She did it, while at the same time fighting cancer.

Trudy became an ardent volunteer for Leadership. She attended in her own way to every class, save a few when she was caring for her mother and after completing her service in 2014. She was a board member for years. In 2010, when Leadership was suffering the Great Recession, she found herself almost single-handedly coordinating the program. She and Dianne Parker pulled me in. Trudy and I quickly ended up becoming Program and Acting Director together. She got to know many graduates of classes she’d missed and for a long time also volunteered in diverse capacities for the Huntington Township Chamber of Commerce whose Chamber Foundation founded the organization. In 2015 the Chamber bestowed upon Trudy its prestigious “Klaber Award” to honor her deep and enduring service to the Town.

Through Leadership, Trudy became involved in Vision Long Island, a regional force for Smart Growth with a particular focus on down towns and local endeavors, and a champion of education and relationship development across interests. One of her Class of 1999 fellows, Ron Stein, was planting the seeds of this organization that first germinated as Vision Huntington. As a founding Vision Board Member, Trudy tended to every Board and Huntington Smart Growth Steering Committee meeting and did a lot of the organization’s early videography. I myself became involved when they hired me in 2000. Trudy played a meaningful role in early community planning processes and provided thoughtful, practical support to the development of the Smart Growth Awards and Summit. Since Vision’s maturation as a regional force for smart growth planning and policy, Trudy has served Vice President, Treasurer, and now Co-Chair. The role she really plays, tho, and probably always will, is deeper…

Trudy also served as Chair of the Ladies Auxiliary of both the Huntington and Suffolk County VFWs. In addition to much basic support to both bodies, she played a key but quiet role in securing State funding for much needed roof, electrical and other repairs to her local VFW Hall. She then served on the board of the Huntington Township Housing Coalition, as well as the Huntington Housing Authority. She was also an early board member of The Moonjumpers Charitable Foundation, which was founded by Larry Kushnick, Robert Benson and Peter Mazzeo.

In the worst of circumstances, Trudy has been there for her community with soup, a blanket and informed guidance. FEMA certified, she served Suffolk Country Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), acting as both a trainer and a support provider in times of local crisis, as well as assisting in the creation of the organization’s Standard Operating Procedures. While Superstorm Sandy came the same day as her latest grandchild, she still did not hesitate to also lend a hand to that monumental cleanup effort.

Trudy Fitzsimmons is a loving mother, grandmother and an extraordinary friend. She has been a dearly appreciated sounding board and guide to countless folks who have endeavored to make a positive difference on Long Island. I am grateful for this opportunity to celebrate her, and look forward to great things going forward. I love you, Trudy.

Joyous Spring!

 

“Spring work is going on with joyful enthusiasm.” – John Muir

 

….and just like that, the sun comes out and faint tints of spring explode into cotton candy blossoms. How sweet it is!

We told ourselves we’d sent the last email in this format…that we wouldn’t send another until we launched…

…but then life kept interrupting and things kept taking longer than anticipated and then, yesterday, we got word from Andrea that Manor Plains Park is being renamed for Joy Squires THIS WEEK…and there are a few other things going on that we’re really excited to share…

…so…here we are!

Exciting things are coming! We can’t wait to unveil them! First, tho, we’d love to see you at the park on Thursday.

‘Til soon…

 


Katie and Trudy

If you’d like to support the Synchronicity Network Newsletter, you may do so here. This publication serves and celebrates folks who care for art, science and the common good on LI and beyond, aiming to increase the quantity and quality of community engagement. As always, we love to hear from you, and welcome your submissions and feedback.

Same Storm. Different Boats

“Start where you are; use what you have; do what you can.”

~ Arthur Ashe

 

There have been a number of memes going around that offer an important metaphor: “We are in the same storm. We are not in the same boat”

Nor are we positioned the same in relation to the storm.. For some it is a sprinkle. They get to simply be still, For others it is catastrophic — physically, emotionally, economically, perhaps all of the above.

Day to day, our experiences range from reflective solitude to utter exhaustion and multi-faceted trauma.

We believe it’s like this all the time. We pray that this storm, while blindingly, cataclysmically destructive to way too many, will help us all to better understand what folks experience, and to find new ways to do things that are healthier for us all.

To realize that truth matters, and so does compassion.

To know that, while those who are suffering mightily and have never felt anything but exploited make take issue with this idea, it’s really important for those who have some control over what happens next — and we all have some control — to realize that we are indeed all in this together; to realize that social, economic and environmental health go hand in hand; to understand that the well being of the individual is intrinsically connected to the well-being of the whole..

We’ve spent a great deal of time lately counting our blessings, sharing what good we can find, and praying for so many who require so much more.

Among those blessings is knowing that, in the face of extraordinary pain and loss, there are so many stepping up to serve others, to be some kind of hero and to even dare to dream up how we might transform our current crisis into a brighter future for all. There are more than we could ever count, much less keep track of.

This is good news.

As always, this is but a sampling of people and organizations that we are blessed to have some personal familiarity with. We invite you to use it as a resource and an inspiration to seek out others.

Let us know what’s going on and of other items worth sharing. We look forward to the day we can all catch up in person again. Meanwhile, we will regularly update our Facebook Page

We are grateful for all the good you do.

It matters. Deeply.

Thank you.

 

 

Katie and Trudy

If you’d like to support the Synchronicity Network Newsletter, you may do so here. This publication serves and celebrates folks who care for art, science and the common good on LI and beyond, aiming to increase the quantity and quality of community engagement. As always, we love to hear from you, and welcome your submissions and feedback.

How Are You?

“Do your little bit of good wherever you are. It’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.”

                                                                ~ Desmond Tutu

We hope this note finds you well, and that whatever challenges you’re facing soon pass.

We know there are a lot of them, and, while we’re busily doing the “chin-up” up thing and the “calmly carrying on thing,” interspersed with the “life is a joke so you’d best find something to laugh about — quick! — thing,” we’ve also been doing a lot of silent reflection, holding space, checking in, feeling powerless, frustrated and frightened…and sending long, deep virtual hugs.

We’ve spent a great deal of time lately counting our blessings, sharing what good we can find, and praying for so many who require so much more.

Among those blessings is knowledge that, in the face of extraordinary pain, there are so many stepping up to serve others, to be some kind of hero and to even dare to dream up how we might transform our current crisis into a brighter future for all. More than we could ever count, much less keep track of.

This is good news.

As always, this is but a sampling of people and organizations that we are blessed to have some personal familiarity with. We invite you to use it as a resource and an inspiration to seek out others.

Let us know what’s going on and of other items worth sharing. Together, we will all get through this. As we do, we will regularly update our Facebook Page

We are grateful for all the good you do.

It matters. Deeply.

Thank you.

Katie and Trudy

If you’d like to support the Synchronicity Network Newsletter, you may do so here. This publication serves and celebrates folks who care for art, science and the common good on LI and beyond, aiming to increase the quantity and quality of community engagement. As always, we love to hear from you, and welcome your submissions and feedback.

Even More Grateful for YOU. Thank You.

“I think music in itself is healing. It’s an explosive expression of humanity. It’s something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we’re from, everyone loves music.”

                                                                ~ Billy Joel

We may tend to be a little over the top in appreciating folks on this mail list. Truth is, though, every day we are reminded to be thankful for smart, caring people who step up to serve our communities, and for those who do all they can to bring them together across interests and perspective to get to know each other and endeavor together to make the best of things.

It’s a joy, privilege and humbling honor to know you.

What’s more, over the course of writing this newsletter we have become evermore aware that, despite years spent learning about and connecting the helpers of Long Island, we only know a tiny fraction of the good folks all around us who go out of their way, every day, to make this world a better place.

This is good news.

Over the past few weeks, our gratitude has surged as we see you folks give it your best to provide good information, to urge folks to calmly and collectively take this situation seriously from a multitude of angles, to help each other navigate a million tough decisions, and to keep in mind the myriad ways people and organizations will be physically, economically and emotionally impacted by the current situation.

You are advocates, artists and spiritual leaders. Small business owners, leaders within larger enterprises, influencers and decision makers. Teachers, scientists, caregivers, and a full range of service providers.

While we know this is a time when some of the most intelligent, caring stewards of our communities feel the most powerless please know:

YOU ARE A GIFT. LONG ISLAND IS BLESSED TO HAVE YOU. EVERY THOUGHTFUL, LOVING ENDEAVOR YOU ARE UNDERTAKING MATTERS. THANK YOU.

Above all, we are beyond grateful for the health care workers and emergency service providers who are not only facing this thing down from where they are now, but stepping up to get back into service where they might be needed. For teachers who up until last Friday kept going into school every day to help prepare our children, and who now are scrambling to prepare for a roll out of learning methods that make the Common Core launch look easy and well-managed; for the professors who are trying to figure out how to keep the lectures going and standing up for so many students they know are being pulled in more directions than they can fathom. For the parents and the business owners figuring out what to do with those they are responsible for.

For the cashiers, transit workers, pharmacists and millions of other service-oriented folks we take for granted every day who have spent the last few weeks being a new kind of hero.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

Like just about everything it seems, the plans we had for this edition suddenly changed. We figure the best we can do is offer a rundown of resources we’ve come across that are relevant to the current situation..

As always, this is but a sampling of people and organizations that we are blessed to have some personal familiarity with. We invite you to use it as a resource and an inspiration to seek out others.

Let us know what’s going on and of other items worth sharing. Together, we will all get through this. As we do, we will regularly update our Facebook Page

We are grateful for all the good you do.

It matters. Deeply.

Thank you.

Katie and Trudy

If you’d like to support the Synchronicity Network Newsletter, you may do so here. This publication serves and celebrates folks who care for art, science and the common good on LI and beyond, aiming to increase the quantity and quality of community engagement. As always, we love to hear from you, and welcome your submissions and feedback.