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Repair Café Needs YOU!!!

The Repair Café Needs You!

Are you handy? With machines? Electronics? A needle and thread, perhaps?

Would you share this knowledge with others? Just want to keep folks from throwing good things into landfills, maybe help them save a few dollars? Come with your kids and teach them? Just come to learn and make new friends?

Get involved in The Repair Café!

About the Repair Café

Check out The Repair Café Long Island on Facebook.

Just scroll through the images there and look at these folks helping each other and learning so much together.

Oh my goodness!

For years now, Laurie Farber of Starflower Experiences has made it part of her mission to help people fix things rather than just throw them out. First efforts in Wyandanch were successful. Then they built on the idea. The concept survived COVID. A natural partner, libraries, LOVE it when she brings her can-do TLC to their spaces. They’ve been to South Huntington, the Harborfields Library in Greenlawn, Comsewogue in Port Jefferson Station, Copaigue, Lindenhurst, more!

She’s got calls coming in for this program Island-wide. Anyone willing to help her answer them is greatly appreciated!

Laurie Explains

You don’t have to be super mechanical. Everybody can teach or help with something.

Said Laurie: “The more volunteers, the faster folks can get things repaired. People need to be able to bring their own tools. We get a lot of TVs and lamps and small electronics. We also could use people who are good with furniture, clothing/textiles (with sewing machine), more people for jewelry, anyone for watches and clocks, and other miscellaneous things (last time we had an ironing board, bicycle, a small statue that needed to be glued back together…).

We could also make space for a mental health person who would take time to listen to folks who just have a need to talk, or anyone who can do massage (sure, we can ‘fix’ people, too!).

Anyone who’d like to do some small DIY demos like how to sew on a button, darn a sock, rewire a lamp… we may need someone to act as “host” in watching and replenishing the coffee, cookies, etc. Anyone who wants to bake cookies or banana bread or small things that don’t require silverware or plates or who’d like to donate a basket of apples is also welcome.

Get Involved!

We imagine The Repair Café would be an EXCELLENT service project for Scouts, and really anyone who wants to promote the fine art of giving things a second chance at life, and to help make the world little thriftier and more self-reliant.

The best way to get in touch is through the Repair Cafe Long Island Facebook Page. You may also contact Laurie at starflexp@aol.com to learn more!!!

Photos of Repair Cafe’s across Long Island. Photo Credit: Laurie Farber.

Grand Openings! Congrats to all Involved with the Cinema Arts Centre and the Half Hollow Hills Community Library!

Grand Openings of Wonderful Things! Photo by Myriam Zilles on Unsplash

Congratulations to Dylan Skolnick, Charlotte, Skye, the full CAC Membership and the entire film-loving community on the grand reopening of the Cinema Arts Centre! It all began back in the early 1970’s with two movie buffs, some friends, a sheet and a reel-to-reel projector. Now, a full generation or so later, there are 10,000 members and approximately 150,000 attendees per year at this very special theater.

The CAC offers “compelling American and international films, restored classics as well as entertaining popular films, adventurous and cutting edge films and a remarkable array of monthly film series, often coordinated with music, art exhibits and more. Educational programming includes workshops in screen-writing and filmmaking.”

There’s really nothing else like it. We are so glad to see it’s doors reopened! Read about the theater and its renovation in Huntington Now, TBR News Media. Newsday (subscription required), and LI Business News (subscription required)

Congratulations dear friend, Helen Crosson, Board and Staff, and everyone involved in the Half Hollow Hills community on the grand opening of your new library! The brand-new, forward-looking, $24.7M Half Hollow Hills Community Library is located at 55 Vanderbilt Motor Parkway in Dix Hills. Here’s a sampling of press regarding the achievement, including the Half Hollow Hills Community Library’s own updates over the years. This is the SECOND library Helen has had a major hand in spearheading. Here is a past article about Helen, written back when this whole latest chapter started. You may also be interested in our tribute to America’s Public Libraries and great philanthropy in general, which also includes a little bit about Helen!

2022 Andrew Carnegie Bill Gates Carnegie Libraries Charlotte Skye Cinema Arts Centre Cold SPring Harbor Library Dylan Skolnick Giving Pledge Grand Opening Grand Reopening Half Hollow Hills Community Library Helen Crosson Librarian Libraries Library May May 2022 Public Libraries Warren Buffett We Love Libraries

Counting Blessings…

Over the last few years we’ve been blessed to share some truly wonderful people who continue to inspire us every day. In case you missed them the first time, just want to read them again, or are looking for more worthy organizations to give to:

2020 Andrew Carnegie animal rescue Black Leaderhip Brian Carideo Cliff Hammond Coltrane Constitutional Convention Dave Vollmer December Dr. Spencer Thomas Eric Alexander Fairway Home Friends of the Coltrane Home From the Archive GrowMore Gus Scutari Jayette Lansbury Jed Morey Joy Squires kate sydney Libraries Lisa Gatti Mackenzie Johnston Nikola Tesla Pal-O-Mine Phoenix Ray Homburger Roger Tilles Ron Stein Servant Leader Veterans Home Giveaway Village of Freeport Warren Buffett

A Giving Pledge, a Lasting Legacy: Buffet, Gates, Carnegie and America’s Public Libraries

The efforts of Warren Buffet and Bill Gates to encourage fellow billionaires to make a substantial “Giving Pledge” bring to mind another very fortunate man who saw value in giving: Andrew Carnegie.