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Health & Fitness

Public Access TV Producer: "Neighbors"

My heart is full of so much love right now. I ain't mad at nobody and I ain't hating on anything. a dream has come true and I didn't even see it coming.

 

My heart is full of so much love right now. I ain’t mad at nobody and I ain’t hating on anything. What's happened is a hope, nay a dream has come true and I didn’t even see it coming. It's the feeling that you get at the end of a real good "Feel Good" movie. Since this has happened I’ve found myself, at the end of my day, when darkness is all around and the world is still, involuntary saying, “God bless us everyone”, and mean it.

Right after Storm Sandy and the Greenwich Schools were back to teaching, I called my neighborhood elementary school and asked who do I speak with about volunteering a little of my time helping children learn to read, or, I hesitated, homework. She told me they didn’t need volunteers at the school. I was quite surprised to hear that since the kids had been out of school because of storm. Somehow I thought, I’d be more than welcome. Some people give money, clothing and shelter to people in crisis, I give the only thing I have right now, and that’s time. I asked the school’s representative if she knew of a program that did need volunteers, and she told me, "No she didn’t know of any." Defeated, I sighed and said, “Maybe I’ll call Stamford”. I remember it as if were yesterday, she answered, “Yeah do that” - hung up, conversation over.

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Now I don’t kid myself, I know I live in a town that at times has the “Judge a book by its cover” kind of thinking. So after being rejected, as most generational African Americans do, I started questioning myself, ‘did I say IS when I should have said ARE’ – you know the things that give us away in a telephone situation (that BE word is a dead giveaway), and that’s why I was rejected? Moving on, if I was going to volunteer in Stamford I had to work out some serious transportation issues.

Then on Election Day, 2012, while at the New Lebanon Elementary school in Byram handing out flyers to voters for Stephanie R. Paulmeno, I met Mrs. Walko the Elder, who was campaigning for her son, Stephen. Somehow, though on opposite sides of the fence, and all that that entails, I found Mrs. Walko the Elder to be quite amicable. I learned that she was a retired Greenwich school teacher who now volunteers. I told her about what happened when I tried to volunteer and Mrs. Walko the Elder, told me about the “Reading Champions” program that she volunteers with. She gave me a contact person and a week later I was volunteering for an hour at the Byram Archibald Neighborhood Center’s After School program, listening too and helping, three young men in the reading program.

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Okay now that you got the background story to how I came to be filled with so much love, here’s the good part. After my first time volunteering, I wanted to find a way to get the Chess Song and Chess into the after school program. I really, really, really, wanted Chess to be a part of Byram Archibald Neighborhood Center’s After School Program, but at that time I couldn’t think of a way to make that happen. That is until in January 2013, after I met Master Rich at the NEIGHBORS filming at Greenwich's main Library. In the past, I've bumped into him a few times, and assessed that I'm on the side of “Learning Chess can be fun” and Master Rich is serious. I have since learned differently, I’m proud to say.

During a phone call to Master Rich, I ventured to ask, if he ever volunteered his time teaching Chess. (My vision is getting blurred, water welling up just writing about it.) He said, “Yes I do as an introduction to Chess session." Treading lightly, not wanting to scare this big fish, if you will, off the hook. I said, “I've got to check first with Christina Nappi.  She runs the Greenwich Department of Social Service's, Byram Archibald Neighborhood Center’s After School Program” I crossed my fingers, ankles, and eyes before asking, “If it’s okay with Ms. Nappi, would you be willing to teach an introductory session at the after school program. I mean when you have the time. I know you’re a busy man”, yep I started babbling. Master Rich said “Give  her my phone number”. “Cool bean” I replied, then I gave myself a mental head slap, for the inappropriate reply.

Ms. Nappi was opened to speaking to Master Rich and she asked me to give him her phone number. For a moment I panicked a little because it was almost like who should call whom first. So I called Master Rich and Bam! He called Ms. Nappi – and – Master Rich will be facilitating  an introduction to Chess program at the Byram Archibald Neighborhood Center’s, After School Program on March 11 and 18, 2013. I’m so happy, I could do the Happy Dances for days. On the phone to them and in my alone time, I "God Bless" Christina Nappi and Master Rich until I ran out of breath.

When I look at children I see future scientist, creators, developers and ground breakers, just to name a few. Getting young people to fully understand the weight of the consequences of their actions in this world today, and all it's temptations luring them into making bad decisions, is paramount to me. I know there are video games, jails, gangs and drugs (just to name a few) working hard to get at them every day they leave their homes - we, NEIGHBORS promote engaging in Chess to try to offset those temptations, and it works.

Watch NEIGHBORS on Greenwich's Community Access channel 24 Verizon FiOS; Government Access Ch. 79 check GCTV website and Ch 88 Cablevision Wednesdays at 6pm and Sundays 8:30am. Danbury Community Access Ch 23 at 8:30 pm Mondays and phillyCAM.org Video On Demand. Like us athttps://www.facebook.com/neighborstv our Matthew athttps://www.facebook.com/YourCruiseTA and; Allegra Dance Studio athttps://www.facebook.com/pages/Allegra-Dance-Studio/117287282092?fref=ts.  Thank you for supporting NEIGHBORS.

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