Although I just started volunteering as a receptionist at this location just the other day, I do…read moreknow a lot about this place and would like to share this information with all of you. If you know a little about the ARC, come by and volunteer. Most of this office's opportunities are volunteer only(although most are field-work spots), you pretty much help out at other places, but this is a large regional office for the newly-combined Dutchess and Ulster Co. branches. (There are some paid spots within the office, but for the most part, most of the office is volunteer work. These spots tend to be the "director-level/executive level spots for paid spots, but it all depends on the situation.) This location does take donations, however clothes are not acceptable donations at this location(an ARC location in Maryland does this). If you're not sure, call this location and find out. Money(checks and cash), and MoneyGram donations are accepted, as well as supplies such as water and the like, are also accepted here. Drop it by. You'll get a tax-donation receipt for any monetary donation you can give. The American Red Cross needs your help in any way you can. You might even benefit yourself, if you have lost something due to natural disasters(or need help looking for someone, even someone who is in the military). Also at this location, they have a transport ERV(Emergency Response Vehicle) that provides the supplies to needy emergencies, based on other factors which I'm not going to get into here. Another thing they have at this location is a blood donation center, which is open every day that the main location is open. Come to the front door(nearest the parked ERV-and up the few stairs), sign in to the guestbook(and later sign-out) and give some blood.

I attended the drive through event and I purchased an incredible piece of photography developed on…read morecanvas and a piece of sculpture that speaks to me daily from I'm here perch.

What an amazing gallery and what an amazing group of local artists. I've been to several openings…read moreand events here and I can't express how warm and inviting the artists are. They're always ready to answer any questions you may have about any of the pieces on exhibit. Most of the work is available for purchase and there's so many mediums to choose from: sculpture, paintings, photography, etc. What makes the collective special is that you're viewing art from LOCAL artists and all of them are truly down to earth. You can see the love and passion they have for visual arts in their collective of original works. Keep in mind that they have many events throughout the year and open themselves to the community frequently. You don't have to be a "member" to witness the pure talent here. There's no stone-cold snobbish entities within these walls. These artists are personable, full of joy and zest. You want to be around them. You want to witness their processes. Hyde Park is known for the obvious: The Culinary Institute, The Drive-In & FDR (of course). That has changed. The Collective is here.

My boy Carlos went down. Now his belongings are up for auction inside. The worst part is, the…read moreauction is entirely free. Free pickins for the other gools.

I attended an informational session at the 14 Abes Way location to learn more about the recently…read morelaunched pilot program for Nesterly. The venue is well run, clean, and has meeting spaces for public events. On this occasion, the center was also providing a complimentary sandwich lunch for all attendees. How lovely. On this occasion, Town Supervisor, Rebecca Edwards and her team with the support of the Senior Center team hosted another informative community resident discussion. I'm impressed by this Town administration's ideas to improve the lives of the residents. My town taxes are a good value under this leadership.

In the throes of an emotional flashback, I spoke with Carly. Within the space of fifteen minutes we…read morewere laughing. I attribute this outcome to Carly's attentiveness and her general equanimity. The fact Carly heard me and understood what I meant was critical to reregulating my system and bringing me back to a calm state. This sort of phone line will necessarily be hit or miss as we all bring different world outlooks to the proverbial table. My experience in this case is that I received precisely the support I needed and received it timely. For those who've had/are having a hard time, please do not despair. Please continue to seek the help you need. And please be compassionate with yourselves.

I called and was told to call back 2 hours later, so I did. Then a very exasperated man spoke to me…read more(he was regularly sighing as I spoke) for a little while and then told me he had "other things to attend to" - WTAF? Please don't answer distress calls when you aren't in the mood to deal with people's problems that you may think are not interesting. Don't be unkind and bored. A crisis line should not leave you feeling worse.