Rest in peace, Ray

Raymond C. De Angelis, of Riverdale NY, passed away suddenly on February 1st. He was fifty-four years old. He was born in Tarrytown NY and attended Transfiguration School and Sleepy Hollow High School. He graduated from Fordham University in 1982 with a B.A. degree in History and Economics. He is survived by his wife Elizabeth and two children, Tamar and Eli. Both Mr. De Angelis and his wife were co-founders of Adventure Center, Journeys of Wonder, Inc., a nonprofit creative learning center for children in Riverdale NY. Prior to this, he worked in the insurance field for many years. He was a dedicated triathlon participant in his younger years, as well as an avid fisherman; he enjoyed hiking and the outdoors and was very supportive of environmental conservation issues. He will be remembered as a loving father to his two children and as a supportive husband and brother.
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When I was in New York during this sad time, I had a free day, and walked around Rockwood Hall State Park, on the Hudson River. This was a place that we used to frequent as teenagers, and was one of the many places where my brother enjoyed walking around. He also enjoyed walking around the Croton Reservoir, Rockefeller State Park, Wave Hill, and other parks and nature preserves. He was eager to show his children and other children the wonders of nature, just as he had discovered them as a boy fishing around the Tarrytown Lakes. Rockwood Park was full of snow on the day that I was there, but the day was beautiful and sunny, and I 'buried' my brother in spirit in this beautiful place. Rest in peace, my brother Raymond.

Living a balanced life

Apropos my last post--Finding Balance, the Adventure Center now has a blog, and one of their recent posts has to do with balance and living a balanced life. I encourage you to read the post--it's insightful and offers some ideas for how the future of our society could be shaped, starting with its children. If you'd like to read the post, you'll find it here: http://www.adventurecenterjourneysofwonder.org/1/post/2013/01/a-wish-as-we-enter-2013.html

Fundraising time at Adventure Center

Dear Blog Readers,

I have written about Adventure Center before in my blog (http://paulamdeangelis.blogspot.no/2010/08/journeys-of-wonder-at-adventure-center.html). 

Adventure Center is deeply engaged in fundraising now. Today I am posting a letter written by Elizabeth Mayer, LCSW, President and Executive Director, talking about the mission of Adventure Center and the success of its after-school Arts, Education & Adventures in Nature Programs, and how much the children enjoy and are helped by them.  I hope you will support them in their efforts. No donation is too small. 

Elizabeth writes: 

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Common to many of the students who walk through our doors at Adventure Center, Robert has been struggling with issues of injury and pain.  Robert began classes here in 2008.  His lack of belief in himself was palpable. He had given up on school.  His school had almost given up on him, describing him as bright but inattentive, lazy, and defiant. 

Four years have passed and Robert has been immersed in Adventure Center’s after-school Arts, Education & Adventures in Nature Programs.  Now Robert speaks with enthusiasm and wonder.  Robert is now able to express his bright, curious mind, and engaging personality, and with that he is even serving in leadership roles at Adventure Center. Over the last year, Robert has said, “I used to feel mad at everyone. I couldn’t express myself and no one understood me.  Hey; that’s not true anymore!”

Robert is one child of many that have been helped by Adventure Center. The center is affiliated with organizations like Lincoln Center Institute, Community Works, Symphony Space, the Bronx Historical Society, and others (as well as the educators and therapists who provide a learning and supportive environment).  Adventure Center is appreciated as an oasis of innovation and creativity by all who pass through. We invite you to join our mission as we celebrate four successful years as a nonprofit Educational Center in Riverdale, New York.  As we approach this milestone we are stretching our scope and reach to answer the growing demand of children, families, and other organizations

This elevated level of activity brings Adventure Center to a new juncture in its’ journey; it will need to create the means to hire part-time and salaried staff to manage the daily life of the organization, to support the artists, educators, and group leader as we maintain a good ratio of adult/child in each program/class.  As we engage in the first steps of this transition—fully volunteer to partially volunteer/partially salaried organization— we will ensure that we continue a mission of high quality programming in a nurturing setting for all of our children.  The support of friends like you will afford Adventure Center the ability to remain self sustaining and to continue to thrive. 

Please help us reach our goal of raising $50,000. Any amount will help us meet our ambitious goal and continue to help us meet our mission. Your tax deductible gift of $50, $100, $500 or more—will immediately be put to use as we add part time staff—persons who will directly enhance  the learning and growth of our children.

There are several levels to this giving opportunity—we appreciate consideration of your support.  These costs add up, yet these are some examples of the large impact your gift can make on children like Larry and others at Adventure Center.

Ø  $100 can provide the means to add an additional group leader for 1 session of the group’s 10-weeks

Ø  $100 will purchase materials for 1 child for 1 ten-week session

Ø  $250 for 3-ten week sessions

Ø  $500 will purchase materials for 1 child for six-months           

Ø  $750 for seven months      

Ø   $900 will purchase materials for 1 child for a year.

You may donate by check or online by clicking the donate now button on the home page of our  website: http://www.adventurecenterjourneysofwonder.org/index.html

Adventure Center serves students with limited financial means.  Students are motivated and committed to achieving success in school, and in life.  Your gift will have a significant impact on their ability to learn and succeed. 

Thank you for partnering with our students!

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Mayer, LCSW

President and Executive Director, Adventure Center

3736 Henry Hudson Parkway, Suite 207, Bronx, NY 10463

Follow Adventure Center on www.facebook.com/adventurecenterbrx

Journeys of Wonder at the Adventure Center

In October 2010, the Adventure Center: Journeys of Wonder, Inc. (ACJOW, Inc.), located in Riverdale, New York, will celebrate two years of operation as a non-profit educational enrichment organization for children and their families. What makes this so exciting for me personally is that this organization is headed by a woman named Liz who just happens to be married to my brother Ray. Both of them have made the Adventure Center their passion--Liz is the president and executive director of the school and Ray is the program director. The organization offers programs to suit many different tastes--from the Adventures in Nature program that takes children (and interested parents) on exploratory nature tours of the Hudson Valley, to the Joy of Writing program that offers children the chance to learn how to write a play and to perform it if they so desire. The Adventure Center receives programmatic support from the Materials for the Arts, The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and The New York City Department of Sanitation, among others.

The road to the realization of the Adventure Center has surely been a journey of wonder, learning and passion for Liz and Ray, but it has not been and is not an easy road. It is a vision that became a reality, but like any other non-profit organization, it relies on donations and grants to keep it afloat. I want it to succeed for them so much, and I wish I was independently wealthy or wealthy enough to invest in the Center without reservation. But I am not. These days, I often think that if I could choose my work life over again, I might think money and personal wealth first when it came to working and saving, and then switch gears in mid-life and use some of that wealth to benefit society. But knowing me, I would probably choose the same way as I did when I was younger if I had another chance. I did choose a career that I knew would allow me to support myself, but not a career that paid big money, like investment banking or law. We were not raised to go after big money in our family, and that brings up other issues. Why wasn’t this emphasized more in our youth? Should it have been emphasized more? Because having money in and of itself is not a bad thing. You can do a lot of good things for the world around you when you have enough money, but not all wealthy people do this. I know a lot of people who don’t have money or don’t have enough money to realize even their small dreams. I know people who have been out of work for several years after having lost their jobs in middle age. It’s a tough world these days and that is what has made me question whether it may be a good thing to emphasize the value of earning a very good living to teenagers on the verge of making important life choices. One should at least be able to support oneself without much worry. But these days it is tough for some people I know to get a job at all, so perhaps the discussion of choosing a lucrative job is a moot point.

My brother is involved in leading the Adventures in Nature program. I think this suits him well since he was an avid fisherman, hiker, and outdoorsman when he was younger. He knew a lot about the different fishing flies necessary to catch different kinds of fish, and he had friends who also enjoyed fishing. I think it was my mother who got him started--she would take him to the Tarrytown lakes as a child to go fishing. He worked in the corporate world for many years before this present endeavor became his daily life, and I venture to say that he does not miss it. His wife has always had a passion for working with and helping children and teenagers in difficult life situations, so it does not surprise me at all that she wanted to start such a center. I am inspired by their choices and the difficulties they face and get through, and I hope that one day in the near future, their journey will lead them to a very good place. If you are interested in supporting their work, please visit their website http://www.adventurecenterjourneysofwonder.org/index.html for more information.