Wednesday, April 18, 2018
Hudson Link, a privately funded non-profit corporation, organizes college degree programs in six New York State prisons. Several years ago, Sean Pica, Executive Director of this amazing program, came to give us an overview of the organization, its successes and its challenges, and his own experience in the prison education system. His presentation was followed by a very successful clothing drive for recently released program graduates.
On April 18, we will hear from two Hudson Link representatives, Damian Rossney and Billy Seales. While incarcerated, both of these men earned college degrees. Billy, in fact, earned three! They will give us an update on Hudson Link’s expansion since Sean was with us, with particular focus on new initiatives designed to assist program alumni when they come home from prison.
Damian runs Hudson Link’s recently launched New Beginnings Program, which will offer Hudson Link graduates transitional housing and other assistance vital to a successful re-entry into society. Billy has been home for just 11 months and will share his very recent experience dealing with the challenges faced by all returning from prison – even those returning with a college degree.
Their talk will be followed up with another clothing drive. As you can imagine, for someone who has been wearing prison greens for years, proper civilian clothing is a must and is sorely needed. (New York, which is not atypical, gives a released inmate only $40 and a bus ticket home.) This year’s drive will take place on Wednesday, May 2. Just bring those gently worn items (suits, ties, shirts, pants, sweaters, coats, etc.) that’s been clogging up your closet to the DCA parking lot before our meeting on May 2; a Hudson Link van will be waiting to take it to the Hudson Link office in Ossining, where it will be Ossining office where it will change someone’s life. It will be much appreciated!
Video: https://youtu.be/9kXEX0UADyY
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
Wednesday, April 4, 2018
Wednesday, March 28, 2018
In the opening months of 1949, Truman found himself faced with a looming diplomatic catastrophe. Through the spring and summer, Mao’s Communist armies fanned out across mainland China, annihilating the rival troops of America’s one-time ally Chiang Kai-shek and taking control of Beijing, Shanghai and other major cities. As Truman and his aides scrambled to formulate a response, they were forced to contend not only with Mao but with unrelenting political enemies at home. Over the course of the year, Mao fashioned a new revolutionary government in Beijing that laid the foundation for the China we know today, while Chiang Kai-shek would flee to the island sanctuary of Taiwan. These events transformed American foreign policy – leading ultimately to decades of friction with Communist China, a long-standing U.S. commitment to Taiwan, and the subsequent wars in Korea and Vietnam.
Moritz von Stuelpnagel will discuss how a passion and an idea – against all odds – became a Broadway show and will explain what it takes to make a hit. Along the way, he’ll touch on how the feast or famine economics and the cut-throat politics of the industry work from the inside.
Wednesday, February 28, 2018
Michelle Beltrano and Karen Goersch will lead a practical discussion on common pitfalls and current opportunities in estate and financial planning. The objective is to ensure such plans accomplish the intended goals. Michelle will talk about myths and surprises about estate planning documents. She also will explain how to start the conversation of estate planning with loved ones. Finally, she will cover the cost of settling an estate in Connecticut and what to expect from the probate process. Michelle lives in New Canaan with her family and is principal and founder of Beltrano Law, a boutique firm located in Greenwich. Her practice areas include estate planning, elder law, special needs, probate matters and estate administration. Michelle represents individuals and families who are dealing with complex matters, including Medicaid eligibility and applications, long-term care planning, will contests and trust administration. As an attorney and nurse, Michelle has unique insight into her clients’ situations and provides individualized, concierge services.
Karen Goersch will provide several tips to help ensure that clients effectively implement their estate plans and meet financial goals, such as the titling of assets, beneficiary review and gifting strategies. She also will discuss selecting which assets to deplete first, considering future estate and income tax implications. She will show how to use insurance as a tax-planning strategy to potentially eliminate the IRS as one of the biggest beneficiaries. She is a financial advisor with Ameriprise Financial in its Westport office and holds several professional designations, including CPA. She works with a team of professionals to develop personalized financial plans and investment solutions, helping clients simplify complex issues, often with a focus on tax minimization and efficiency. Karen moved to Rowayton a year ago after living in Darien with her husband and twins for more than 20 years.
Wednesday, February 14, 2018 
On January 25, 1917, HMS Laurentic struck two German mines off the coast of Ireland and sank. The ship was carrying 44 tons of gold bullion to the still-neutral United States via Canada in order to finance the war effort for Britain and its allies. Britain desperately needed that sunken treasure, but any salvage had to be secret since the British government dared not alert the Germans to the presence of the gold. Lieutenant Commander Guybon Damant was the most qualified officer to head the risky mission. Wild gales battered the wreck into the shape of an accordion, turning the operation into a multiyear struggle of man versus nature. As the war raged on, Damant was called off the salvage to lead a team of covert divers to investigate and search through the contents of recently sunk U-boats for ciphers, minefield schematics, and other secrets. The information they obtained, once in the hands of British intelligence, proved critical toward Allied efforts to defeat the U-boats and win the war. But Damant had become obsessed with completing his long-deferred mission. His team struggled for five more years as it became apparent that the work could only be accomplished by muscle, grit, and persistence. Using newly discovered sources, author Joseph A. Williams provides the first full-length account of the quest for the Laurentic?s gold. More than an incredible story about undersea diving adventure, The Sunken Gold is a story of human persistence, bravery, and patriotism
dnesday, February 7, 2018 
Wednesday, January 31, 2018 
Wednesday, January 24, 2018
