■ Tom Virgadamo, a math teacher at Haldane Middle School who lives in Beacon, worked with his children to collect $30 donations for local businesses. They have collected more than $10,000 so far. Each $30 gives the donor an entry in a drawing; the winners can then select one business to receive $500 or two to receive $250 each. The recipients so far in #Giveback2020 have included Beacon D’Lites, Stinson’s Hub, the Beacon Performing Arts Center, The Blushery, Story Screen Beacon, Twins Barbershop, Utensil, The Yankee Clipper, Max’s on Main and Blackbird Attic in Beacon, and the Philipstown Food Bank, Riverview Restaurant, Santos Strong, Nicole Brooke Salon and The Main Course in Philipstown. See instagram.com/teddybeartommy17. To donate, send $30 per entry via PayPal to [email protected]
■ The Garrison Art Center issued a call for entries in a virtual show called Postcards from a Pandemic. The card must measure 4 by 6 inches on paper or board, in any medium, as long as it can travel safely through the mail. Art and/or text on both sides are welcome. Put your name clearly on the front or back. You also can include a social media tag or website. Do not add your return address. Mail to Garrison Art Center, P.O. Box 4, Garrison, NY 10524. The postcards will be photographed and exhibited on Instagram to be claimed by visitors offering a minimum $25 donation to the art center, with 20 percent of each donation going to Fred’s Pantry in Peekskill. In addition, postcards and a photo or copy of the back ‘Swill be hung in the art center’s gallery windows. Postcards will not be returned by mail but, if not claimed by a donor, can be picked up once the works are uninstalled.
■ The Desmond-Fish Public Library in Garrison has launched Sharing in Place, an oral history project to capture how people are living during the 2020 pandemic. “You can share mundane or funny experiences, as well as poignant stories describing challenges or sadness,” the library said. “We want to collect it all so that once this time has passed, we can look back and listen and have a greater understanding of what it was like to live through the COVID-19 pandemic.” The library is using an online audio recording program called Memria that allows contributors to use a phone or computer to record and upload photos to illustrate stories, which will be posted on the library’s website. To participate, complete the form at bit.ly/sharing-in-place.
■ Dutchess County launched a COVID-19 History Survey to document the experiences of residents during the pandemic. Responses to the survey at dutchessny.gov/COVIDhistory will be preserved in the county archives and shared with the public (names will be withheld). “Future generations will look back on the COVID-19 pandemic as a formative moment in our history,” said Dutchess County Historian William Tatum III. “Through this survey, Dutchess County residents have the opportunity to ensure future historians will have access to their thoughts, feelings and experiences when seeking to understand the full impact of this pandemic.” For information, or to submit photographs, videos and other forms of documentation, email Tatum at [email protected]
■ An initiative called Beacon Rises raised money to support local businesses by selling T-shirts with a design by Chelsea Merando. Ten dollars from each shirt purchase went a Beacon business of the buyer’s choice. See beaconrises.etsy.com. The project, which began on April 24 and has a Facebook page, raised $1,700 in its first 24 hours. Check Instagram for updates.
■ The Putnam History Museum and Highland Studio launched Prints for Putnam, a fundraiser to benefit the Philipstown Food Pantry. The set of a dozen 8-by-10-inch prints are images taken from glass-plate negatives in the museum’s collection. The $40 price includes $15 in printing costs. The sale continues through May 8. See printsforputnam.com. Orders will be available for pickup at the museum when non-essential businesses are allowed to re-open.
■ Hops on the Hudson, which is headquartered in Cold Spring, has created two T-shirts to raise funds for 54 New York brewers. Each of the two designs includes the logos of 27 breweries, including from Putnam and Dutchess counties. See hopsonthehudson.com.
■ 44MAIN in Cold Spring issued a call for artwork to display in its windows that addresses the themes of “stories of connection” and “the restorative power of nature.” Email [email protected]
