Fern Hill Friendsgiving at Bedford Post Inn
Join Fern Hill Project for an evening of gratitude, reflection, and community, a chance to say thank you for always showing up for one another. Connect with Fern Hill Friends old and new over a family style dinner in the Yoga Loft at the Bedford Post Inn. Guests will be treated to a three course family style meal and beverages by Executive Chef Cass Gonzales. We will be collecting items to be donated to the Pantry in Mt. Kisco to help nourish families in need this holiday season.
Conversation at the Katonah Museum of Art with Ali Banisadr
Join Fern Hill Project for a special night out at the Katonah Museum of Art for a Conversation with Artist Ali Banisadr
Conversations that Matter Series: Understanding Neurodiversity
Conversations that Matter: Bringing women together to engage on substantive issues, to learn, and to share different perspectives
May is Mental Health Awareness Month and no better time to bring awareness to a cause close to my heart. You may have seen an increasing number of businesses and stakeholders in our community integrating practices to better accommodate and understand neurodiverse individuals including those on the autism spectrum. What started as the Town of Bedford Neurodiversity Task Force led by Wendy Belzberg and Town Supervisor Ellen Calves eventually became the Inclusive Initiative co-founded by Wendy and Melissa Dilmaghani. Through ongoing trainings with businesses and other stakeholders in our community, these two women are helping change lives by ensuring our friends and neighbors with behaviors that may not be considered the norm are integrated and included in our community life.
We can all benefit from better understanding what it means to be neurodiverse and how we can support this community initiative. I hope you'll join us for this important and timely discussion. This is meant to be an informal and interactive conversation in a safe and intimate setting. Please bring your questions!
Event is free but please RSVP
Small bites provided and beverages available for purchase at LMNOP
Community Dinner: Conscientious Cooking
Join Fern Hill Project for an evening of conscientious cooking for a healthier life and planet! We are partnering with New York Stoneware + Bedford Books, our lovely hosts for an evening of connection, delicious food & drinks and a conversation around conscientious cooking. Proceeds after expenses will benefit California wildfire relief.
Shari Ivler of Graze New York will prepare a family style meal featuring vegetarian recipes from My Regenerative Kitchen, the new cookbook by Camilla Marcus, chef, entrepreneur, activist and founder of west-bourne, New York City's first zero waste restaurant. Through her work, Camilla has challenged conventional ideas about our food systems and environmental stewardship. We plan to use her cookbook as a jumping off point for a discussion on how our choices when it comes to food and feeding our families contributes to a healthier life and planet.
Unlock your Ideas Evening
Join Fern Hill Project for an evening to help Unlock your Ideas with Fran Hauser at her new bookstore Bedford Books on Wednesday, January 15th from 6:30-8pm.
Participants will be limited to 12 to foster a facilitated conversation with Fran and Jenny. The goal of the workshop is to create a space to discuss our work, get and give feedback and share resources and connections.
Tickets $25 and include beverages, snacks and a gift card for an in store purchase.
Community Dinner to Celebrate the Holidays
Celebrate the holidays with Fern Hill Project! We are partnering with oHHo our lovely hosts for an evening of connection, delicious food & drinks and a chance to give back to our community.
Participants will be limited to 20 guests. Ticket price will cover the cost of the event and any additional proceeds will benefit the Hour Children.
Field Trip with Delfina Braun to Praxis Gallery
Join Fern Hill Project for special Field Trip to NYC with local artist Delfina Braun to view her exhibition Opium Whispers at Praxis Gallery on Wednesday, November 6th.
Plan to meet at the gallery located at 501 West 20th Street at 11:30am or take the train with other Fern Hill members from the Katonah station at 9:30am.
Delfina will walk us through her exhibition followed by an informal lunch (at your own expense) at nearby Cookshop restaurant.
Delfina's exhibition closes November 8th so don't miss this special opportunity!
Conversations that Matter Series: Reproductive Rights
Conversations that Matter: Bringing women together to engage on substantive issues, to learn, and to share different perspectives
In the final days leading up to Election Day, there is no issue weighing on us more deeply than the future of reproductive rights. Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, we have watched abortion rights and policy change rapidly. This important, timely conversation will focus on what has changed since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, what's at stake with this election, and regardless of the results, what the hurdles might be both at a local, state and national level going forward.
We will be joined by Dr. Elisa Burns, a retired OB/GYN with over thirty years of medical experience and currently Vice Chair of Planned Parenthood of Hudson Peconic; Lindsey Boylan, an urban planner and women's right advocate active in both state and city politics; and Karla Salguero, Director of Programs at the New York Abortion Access Fund (NYAAF).
This is meant to be an informal and interactive conversation in a safe and intimate setting. Please bring your questions!
Coffee and lite bites included! Event is free but please RSVP required.
Community Dinner at Westchester Land Trust's Sugar Hill Farm
Join Fern Hill Project for our next Community Dinner to celebrate harvest at Westchester Land Trust's Sugar Hill Farm with Graze New York. Guests will have the opportunity to tour Westchester Land Trust's small-acre Sugar Hill Farm headquarters which grows more than 8,000 servings of fresh, organic produce annually for neighbors in our community experiencing food insecurity.
After sipping beverages and tasting small bites in the garden, guests will sit down together to share a multi-course family style meal prepared by Shari Ivler, founder of Graze New York featuring local produce from the farm.
The dinner will be limited to 20 guests. Ticket price is $135 and will cover the cost of the event, any additional proceeds will benefit the Westchester Land Trust.
Conversation at the Katonah Museum of Art with Jonathan Becker & Alexandra Kotur
Join Fern Hill Project for a special night out at the Katonah Museum of Art for a Conversation with Jonathan Becker & Alexandra Kotur.
Field Trip with Re Jin Lee to Al Held Foundation
Join Fern Hill Project for special Field Trip to Al Held Foundation in Boiceville, NY with local ceramic based artist and Fern Hill member Re Jin Lee to view her current installation which is part of the River Valley Arts Collective (RVAC) On the Grounds 2024. The Al Held Foundation is not open to the public, however we will be able to take part in a guided tour during our visit starting at 10am.
RJ will join us for the visit to see her work as well as the other installations that are part of On the Grounds 2024 followed by an informal lunch in nearby Kingston.
Event is free but please RSVP through event link.
Conversations That Matter Series: Child & Adolescent Mental Health
Conversations that Matter: Bringing women together to engage on substantive issues, to learn, and to share different perspectives
Our next conversation will be focused on the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Crisis. We will be joined by Lisa Schwartz who will share exciting new plans from Northern Westchester Hospital aimed at enhancing the well-being of children and adolescents in our community and Dr. Emily Gifford, who works with families and children in her private practice and as the lower school Psychologist at a private school in Bedford. We'll learn about how NWH is expanding mental health services, increasing access to care, and collaborating with schools in northern Westchester to offer a spectrum of support and treatment options for young individuals.
We will also talk more generally about the mental health crisis facing our kids, why we’ve seen such an uptick in diagnosed mental health disorders and what we as parents and a community can do about it. This is meant to be an informal and interactive conversation in a safe and intimate setting. Please bring your questions!
Join us July 24th from 10-11:30am
453 Harris Rd, Bedford Hills
Event is free to attend, please RSVP below. Coffee and lite bites included!
About the Speakers
Emily Gifford received her Doctorate in Psychology from The George Washington University PsyD program in 2002. She is a New York State Licensed Psychologist with over 20 years of experience. Emily spent the first nine years of her career working in the foster care system at a residential treatment center in Westchester County. NY. It was there that she received advanced training in childhood anxiety and depression and where she specialized in treating trauma, both acute and chronic.
Emily has been practicing privately for the past 13 years, focusing on treating the whole child by working extensively with families and consulting with multidisciplinary professionals. She has received training in a number of therapeutic approaches as an independent practitioner. Most recently, Emily has been trained in SPACE out of Yale University and uses this approach in its purest form to reduce childhood anxiety as well as adaptively to reach a larger audience of parents. Emily brings a constructive and functional approach to her private practice meeting both child and family where they are at in order to optimize treatment and to best support everyone involved.
In addition to her practice, for the past six years Emily has worked part time as clinical support at a private school in Bedford, NY. As the lower school Psychologist she provides trainings for staff, workshops for parents and pushes into classrooms to support teachers and students on the ground level. Furthermore, she serves as a clinical supervisor for advanced doctoral students at CUNY and attends a professional supervision group monthly to discuss current and ongoing concerns in local clinical practice.
Lisa Schwartz is the founder and proprietor of Rainbeau Ridge Farm. For over a decade, she built a community around local, sustainable and nutritious food becoming an accomplished cheesemaker, farmer, recognized educator and author.
Actively engaged philanthropically in education, healthcare and environmental spaces, Lisa is a member of the Harvard Graduate School of Education Dean’s Advisory Group, served as co-chair on Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Board of Dean’s Advisors, was former Chair of Seed Global Health, and is a Community Board member of Northern Westchester Hospital where she is co-chair of the Community Health Committee.
Lisa’s commitment to educational equity was furthered as a board member of Teach for China, dedicated to rural communities and as the founder of the Preschool Connection, which provided access to early childhood education.
Having lived in Tokyo and Beijing, Lisa currently resides in Bedford Hills, NY with husband Mark (AB, MPP, MBA, Harvard). They have two married children and four grandchildren.
Jenny Indig has over twenty years of experience both in the public and private sector in international affairs, counterterrorism, and intelligence analysis. She is the founder of Fern Hill Project, a community organization that supports local women business owners and entrepreneurs. She is currently an Executive Board Member of HIAS, the world’s oldest and largest Jewish refugee organization and Twist Out Cancer, an organization providing psychosocial support to individuals and families touched by cancer. She is also a Trustee at Rippowam Cisqua School in Bedford, NY. She has worked at several public policy think tanks most recently as a Senior Fellow at the Center on National Security at Fordham Law School. She served as Managing Director of Business Intelligence and Analysis at a private investigative firm, and as Team Leader and Senior Analyst with the New York City Police Department’s Intelligence Bureau for over seven years. Jenny holds a BA from Colgate University and a Masters in International Affairs from the Fletcher School at Tufts University.
Community Dinner under the Stars at Bedford Post Tavern
Join us for a Community Dinner Under the Stars at the newly opened Bedford Post Tavern. The evening will be a celebration of our community filled with delicious food, drinks and conversations.
Peony & Plunge Luncheon at June Farm
Join Fern Hill Project for a Peony and Plunge Luncheon at June Farm in North Salem. Guests will enjoy a cold plunge, sauna and a delicious spread by Graze NY. Each guest will take home a beautiful bouquet of peonies harvested from the farm.
Community Dinner Women in Cheese & Wine at LMNOP
Join Fern Hill Project for a Community Dinner Exploring Women in Cheese and Wine featuring Bloomy Cheeses and Folkways Wine at LMNOP.
Conversations That Matter Series: Immigration Myths & Facts
Conversations that Matter: Bringing women together to engage on substantive issues, to learn, and to share different perspectives
Over the next several months Fern Hill Project will host a series of informal conversations on a range of topics that matter at the local, national and international level. Topics to start include Immigration, Reproductive Rights and the child and adolescent mental health crisis. Each conversation will attempt to breakdown a different topic, tease out important questions, give us an opportunity to hear from an expert(s) in the field and help us to navigate the dizzying and sometimes depressing news cycle. The goal being to bring women together in our community to engage on substantive issues, to learn, and to share different perspectives.
Our first conversation on immigration will feature Carola Otero Bracco, Executive Director of Neighbors Link, and Sarah Burrows, Esq, Director, Pro Bono & Partnerships at HIAS moderated by Jenny Indig. If you haven’t read the feature of Carola in the Fern Hill Newsletter be sure to check it out here. Read this article for background on HIAS’s work with asylum seekers.
Join us May 1st from 10-11am at Fern Hill
401 Pea Pond Rd, Katonah
Event is free to attend, please RSVP below. Coffee and lite bites included!
About the Speakers
Carola Otero Bracco, Executive Director of Neighbors Link, has a strong personal connection to the Neighbors Link mission of strengthening the whole community through the healthy integration of immigrants. As a first generation American born of immigrant parents from Bolivia, Carola understands the challenges that accompany the immigrant experience in America and is dedicated to inspiring healthy integration in the community. Carola is bilingual and bicultural and is driven by her passion for empowering immigrant families and advocating for personal growth through education and economic development.
During Carola’s tenure, Neighbors Link has become a leader in designing, implementing and directing community-based, bilingual educational and cultural awareness training programs. Furthermore, with her guidance and leadership, the organization has grown to include three community centers, the largest immigration legal practice in the mid-Hudson Valley and programming that serves immigrants in 186 towns across 35 counties in New York.
Before becoming Executive Director of Neighbors Link in April of 2004, Carola spent 12 years of her career gaining experience in financial management with General Electric Corporation, Ford Motor Company and Time Warner. She holds an MBA from Duke University and currently serves as the Board Chair for the New York Immigration Coalition. She previously served on the board of Northern Westchester Hospital, the National Council for Workforce Education and Nonprofit Westchester.
Carola is recognized as an expert on immigration issues and has received numerous awards and recognitions. Recently, she was recognized by Governor Kathy Hochul during Hispanic Heritage Month, was selected as a New York Senate District 40 Woman of Distinction by Senator Peter Harckham and was selected for City & State’s Westchester Power 100 list.
Providing leadership and vision for Neighbors Link is something Carola sees as her life’s work and she often says it is a privilege to be in her position as executive director.
Sarah Burrows, Esq. is the Director, Pro Bono & Partnerships at HIAS. In this role, Sarah oversees of HIAS’ pro bono attorney network, including through forging new partnerships and opportunities with major law firms and corporations. As the Director of the pro bono team, Sarah is responsible for the development of new projects and pro bono opportunities to serve refugees, asylum seekers, and forcibly displaced persons, which expand the capacity of HIAS staff attorneys and HIAS’ partner organizations to grow their work and their impact. Prior to joining HIAS, she was Director, Pro Bono at the Brooklyn Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project. She was previously Pro Bono Coordinating Attorney and Interim Supervising Attorney at Kids in Need of Defense, where she mentored pro bono attorneys on complex cases involving children in removal proceedings in immigration court. Sarah began her career at the law firm Paul Hastings LLP, where she spent five years as an associate in the litigation department. While at Paul Hastings, Sarah participated in a number of pro bono programs, including representing clients in contested adoption proceedings and other family court matters, assisting undocumented victims of domestic violence file applications for U-visa nonimmigrant status, and representing asylum seekers. Sarah received her B.A. from the George Washington University and earned her J.D. from American University Washington College of Law. She is admitted to practice law in New York.
Jenny Indig has over twenty years of experience both in the public and private sector in international affairs, counterterrorism, and intelligence analysis. She is the founder of Fern Hill Project, a community organization that supports local women business owners and entrepreneurs. She is currently an Executive Board Member of HIAS, the world’s oldest and largest Jewish refugee organization and Twist Out Cancer, an organization providing psychosocial support to individuals and families touched by cancer. She is also a Trustee at Rippowam Cisqua School in Bedford, NY. She has worked at several public policy think tanks most recently as a Senior Fellow at the Center on National Security at Fordham Law School. She served as Managing Director of Business Intelligence and Analysis at a private investigative firm, and as Team Leader and Senior Analyst with the New York City Police Department’s Intelligence Bureau for over seven years. Jenny holds a BA from Colgate University and a Masters in International Affairs from the Fletcher School at Tufts University.
Sip, Snack, Shop + Socialize
Join Fern Hill Project, This & That Vintage + Graze New York for a chance to Sip, Snack, Shop and Socialize all for a great cause! Bring a friend or come on your own it’s the perfect opportunity to see what we’re all abou!
Tickets: $65 includes a selection of delicious bites + drinks and the chance to shop a collection of vintage goods. RSVP Required!
This event is part of our Spread the Love Challenge and 20% of all shopping proceeds for the evening will go to Neighbors Link.
Galentine's Celebration
Join Fern Hill Project, This & That Vintage + Graze New York for a Valentine's Celebration! Bring a friend or come on your own for an evening full of shopping, sipping, snacking and socializing all for a great cause.
Tickets: $65 includes a selection of delicious bites + drinks and the chance to shop a collection of vintage goods. RSVP Required!
This event is part of our Spread the Love Challenge and 20% of all shopping proceeds for the evening will go to Neighbors Link.
Booty Ball + Fern Hill Project Spread the Love Challenge
Fern Hill Project is teaming up with the Booty Ball to help raise funds for Neighbors Link through another Spread the Love Challenge! Cash bar, pizza and live DJ + Dancing! Tickets: $30 Venmo @thebootyball leave your email in the comments, all profits after expenses for the event with benefit Neighbors Link.
For this year's Fern Hill Project Spread the Love Challenge all donations made to Neighbors Link for the Booty Ball will be matched! If you'd like to participate in the challenge beyond purchasing a ticket for the event by making a donation directly to Neighbors Link send an email to: jenny@fernhillproject.org
Kick off the New Year Breakfast: Reflect and Reset with Fran Hauser
EVENT IS SOLD OUT!
Join Fern Hill Project for a breakfast to kick off the New Year and celebrate the publication of Fran Hauser's new journal Reflect and Reset.
Fern Hill members will have the opportunity to work through a few of the sections of Fran's journal in small groups - focusing specifically on reflecting and resetting our intentions and priorities for the New Year.
Fern Hill Community Dinner Celebrate the Holidays
Celebrate the holidays with Fern hill Project! We are partnering with Graze NY and our lovely hosts at La Maison Fête & New York Stoneware for an evening of connection, delicious food & drinks and a chance to give back to our community.
Field Trip with Frances Denny to View "Spellwork"
Join Fern Hill Project for special Field Trip to NYC with local photo-based artist and Fern Hill member Frances Denny to view her new exhibit Spellwork at CLAMP gallery on Wednesday, November 15th. Plan to meet at the gallery located at 247 West 29th Street at 11:30am or take the train with other Fern Hill members from the Katonah station at 9:30am.
Frances will walk us through her exhibit at the gallery followed by an informal lunch nearby.
Event is free but please RSVP through event link.
Truffle Making Event
Join Fern Hill Project + Red Velvet NYC for Truffle Making, Wine, Lite Bites + Conversation
Fern Hill Community Dinner Celebrate the Harvest
EVENT IS SOLD OUT! Click through to be added to the waitlist. Celebrate the harvest with a multi course family style meal featuring seasonal local produce and a curated selection of wine. Ticket price will cover the cost of the meal and any proceeds will benefit the Friends of Hilltop Hanover Farm and the Boys & Girls Club Dinner Series at NWH.
An Evening of Shopping at Our North
Join Fern Hill Project for an evening of shopping to preview the fall collection at Our North, a new women's clothing boutique in Katonah owned by Fern Hill member Casey Lynam. Food and beverages will be available for purchase next door at LMNOP Bakery.
Flower Party
Join Fern Hill Project for a flower party in the garden at June Hill Farm on July 13th! We will be joined by Estelle Silberman, founder of Flower Party by Estelle who will lead us through a floral arranging workshop using fresh cut flowers selected by Allison Newell, founder of June Farm Flowers.
Enjoy Graze boards, treats + cocktails designed by Shari Ivler, incorporating edible flowers from June Farm.
THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT! Please email jenny@fernhillproject.org to be added to the waitlist
Preloved Shopping Event with Reluxe Fashion
Join founder of Reluxe Fashion Clare Richardson for a special day of preloved shopping.
A Night out at the Katonah Museum of Art
Join Fern Hill Project for a night out at the Katonah Museum of Art. We'll hear from KMA Director Michelle Yun Mapplethorpe and get a private viewing of the current exhibition: Miniature Worlds: Joseph Cornell, Ray Johnson, Yayoi Kusama. Gather with Fern Hill Members for a reception in KMA's beautiful garden featuring boards from Graze New York and a selection of wine featuring women winemakers curated by Folkways Wines.
Unlock your Ideas Breakfast
Join Fern Hill Project for an Unlock your Ideas Breakfast with Fran Hauser at the Katonah Reading Room on Friday morning April 21st from 9:30-11am. Grab breakfast and coffee on your way in and make your way upstairs for a facilitated conversation with Fran and Jenny. The goal of the workshop is to create a space to discuss our work, get and give feedback and share resources and connections.
Event is full! Email jenny@fernhillproject.org to be added to the waitlist
Spread the Love Challenge Celebration
Meet and connect with other members of Fern Hill Project and celebrate the success of our Spread the Love Challenge
Have an idea for an event?
Don’t be shy, please reach out and share you thoughts and ideas!