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Channel: The Sag Harbor Express » Marissa Maier

Duncan Darrow

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The founder and chairman of the Fighting Chance board, sits down with the Sag Harbor Express to talk about his organization’s most recent move, what makes his organization successful and the importance of community participation in cancer testing initiatives.


Why did Fighting Chance move and what was the organization looking for from a new space?

This is our third space. The first was a little garage in the back of Romany Kramoris. It was a great place to start. [But] there were logistical issues. The [patient] navigator couldn’t be in the room when the counselor was [there with a patient]. At the next spot on Route 114 we had room for the counselor and the navigator and that was a breakthrough for patients. Most patients see us right after their diagnosis, usually within 48 hours. They are in a state of shock and emotional distress. They leave with our guide and work from that guide in terms of developing coping strategies.

We moved here [to Bay Street] because we used to cram our support groups into the counselor’s office, which only sat five to six people. We have much bigger support groups now and we needed room. The second thing that we felt very strongly that we wanted was to have a cancer patient library. There is so much duplication and venting on the Internet. If you aren’t experienced and you don’t know where you are going, you come across things that aren’t very helpful. In our patient library we have edited out all the junk. What you are seeing here is the best of the Internet.

[On Route 114] the professionals shared one office and the library was in that office. We wanted the professionals to have their own offices.

We wanted a long lease. Most non-profits out here aspire to be like the Peconic Land Trust or ARF [Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons, Inc] who both have their own buildings. We had a chance to get a 10 year lease [with this building]. I said to the board that this is sort of like buying a building. With not-for-profits you have long range dreams and part of our dream was to stabilize our office situation.

We wanted to stay in Sag Harbor. People identified us with Sag Harbor. Our first board meeting was at Cormaria. A lot of board members are in Sag Harbor.


In 2002, why did you start Fighting Chance?

It came out of my experience as a caregiver to a cancer patient, which was my mother who was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer at Southampton Hospital. She lived 100 days [after the diagnosis]. I spent 100 days trying to figure out all the logistical things and there were absolutely no resources. I remember walking out of Southampton Hospital thinking “Is there a person I can talk to?”

Now when you leave Southampton Hospital they give you our “Coping with Cancer on the East End” guide. All the stuff that bewilders you about second opinions, hospitals and insurances is explained.

There has probably been three movements within the field of oncology that we have been part of in a significant way. The first movement was don’t talk about it. Slowly but surely people started talking about their diagnosis because it became more curable. The second movement was called cancer patient navigation. This idea was part of the emotional distress of the disease and all of the logistical issues around it. We became like a concierge and came to the fore because the health care system became so confusing. People didn’t know how to cut the red tape. We hired our first navigator in 2004. The guide has been edited every year.

The third sort of trend in this area was the cancer patient literacy movement. I have spent a lot of time with cancer patients and I have never head anyone say, “Doctor could you explain that more technically?” The materials for patients simplify cancer.


When you considered that the rates of survivability seem to correlate with how easy it is to test for a specific type of cancer, like breast cancer compared to lung cancer, as shown in Fighting Chance’s handbook “Cancer Simplified,” do you think a key to fighting cancer is finding simpler ways to detect certain cancers?

For some cancers the detection has to get better. The community has to be more insistent about testing and people have to get it into their head to get tested. We need to make testing available and publicize it, and adopt it as part of our lifestyle sort of in the same way you know what your cholesterol level is.

This is a rural area and we have rural cancer care. It goes back to the pervasiveness of early detection. When was the last time you saw a mobile mammogram trailer or an ad in the paper to have your colonoscopy. Even if you saw it, you would have to drive 25 miles to get tested. Out here early detection is not as pervasive as in many other environments and as a consequence most patients are stage two or three or sometimes four. It’s almost never stage one.


You’ve pointed out that of the 1,000 East End residents who are annually diagnosed with cancer roughly 400 of them call Fighting Chance within the first 48 hours of their diagnosis. Why do you think Fighting Chance has become one of the first calls these patients make?

Mostly these people aren’t wealthy. They are working families and this thing was like an atom bomb in what was already a difficult and challenging life. It has gotten worse with the recession.

One there was a total void [of organizations like Fighting Chance]. Secondly, this staff we have is terrifically talented. Our counselor was at Memorial Sloan-Kettering cancer center for 15 years. Our navigator spent 30 years as an academician. We really worked hard to reach out to the medical community. We have three doctors on the board. We have really tried to build bridges of awareness to the medical community and a lot of them know about us. And the staff has worked hard. The board has worked hard and our track record … I defy you to find someone who has complained.


Why was it important to you to establish Fighting Chance in Sag Harbor?

I have lived here for 30 years and I have a lot of affection for Sag Harbor. I think in these small communities people take care of one another. I think that is part of the history and culture of Sag Harbor. We sort of belonged here. I think Sag Harbor is one of those villages where people spend a little more time taking care of one another.


Fighting Chance will hold a ribbon cutting celebration at their new location at 34 Bay Street from noon to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 2.


Karyn Mannix

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Among the short list of Karyn Mannix’s accomplishments are artist, curator, fashion designer, gallery owner, and — chief in this group — breast cancer survivor. Six years after her diagnosis and treatment, Mannix will host the “6th Annual Birdhouse Auction” at her Southampton art gallery to benefit the Ellen Hermanson Breast Center at Southampton Hospital. Mannix discusses the evolution of breast cancer care on the East End and why it is important for public figures, like honorary event co-chairs actress Renee Zellweger and designer Betsey Johnson, to talk about their breast cancer experiences.


This is the sixth annual “Birdhouse Auction.” What was the inspiration for the first event?

I am a six year breast cancer survivor. When I was diagnosed they [the Southampton Hospital staff] were there. Susan Barry Roden [a certified patient navigator and founder of the Breast Health Coalition] helped me out. When you get diagnosed you need help even though you may think you don’t. I told them I would return the favor and help them raise money. I said this in a room in Southampton Hospital that was covered with birdhouse wallpaper. That was how the birdhouse came into play.


Since you were first diagnosed and treated for breast cancer, how has the availability of testing, information and treatment for breast cancer changed on the East End?

The hospital really has state-of-the-art equipment with mammograms and sonograms and breast MRIs at [the Ellen Hermanson Breast Center at Southampton] Hospital. When I first got there they didn’t have those machines. Now they have the technology.

There is a lot of outreach so maybe the disease is noticed more. There are a lot more volunteers helping to raise money to help the women with breast cancer. Even the auction is for the women who are going through breast cancer. We help the people who are suffering and going through treatment. This goes towards the little things like money for transportation back and forth from radiation and chemotherapy treatments, if they need a babysitter or if they need someone to clean their house. Those are the things people don’t even think about if someone gets sick with cancer.


This is the fifth year actress Renee Zellweger has served as an honorary event co-chair and its the third year designer Betsey Johnson has co-chaired the auction. Both women have experiences with breast cancer — Zellweger found two benign lumps on herself and her friend died of breast cancer and Johnson is a breast cancer survivor. How important do you think it is for public figures to be open about their own encounters with this type of cancer?

It is very important. No one is immune to getting cancer. It doesn’t matter how much money you have. It doesn’t matter your background. I am the only one in my family with breast cancer. It was even something I was looking for and made aware of. This can strike anybody. One of my friends was diagnosed three weeks before me. One in eight women get breast cancer and we joked that she was that one out of eight. Three weeks later it was me. No one is immune to it, including men.


In addition to owning and running your own gallery and working in the fashion industry for a number of years, you are an artist yourself. In a conversation piece with Hamptons.com, you were asked what gives you an edge in your art and you replied, “My mind . . . I take an unconventional approach, and my art shows other people’s inner dialogue.” Did your creative process and art change after your diagnosis and treatment for breast cancer? Did you begin to depict your own inner dialogue?

I have always talked about it [in my art]. I did pieces about breast cancer before my diagnosis. A lot of my work was based on gender and females’ perception of their bodies. [The diagnosis] changed my life. It was a big eye opener. No one ever thinks they will get cancer. I dove more into the female body and the whole role of gender. I had pieces before about breast cancer, but I guess I could relate to it more. I don’t know if I can put this into words.


This year 64 people have participated in the event and crafted birdhouses, and not all of them are artists. The participants range from Suffolk County Legislator Jay Schneiderman to architect Preston T. Phillips. How do you choose the people who contribute to the auction? Do you find that many of them have been touched by breast cancer in some way?

Every single person in the show has known someone with breast cancer. I mean it is almost impossible not to know someone who hasn’t been affected.

[In the selection process] I start with artists and architects of course because they are used to building. Jay has been an advocate for breast cancer in Suffolk County. Most of the people are artists. Then there are other people who have been helped by the breast center, people who have basically gone through the breast center at some point or another.

There are always waiting lists. Last year we had over 80 birdhouses. We have less this year. I like to keep the numbers lower so that everything sells. Sometimes birdhouses that people submit go into a raffle.


From an ivy covered birdhouse to a birdhouse that looks like a table globe, the participant’s vision for their pieces runs the gamut. How did the participants this year creatively interpret their birdhouses in terms of theme, materials used, construction methods, etc.?

No two are ever similar. I don’t know how that happens. No two are covered in beach glass. Every year they are better and better. There is a variety. Some are made out of metal, polyresin, cork and glass. They are made out of everything. Dennis Leri did a deconstructed birdhouse. Jay’s is a glass pyramid. Some are made out of gourds. Some are real birdhouses by builders. Some you can’t put outside.

And it is a bit of a challenge to work on these three dimensional pieces. Most of the artists don’t work in three dimensions. Most of them are painters.


The “6th Annual Birdhouse Auction” will be held at the Karyn Mannix Contemporary Gallery, 36 Hampton Road, Southampton, on Saturday, October 9, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Proceeds from the auction will benefit the Ellen Hermanson Breast Center at Southampton Hospital. Admission costs $40. For more information or to purchase tickets call 726-8715.

Cathy Carlozzi

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By Marissa Maier

From heading the Sag Harbor Elementary School Parent Teacher Association to spearheading popular programs like bingo night and family movie night, Cathy Carlozzi has spent the last nine years as a valued member of the school community. As she recently stepped down from these duties, the Y.A.R.D., Youth Advocacy and Resource Development, program will honor Carlozzi at their annual benefit this Friday, October 15. Carlozzi reveals to The Express the success behind her numerous events and campaigns, and what led her to volunteer for her community.

Cathy you have been a long time member of the school community. Did you grow up in Sag Harbor or was this partnership fostered when your children started attending the school?

I didn’t grow up here. We moved here 18 years ago and once I started having kids, I got more involved with the community. My husband and I lived in Florida beforehand and the house [here] was his uncle’s who used to teach at Pierson.


When you first started becoming involved was Sag Harbor a tight knit community or did you see areas where it could improve?

Yes, compared to all the other schools, absolutely. I just wanted to get everyone together. I wanted to do things but I didn’t want to charge people. Everything costs money but for bingo and movie night, we didn’t charge. It brought everyone together, those who couldn’t and those who could afford it.


As a former president of the Parent Teacher Association, you were integral in launching a number of projects and events at the elementary school, like the walkway, bingo night, family movie night and the holiday gingerbread night. Where did these ideas come from?

A lot of the ideas were from Ms. Remkus who now teaches kindergarten. I went with it to try and get everything together. I looked online for equipment. I held fundraisers for the movie night for the projectors. And the brick walkway was a good fundraiser.


And did you have ideas for other events that didn’t quite pan out as you expected?

The kids liked to play wall ball and I wanted to put up a wall. But I kept hitting a brick wall. It was little things that came up every time I tried to get it. There wasn’t enough property or space for the kids. But the idea is not to quit. If one thing doesn’t work out something else will.


Why do you think the events like the bingo and family movie night are successful?

Because I think everyone realizes that they do have extra time to spend together. Those events are always free, the bingo, the movies. It’s nice to see friends and family and not have to worry, “How am I going to be able to afford this?” The events aren’t mandatory. You went because you enjoyed it. Last year I had tenth, eleventh and twelfth graders coming. The older kids were babysitting the younger kids. It wasn’t just the moms and the dads. Grandma and grandpa were coming too.


You helped fund raise for the Sag Harbor Elementary School walkway, a donation drive which also helped pay for benches and picnic tables, and in 2006 you helped raise over $5,000 for cancer research with “Sag Harbor Happy Feet,” a group of Sag Harbor moms. What makes your fundraising work successful?

I don’t think personally that it is because it is me. I think it is how you go about it. [Instead of going outside the box], I think it should be all the way around the box. The more you help the more you get. And it is important not just to depend on yourself. It is okay to ask for help. Some people are shy, but everybody can’t do everything. So it is okay to ask for help.


Earlier in the year you stepped down from your role as a leader of elementary school events after working with the school in this capacity for nine years. Why did you feel it was time to refocus your energies?

Other people want to get involved and it is okay for them to be heard. They might want to change some things. I hope it continues to stay the way it is [in terms of] staying free for everyone. That was my whole highlight. Everything costs a lot of money, but this is something everyone can do together.


You are being honored this weekend by the Y.A.R.D. program. What is your relationship with Y.A.R.D.?

I was on the Y.A.R.D. committee for a year or two. If [program director] Debbie Skinner needed help, I would help. Which is why I say it is okay to ask [for help]. Some people might say, “Yes,” some people might say, “No.” But if you don’t ask you never know. The outcome is those eight beautiful benches out there [at the walkway].


The walkway must be a nice tangible way of seeing your accomplishments in the community.

To me that is why I do the bingo night and the movie night. The benches are just materials. To actually go and see the family and friends gathered, hanging out and showing up in their pajamas that is the nice thing, that togetherness.


Where you raised with this sense of community service or is this something that was cultivated when you first moved to the area?

I was a foster kid. I went from one house to another house. In my mind and head and in my heart, I said, “There has to be something more to this.” And that is what kept me going.


Cathy Carlozzi will be honored by the Y.A.R.D. (Youth Advocacy and Resource Development) program at their annual fundraiser on Friday, October 15, from 6 to 9 p.m. at B. Smiths, located on the Long Wharf in Sag Harbor. The evening includes food from a selection of local restaurants, music, a grand prize raffle featuring an iPad, plus other prizes and a 50/50 raffle. Admission is $25. For more information or to purchase tickets call Y.A.R.D. director Debbie Skinner at 725-5302 ext. 750. Tickets may also be purchased at the door.


Townline BBQ Dishes Up Popular Trivia Contest

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“This is the biggest crowd in East Hampton without a basketball,” William Taylor jokes. Taylor is sipping a sweet tea and looking out at a sea of locals packed into Townline BBQ. Seated at a corner table near the bar, Taylor is waiting for his son Billy to arrive for what is known to this crowd as “Quiz Night.”

It’s a Thursday evening in early October and the parking lot of this Sagaponack eatery is overflowing and an adjacent road is lined with cars. The air smells of sweet pulled pork, fried jalapeño poppers and beer on tap — a few Townline BBQ staples. Inside, the cavernous, wood paneled bar is teeming with players who are eager to test their mental acuity. A record 14 teams have assembled this evening, forcing quiz mistress Sigrid Benedetti to station her amp, microphone and score board atop the pool table.

As the catering director for the Honest Man Restaurant Group, which includes Rowdy Hall in East Hampton, La Fondita in Amagansett and Townline BBQ, Benedetti held the first quiz night over two years ago. Benedetti recalls that she wanted to drum up business in the off season. She knew trivia events were popular at pubs in the United Kingdom and were becoming trendy stateside. The friendly contest has attracted a steady fan base. It started with 15 players but has blossomed to around 30 regular contestants. As queen of the festivities, Benedetti pens the questions and acts as emcee.

Of crafting the trivia — which ranges from the simple to the obscure, Benedetti remarked, “I have actually never been big into trivia, but I don’t think you need to be good at trivia to have an idea of what other people might know.”

Tonight, the start time of seven o’ clock has been delayed by the unexpected number of participants, which is a welcome development for William Taylor’s crew, Team Taylor. Billy, one of the group’s star players, is stuck in traffic on the Southern State Parkway.

Benedetti rings the bell and the games begin. There will be six rounds with 10 questions per session, she explains. The first category, pop culture and current events, seems easy at first.

“In which U.S. State was Pastor Terry Jones planning to burn the Qur’an?” Benedetti asks the crowd. Taylor quickly jots down an answer.

“Who is the famous husband of Lakia Spicer?” Benedetti continues. The group appears dumbfounded.

“How often do the follow events occur?” Benedetti says, moving onto the next round. “The U.S. Census? The changing of the guard? The Ryder Cup? Presidential elections in Mexico? High Tide?”

While Benedetti continues reading her list, Billy arrives and takes over the answer sheet from his father. Teammate Catherine Giaquinto notes that the father and son duo usually do most of the answering.

“A lot of the time your first answer is the best answer,” Billy says later during a lull between rounds. “It’s just random facts. There is no way to prepare.”

Billy concedes some of his answers are arrived at through free association, but every once and a while he will be lucky enough to have a personal memory attached to the correct answer. For team mate Christina Zapel, she once knew the answer to a question concerning sorghum syrup, or molasses, because “sorghum mollasses” was often served at a restaurant she frequented in Missouri.

Benedetti believes most participants are attracted to “Quiz Night” because it allows them to parade their trivia knowledge in a competitive setting. “I don’t think there are a lot of opportunities in various lines of work to show off what they know of the world,” she says. “They come to Townline and they can flex their [mental] muscles. And they want to win.”

The remaining rounds finish up, including one called the “John” section where either the question or answer features the name. Team Taylor comes in second to The Saucy Jacks. The group, however, nets a second place prize of $150.

“It covers the cost of the food and drinks,” William Taylor astutely points out. His son and the rest of the team linger on in the bar, to order another round.

“It makes me happy [to see the family teams],” Benedetti says. “A lot of people don’t hang out with their parents. It’s nice is it to have that familial connection.”

Undeterred by tonight’s defeat, the Taylors will be back next week.


Townline BBQ’s “Quiz Night” is held every Thursday at around 7 p.m. Cost is $10 per participant with a maximum five players per team. Hints are published on Townline BBQ’s Facebook page the day of the event. For answers to questions in the article visit sagharboronline.com. For more information call 537-2271.


Making an Artist

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by Marissa Maier


The alchemy of becoming a successful artist is often said to be a mixture of talent and ambition. Evan Yee, a painter and sculptor, as well as a 20-year-old undergraduate at Pratt Institute of Design in New York City, appears to have both attributes in spades.

Take for example, the story of how Yee came to have an exhibition at GalleryB in Sag Harbor, “Catharsis,” which opens today.

Tim O’Brien, owner of GalleryB in Sag Harbor, first met Yee at Tutto Il Giorno, over the summer. Yee worked as a bus boy at the restaurant.

One day while walking in Sag Harbor, O’Brien recalled hearing someone shout out his name and turned around to find Yee.

“He came up to me in a shy way and said, ‘You’re GalleryB, aren’t you?’ and I said, ‘Well I’m Tim but yes I’m GalleryB,’” O’Brien recounted in an interview. “He said, ‘Well I am an artist. I am still in school and I was wondering if you might be willing to look at some of my work.’”

A few days later O’Brien received an email from the young man and was stunned by what he found.

“I was blown away by the quality, the sophistication and intensity of his work. What captured me was the clarity of expression and the consistency, which is rare in someone so young,” O’Brien remarked. “[To show work] it is equally important to like the person. I have to want to collect their work myself. That has always been the way I have shown work. I really have to like the artist.”

While many artists celebrate their gallery debut after graduation, Yee appears to be fast tracking his career. In 2009, he showed his work at the Piedmont Yoga Studio in Oakland, California, and won the Congressional Art Competition in his congressional district in the same state.

Yee’s first foray into the art world was in middle school, when he became enamored with graffiti. He explored stencil making and screen printing, before moving onto drawing in high school. It wasn’t until he attended a summer program at the Art Institute of Colorado that Yee dared to dabble in painting.

“I was a little scared to paint because I had never tried it before,” Yee recalled. He eventually found a passion for this often-challenging medium and has continued to work on it while studying sculpture in college and during his free time spent in Sag Harbor, where his father is based.

For Yee, his work and artistic process is an experiment. He explains that when he first started painting he focused on crafting photo realistic pieces. In “Catharsis” and “The Arsenal,” sepia-toned depictions of male youths, his work is precise and gives the illusion of a photograph. With the trio “Pain,” “Passion” and “Power,” Yee’s monotoned hands, which have been spray painted onto nearly three foot canvases, are more abstract and incorporate found objects. The evolution of his vision is neatly exhibited in his collection of 13 pieces at GalleryB.

As Yee continues to explore his voice through various media, the thrust of his work remains the same.

“Paintings from past years to the present have been, for my purposes, centered on emotional self-discovery,” Yee wrote in his artist’s statement. “I want to unearth catharsis in its purest form.”

Yee explained in an interview that through the years art has served as his vehicle for emotional excavation.

“To me all this work is sort of me defining catharsis step-by-step for myself,” he noted. “I had an emotional few years of high school as did my cousin. We are best friends and I used her as a subject for my piece. It was important to make a memory of that, the bond and our shared experience. I tried to describe the way she was feeling at the time to help define how I was feeling.”

Evan Yee’s “Catharsis” is on display at GalleryB, 150 Main Street, Sag Harbor, from October 28 to November 15. An opening reception will be held on Saturday, October 30, from 3 to 5 p.m. For more information call 725-1059.

Local Pharmacies Join Forces

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By Marissa Maier

Most Americans glance past at least one bottle of prescription medication during their morning and evening rituals. In countless homes, these plastic cylinders filled with pills in all shapes and colors are gathering dust. But when it comes time to move or renovate or simply clean out the bathroom, what will happen to these drugs? Will they be flushed in the toilet or swallowed up in a drain? Are they thrown in the garbage or put away in storage?

As recycling becomes commonplace and municipalities sponsor campaigns to help citizens properly remove pollutants, like electronic waste and hazardous materials from their homes, consumers are rethinking medication disposal as well.

Robert Grisnik, owner and supervising pharmacist of Southrifty Drug in Southampton, noted that responsibly discarding prescribed drugs is more than an issue of logistics.

“Young children are getting hooked on prescription drugs. They start playing around with the medicines,” Grisnik said in a telephone interview. “[And] you can’t get the drugs out of the water system. You’ll find studies throughout the country where various types of medication have been found in the water in cities and aquifers.”

On Wednesday, November 17, 13 pharmacies on the East End, including Southrifty and Sag Harbor pharmacy, will hold a medicine “take back” event. The project is the first initiative by the newly formed Peconic Independent Pharmacy Association (PIPA).

During the “take back,” customers are encouraged to bring their expired or unwanted prescriptions and over-the-counter medications to one of the participating businesses. The collected materials will be taken to a facility for environmentally safe incineration, says a PIPA press release.

Grisnik, who spearheaded the alliance, hosted a similar event in April. Under the guidance of the National Community Pharmacy Association (NCPA) and with help from Southampton Village law enforcement, Grisnik collected 1,144 bottles of drugs.

He explained that under the federal Controlled Substances Act pharmacists are prohibited from accepting expired or opened medications without the presence of a police agency. For the upcoming event, local police will haul the controlled substances to an undisclosed incineration plant while the other, non-habit forming medications will be shipped to a facility in Texas also for incineration.

“WLNG did a live broadcast and because it was done during Earth Week, it was an educational type broadcast,” Grisnik recalled of the first “take back” event.

On air, Grisnik remembered, village police chief William Wilson, Jr., highlighted the dangers of keeping controlled prescription medications in the house with young adults.

According to data from the NCPA “71,000 children aged 18 and younger are seen in emergency rooms, every year, for unintentional overdoses of prescription and over-the-counter drugs and more than three in five teens say prescription pain relievers are easy to get from parents’ medicine cabinets.”

NCPA also reports that a number of pharmaceuticals have been found in the drinking water of over 41 million Americans. The presence of these medications in water supplies could negatively impact both humans and wildlife, NCPA continues.

After hearing the WLNG live broadcast, Grisnik was contacted by a handful of local pharmacists who wished to participate in the next event. He soon had grander ideas for a wide-spread “take back.”

“I asked, ‘Why don’t we take the lead on helping the community,’” Grisnik said.

Over a dozen East End pharmacists gathered in Hampton Bays three weeks later for the inaugural PIPA meeting. In total, 13 pharmacies stretching from Mattituck to Shelter Island will accept medicines on Wednesday.

As chain drug stores best local pharmacies throughout the country, community initiatives might give smaller operations an edge over their cooperate competition. (Just last Friday, The Bridgehampton Pharmacy, owned by Frank Calvo, shuttered its doors due to what Calvo termed a credit line issue. Calvo’s East Hampton pharmacy, however, will remain open, having reportedly received a last minute reprieve in the form of an anonymous donor who is poised to make a big donation.)

“We have the ability to do something like this faster because we are calling each pharmacist to organize it,” Sag Harbor Pharmacy co-owner Stan Weiss remarked in an interview. “We don’t have to go through the chain of command.”

Grisnik carefully noted that the main point of the “take back” is community service.

“We didn’t put this together from a business angle,” he said. “It’s the right thing to do.”

Spencer Kuzon

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Ross School senior Spencer Kuzon has traversed the globe working on service learning projects and played countless games of tennis. When it came time to selecting a senior project theme, Kuzon blended his interests and created the Better Life Tennis Program, a project to provide gratis tennis lessons to local and economically disadvantaged youths. Kuzon explains to the Express why he loves the game of tennis, the reaction to his project from the community and the experience of watching President Barack Obama speak during the inauguration in Washington, D.C.


For your senior project at Ross School you created the Better Life Tennis Program. Could you explain what a senior project is and how you choose this particular one?

I have been playing varsity tennis since I was in eighth grade. I have been taking pro lessons since I was five years old. I grew to love the game and all that it entailed. During 11th grade, I made it to the state tournament, which is a huge thing for any tennis player. I was one of the best in my local area but I realized how good some of these other players are. It inspired me to try to share the gift of tennis with other people. Many people have never even experienced the game. Over the summer I donated my time to the Ross tennis camp. I was in charge of kids ages six through 11. Giving that gift was life changing. The look on their faces when they mastered a stroke was so fulfilling for me. I realized that I wanted to expand my focus to not only kids who could afford tennis lessons.


In the official Ross School description of the program, it says the project combines two of your passions: tennis and service learning. How have you personally cultivated these interests?

As a freshman I went to Costa Rica [on a school trip]. We spent the whole week building a school for a school that only had one classroom. They had to alternate the classes every 30 minutes. That opened my eyes to poverty. Since then, I’ve been to Ecuador to help a family build an aqueduct. I went to Egypt and Brazil. I’ve been all over the world doing community service. That is the backbone of my community service experience.

Tennis was something I loved doing and I thought about what I could do that would be meaningful. All the time Ross held fundraisers benefiting Africa and children in the Far East. I thought that I should start with the local community.


How have you emotionally benefited from tennis and how do you envision these tennis lessons positively impacting this group of children?

Tennis is the spirit of competition. I never had that until tennis. I feel I have become more conscious of how hard, how you really have to devote your life to a sport. It inspires you to have a passion for something and to focus on one thing. It helped me become more goal oriented.

In the broader sense when you learn a new stroke, or spin serve, or you practice, you have a sense that you are doing something fruitful. I hope to give the children, especially the ones who are lost, a sense of purpose.


Since October you have kept a blog about the progress of your senior project. In one entry you wrote that after meeting with your mentor and others you decided to create a subsidiary foundation under the Ross logo instead of creating your own foundation. Why did you decide to do this?

In the summer you chisel out what you want to do. I knew day one that I wanted to do something with tennis but I didn’t know how to integrate it with community service. When I got back to school I knew what I wanted to do. Establishing a 501(c)3 [or a legally recognized, tax exempt organization, corporation or association] takes a lot of work. That is what I originally wanted to do. But even with Ross Foundation it took them a year to gain that status. Realistically, I couldn’t complete that goal. The next best thing was to set up a subsidiary through Ross.


In order to provide free tennis lessons, you have had to fundraise and receive donations. Around how much are you looking to raise and what expenses will this sum cover?

All the money I have raised has been through private soliciting and is going to buy court time, pro time, apparel, shoes and food. I went to all these local places [pulls out a list including Conca D’oro, The American Hotel and Schiavoni’s Market]. Any surplus will go to sponsoring a few of the kids for a full summer of tennis lessons at Ross. Any surplus is going back to the kids.

I already have enough money to do everything but I don’t have enough to sponsor a kid for the summer or a year. The monetary figure [to cover the free lessons for 12 students] is $3,000. Ross is giving me a discount on the court time and I’m teaching as well with one other instructor. We will have 12 children, six boys and six girls, on only two courts.


You have been in contact with local school principals and social workers to attract students to the program. What has been the reaction like from the community?

Everyone has been really responsive especially Bridgehampton, Sag Harbor and Amagansett. They have been gung ho. Everyone has been really good. Schiavoni’s without a second thought gave me a case of Pellegrino. I can’t even thank these people enough. I want to have only 12 students and I have a list over 12. I still haven’t chosen which ones [will participate]. I have been focusing on the fundraiser and the lessons will start after the break.


On a side note, in 2009 you were nominated by your teachers to participate in the Presidential Youth Inaugural Conference. You spent the weekend of the inauguration in Washington, D.C. Before you left you spoke with a local reporter about your hope to meet Barack Obama. Did you fulfill your wish and what was the atmosphere in the capital like during that time?

Yeah, I did. It was really magical to get to stand within 100 feet of Barack Obama. I can’t even express it in words what it was like to see him live.


Ross School will host a benefit for the Better Life Tennis Project on Saturday, November 14, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Ross School Tennis Center, 18 Goodfriend Drive, East Hampton.

The Better Life Tennis Program will be open to grades one through four. Up to 12 students can participate. Lessons will be held on Sundays from 1 to 2 p.m. starting in December at the Ross School Tennis Center. Dates of lessons are December 5, 12, 19, January 9, 16, 23, 30, and February 6 and 13.

For more information email clondon@ross.org.


From Working Hard to Working Smart

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by Marissa Maier

Tora Matsuoka is locally known as the affable co-owner of Sen Restaurant and Phao Thai kitchen. From conducting staff meetings during the daytime to greeting customers in the evening, the young businessman — he is in his late 20s — seems to spend most of his time in close proximity to his eateries.

But on Thursday, November 4, Matsuoka took a temporary leave from his duties to play a different role: as panelist and inspiration for a crowd full of aspiring college and high school-aged entrepreneurs.

As part of the Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour, which includes national conferences held at colleges aimed at linking under-30 entrepreneurs with business-savvy young people, Matsuoka participated in a panel at George Mason University in Washington, D.C.

“The mission of doing this is to help college students understand what entrepreneurism is and how they can continue along that path or get into it,” Matsuoka explained.

Undoubtedly, the questions centered around the issue of raising capital. Matsuoka recalled that other attendees were concerned over the difficulties associated with establishing a company as a young person.

“I tried to share with these kids that they need to use what may seem like a disability to their advantage,” Matsuoka said. He noted that he is sometimes discredited because of his lack of years, but offered, “on the other side of that coin you [a young entrepreneur] have more juice and ability to work harder and longer than anyone else.”

Matsuoka tried to impress upon the crowd the value of hard work, a lesson learned from his father, Japanese-born former Sumo wrestler Kazutomo. After retiring as a professional athlete, Kazutomo established Sen nearly 16 years ago with partner Jeff Resnick, who remains co-owner. Starting at 13-years-old, Matsuoka spent every school vacation working for his father. He didn’t receive any special privileges as the son of the boss and instead worked his way up from the lowest tier of the restaurant hierarchy.

“Dad said I wasn’t good enough to be a dishwasher, so I started as a basement scrubber,” Matsuoka remembered. “In retrospect, I praise him for his ability to teach me hard work.”

By age 25, Matsuoka bought his father’s portion of the business and later opened Phao Thai Kitchen with Resnick. It was around this time Matsuoka had his first entrepreneurial epiphany.

“I was working 90 to 115 hours a week. If I was not at work I was sleeping. There was no balance,” Matsuoka recalled. “It became clear if I am doing this with these two restaurants I will never be able to open more.”

In order to expand his empire of eateries, Matsuoka said he is developing a method to not only work hard but “work smart.” Culling information from countless business reads, Matsuoka explained that “working smart” is “creating an infrastructure based on systems that utilize programs, procedures and protocols that allow you to operate multi-units at very high levels without your presence.”

Or in simpler terms, Matsuoka is attempting to craft a type of manual to standardize his restaurant operations so that his business model can be applied at other locations. Using Sen and Phao as test sites, Matsuoka said he has boiled down success to three main ingredients of varying proportions: 40 percent service, 35 percent cuisine and 25 percent atmosphere.

Matsuoka and Resnick’s newly formed company, Big Fish Hospitality Group, is in the midst of vetting 20 to 25 different opportunities at the moment. A project to develop a restaurant in Vail, Colorado recently fell through, but Matsuoka said the company is now focusing on opening a place similar to Sen on the East Coast, possibly in New York City, Washington, D.C., or Florida.

“My intention is to create a modern westernized Japanese restaurant that focuses on small plate menus and features a high end cocktail bar and lounge aspect to them,” Matsuoka explained. “It will be the next generation of Sen.”

While stationed at his home base, however, Matsuoka will remain the full-time, gregarious restaurateur and part-time mentor to the next generation of Tora Matsuokas.


‘Tis the Season (of Lights)

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by Marissa Maier

There is no official, government-approved timeline for the holiday season. For some the interval begins once radio stations start to play “Jingle Bell Rock” or grocery stores begin to prominently display stuffing mixes and cranberry sauce cans. In Jim Frankenbach’s opinion the holidays officially kick-off when neighborhood houses are bathed in Christmas lights and a tree dripping in decorations and ornaments is propped up inside.

From a few weeks before Thanksgiving through mid-December, Frankenbach experiences his most favorite and most fruitful time of year. Frankenbach’s company Southampton Christmas Lights, an offshoot of his family’s business Southampton Nursery, occupies the local niche market of installing, designing, taking down and storing holiday lights for private homes and commercial businesses.

Frankenbach has been a long time fan of the holidays. As a child, he would help customers pick out their Christmas trees at his parent’s garden center in Southampton. Once he had his own children, his family went out on their annual “Christmas Ride” through the neighborhood. They admired people’s light displays and rated the best.

Around five years ago, after the garden center had closed and Frankenbach was experiencing a slow period in terms of work, he put up a sign for Christmas light installation on County Road 39 on a whim. His phone, he recalled, proceeded to ring off the hook with requests from residents.

“No, I didn’t expect it to take off so quickly. Before me, people were doing it themselves or they would hire a florist, but it wasn’t geared towards the lights,” Frankenbach explained in an interview. “The first year it was just fun and I made a little money.”

Over the past few years, Frankenbach’s business flourished. He now services many commercial operations on the Main Streets of East Hampton, Southampton and Westhampton. Last week, Frankenbach even traveled as far as Bohemia to install the lights on a front yard Menorah display. From ordering lights to designing a layout, Southampton Christmas Lights is a full service business. Frankenbach added that the installation and storage aspect of his operation is a main draw for most customers.

“I was at a car dealership five years ago looking at a new car and these employees were arguing over who was going to put up the tree [in front of the store],” he recalled. “The put up and take down for the stores is one of the best selling points,”

Not only does Frankenbach store his client’s lights in a climate controlled area, he offers expert advice on which lights to purchase. Frankenbach explained that the options for lights are divided into two catagories: incandescent and LED — light-emitting diodes — lights. He noted that incandescents have been on the market longer and offer a more traditional look, but often have a shorter shelf life. LEDs were fully incorporated into the market a few years ago, come in a vast array of colors and, although they are more expensive, tend to be operable for up to ten years.

For the average family looking to economize and scale back their light display this year, Frankenbach suggested focusing on wrapping one or two small trees or bushes in many lights instead of evenly distributing the lights throughout the property. He noted that families could outline their windows or the sides of the house with lights to make their homes look like gingerbread houses. He encouraged families to play with color, perhaps wrapping one tree in green and another in red.

Whatever your color palette or number of lights, Frankenbach noted most people tend to have a visceral reaction to seeing a home all aglow. He believes it stirs something deep inside them and recalls childhood memories when a simple light bulb made one feel that Christmas was near.

Don’t Forget to Breathe at the Office

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By Marissa Maier

Whether by plane, train or automobile, long journeys always seem to take a toll on one’s body. From deep aches in the spine, swelling in the limbs or stiffness in the joints, the travel to and from a destination is the least eagerly awaited part of a vacation. These ailments are not dissimilar to those experienced after a long stretch spent at a desk or in front of a computer finishing a project, meeting a deadline or cramming for a test.

For weary travelers, overworked employees or stressed students, Lisa Trivell has a quick, but rewarding solution: seated yoga. Trivell, a local yoga instructor, has developed a series of easy postures which can be practiced from a chair and lessen the discomforts of air travel or extended chair sitting. Her technique, she assures, will help those venturing away from home this holiday season or furiously wrapping up work in the office before winter vacation.

Trivell has worked as a masseuse and yoga practitioner for the past 20 years, dividing her time and business between New York City and the South Fork. She penned a series of instructional books, titled “I Can’t Believe It’s Yoga,” which focused on different groups like pregnant women or beginners.

Trivell said she developed the seated yoga technique in response to minor ailments her clients were suffering.

“People basically don’t stretch enough or take time to breathe. With everyone being on the computer so much right now, people experience eye strain, back pain and bad posture,” Trivell explained in an interview.

On being seated for long periods of time and working at a computer, Trivell added, “It affects people on a physical level. They get headaches, are tired and sluggish and aren’t feeling inspired. I developed the technique from these needs. Being a yogi, I see how a physical, mental and creative person needs a workout that enlivens them and which they can practice wherever they are.”

Through a mixture of personal and professional trials, Trivell created a method she has since been hired to teach to employees at major corporations including the NBC and Oxygen television networks. A 20-minute version of her seat yoga technique includes breathing exercise, self massage on acupuncture points and a guided relaxation, while an amended eight-minute set focuses on stretching. (Trivell also instructs workshops on her method and both versions of these seated exercises are available on DVD.)

As part of her program, Trivell places much emphasis on posture. She encourages the desk or plane bound practitioner to sit in what she describes as a yogic manner. This posture requires the sitter to shift their weight from their tailbone, or the base of their spine, to their sit bones. The shoulders are pulled back. The back is pulled in instead of slumped over and the stomach muscles are engaged. Trivell pointed out that this seated position strengthens the back while also opening the chest. Although Trivell is reluctant to divulge all the positions in her technique she also suggested neck rolls, arm lifts and, most importantly she said, focusing on one’s breath.

Trivell emphasizes that her method is accessible to all.

“I think the general population is intimidated by yoga because it is physically challenging,” Trivell remarked. “Here, I am giving people a technique that they can practice to relieve stress and increase mobility and they don’t have to be an advanced yogi.”

During these holidays, when you are boarding a plane to visit family or swamped with work at your desk, Trivell reminds travelers and workers to stretch a little and make sure to breathe.

To watch a two minute demonstration of seated yoga visit Lisa Trivell’s website at http://trivelltechnique.com/seatedyoga.html. For more information on seated yoga, to book Trivell for a workshop or appointment, or to purchase a DVD call (917) 923-5504 or email lisa@trivelltechnique.com.


Three Quick Tips


Breath of Fire

Take a full breath and allow the stomach to come on the exhale and out on the inhale. You take short puffs of breath in the lower abdomen. As you exhale you pull your tummy in. It is invigorating and relieves stress.


Seated Cat

You arch and then round your back. It stretches and helps tone your back which balances your nervous system.


Neck Rolls

Roll your neck around slowly. Inhale as you go back and exhale as you go forward. Do it three times around. It will release tension in your neck and shoulders. It will help relieve a headache and improve your eyesight.





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