Washington Heights social worker wins public television award
Social worker Jennifer Wortham of Washington Heights won first prize for her documentary “A Workshop in the Delta” at the Society for the Arts in Health Care annual conference in Detroit, Michigan.
“A Workshop in the Delta” was chosen from 54 other short documentaries for this honor. “Creative activities like mask-making,” said Wortham, “help people approach loss, grief and life transition in new and healing ways.”
Wortham, a licensed New York State social worker, has spent over 20 years working as therapist, international workshop facilitator and administrator. She has said that her lifelong study of art and interest in mindfulness are instrumental in helping those navigating the many transitions following losses.
Wortham has worked with a variety of organizations, agencies and communities, and is a certified thanatologist and a member of the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC) as well as the Society for the Arts in Health Care.
Her 5-minute film introduces viewers to Scotty Meredith, County Medical Examiner and Funeral Director of Clarksdale, Michigan, who lost a brother to suicide
Meredith’s participation in Wortham’s unique workshop in mask-making and grief enabled him to overcome his anger and guilt regarding his brother’s death. A year after the workshop, Meredith wrote the following to Wortham: “The workshop has helped me tremendously. I don’t have the anger toward my brother. I have accepted his decision. I feel like he knows now exactly how I feel.”
The award-winning film can also be streamed online at http://theheartofgrieving.com.
Berkeley College students volunteer in West Harlem
Berkeley College students and associates recently volunteered at the Food Bank for New York City’s Community Kitchen and Pantry of West Harlem in New York City as part of the Berkeley Cares initiative. Berkeley Cares supports charities that serve local communities in the critical areas of food, shelter, health, and student success.
The group worked in the pantry area, restocking shelves and helping those less fortunate select groceries according to their individual and family needs.
For more information on Berkeley College, please visit www.berkeleycollege.edu.
A concert for Broadway Malls
A Concert for Broadway at Peter Norton Symphony Space will raise funds to support the Broadway Mall Association’s ongoing work to beautify the five-mile long linear park that unites diverse communities along Broadway from 70th through 168th Street.
The concert will be hosted by Budd Mishkin, host of NY1’s “One on 1 with Budd Mishkin,” and will include performances by Ballet Hispanico BHdos, Anthony McGill, Natasha Paremski, Trio Cavatina and members of the cast of the Porgy and Bess 75th Anniversary Tour, who will be performing in honor of Betty Allen, the late director of the Harlem School of the Arts. Participating institutions also include Ballet Hispanico, The Mozart Academy, the Walter W. Naumburg Foundation and Mannes College, The New School of Music.
Proceeds from the concert, which begins at 8pm, and the preceding gala reception at Café du Soleil, will support the BMA’s horticultural and community programs, public art exhibitions, and winter lighting along the malls.
Robert F. Herrmann, BMA president since 1994, will be honored at the gala for his advocacy on behalf of the malls’ restoration and maintenance.
Tickets for the concert are $20 for general admission, $10 for students and seniors.
“We are very pleased to celebrate our 25years of service by sponsoring this extraordinary pubic concert that features the incredible richness of talent here in NYC, at a price that is accessible to the community,” said BMA Vice President Nancy Chaffetz.
For more information on the concert, call 212.864.5400 or visit www.symphonyspace.org
