A message from

Assemblywoman

SANDY GALEF

SENIOR FORUM

Dear Constituent,

This year, I wanted to do something for my Senior Forum that would bring joy to our lives during this difficult economic period. My forum topic will focus on tourism and places to visit in the Hudson Valley. There are many local events and places to enjoy during the summer and fall months. We will be highlighting things to do and places to go, which when we visit, will also support our local economies. Our focus ranges from tourism sites to visiting unique historic landmarks to events surrounding this year’s Quadricentennial celebrating the 400th Anniversary of Henry Hudson sailing the Hudson River. Supporting our own communities and neighboring communities must remain a priority, and what better way to do it than by celebrating the history and richness of the area with our friends and families.
I would like to thank Hudson Valley Hospital Center for sponsoring the breakfast that will be provided at my Senior Forum, and thank all the senior groups who co-sponsored this event. Thanks also to Dr. Gary Phillips from Hudson Valley Hospital Center for agreeing to provide us with a wonderful presentation on ways to stay healthy while living with diabetes, as well as ways to prevent diabetes.
Please join me on July 9th for breakfast at 9 a.m. and some special entertainment from a Hudson Valley performer, my friend Jonathan Kruk, who has graciously agreed to share some wonderful stories from our Hudson Valley’s history. He will be followed by an interesting presentation and discussion on the upcoming events within the Hudson Valley. I look forward to seeing you then.

Sincerely,

Sandy Galef

Member of the Assembly

Presenters: Storyteller Assistant Director of the Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial Commission Director of Tourism, Westchester County Director, Putnam County Visitors Bureau Senior Planner, Hudson River Valley Greenway

Find out about: and Endocrinologist, Hudson Valley Hospital Center
*Breakfast provided by Hudson Valley Hospital Center
For more information contact Sandy Galef’s office at 914-941-1111

State Assemblywoman Sandy Galef’s

Senior Forum
2009

Thursday, July 9, 2009
9:00 a.m. -12:00 Noon

Senior Forum Speakers

Our Senior Forum Co-Sponsors:

More events are being planned; call your local municipality to see what is scheduled.

Farmers’ Markets

in the 90th Assembly District

This year, we in New York are celebrating Henry Hudson’s discovery, 400 years ago, of the beautiful Hudson River we enjoy today.
Henry Hudson, born in 1565, was an English explorer and navigator. He was originally hired in 1607 by a company in London to find a new water route from Europe to Asia. Yet the two trips he made for this company were largely unsuccessful.
Then in 1609 Hudson was hired by the Dutch East India Company so that he could continue the search for an all-water route to Asia. He and his crew left that spring aboard a ship named the Half Moon. They sailed northeast, but upon encountering ice along the coast of Norway, Hudson and his crew turned west and headed for warmer water. The Half Moon continued across the Atlantic and sailed south along the coast of North America. The ship soon turned around and headed north in search of the elusive passage that would bring them to Asia. In September 1609 Hudson sailed into New York Bay and began his exploration of the river that bears his name.
Although this trip also failed to bring him and his crew to Asia, he returned home to tell the Dutch of the fertile lands he had discovered along this newly found river as well as the delights of fur trading with the natives. This led the Dutch to claim the area as their own and they soon began sending people over to create settlements.
On his last adventure, he secured funding under the English flag, yet after surviving the icy and cold winter in James Bay in Canada, his crew abandoned him once the ice that had enclosed his ship had melted. He wanted to continue the journey while many crew members wished to return home. These crew members overpowered Hudson and abandoned him, and he was never seen again.
Although Henry Hudson failed to find that coveted water route that would enable Europeans to reach Asia, he and his crew were the first Europeans to travel up the Hudson River, which has had such a critical impact on our lives today.

The Basic and Enhanced STAR school property tax exemption program has not been deleted from the 2009-10 New York State Budget. Basic STAR is available to anyone who owns and lives in their own home as a primary residence. The Enhanced STAR exemption is available to senior citizens whose incomes do not exceed the statewide standard. These programs will continue to provide property tax relief to the homeowners of New York. For more information on the STAR and Enhanced STAR programs, please contact your local assessor’s office. The 2009-10 New York State Budget has provided $49.9 million to the Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage (EPIC) funding. The program is designed to lower prescription costs for seniors on fixed incomes. This is to ensure all seniors have access to affordable prescription drugs, to help prevent unnecessary future medical treatment. EPIC supplements other prescription coverage for greater benefits and savings. For more information please visit www.health.state.ny.us or call the EPIC hotline at 1-800-332-3742. The New York State Department of Health is now accepting applications for the new, free New York Prescription Saver Card. The program will offer participants significant discounts on thousands of prescription medicines, providing savings of more than 60 percent on generic drugs and 30 percent on brand name drugs. This saver card will serve New Yorkers whose annual income is $35,000 or less for single individuals or $50,000 or less for married couples and for those who are disabled or are between the ages of 50 and 64. Medicaid recipients or those enrolled in the Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage (EPIC) are not eligible. Applications and more information about eligibility are available now by calling 1-800-788-6917, visiting http://nyprescriptionsaver.fhsc.com, or talking to your local pharmacist.