The TCW Archives

Helping Hands Baby, it's cold outside - but just imagine how much colder it would be if you had no home in which to seek shelter from the elements. For too many, that is a stark reality – but that’s also where  HONOR  comes in.  Since 1974, HONOR – Helping Others Needing Our Resources – has been offering temporary housing, food, counseling services and more for Orange County's most needy residents. Located in Middletown, their housing programs serve approximately 3,000 men, women and children annually and another 24,000 people are helped through HONOR’s food pantries, street outreach, after-care services and help line. Guests are provided three nutritionally balanced meals each day, along with transportation and counseling to help them to become self-sufficient. Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days each year, HONOR serves with compassion, respect and, of course, honor. The Genealogy Connection Looking for help connect the dots on you...

by Jennifer Warren Phoebe Miller knew the answer was in finding a home. Where that was and what it looked like were roughly sketched in her mind and the details remained a mystery – which was o.k. A few years before Miller experienced two devastating losses: Her father's passing and a divorce. The primary caregiver to her dad and a partner for 15 years, she had been immersed in building a life for other people that had suddenly vanished in the blink of an eye. Phoebe Miller And with that evaporation came an unexpected crossroads. A former professional dancer who had taught Pilates classes, Miller had recently developed a passion for instructing yoga from a place of understanding of people's varying backgrounds and experiences. Through the transition, she was certain of a couple things. "I wanted to travel as well as continue on the path of teaching yoga," Miller says. "There was a lot of deconstruction in my life and I just wasn't sure of...

by Dana Muwwakkil Step into the ring with the Women from GLOW (Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling) – the 1980s spandex and big hair world that women like actor Ruth Wilder (Alison Brie) land in when quality acting roles are scarce. Dreaming of landing a role that consists of more than telling powerful men that their wives are on line one, Ruth stumbles into GLOW and thinks this gig might be her big break.  The organization is brand new, headed by former B-list director and financed by a rich kid who wants to turn the women into stereotypes. Ruth is a natural front-runner who is passionate about her craft, but struggles to develop a compelling character and find her footing with the physical training. The show is based on the real women from GLOW, which became the very first television show with all female pro wrestlers in 1986. Netflix also has a documentary showing the real trailblazers some of the characters are loosely based on. These women were incredible enough to t...

by Dana Muwwakkil Jessica James is one dope chick and she knows it. Bursting with confidence and oozing raw, feminine, energy (as she puts it), Jessica is both funny and sharp. Played by the enchanting Jessica Williams, the character is a theater teacher who is well-loved by the students she inspires, but struggles to find the same recognition as a Big Apple playwright that she did in her hometown. When we meet her, we find that her dream of directing her own plays has been met with a series of rejection letters. Although she seemingly takes them in stride, rejection is one area of life that our lead feels a bit insecure about. Still haunted by the ghost of a past relationship (she stalks her ex’s Instagram account), her love life also causes distress. While reluctantly agreeing to go on a blind date, she finds an intriguing connection with Boone (played by the charming Chris O’Dowd). The budding romance is adorable, but it’s not the main focus of Jessica’s life or her sto...

A rare talent that grabs you by the heart and says RECOGNIZE, poet, author, performer, songwriter, community “artivist” and speaker,  Bettina “Poet Gold” Wilkerson  pushes the boundaries of poetry and the spoken word. A Poet Gold performance is a journey through original prose, navigating all the lively, soul-brightening and thought-provoking feels she takes you through with each and every stanza, phrase and word. She paints pictures with her words about things like her grandmother’s cookware, the color blue or her coif that makes people sigh, smile, laugh and feel.  Named 2017 and 2018 Dutchess County Poet Laureate, she is a 2014 NYSCA Individual Artist Tier Grant Awardee for the Mid-Hudson region and a 2016 Athena honoree. She has worked with world-renowned organizations and authors to craft and convey their story in poetic form. She has opened for MC Lyte and Lauryn Hill for “A Tribute to the ladies of Hip-Hop” as well as with “The Voice” Season II...

by Felicia Hodges I’ve always been very physically active. In grade school it was daily kickball, tag and later, the sixth-grade softball team (I played first base). As a freshman in high school, a few moths after watching my uncle in the NYC marathon, I decided to give the track team a try. I ran and jumped my way right into an athletic scholarship, seeing the U.S. and earning a B.A. without any school loans hanging over my head after graduation. The author with her training partner, Ed, during their shodan (black belt) test in 2009. Through career shifts, marriage, pregnancy and divorce, I kept competing. In July 2004, I retired from the sport to go to graduate school and still keep up with my then 11-yr-old son. A few days after I started graduate school in August, I found a pea-sized lump in my right breast. The biopsy results came in at the beginning of October My cancer diagnosis was made just in time for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Grad school’s Thanksgiv...