This past Thursday, March 7th, Westchester Children’s Association held its inaugural community storytelling fundraiser, “Growing Pains”. Inspired by ‘The Moth’, this event gathered six Westchester locals and challenged them with the task of shedding their professional sides, and telling a personal, intimate story for just one evening. The results were a resounding success!

To a completely SOLD-OUT audience, Dr. Marsha Gordon, President & CEO of the Business Council of Westchester, kicked off the event with her heroic story of being a Super ‘Baba’ and rescuing her grandkid from a suspected gas leak. Jonathan Alvarez, founder & CEO of 914United then tugged at our heartstrings with a powerful story about overcoming personal obstacles in grad school. Next, Ann Umemoto, WCA’s Board President, was joined by her husband, Richard Younge, as they recounted the hilarity of their first child’s birth. Subomi Macaulay, the African Storyteller, was our fourth storyteller, giving the audience a lesson on the power of luck that she learned as attending school as a girl in Nigeria. Next up was none other than Ken Jenkins, the newly elected Westchester County Executive, telling a story about his time as a Boy Scout. Cristian Opazo, Director of Educational Technology at the NYU College of Dentistry, brought the house down laughing about his childhood bathroom etiquette. Closing out the night was surprise storyteller Sahara Lake, the daughter of WCA Executive Director Allison Lake, speaking about the time she almost lost her voice.

It was a night of laughter, tears, and triumph for the storytellers and the audience alike. WCA hopes to make the event a yearly occurrence, providing an annual space for Westchester to come together, share stories, and fundraise for the essential advocacy for Westchester children and youth.

Special thanks were given to the storytellers for their wonderful contributions to the evening, as well as Meredith Phillips from Stories on Hudson for helping the speakers perfect their stories. Thanks were also given to the Child & Family Institute for their generous donation of our raffle item from the night, a signed Taylor Swift guitar.