On a normal night, the moon reflecting over the Hudson River would have been the ‘star of the show’ at Charlie (and John!) Murphy-Dodson’s home in Highland Falls. But on Saturday evening, despite the huge, bright moon, the stars were The Center of Highland Falls as it celebrated its 10th anniversary on September 14th, and the two people the non-profit was honoring at a ‘gala’.

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‘Gala’ is a little word with a big connotation, and while the party was certainly elegant, because it was mostly outside, organizer Murphy-Dodson strongly encouraged the 50 or so guests to wear their sneakers. And they did … with many, especially ladies, wearing the most sparkly of athletic shoes!

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Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler and Mimi Turi, from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, were the honorees at the event, and followed the rules and were also in their sneakers. That enabled them to easily accept their awards with the beautiful background of the Hudson behind them.

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Ann Molina, the founder and executive director of The Center, welcomed all to the party.

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“I can’t believe we’ve been in Highland Falls for ten years doing this,” she said. “It started out as a dream of mine – maybe I was just bored in my retirement. But I saw that people needed someplace to go.”

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So, she took out a personal loan and rented a storefront on Main St. While The Center’s location has changed several times in the 10 years, Mims and her dedicated Board of Directors and volunteers have remained in place. She introduced them later in the evening – President Brian Aylward, Denise Gibney, Ann Taylor, Rich Fox, Murphy-Dodson, Hannah Pitt, John Flynn and Lisa Sibley – and said the volunteers and supporters of The Center were too many to name. She did single out Kathy McCutchen for her help through the years.

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Murphy-Dodson spent a minute introducing and thanking the elected officials who were at the party, or who have assisted The Center through the years. Among those, Highlands Supervisor Bob Livsey and Councilmembers Joe DeWitt and Nancy Sporbert, County Legislator Laurie Tautel, Assemblyman Chris Eachus, Senator James Skoufis (who had a staff member at the event), Superintendent of Schools Mike McElduff, Town Justice Barbara Mennite, and, from the Highlands Planning Board, Matt Johnson.

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Aylward presented the awards, first to Hoovler. He spoke about how County Legislator Tautel had asked he and Molina “what programs are you interested in having” many years ago and, upon hearing they wanted to help with substance abuse and mental health to start, set up a meeting with Hoovler. 

“It was an unbelievable meeting,” Aylward said. “He wasn’t just someone who was going to give us some funding, he was someone who said he has a true interest in Highland Falls. And he has proven that, with not only that funding, but also by being at various events and programs.”

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Aylward called Hoovler an “ethical man, who is hard working and a good leader”.

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“He works every day to help families in crisis in Orange County,” Aylward said. “Many of the programs The Center has we have because of this man.”

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Accepting his award – which were framed and matted antique postcards of the Highlands community – Hoovler thanked The Center for honoring him but gave much of the credit of the results attributed to him to his family and his staff at the District Attorney’s office. He said in his decades in public service the job as DA has changed, from, initially, “holding people accountable for their actions”.

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“That’s still true, but now we are also finding ways to prevent crime,” he said. “Sometimes, it’s about having the guts to stand up and give people a second chance. It’s a job of judgement, and I take it very seriously.”

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He thanked The Center’s volunteers for helping him do that. “The most important thing we can all do as a society, I believe, is working to prevent someone from becoming addicted or falling into mental illness,” he said. “The Center carries the mission of helping people to find their way back.”

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He promised to continue to work with the group and to support the community with his initiatives.

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Turi, the sister of former Town Councilman Bill Edsall, is also helping with that mission, although, before Saturday evening, she had never met Molina in person. She’s a recent retiree from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and with her work there, she explained, a ‘benefit’ is having the Foundation match donations its employees make to good causes 5-to-1.

When she learned, she said, about The Center through her brother and sister-in-law, she was drawn to the work they do, and began to donate, spurring donations from the Foundation as well.

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“It was a no-brainer for me to support the work of The Center,” she told the audience. Her brother noted she does so even though she lives in New Jersey. She has worked with Molina and Aylward as they complete grant applications and create programs.

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“We all know people who have struggled,” Turi said, “and those people need someone to reach out to them like Ann does. I am so grateful for the work that they do to help people in need.”

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The next ‘big event’ for The Center is its Mental Health Day, planned for Ladycliff Park in Highland Falls on Saturday, Sept. 28, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. There will be activities for children and adults, and resources on mental health, substance abuse, etc. available.