Town Times March 20, 2020

www.towntimes.com

Volume 23, Number 51

Friday, March 20, 2020

Vocal Chords celebrate 30 years By Everett Bishop Town Times

MIDDLETOWN — When a nurse in a power suit, wielding a briefcase marched into the administrative offices of Middlesex Hospital with the goal of getting support in starting a vocal group, who could have predicted the outcome?

Amanda Kenyon and Tony Marino of the Rockfall Foundation present IDS Head of School Marijke Kehrhahn (center) with a $2,000 check for IDS' Love Your Earth Summer Program. Photo by Everett Bishop, Town Times

IDS receives $6K grant to operate summer camp By Everett Bishop Town Times

Middlefield’s own Independent Day School is going to be bringing kids into nature this summer.

The camp will run for two weeks for 24 kids in grades two through four from Middlefield, Durham and Middletown.

“The goal of the Love Your Earth Summer Program is to Recipient of the Rockfall engage students ages 6 to 9 Foundation’s Fostering Fuin real-world, hands-on, ture Environmental Stewards place-based learning that grant, IDS will use the funds give them opportunities to to operate the Love Your enjoy the natural world and Earth Summer Program. to impact the natural world through their own agency,” According to IDS, “the fullIDS Head of School Marijke day program will include Kehrhahn said. garden work ... nature trail vegetation study and IDS was awarded $6,000 from restoration, organized hikes the Rockfall Foundation and nature study, and unfet- – $2,000 of which will be used tered play in nature.” once a year for the next three Field trips have also been in- summers to run the camp. cluded in the camp curricu- “IDS has gotten grants from lum. The program will also us in prior years ... it’s someinclude an overnight family thing that we like to fund,” campout. said Rockfall Foundation

Grants and Communications Coordinator Amanda Kenyon. “In past years they used the money to fund their nature trails, so this is a way for them to use those trails more.”

Also, Kenyon said the foundation was happy to see the inclusion of Middletown students in the program at “low or no cost” to families. The Rockfall Foundation, whose mission is to “promote and support environmental education and conservation in the Lower Connecticut River Valley,” has marked 85 years as an environmental non-profit. To celebrate, the foundation provided $50,000 in grants to environmental projects in the state this year – the largest award since the inception of the program.

Connecticut. Along with drawing from hospital staff, the group also includes family, friends and others.

Growing up, Ghent played classical piano and became aware of the healing effects of music. But when she and a few of her fellow nurses began to harmonize Christmas carols one That was 30 years ago and night in the intensive care not only did the hospital unit, back in 1990, she got support the idea, the Mid- a good look at patients’ dlesex Hospital Vocal positive response. Chords have enjoyed success that lasts to this day. “My motto is ‘music lifts the spirit and heals the “This is before (the Amer- soul,’” said Ghent, adding ican Medical Association) that the American Medicame out with a study on cal Association uses muthe medicinal use for mu- sic therapy in the ICU and sic,” said Vocal Chords’ for palliative care and othfounder Joyce Ghent. “My er needs. husband used to tell me The hospital gave Ghent ‘Joyce, you’re 20 years ahead of yourself.’ But the $2,000 to help get the Vocal Chords started. hospital thought it was great.” While some of her fellow nurses called her crazy, Today, the Vocal Chords Ghent assembled a handboast more than 100 ful of interested singers members, and perform songs spanning time, and and then began searching musical genres. Typically, for a director, realizing that role wasn’t right for the group performs two concerts a year and sings her. at other events in Central See Vocal Chords, A20

The Middlesex Hospital Vocal Chords pose for a picture in 2018. Photo courtesy of Sandy Zajac