From the Federation Executive Director

From the Desk of the Federation Executive Director: With gratitude 10/08/21

By Shelly Hubal

Big Mama is a majestic pine tree that lives by a small bend on the Vernal Pool Trail at the Binghamton University Nature Preserve. My family gave the tree that name many years ago when we started hiking the preserve on a regular basis. You can’t miss its thick, twisted roo…

From the Desk of the Federation Executive Director: With gratitude 8/26/21

By Shelley Hubal

Hanging above my desk are several postcards created by my Dad. He was a whiz with Photoshop, and I count his postcards among my most cherished possessions. Some of the captions are “Poppa Steve’s Summer Camp for Wayward Children” and “Josh Hubal Stars in the Attack …

From the Desk of the Federation Executive Director: With Gratitude (7/30)

I wouldn’t call my desire an obsession. Let’s use the term “dream.” For years, I have been wanting to go to Cherry Springs State Park. Have you heard of it? Located in Northwest Pennsylvania, about a two and a half hour drive from Binghamton, it is one of only a handful of places on …

From the Desk of the Federation Executive Director: With Gratitude (7/16)

“I pledge to be funny.” Those are the words my son Joshua wrote several years ago when he was asked to sign a behavior contract before going to sleep-away camp. Not satisfied with just committing himself to respecting others and following the camp rules, he made a commitment that to keep…

From the Desk of the Federation Executive Director: With gratitude 6/4/21

In preparation for the Federation annual meeting on June 16, I’ve spent time reflecting on the past year and creating a vision for the year to come. (For information about how to attend the meeting, see the article on page 1.) The pandemic brought with it unprecedented challenges, but it a…