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While the national conversation around immigrants and immigrant rights is center stage, First Friends of New Jersey and New York has been working locally for decades with a network of volunteers to provide dignity, support and practical assistance to immigrants impacted by the immigration enforcement system. Our guest is Katy Sastry, Executive Director of First Friends of New Jersey & New York For more, visit firstfriendsnjny.org.

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The UK’s most celebrated Hip-Hop dance theater company, Boy Blue, presents the U.S. premiere of Cycles at Lincoln Center’s Rose Theater, March 27, 28 & 29 at 7:30 pm. Now in the 24th year of their professional partnership, our guests are Co-Founders and Co-Artistic Directors of Boy Blue, Choreographer Kenrick Sandy, MBE, and Composer Michael Asante, MBE. For more, visit boyblue.co.uk and lincolncenter.org.

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Located in the heart of Manhattan's historic Seaport District, the South Street Seaport Museum preserves and interprets the history of New York as a great port city. The exhibition Maritime City, in the Museum’s newly restored and renovated historic 1868 A.A. Thomson & Co. building at 213 Water Street, highlights how New York City, as we know it today, arose from the sea. Our guest is Museum President and CEO, Captain Jonathan Boulware.  For more, visit southstreetseaportmuseum.org.

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Girl Scout Cookie season has arrived!  This beloved annual event is serious business for thousands of young women as they hone real world entrepreneurial skills. Our guests are Karen Lundgard, Interim CEO of Girl Scouts of Greater New York, and 12-year old Girl Scout Ashleigh F., the top cookie seller in Brooklyn for the 2024 season. For more, visit girlscoutsnyc.org.

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The Bloomingdale School of Music, a non-profit music education institution on the Upper West Side, celebrates it’s 60th Anniversary!  Executive Director Erika Atkins leads this very special community of 800 musicians of all ages from their historical brownstone on West 108th street.  For more, visit bsmny.org.

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Parenting in the first year can be a mix of joy, exhaustion, and confusion—but it doesn’t have to feel overwhelming! Vered Benhorin is a licensed creative arts therapist, music therapist, psychotherapist, and mom of three. Her book is WHAT DO I DO WITH MY BABY ALL DAY?!:  Simple Ways to Have the Best First Year Together.

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Few things are harder than recovery from substance use disorder.  It can be a challenging, lonely and confusing time. Fortunately, a growing workforce of Peer Recovery Specialists—people drawing on their own lived experiences— provide crucial, non-clinical support to help others navigate their recovery journeys.  Our guest is Breyonna Kelton, Peer Recovery Program Director with New Jersey Prevention Network, providing training courses to meet certification requirements, and support peer professionals.  For more, visit NJPN.org.

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Each of us has a different idea of paradise—Is it on earth? Where does the concept come from?  And how do we find peace in our own chaotic world?  Renowned writer and thinker Pico Iyer brings together a lifetime of exploration for THE HALF KNOWN LIFE: IN SEARCH OF PARADISE. Pico Iyer is the acclaimed and bestselling author of more than a dozen books, which have been translated into twenty-three languages. His essays appear regularly in Time, The New York Times, The New York Review of Books, The Financial Times, and more than 250 other periodicals worldwide.

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Over the past 36 years, The Jazz Foundation of America has grown from a local New York City effort to serve a few dozen musicians, to a national non-profit, assisting nearly 7,000 musicians nationwide.  Our guests are Joe Petrucelli, Executive Director of The Jazz Foundation of America, and reknowned photographer Richard Corman. JFA is proud to present A Wonderful World Exhibition: Jazz and Blues Musician Portraits by Richard Corman, an extraordinary photographic exhibition that celebrates iconic figures of jazz and blues. Proceeds from sales of photos from this exclusive showcase, on display at the Wild Geese Gallery on the Upper West Side through February 2025, will directly benefit JFA’s Musicians Emergency Fund, providing critical assistance to artists in need. For more, visit jazzfoundation.org.

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Breakups are difficult in so many ways, but also an opportunity to reset and bounce back better! Our guest is John Kim, also known as “The Angry Therapist” and a bestselling author who’s latest book is BREAK UP ON PURPOSE: A Catalyst for Growth…where he identifies 8 distinct types of breakups with tailored approaches to healing for each unique situation. John Kim is a licensed marriage and family therapist based in Los Angeles and the author of books including “It’s Not Me, It’s You” and “Single On Purpose.”

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