Author: Sistina Giordano

The Positivity Project came at a time when second-grade teacher Marc Herron needed some words of encouragement. After watching close friends Sheila and Scott Ungerer deal with their son Luke’s cancer diagnosis, Herron went on a mission to become more optimistic both inside and outside of the classroom. He already helped raise funds for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, in honor of Luke, but he wanted to do more. Then he started reading positive quotes by his friend Mike Erwin, posted on Facebook. Erwin, a fellow Central New Yorker, created the Positivity Project to spread powerful words and actions to people…

Jennifer Phillips is an unusual photographer. She started a business that grew out of a hobby of taking pictures. That’s not such an unfamiliar story. It’s her Always Love Project that has given her a place in the hearts of local parents, ones who have endured the death of a child. Always Love, a nonprofit organization, gives those parents photos to remember their children by, and it’s a pursuit that requires an especially deft touch with a camera and with people. Phillips has gone through many transformations in her life. In addition to Always Love, she has a business now…

It’s a little after 5 a.m. on a weekday when I roll over and swing my legs to the end of my king-size bed. Most days I follow the light of my iPhone to silence the alarm. All I’m thinking is “Don’t wake the little ones.” Like most mornings, I share the bed with my 4-year-old daughter. For the last year and half, most of my mornings have begun like this. Managing two children during the early hours is something I’ve grown used to — but I never imagined doing it on my own. Nearly two years ago, my life…