TAKE FIVE!

October 06, 2020

Saraid Gonzalez:
Hello. I’m Saraid Gonzales. Welcome to Sullivan 180 presents Take Five. Our guest today is Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther. Welcome Aileen. Thank you for joining us today.

Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther:
Thank you very much for having me and I hope everybody is staying six feet away and wearing that mask. It’s so important for the health, your health and the health of our community.

Saraid Gonzalez:
Yes, yes. Aileen. Can you introduce yourself and talk about some of your initiatives?

Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther:
So I’m Assemblywoman, Aileen Gunther, and I represent the hundredth district. It’s over 120,000 people. It’s all of Sullivan County and it’s parts of orange County in Middletown, Mount Hope and Wallkill. So I have a very large geographic area. I’m also the Chairperson of People With Disabilities and Mental Health in the state of New York from the assembly.

Saraid Gonzalez:
Can you discuss some of the challenges that Sullivan County has faced since the pandemic? And are there any relief efforts that you’re currently working on?

Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther:
Yes. I think that there are a tremendous amount of challenges since the COVID virus began. So our office, you know, Rachel and Tom and Matt and Honora, Debbie and Jean spending enormous amount of time on unemployment. We have numbers that we share that we use, that we can get a direct line. There are people that have waited two months for their unemployment check. And so we try to fast track the effort. Another initiative we’ve been working with the community is regarding food and the lack there of so on Wednesdays and Fridays, my office goes over to Fallsburg School District and we do food delivery in Fallsburg, and there’s still a great need. There’s been a lot of sadness throughout this COVID that people can’t see their family. You can’t really socialize. I mean, mental health wise it’s just not a healthy atmosphere. So for some reason, I was thinking about my life in New York City and how, when the summertime came, what cheered up all the kids that in a hot Bronx city sidewalk, and that was an ice cream man. And so we have found in a person that owns an ice cream truck and is willing to work with us. So we’re going to go from community to community to give our children ice cream to say hello. And so they also know that our office is with them and for them. And then if they need anything, whether it be clothes, food, or just calling someone because they’re lonely, I have Honora here and she picks about 10 senior citizens on her work days and calls them just to say, Hey, how are you? Do you need anything? And I think that’s something we can all do to make sure our friends and our neighbors and those that don’t have family. We check in with them as often as possible. So we’re doing lots of stuff, honestly.

Saraid Gonzalez:
Wonderful. Any positive message that you’d like to share with the residents of Sullivan County.

Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther:
Just that I find Sullivan County and Orange County an incredible home for a lot of us and that we’re friends we’re neighbors. You know, we laugh together, we cry together. And I know that my office really cares about each and every individual and you know the staff that I work with, so we have to keep up our spirits. We have to work together. We have to make sure that we’re safe and take care of our children. This is a very difficult time for children. And again, we are here, we are your employees. So you reach out if you need us, I’m going to tell my number- (845) 794-5807, call us. And if we don’t know the answer, we’ll connect you with someone that does, and you know, fingers are crossed for an immunization. And I can’t wait to get back to some form of normalcy like everybody else.

Saraid Gonzalez:
Yes. I agree. Well, thank you so much for joining us today, Aileen, and thank you for all of your efforts on behalf of Sullivan County.

Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther:
So may I thank Sullivan 180 for all you do for our community? It means a lot to each and every one of us you’re lifting us up and that’s very, very important. So thank you.

Saraid Gonzalez:
Thank you. Thank you so much.