Peter Holderied, Lynn Magnus and Jenn Holderied (Provided photo — Naj Wikoff)

Saturday, May 6, was a day of celebrations and supporting those who give much of themselves in service to others. The cavalcade of activities began with the coronation of King Charles, shifted to Champlain Area Trails (CATS) re-birth of its long hike, a 14-stroll from Willsboro to Westport, moved to the fundraiser for the Lake Placid Educational Opportunity Fund hosted by the Holderied family, and wrapped up with a tribute by Dmitry Feld for those who give so much to support the people of Ukraine.

The Rev. John Sampson invited members of the Keene Valley Congregational Church, along with family and friends, to join him at 5 a.m. to watch the coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla. He welcomed people with a generous spread that included fresh fruit, scones, an egg casserole, teas and coffee. The ceremony was full of pomp and pageantry, military flourishes, and a bit of controversy around Prince Harry and the late arrival of Prince William, Kate Middleton and their children.

A pivotal moment was the king’s declaration, “I come not to be served but to serve,” an expression of his commitment to continue and build on his and his mother’s decades of service. In addition, King Charles included non-Christian faith leaders to make the service more inclusive. And he had many essential aspects of the service led by women and people of color, including a gospel choir.

King Charles founded and continues to support 17 major charities that give out over $150 million a year, spread over 38 countries. The charities include Mosaic, a Muslin youth mentoring campaign, his Foundation for Children and the Arts, and the Prince’s Trust, which invests in young people’s future in 17 countries. These charities, now led by Prince William, are a small part of the king’s efforts to touch the lives of others. Starting at age 21, they include five decades of campaigning for environmental protections and raising awareness of such dangers as plastic pollution.

Inspired by environmental activist and photographer Gary Randorf, first director of the Adirondack Council, CATS was created to protect land throughout New York’s side of the Champlain Valley, create and maintain trails for people of all ages, strengthen the region’s economic vitality, and connect people with nature. On Saturday, at 10 a.m., the organization held its first Grand Hike since COVID, a 14-mile ramble starting west of Willsboro and winding its way along rivers, ridgelines, old lumber roads, and across wide-open fields, ending at Ballard Park in Westport.

Heidi Holderied, Georgia Jones and Macie Huwiler (Provided photo — Naj Wikoff)

“A key element of our trail system has been enabling people to hike from town to town,” said CATS Executive Director Chris Maron. “In 2012, we launched the Grand Hike, with the first going from Wadhems to Essex. Then the owner of Essex Inn contacted us saying he’d help host it if we wanted to do it again, so the next year, we went from the Westport fairgrounds to Essex.”

The Grand Hike is a fundraiser for CATS and an introduction for many to their trail system. It’s also an opportunity to meet an array of people who find peace, healing and inspiration in nature.

For me, one was Dr. David Clauss, the first chief medical officer and medical director of emergency departments for the UVM Health Network. He shared his concerns and efforts to support the ED doctors and nurses working in the Network.

A 2020 survey revealed that nearly 62% of all nurses had reported burnout, with those under 25 reporting 60%, which has spiked under COVID. ER doctors report a 65% burnout rate. Dr. Clauss said alarming is the increasing violence against doctors and nurses, which I experienced last year at UVM when a patient in the room next to mine attacked a nurse. The good news is that Dr. Clauss is doing everything he can to increase the resilience of emergency medicine specialists and reduce patient violence within the network.

On Saturday, beginning at 5 p.m., the Educational Opportunity Fund of the Lake Placid Central School District held its second fundraiser at Generations. Hosted by the Holderied family and themed around the Kentucky Derby, the benefit attracted a large, dapperly dressed crowd raising over $20,000 to support activities for Lake Placid Central School programs for youth and teachers.

Ed Newbauer, left, is met by town of Essex Supervisor Ken Hughes along the CATS trail where it crosses into the town. (Provided photo — Naj Wikoff)

“The money raised goes to the Education Opportunity Fund’s initiative to sponsor the Fifth-Grade trip to the state Capitol in Albany, the summer reading program at the elementary and middle-high school, college visitation trips, and our teacher grants,” said Lynn Magnus, chair of the Kentucky Derby benefit. “One of them was music series that gave kids exposure to live music, and at the high school level, we sent kids to Proctor’s Theatre to see a Broadway play and supported the robotics class. We are about addressing the economic, social, and culture gaps between kids, about providing kids shared experiences, which sometimes involves getting them out of Placid so they can experience different things.”

“We have a family meeting where we look at our charitable contributions, and we decided that this would be a great cause, and is a wonderful time to have fun because no one has had a chance to dress up and go to a party in a while,” said Heidi Holderied.

Finally, at 7 p.m., I attended Dmitry Feld’s dinner in Lake Placid, held to thank the many people in our region and beyond working with him to support Ukrainians during this time when their cities, homes and people are suffering under the brutal and unprovoked war launched by Russia. I met Moki Kokoris, a Ukrainian graphic designer, calligrapher and art teacher who leads art classes for Ukrainian refugee youth in the United States. Her work focuses on helping kids use the arts to safely express their emotions, which includes many losing family members and homes to war.

“Look, the Russians are using incendiary bombs against the Ukrainian villages and cities,” said Kokoris showing me a cellphone video. “It’s a war crime; the skies are burning. I do what I can to help the children. They lose themselves in calligraphy; it helps with their healing.”

CATS, the Educational Opportunity Fund and the Ukrainians (through Dmitry), all need and deserve our generosity. The volunteers behind all these efforts are working hard to uplift and support the health and well-being of others. They also reflect that the people of our region have kind and generous hearts and that this is truly a wonderful place to live.

Bill and Cheyrl Morris (Provided photo — Naj Wikoff)

“The Holderieds are so wonderful to host this party,” said Wendy Fox. “The money raised makes such a difference in the lives of so many.”

(Naj Wikoff lives in Keene Valley. He has been covering events for the Lake Placid News for more than 15 years.)

Wendy Fox and Greg Fisher (Provided photo — Naj Wikoff)

Moki Kokoris and Dmitry Feld (Provided photo — Naj Wikoff)