Business digest

Breast cancer benefit at Medispa in Harriman Harriman — Dr. Kareen C. Saunders of Women’s OB/GYN of Ramapo is sponsoring a charity spa party at Medispa at the Triangle Plaza in Harriman on Friday, Oct. 22, from 5 to 9 p.m. to support the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. There will be complimentary massages, facials, refreshments and gift bags. All complimentary services offered are on a first come first served basis. Tickets are $35 in advance and $40 at the door. To purchase tickets, call 321-8028 e-mail to foreveryoung@medispa10926.com or visit www.medispa10926.com. Late or canceled train data now available on MTA Web site New York — MTA Metro-North Railroad is now offering detailed information on late or cancelled trains on the MTA Web site. Metro-North customers can now go to www.mta.info and click on “Accountability/Transparency” to get a listing of late or cancelled trains posted seven to 10 days after their run. The data base will include train information back to July 1 of this year. Officials said this information is designed to increase transparency and assist customers who need information for personal or job-related reasons. For many years, Metro-North has provided “late letters” confirming cancellations and train delays to customers who requested such information by letter or e-mail. The “Late and Canceled Trains” information can be a way for customers to track past performance, but Metro-North will continue to answer “late letter” requests via e-mail and in-person at the Metro-North Customer Service Office at Grand Central Terminal. By national industry standard, a commuter train is considered on time if it arrives within five minutes, 59 seconds of its scheduled arrival time. The trains listed on the Web site are canceled trains or trains that arrive six or more minutes late. Provident is now official bank of Army Athletics MONTEBELLO - Provident Bank is partnering with the U.S. Military Academy designating Provident as the “Official Bank of Army Athletics” with exclusive bank sponsorship for all Army athletic events including Army football, men’s and women’s basketball, hockey and lacrosse. As part of the exclusive bank sponsorship, Provident Bank will have an area in Black Knights Alley called the Connection Zone where fans can have fun and learn more about the bank’s products. Fans at the Connection Zone can sign up to enter the Cash Connection promotion where a winner will go out on the field during a break in the game and step into a special money booth to grab as much cash as they can in thirty seconds. Visitors to the Connection Zone can also play a football toss game and receive a nerf-style football with the Provident Bank logo. In addition, Provident will hold an in-branch promotion from through Oct. 25 where customers can enter to win tickets to the Army-Air Force game on Nov. 6. Realtor news Monroe - The Weichert Realtors’ Monroe office was recognized for outstanding performance in August. The Monroe sales team led the region for resales and resale revenue units. The region consists of offices serving Dutchess, Greene, Orange, Putnam, Rockland and Ulster counties. Prudential Serls Prime Properties is further expanding into Orange County, with the opening of real estate sales offices in Monroe and Warwick. The Monroe office at 791 Route 17M and the Warwick office, located at 81 Ronald Reagan Boulevard, are the former office locations of Coldwell Banker Lazier Realty. Additionally, associates from the former Lazier Realty office in Newburgh have joined the Prudential Serls Prime Properties New Windsor office at 819 Little Britain Road. In total, over 50 former Lazier Realty associates are now part of the Prudential Serls Prime Properties network of real estate professionals. College of Poetry offers workshops Warwick — The College of Poetry will hold three workshops during the fall term to run from Oct. 14 until Dec. 4: one focusing on song lyrics, one on mythology and one on confessional poetry. Singer-songwriter Paul Siegel will teach Lyricism-The Art of Song Poem on Thursdays, from 7 to 9 p.m. William Seaton, director of Poetry on the Loose, will teach Truer than True: Mythology and Poetry on Saturdays, from 10 a.m. to noon. Poet Rebecca Schumejda will teach 2/3 Confessional on Saturdays, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Each workshop will meet for two hours a week during the eight week course. Tuition for each is $150. Enrollees are regarded as “guest poets,” and workshops are presented in a casual and open manner designed to be useful for writers of all levels of experience. To register or for more information, e-mail William Seaton at seaton@frontiernet.net or call 294-8085. The College of Poetry is located at 7 West St., in Warwick. For more information visit www.collegeofpoetry.com. Writers’ center to host Havana-on-Hudson Sleepy Hollow — The Hudson Valley Writers’ Center will host a benefit gala, Havana-on-Hudson, at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 2. The event will honor Hasting poet and author Helen Barolini, and former Congressman Richard Ottinger, and celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Writers’ Center’s own Slapering Hol Press. Tickets are $150 per person and include a festive, tropical menu provided by Taylor Menus of Pleasantville, a silent auction and dancing to live music provided by Grupo Latin Vibe. For more information about the gala and to make your paid reservations, call 914-332-5953. The Hudson Valley Writers’ Center is located at the restored historic Philipse Manor railroad station, 300 Riverside Drive, in Sleepy Hollow. Occupations hosts three open houses this month New Windsor — Occupations, Inc. will host two open house events in October to provide information about the choice of services available through its Day Habilitation program. The open houses will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 12, from 3:30 to 5 p.m. and 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Occupations’ New Windsor location, at 67 Windsor Ave. and on Tuesday, Oct. 19, from 3:30 to 5 p.m. and 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the 15 Fortune Road West location in Middletown. If you have a child or family member with special needs, this is an opportunity to explore the programs and services available to enrich their lives. Human service providers, service coordinators and case managers are also encouraged to attend. Presentations on Day Habilitation programs and services will be given and refreshments will be served. For more information and to RSVP, call Debra Spaier at 562-6850, ext. 288 or visit www.occupations.org. Independent Living to host White Cane Awareness Day on Oct. 15 Newburgh — Independent Living, Inc. will host its second annual Mid-Hudson White Cane Awareness Day celebration on Friday, Oct. 15, from 9:30 a.m. to noon. State Sen. William J. Larkin Jr., Assemblyman Frank Skartados, Orange County Executive Edward Diana, Newburgh Mayor Nicholas Valentine and a representative from the governor’s office, all of whom participated in last year’s event, are expected to attend again this year. There will be demonstrations of assistive technology and the new Image Cast voting machine. Personal stories of achievement by persons with visual impairments will be shared during the program, along with common facts and myths regarding vision awareness. A proclamation from the Orange County Legislature will be read and Independent Living Executive Director Douglas Hovey and Commissioner Brian Daniels from the state Commission for the Blind will speak briefly regarding the significance of the white cane as a symbol of independence for individuals who are blind and visually impaired. Co-sponsors of the event, with Independent Living and the state Commission for the Blind, include the Newburgh Lions Club and the Association for the Visually Impaired. The event is being held at the administrative headquarters of Independent Living, located at 5 Washington Terrace in the City of Newburgh. For more information on the event, call Susan Stockburger at 565-1162, ext. 237.?For more information on the organization, visit www.myindependentliving.org.