From the medical realm, medical coordinator Dr. Art Chandler said there will be a new inclusion of nutrition and increased street presence in partnership with the Kingston Farmer’s Market. Chandler recently was honored at a TedX event at Lafayette College where he gave an 18-minute presentation on the concepts behind O-Positive and how it can shape the definition of community by fostering more inclusion, as well as founding more community support for arts.
The Mid-Hudson Family Health Institute and their umbrella corporation, the Institute for Family Health, continue to be great supporters, said Chandler. Health Quest, parent company of Vassar Brothers Medical Center and Northern Dutchess Hospital, has also come on board with services, providers and substantial fiscal support. Chandler said that since the festival is now a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation, they are able to accept donations. “We have had great support from other nonprofit entities such as MTD For Life which is based in Rosendale and run by Michael Tobias,” said Chandler. “He has donated a handmade guitar for the silent auction, which I hope I get to buy!”
The festival is taking its fundraising tactics to a whole new realm through an eBay auction of items collected from festival supporters such as regionally revered painters, celebrity local DJs, and other Hudson Valley notables all donating items ranging from art books to vintage vinyl to household oddities.
For more information and the complete schedule, visit opositivefestival.org/art-music-wellness/
