- Tonight on WPBS Weekly.

Inside the Stories, Easterseals offers a wide range of programs to provide the best possible care and opportunities for children with disabilities.

And at Aqua, an afterschool program teaches students traditional songs and dances.

Plus Laura Tiberiu is back her review of the book series, Magnolia Parks by Jessa Hastings might just convince you this is your next must read.

Your story is your region coming up right now on WPBS weekly.

Inside the stories - WPBS weekly inside the stories is brought to you by - When you're unable to see your primary care provider.

A Carthage walk-in clinic is here for you.

Located off Route 26 across from Carthage Middle School.

Comfort and Healing Close to home when you need it most - North Country Orthopedic Group is there for your urgent ortho or sports related injuries.

With our onsite surgical center and same or next day appointments, we're ready to provide care for patients of all ages.

Your health matters to us North Country Orthopedic Group.

Keeping healthcare local.

- We are the north country.

We're protecting one another like family is who we are and where our tomorrow will always be worth defending.

Find out how we keep the North Country Strong, at claxtonhepburn.org.

Today.

- Select musical performances are made possible with funds from the statewide community Regrants program, a REGRANT program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the office of the Governor and the New York state legislator administered by the St. Lawrence County Arts Council - And good Tuesday evening everyone.

Welcome to this edition of WPBS Weekly Inside the Stories.

I'm Michael Rickey.

Founded in 1919, Easterseals offers a wide range of programs that support individuals with disabilities, helping them achieve greater independence and live full productive lives.

Easterseals also assists parents with navigating the complexities of raising a child with disabilities.

Here's Gail Pickett with more.

- One.

Every child, no matter their abilities, should have the chance to achieve their dreams and make their mark on this world.

For children and youth with physical disabilities, this journey may need more supportive environments, opportunities and resources.

For Linda Clouthier, community engagement for southeastern region and Easterseals mom, getting her son's first diagnosis was scary, but connecting with Easterseals allowed her and her family to thrive.

- Easterseals, we're across Ontario, we're a nonprofit and we are here to let families know when they get that scary diagnosis.

You are not alone.

You're not alone.

We are here to help connect you.

I was very fortunate when Kingston, that I was connected at an early stage of Grayson's development with an amazing group of mamas here and majority of them are Easterseals mom.

So when I got the job at Easterseals, it was just hand in hand.

This was meant to be.

And now I get to continue to advocate not only for my story, but stories that I'm aware of that I've been part of.

- At the core of Easterseals.

Enduring legacy is their unwavering commitment to children and youth with physical disabilities, carving their own path into the world with assurance and autonomy.

The remarkable generosity of donors, sponsors, volunteers and staff enable them to continue breaking down barriers, instilling values of inclusivity, creating a world where everyone can flourish.

- I have a platform to share my story.

So many people sit there and go, that is my story a hundred percent.

We become a parent, we become a special needs parent.

That is a whole different type of, a whole different type of layering.

And we wear a different armor when we become that parent and we automatically become, we feel that we have to become these warriors and we have to fight for everything.

And I'm so grateful to be living in Kingston where inclusion is becoming part of that word.

It is a word that families are learning that we have to start saying in our homes and teaching our young children that when you see a child who's different communicates differently, that's in a wheelchair, they're still a child, they're still like yours, but they just have to do things differently.

So we need to teach those children that.

When you see Grayson's little children in a wheelchair and communicating differently, that's okay.

Ask all the questions you need.

So when our children are young, they're educated and they're empowered to go and continue to help and continue what inclusion truly, truly, truly means.

Our children are not all the same.

And so inclusion means no matter what it looks like, at the end of the day, a child is a child and that child still needs the same kind of love and support.

Whether you're in a wheelchair, whether you're nonverbal.

- Easterseals helps parents navigate the complexities of raising a child with disabilities, empowering them to provide the best possible care and opportunities for their children.

Parents can share experiences, advice, and encouragement with others who understand their challenges.

- The parents that starting this journey, don't be afraid.

Do not be afraid.

There is resources out there.

There are other parents that can handhold you.

Nobody, there isn't the stigma anymore.

Nobody is gonna look at you and go, okay, I'm not talking to you.

You are weird.

Your child's weird.

They're gonna actually turn around and say, okay, so what is it you need?

What can I help with?

And in our case, we have parents that have turned around and they've been, Hey, I, I met this new parent, they really need support.

Can I add him to like a chat with you because you seem to have similar experiences of what's going on with your, your medical needs for your child.

Or there'll be a parent that goes, Hey, you know what?

I heard about this syndrome and I know there's a Facebook group out there.

This is the thing, it's, it's not everyone assumes it's a life sentence of you know, being isolated.

It's not.

You've got to jump though.

- You have to jump along with providing funding for services, education, outreach and advocacy.

Easterseals are able to offer hundreds of campers the opportunity to push their boundaries, making lifelong friendships and discover what they are capable of in a fully accessible inclusive environment.

- If you were to tell me Grayson's diagnosis that don't worry when he goes to school, there's gonna be camps that he can go to, like Big Brother, there's gonna be camp in the summer that he's gonna get to go to and meet peers and meet friends and long lasting relationships.

I would've said in what world that again, I get to work and I get to showcase the fact that we have two fully accessible summer camps.

We run these amazing programs throughout the year and they're where it's one of the children set it the best camp is where I get to go, where there's no stairs as in climbing upstairs and those snows, there's no stairs from people actually looking at them 'cause they're different.

They get to go and be a hundred percent who they are authentically in their skin and loved and embraced and they get a week of that, whether they're with their family or by themselves.

And what that does for a young child's self-esteem, self-awareness, some of those kids come outta camp and they're changed forever and they look forward to it.

- Thank yous just doesn't cover it.

It's not enough.

It's, it's, without Easter Seals, I wouldn't have a family of friends.

I wouldn't have other parents to talk to.

I wouldn't have the help in the incontinence grant.

And if I had to get a piece of equipment, I would be probably going, where do I start?

It becomes that a resource you can pull on of an actual real person that's going through what you are going through - For WPBS Weekly.

I'm Gail Paquette - At Ania.

An afterschool initiative called the Youth Services Elementary program teaches students about the Mohawk tribe's, traditional songs and dances, families, school administrators and community members all come together to embrace the students' talents.

Take a look.

- Youth services in collaboration with the mental health program and Native Connections had a community social event at the Mohawk Nation.

Longhouse to Salinas and Tsionke Cook have been teaching students in an afterschool program called the Youth Services Elementary Program about Akwesasne's traditional songs and dances.

- So today is the end of the year social, it's for Simon River's singing and dancing group as well as Jefferson singing and Dancing.

It's mainly to celebrate the commitment that the students made throughout the seven weeks that we've been teaching Gretchen and myself.

And it's just to, you know, showcase what they learned and show 'em like what a real social is rather than what they experience in the gym.

- Tonatiuh explains the importance of teaching ancient traditions to younger generations.

- It's what we've been doing for hundreds and thousands of years.

You know, this is, this is what gets us through a lot of different things.

From what I've learned is that it has a lot to do with your mental health, has a lot to do with your physical health, your spiritual health and your emotional health.

You know, all of that.

It gets better when you learn these dances and learn what these dances are about, how they're done and why we do them.

- Students as well as families, school administrators and community members all came together to participate at the social, - Mr. Solina, Gooch works in our building.

And I went in and during one of their practice events at the gymnasium and I was just sitting there watching, trying to, trying to get an understanding of what was going on.

And soon, about a week later, he came in and talked to me about it and, and invited me out here.

So, you know, as a principal, as an educator, you know, my first goal is to try to get to know my students and what better way than to immerse myself out here and, and, and, and a celebration.

So I'm super excited that I was invited.

- It's definitely going to make them realize this is what they're meant to do.

This is part of their culture, this is part of their heritage and that's super important.

We talk a lot about identity and who we are to know where, where we come from to have a piece of our roots.

It's very important.

It's very important for our children to be proud of who they are.

- The mental health program and native connections also donated bikes, skateboards, gift cards, and goody bags to the students who attended the afterschool program.

For the past few months, - We've learned that, you know, this is some people's first times coming to the Longhouse, our own community members, our first times coming to the longhouse and stepping foot here.

We have guests, we got principals, vice principals, guidance counselors from the neighboring schools.

So they all decided to come here too.

So I think that this will have a really huge impact when the kids go back to school next year and they remember seeing their teacher at the Longhouse during the social and even up there dancing with them.

I think that'll build those relationships that much stronger with Messina and Malone and the surrounding areas.

And you know, we can start to do better things for the future for the generations - Canadian.

Laura Tiberiu is an avid reader.

In 2024 alone, she read 118 books in this segment, she reviews the book series, Magnolia Parks by Jessa, Hastings, Magnolia and BJ are two of the richest and most influential people in London.

And everyone is curious as to why they broke up.

Here's Laura with more.

- I need to talk to you about a book series that completely took over my life.

My life revolved around time.

I could read more from the series, looking at my Amazon order of when the next book in the series was going to arrive, tracking it and, and just waiting for the moment it arrived at my doorstep and then rinse and repeating until I unfortunately now have caught up and, and waiting for another book to release.

Now of course I'm talking about the book on this t-shirt, the book I am, oh, wrong book.

That's another book in the series, the book I am holding Magnolia Parks.

This is not the first in the series because I obviously had to match my t-shirt, which one of my very close friends got me for my birthday.

And it is a girl reading this book.

How amazing is that?

This is why it is so great to have friends who read because they're so easy to shop for, just buy them books or bookish things.

Anyway, on the book, Magnolia Parks.

Now this series definitely took over TikTok and Instagram.

And if you're not in the bookish community on social media, no worries.

I'm here to explain what this incredible series about these chunkers of books.

They, they're, they're, they're huge.

Okay, I've got just two in the series next to me to show you just how massive they are.

But so worth it.

You'll wish they were longer, which I definitely did.

Magnolia Parks to put plainly think Gossip Girl, but set in London and less fraud and the parents being involved, way more focused on the core friend group and the children, although they're in university or past university and working now and their insane lives and the rollercoaster of love and heartbreak and what it feels like to have loved someone all of your life.

But grow up with them and grow into yourself and who you are as a person.

Make mistakes along the way.

Pray for forgiveness along the way.

Sometimes get it, sometimes not act in ways to hurt those around you.

And really all you want is their love.

But at the end of all of that is a foundation of so much love these characters have for each other.

And it's not just our two protagonists, which are Magnolia and BJ Ballantine, it's also their entire friend group.

And I will say Magnolia Parks itself has three or four books and then Daisy Hates is a Sister series, but you kind of read it in order.

So there's a specific order.

Look it up if you're actually gonna get into it.

Daisy Hates is one of the other characters in the friend group, kind of in the books, which you'll find out.

So it's all interconnected series and books and you get so lost in it.

One of the tropes in the book is Found Family.

So even though they're not actually related, these people, these characters in the books, they know each other so well spend so much time together.

All of the plots revolve around their different relationships.

Hi Ella.

And they've really found their own new family with their complicated relationships with their actual parents and family.

They've instead found a safe space.

That's a weird word because they do some pretty terrible things to each other for drama throughout, but they do.

They, they have created this new found family for each other within their friends.

And if you love drama, if you love outrageous plot points so much betrayal, it is crazy.

I wouldn't cool go quite as far to say telenovela, but maybe around that area.

That is what you can expect from this book.

I really, somebody, and I can't remember who described it as British Goddess Sip Girl.

And that's probably the closest commonly known reference I could give.

But honestly, please read this book.

I would definitely say to look up any trigger warnings or specific themes that you may not want to read about.

It is definitely a more mature book.

There's nothing explicit in it, but it's not for everyone.

Some people get uncomfortable and just want a more easy read this, you will not be able to put down every page.

There's a different dramatic plot point coming out and you just need to keep reading and flip through to find out what happens next.

It's also so beautifully written.

Truly Jessa Hastings, the author of the series, has the most beautiful prose, the way she describes love, grief, growing pains and how it feels to be in your twenties changing as a person.

It is incredible.

And it's also dual POV, which means it's in the point of view of both our main characters.

So the female and the male.

And that is really interesting and sometimes hard to do right because she's a woman writing in a man's perspective.

But as a woman, I thought it was done really, really well and there was a clear difference, but still emotional deity to what his point of view was.

So I'll leave it at that.

I clearly obsessed with this book and the series and highly recommend to anyone if you look it up and decide high drama, intense drama is your thing because not everyone likes the same books and that is totally okay.

- Hailing from Kingston, Ontario, The Backsteps have been steadily building their fan base and perfecting their unique sounds since 2015 known for their electrifying live performances.

The back steps bring their music to life on stage, captivating audiences with their infectious energy and unrivaled stage presence.

Here they are tonight with their original song, Livin in a Dream.

- Hi, I'm Seth Hunt.

I am the guitarist, one of the singers, band guru freak on a leash, Texas Roadhouse and mustache aficionado.

I play in the back steps.

My love for music began when I was a kid.

I always had music on in my house growing up, my dad really into Pearl Gym, led Zeppelin, the Beatles, the Stones.

Then I kind of took over loving punk rock like I got into like Green Day and then the Ramones, the Misfits, bands like that growing up.

So I always had it around as a kid.

The song we're gonna play is called Living in a Dream.

This song was actually written by Luke Garrison, our bassist and vocalist.

Going back to those Bigfoot retreats, this was actually one that Luke was on in the Appalachians.

He was hiking through the Appalachians and he had this experience that was almost outta body is what he described it to me as one day.

So basically he was hiking through the Appalachians looking for Bigfoot and he came up with this, this like almost like an angelic sound coming from the skies and it just took over his whole body.

And he said this is the rhythm that came to him in that experience.

And luckily he held onto that memory and he took it home with him and he recorded this demo, which is probably my favorite song that we have.

So it was straight from straight from the heavens came down the song and you're gonna hear it.

So this is Living a Dream.

- So I'll say what I mean so I can be living for the day can make you come.

Do you think that you know it, you to get what I mean?

You'll never be free and nothing ever is what it everybody says.

I live in a dream - Feeling lost.

So I say what I've been so you can want me now.

I'm sitting all alone.

I've in my house, I fell asleep with the TV on the couch going say You love me and nothing is what it everybody says.

I live in a dream.

Nothing ever is what it seems.

Everybody says living a dream, a living a dream, a living dream.

- That does it for this Tuesday night.

Join us next time for a fresh look inside the stories learn how the Finger Lakes Phenology Trail helps hikers and scientists get a better understanding of the influence of climate on plants and animals.

And Chef Cabrina Rotella shares her special recipe for Italian Brush sho with Johnny Spezzano on the next, Johnny on Fire.

Meantime, if you have a story idea you'd like us to explore, we would love to learn more.

All you need to do is email us at wpbsweekly@wpbstv.org and let's share it with the region.

That's it for tonight.

Everyone have a happy Easter.

We'll see you next episode.

Take care.

- WPBS weekly.

Inside the stories is brought to you by - When you're unable to see your primary care provider.

A Carthage Walk-in clinic is here for you.

Located off Route 26 across from Carthage Middle School.

Comfort and Healing close to home when you need it most - North Country Orthopedic Group is there for your urgent ortho or sports related injuries.

With our onsite surgical center and same or next day appointments, we're ready to provide care for patients of all ages.

Your health matters to us.

North Country Orthopedic Group, keeping healthcare local.

- We are the north country we're protecting one another like family is who we are and where our tomorrow will always be worth defending.

Find out how we keep the North Country Strong, at claxtonhepburn.org Today.

- Select musical performances are made possible with funds from the statewide Community Regrant program, a REGRANT program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the office of the Governor and the New York state legislator administered by the St. Lawrence County Arts Council.