Decades later, we fondly recall growing up in Westchester. ‘Kids’ share their stories

Those of us, including me, who grew up in Westchester remember our childhood years often and fondly.

We played outside until our dinner bell rang. We had friends from all backgrounds and ages. Our doors weren’t locked, except at night, and the windows stayed open unless it was “cold.”

It wasn’t perfect, but it felt like it to us.

Author Jacqueline Gutstein decided to take a walk down memory lane and asked others to join her.

She recently published “The Westchester Kids,” a collection of 31 stories from those who lived in the Miami-Dade County neighborhood in the early 1960s through the 1990s.

“I posted a call for stories on numerous Westchester-related social media sites and the response was phenomenal,” she said.

“Our childhood consisted of being outside most of the day, playing with the neighborhood kids and coming home when it got dark and the street lights came on.

There were always kids either playing football in the street, drawing a hopscotch game on the sidewalk, skating or riding a bike through the neighborhood. It was safe to do so back then.”

The suburb of Westchester officially broke ground in 1955, a post-WWII development that offered affordable housing. Gutstein even found a 1958 advertisement from The Miami News that promoted new three-bedroom homes for $15,500 to $18,225.

“My family moved into the Bel Mar model in 1967, a three-bedroom, two-bath home that we purchased for $17,500,” she said.

“I am of Cuban heritage and although I was ‘made’ in Cuba, I was born in South Florida and grew up in the small neighborhood of Westchester,” Gutstein said.

“The stories take you down memory lane where we used to eat, shop and watch movies.

“The YM-YWHA pool and club was a focal point of the community where you could find most of the Jewish families on the weekend as it was the place to meet,” she said.

“A common theme among the stories is a sense of family, community, innocence and simplicity. Something I believe we all yearn for in today’s fast-paced world and electronic gadgets.”

One contributor, Jeff Williams, got it just right.

“Can you imagine growing up in a neighborhood where three out of four houses had kids in them you knew?” he wrote. “It was like winning the playground lottery.”

“The Westchester Kids” is available at https://www.amazon.com/Westchester-Kids-Jacqueline-Gutstein/dp/1733720324

Latin Cafe 2000 donates meals to nurses

As the saying goes, “Nurses may not be angels, but they are the next best thing.”

The Miami Cuban restaurant group, Latin Cafe 2000, with locations in Brickell, LeJeune, and Hialeah, recently began their version of “Chicken Soup for the Soul” called “Arroz con Pollo for the Soul” in a mission to share love and compassion during this pandemic era.

The donation-based initiative consists of weekly meal drop-offs on Fridays for staff tackling COVID-19 and its variants at Miami-Dade County Intensive Care Units.

Organizers said everyone who receives a meal will enjoy comforting arroz con pollo, sweet yet crispy maduros, and a delectable flan.

Restaurant patrons can help out by making a donation at Latin Cafe restaurants throughout October.

Virtual 5K/10K to raise funds for HD

The Huntington’s Disease Society of America South Florida Chapter will be hosting the Miami Virtual Team Hope 5K/10K Run Oct. 10-20 for runners and walkers anywhere in the world.

Each year, thousands of families, friends, co-workers, neighbors and communities support HDSA’s annual event to improve the lives of people affected by HD and their families. There are about 41,000 symptomatic Americans and more than 200,000 are at-risk of inheriting this disease.

HD is a condition in which the brain’s nerve cells break down over time. It usually starts when a person is in their 30s or 40s. There is no cure but drugs, physical therapy, and talk therapy can help.

Sign up at https://southflorida.hdsa.org/about/miami-team-hope-walk-5k-10k-run

Local women’s group wins awards

Congratulations to the over-100-year-old Miami Women’s Panhellenic Association for being awarded the National Certificate of Merit and the National Programming Excellence Awards.

The past year was especially challenging due to restrictions on meeting in person, but the sorority alumnae used their creativity to find new ways to raise funds for local college scholarships.

“The Miami Women’s Panhellenic has been active in Miami-Dade since 1917. National Panhellenic sororities are values-based organizations and we can continue those lessons for life,” said Past President Elena De Villiers.

Isabelle Wheeler led the group this past year. Other board members include Doreen Furnari, Anjelica Fiol, Anne Helliwell, Kathleen Moorman, and Elizabeth Battaglia. All sorority alumnae are welcome to join. More at https://miamiwomenspanhellenic.org/

Write to ChristinaMMayo@gmail.com with news for this column.