Organizers of Timeless Newtown: Embracing Every Generation have announced Maxim (Max) Kapytka will moderate the series finalé, an author program with Dr Tracey Gendron, PhD, planned for Thursday, September 18, at Edmond Town Hall.

Gendron is the author of Ageism Unmasked: Exploring Age Bias and How to End It. Kapytka, 16, is a rising junior at Brookfield High School who has maintained a 4.2 GPA while planning, opening and now operating Munchin Hedgehog Ice Cream and Sweets in Brookfield.

Kapytka’s business is open daily. Located within a strip mall on Brookfield’s busy Federal Road, Munchin Hedgehog Ice Cream and Sweets opened in August 2024. Timeless Newtown Coordinator and Friends of Newtown Seniors Founder John Boccuzzi Sr says the business “seems to be a thriving business, thanks to the energy and imagination of its owner.

“Generous portions of ice cream are served up in cup or cone at reasonable prices,” Boccuzzi also noted. “A wide variety of sweet treats are also available.”

To this point it has been strictly a family business with all members of the family helping to cover the store when Kapytka is at school or otherwise engaged.

Kapytka is a natural businessman with a ready smile and friendly greeting. On a recent visit, Boccuzzi and his wife Vicki had a chance to speak with Max concerning his business. One of the questions on Boccuzzi’s mind was how Kapytka dealt with the doubts expressed by adults he approached concerning leases, equipment, financing, permits etc as he pursued his dream to open a business.

“I think that people’s perception of what I was capable of was a major obstacle when opening the business,” Kapytka admitted. “Most folks I talked to originally didn’t take me seriously or just brushed me off due to my age and it was difficult to find someone who would even just hear me out.”

In response to a follow-up question about whether things have changed now that business is up and running and Kapytka has a year’s experience under his belt, the young businessman said many people, including his peers, “find it shocking and find it confusing on how I was able to make it work but respect me for it. Many still believe that I won’t make it but I think otherwise.”

When asked how he describes the reaction of those over age 25 when he talks about the drive to operate his business, Kapytka said they are surprised and impressed.

“I have gotten a lot of reactions before where they go ‘Good for you. I wasn’t doing that at your age,’” he added.

Kapytka feels his comfort with tech has helped him navigate the world of business. Gen Z and millennials are often described as tethered to technology. Kapytka does not argue with that description.

“I would say that it is mostly accurate, and I am good with tech and have grown up surrounded by it,” he said, adding he sees it “as an advantage not a disadvantage.”

Timeless Newtown organizers feel Kapytka — now 16, but who began organizing his business plan at age 14 and celebrated its launch at age 15 — will help provide an authentic look at ageism and how it impacts people of all ages.

Ageism Unmasked: Exploring Age Bias and How to End It enables readers to see that they tolerate, and sometimes actively promote, attitudes and behaviors toward differently aged people that most would reject and condemn if applied to any other group. It peels back the layers to expose how cultural norms and unconscious prejudices have seeped into most people’s lives, silently shaping treatment of others based on their age and misconceptions about aging — and themselves.

The book uncovers ageism’s roots, impact, and how everyone can create a new reality of elderhood.

Offering an all-inclusive approach, Gendron reveals the biases behind the false understanding of aging, sharing powerful opportunities for personal growth along with strategies to help create an anti-ageist society.

Dr Tracey Gendron serves as chair for Virginia Commonwealth University Department of Gerontology. She earned a master’s degree in gerontology, a master’s degree in psychology, and a PhD in developmental psychology.

With over 25 years of experience as a gerontologist, Gendron has authored and co-authored over 30 manuscripts and seven book chapters on ageism and aging-related topics. She is frequently quoted in popular media outlets, including The New York Times, HuffPost, and U.S. News and World Report.

Gendron has spoken about ageism in forums across America and can also be seen and heard as a guest speaker on numerous podcasts and video productions, particularly highlighting those understudied and underrepresented.

Gendron will be the special guest at Edmond Town Hall, 45 Main Street, on Thursday, September 18. The author talk program will begin at 7 pm. A Q&A will follow her presentation.

A Meet & Greet and book signing opportunities will follow.

Admission is free but tickets are required. Visit friendsofnewtownseniors.org/special-events/ to register.

Through August 29, free copies of Ageism Unmasked are available at C.H. Booth Library, 25 Main Street; Edmond Town Hall, 45 Main Street; Newtown Community Center, 8 Simpson Street; Newtown Municipal Center, 3 Primrose Street, Newtown Senior Center, 8 Simpson Street; and NYA Sports & Fitness Center, 4 Primrose Street.