Announcements

United Memorial Medical Center is proud to serve as the Genesee County War Memorial. Due to construction at the North Street Hospital site, services for the annual remembrance have been temporarily moved to The Jerome Center at 16 Bank St., Batavia.

Memorial Day will be observed at the flag on the Bank Street campus at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, May 31. The names of over 280 Genesee County soldiers who lost their lives in World Wars I and II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam Conflict will be read aloud and flags honoring the memory of each soldier will be placed in the ground.

Members of Batavia Concert Band will perform the National Anthem. Refreshments will be served in the Jerome Center Conference Room immediately following the event. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend.

The original monument was removed from the hospital when work began on the addition of a 44,000-square-foot surgical unit. The embossed plates listing the names of those who died in service were carefully wrapped and placed in storage.

A thorough review of the monument deemed it unsalvageable due to weathering and a committee was formed to develop plans for a new monument.

Committee members include Ron Koniezny of J. Leonard Mc Andrew Funeral Home; Hal Kreter, Director of Genesee County Veterans’ Services; Jim Neider of the Joint Veterans’ Council; veteran Dan Waterman, Assemblyman Steve Hawley and Colleen Flynn from United Memorial.

The Class-A Short-Season New York-Penn League and its member clubs announced that the league’s philanthropic arm, the New York-Penn League Charitable Foundation, will award over $10,000 in scholarships this summer to deserving high school graduates from the league’s 14 markets.

The 2010 NYPL Scholarship Program is open to any graduating senior from a public or private high school, who has been accepted at any two or four-year college or university, vocational or technical education institution or program.

The scholarship is based on academic performance and other criteria. Applicants must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, and also be engaged in extracurricular activities.

The program has been expanded in 2010 to include not only three winners of a $2,500 scholarship, but also 11 new awards of $250 each for books. The addition of the new awards ensures that the Charitable Foundation will be able to assist one student in all 14 NYPL markets.

Applications are available by contacting your local New-York Penn League club or by visiting the “ABOUT” section of the official NYPL website:

<http://www.newyork-pennleague.com/>.

Deadline to submit the application to your local NYPL team is June 30 and each team’s winner, including the three $2,500 scholarship recipients, will be selected in late July and honored at a game in August.

The New York-Penn League and its 14 member clubs created the New York-Penn League Charitable Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, in 2003. The mission of the Foundation is to provide focus and support for the collective and individual charitable and community efforts of the New York-Penn League, its Clubs, and their staff. In 2009, the total contributions by the League and its clubs exceeded $827,000. Those contributions included cash, food, game tickets, merchandise, and other goods and services.

You are invited to the very first pre-season "Pep Dog Rally" at Dwyer Stadium.

It takes place on Wednesday, June 16, just 3 days before the Season Home Opener (7 p.m. Saturday, June 19). Come out and get our Batavia Muckdogs PEPPED up for the 2010 season.

Gates open at 6. Admission is FREE and there will be fun for the entire family. There will be games for the kids, local Mascots, food concession for you to get your ball park favorites. The merchandise stands will also be open for you to gear up for the season and you will be the first to meet this year's players.

Tickets for this year's games will be available to purchase. There are many different packages to choose from or if you like, you can purchase the entire season and be entered in to various raffles.

One highlight of the evening will be the Homerun Derby. Come see the local personalities try to hit a homerun out of Dwyer Stadium! There will be prizes and raffles throughout the night! The players will be available to sign autographs and chat with fans.

Three students Genesee Community College has announced three students have been named 2010 recipients of the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence. Colleen McKay, Lori Mould and Aiwen Yang all received the honor at an awards ceremony in Albany.

The Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence was created 13 years ago to recognize students who have best demonstrated and been recognized for the integration of academic excellence with accomplishments in the areas of leadership, athletics, community service, creative and performing arts or career achievement.

McKay, 20, will graduate in May from Genesee after earning a degree in Entrepreneurship. She is a valued member of the women's softball team and has been nominated twice by her teachers for Athlete of the Week honors. She is an active member of the GCCA and she is a natural leader to her peers.

She has maintained an outstanding grade-point average in her first three semesters at Genesee and has been named to the NJCAA Academic All American Team. Colleen is from Woodstock, Ontario, Canada and is a graduate of Saint Mary's Catholic High School. She currently runs her own business back home in Canada. Your Farm Market (YFM), a seasonal farmers market that she has been running and growing since she was 8 years old.

She enjoys her work with YFM because she gets to work outdoors, she is her own boss, she interacts constantly with her customers, and she takes pleasure in giving her community the opportunity to eat healthy, local food. When she graduates in May, she plans to return home to further develop YFM with possibly an on-site bakery, an educational component, and an on-farm location.

Mould is a double major, studying Communications and Media Arts as well as the Fine Arts. She earned her recognition as a SUNY Chancellor for her extensive volunteer activities at Genesee with the Student Government, The New Courier student newspaper, and WGCC radio station. Particularly noteworthy is her work in Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society as vice president of the Genesee chapter, and as the New York State Phi Theta Kappa historian.

Mould is one of two students who developed domestic violence/sexual assault seminars held in October. She's a non-traditional student, and went back to college after being out of an educational setting for 27 years. She was a single mom, working in the construction industry when she was in a debilitating automobile accident that left her with brain injuries. She could no longer do the physically demanding construction job, and as a result she decided to go back to school.

After more than a dozen surgeries, she is now flourishing as a college student. She has been on the President's List since she enrolled in the spring semester of 2008, has been named Who's Who Among College Students and was awarded the Peg Tiede Memorial Scholarship. She will serve as the Genesee's PTK president for the 2010-2011 academic year.

Yang, 24, is an international student originally from the Zhejiang Province in China. She moved to Madrid, Spain when she was 10 years old and graduated from Art High School in Madrid in 2004. She pursued a Fashion Design degree while in Madrid. She selected Genesee Community College after researching the SUNY system, and found that Genesee was a perfect fit for her to start her education in the United States.

As president of the International Student Organization, she has been working diligently to get her international peers involved in the Genesee community. She serves on the Student Government Association, the Global Education Committee, Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and as a resident assistant at College Village, all while maintaining an excellent academic record.

She even volunteered to teach Mandarin Chinese to college students as well as people from the community for this year's fall and spring semesters. She is a General Studies major and hopes to transfer to a four-year college to pursue a degree in International Relations. Her dream job would be working in the international arena where she could travel around the world and help people in need.

"These students have set a great example for current and future students of the college," said Virginia Taylor, Ph.D, vice president for Student and Enrollment Services. "They have prepared themselves for very bright and successful futures and the entire campus community is incredibly proud of all their accomplishments."

The three award recipients were among 228 students from 63 SUNY campuses recognized for their remarkable achievements. Recipients of this year's award have an overall GPA of 3.8 and records of significant contributions to their campuses and communities. At the ceremony, they each received a framed certificate and medallion, which is traditionally worn at commencement.

Conrads Country Stable is hosting a Horse Show on Sunday, May 23 at their
stable on Route 33 in Corfu. It is by the intersection of Read Road.

Riders are requested to RSVP to show manager Sara Urban by May 20 by contacting
her at 815-9486.

It is open to the public and viewing admission is free. There are many classes for both children and adults. This will be held at their indoor arena.

June 1 through 7 is National CPR/AED Awareness Week. Are you trained to help when every second counts?

Imagine a warehouse filled with workers, a man grabs his chest and falls to the floor. A nearby coworker notices and has someone call 9-1-1. The medics are 10 minutes away.

Somebody starts CPR and somebody else goes for the AED (Automated External Defibrillator) machine. When paramedics arrive, the man is breathing on his own and is taken to the hospital. When an emergency strikes, time is critical.

By becoming trained, a person goes from a bystander to a trained, empowered and prepared individual who can take control of a situation.

You can sign up for this or any other health and safety class by contacting your local Red Cross office.

The Western New York Tri County Chapter of the American Red Cross now has three locations covering Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties. You can reach any of these offices by calling 343-6098.

Did you know...

• After someone stops breathing, or the heart stops beating, he or she can survive for only four to six minutes before lack of oxygen results in brain damage or death. CPR can buy extra time for your loved one, until professional help can arrive, by artificially circulating oxygen to the brain.
• More than 70 percent of all cardiac and breathing emergencies occur in the home when a family member is present and available to help a victim.
• Over 1.5 million heart attacks occur each year and approximately 350,000 of these victims die before ever reaching a hospital.
• Statistics show that the earlier CPR is initiated, the greater the chance
  of survival. It is estimated that 100,000 to 200,000 lives of adults and
  children could be saved each year if CPR was performed early enough.
• Re-training and retention of CPR learning is a major requirement. Studies
  have shown that memory of CPR skills and knowledge tends to deteriorate as
  early as three months after training, even among highly trained professionals, including: doctors and nurses.
• Approximately seven million adults and children suffer from disabling injuries in their own homes and backyards each year, resulting from accidents that may require CPR. Some of the common causes of "sudden death" include: electric shock, heart attacks, drowning, severe allergic reactions, choking, drug overdose and suffocation.
• The country's No. 1 killers, a combination of heart attacks and accidents,
  claim a life every 34 seconds in the United States.
• One in six men and one in eight women over the age of 45 have had a heart
  attack or stroke.
• Approximately 45 percent of all heart attacks occur in people under age 65.
• Cost-effective training, materials and instruction are provided at reasonable rates, whether you want one course or several. And because the American Red Cross is a non-profit organization, the dollars you invest in training go right back into your community to support lifesaving emergency preparedness and response programs.

Here's a free opportunity to help the Earth and get rid of old electronic junk. The Oakfield-Alabama Central School and the Boys Scouts of America will hold an e-scrap recycling event on Tuesday, May 18.

It will be from 1 to 7 p.m. in the school's bus garage, located at 7001 Lewiston Road in Oakfield.

Items accepted: computers (laptops, desktops), computer hardware, monitors, printers, scanners, network equipment, circuit boards, wiring & cabling, business machines, typewriters, fax machines, mailing equipment, cash registers, microwave ovens, batteries and rechargeable batteries, power supplies (under 10 lbs.), personal copiers, electronic scrap, PDA’s, VCR players, DVD players, IPODS, cell phones, calculators, stereos, keyboard & mouses.

Televisions are accepted for $5 each.

Please note NO florescent lamps, kitchen or personal appliances (refrigerators,
toasters, hairdryers, ect.) or car batteries will be accepted.

NO businesses or agencies can donate. Only individual households.

Contestants are wanted for the Genesee County Fair Queen Pageant. She will reign at the fair July 20-24.

Females interested must be ages 15-18, grades 10 through 12, and residents of Genesee County. To enter the pageant, you need to submit an application by June 15.

Contact person is pageant coordinator Victoria Rippel. She can be reached by e-mail at victoriarippel@yahoo.com or by postal mail at 19 Mix Place, Batavia, NY, 14020. Phone is 813-5570.

The pagaent is sponsored by the Genesee County Agricultural Society.

Next spring, Genesee Community College will offer an immersion trip to Costa Rica to study the Central American rain forest. The tour is open to all students as well as community members who are interested in learning and studying the ecology and conservation methods of Costa Rica.

Participants will have the chance to earn college credit while learning about ethnobotany, elementary botany, ecology and earth science during this nine-day ecological tour.

The tour will be led by Genesee biology professor Maureen Leupold, who has studied the rain forests of Costa Rica on two previous college trips. Students who enroll, will earn three college credits while studying the stunning ecological terrain of Costa Rica, including volcanoes, rain forests and beaches.

Participants will travel throughout the country exploring various plant and animal habitats, experiencing the vibrant cultural traditions of the Costa Rican people and discovering how inhabitants of this diverse country are trying to conserve and protect their ecological wonderland.

The study tour starts in San Jose, the capital and cultural center of Costa Rica and continues on to the Arenal Region where students will visit a biologically diverse theme park, an active volcano, natural hot springs, biological research station and waterfalls.

The tour will continue on to Monteverde where students will visit an ecological reserve, explore rain forests, plant trees, view a canopy tour of a rain forest and attend a lecture. Participant will also experience the Central Pacific Coast and the Manual Antonio National Park. The tour closes in the Puntarenas region where students will visit a coffee plantation before returning to San Jose for their departure home.

"This is an incredible opportunity for the students here at Genesee Community College," professor Leupold said. "We strive to offer these types of hands-on learning opportunities for students at the community college level. This ecological and conservation tour is true experiential learning at its finest."

Students enrolling in the tour for college credit will register for BIO114 and be graded on a daily trip journal they are required to keep while on the tour, as well as online exams, a major research paper, oral reports, and discussions both online and in person.

The course and immersion trip is in the distance-learning format in which course material will be available online throughout the spring semester. Participants on the study tour will meet for a pre-departure seminar one month before the tour.

The Costa Rica immersion trip will run March 9-17, 2011 and is open to all. However, seats are limited to the first 24 participants. The cost for this tour is $2,227 plus airfare, with an optional insurance fee of $135. Participants who enroll for college credit in BIO114 Rainforest Biology will also pay the appropriate tuition fees for full- or part-time enrollment.

For further information on cost, registration and details, please contact Maureen Leupold at 343-0055, ext. 6394 or <http://maleupold@genesee.edu>.

 6 Month Celebration

Saturday, May 15

10 - 4p.m.

50% OFF EVERYTHING!

Household, Hardware, Tools, Furniture, Appliances & Much More!

LOCATION:

BASEMENT OF THE FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

8221 LEWISTON RD., BATAVIA, N.Y.

Genesee Community College and Genesee Center for the Arts in Batavia continue a long-term commitment to the arts with five new theater workshops for people age 15 and up.

These one- and-two day workshops cover a variety of topics and are taught by theater experts who have worked professionally in the theater industry. The workshops take place June 21-28 at the Genesee Center for the Arts at the Batavia Campus.

How to Audition for a Play: 6 to 10 p.m. June 21 & 22  /  $50
Get that role at your next audition! Learn how to pick and perform a monologue. Learn what tools you will need to successfully audition for a play. How your voice and movement make an impression. How to make the best of "cold readings" when you have never read the script before.

Improvisation Workshop: 6 to 10 p.m. June 23  /  $25
Free yourself from the text and learn how to play with a scene. Learn the secrets behind successful improv work. Be as funny as the people on "Who's Line is it Anyway?"

Voice Workshop for the Actor: 6 to 10 p.m. June 24  /  $25
Is your voice holding you back from playing that role you've dreamed of? Learn how to project and articulate.

Musical Theatre Audition Workshop: 10 to 5 p.m. June 26 & 27  /  $75
Learn everything you need to know about auditioning successfully for musical theater. What songs to choose, how to act a song, what general dance steps will help you win the role.

Acting for the Camera: 6 to 10 p.m. June 28  /  $25
Learn the skills necessary to dazzle producers with your "on camera" persona! Learn what to wear, how to interview and what to say through the camera.

Key instructor for the workshops will be Maryanne Arena, director of Fine and Performing Arts at Genesee Community College, and her daughter Jaime Arena. Maryanne was a professional actor, singer, dancer, choreographer and director before turning to a full-time teaching career.

She holds an MFA in acting/theater and has toured the United States with several professional theater companies. Maryanne has created and implemented Theatre Programs for gifted high-school students, as well as college students.

Jaime completed her conservatory training at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City. She has worked professionally as an actor and is now teaching at the Performing Arts Academy in Hartford, Conn. Jaime is a sought-after acting coach and has several students in movies and on television.

"In the past we have offered a two-week theater experience for area youth," Maryanne said. "This year we wanted to reach out to another sector of our community and involve adults in the Center for Arts. There is an abundance of talent in our region and our goal here at the college is to educate and provide creative avenues for individuals of all ages."

For further information and/or to register, please contact Ann Winters at 345-6814, or e-mail <http://boxoffice@genesee.edu>.

Continuing the tradition started by his father (former Assemblyman R. Stephen Hawley), Assemblyman Steve Hawley will again be hosting a Local Government Conference in Albany on Sunday, May 16 through Tuesday, May 18.

The purpose of the three-day conference is to help local government officials and representatives from the 139th Assembly District become more familiar with state government and the state agencies in the Capital.

“It is my pleasure to host the Local Government Conference again this year,” said Hawley in a news release.  “During these difficult fiscal times for our state, it’s never been more important that a stronger relationship is built between local officials and the state Capital. If we can improve communication, and establish better relationships between the two, then
we can streamline the needs of our community in a more efficient and less costly manner.”

Boarding trains from Rochester and arriving in Albany, officials and representatives will be attending three days of seminars, meetings, and lectures presented by a number of state agencies.

For more information regarding Assemblyman Hawley’s Local Government Conference, please contact his district office at (585) 589-5780.

Congressman Chris Lee will hold office hours in Le Roy on Wednesday, May 12 in which a member of his staff will be available for one-on-one meetings with Genesee County residents.

It will be held from 3 to 4:30 p.m. at Le Roy Village Hall, located at 3 West Main St.

“These office hours provide Genesee County residents with a unique opportunity to meet with a member of my staff one-on-one, whether it be to troubleshoot interactions with federal agencies or discuss the issues of the day,” Congressman Lee said in a news release.

This is the congressman's fourth session for local residents since taking office.

The Genesee County BEA (Business Education Alliance) will be having its Annual Spring Breakfast Meeting and Awards Program at 7:15 a.m. on Friday, May 21at Bohn's Restaurant in Batavia.

The featured program is "Ag in the Classroom," which is part of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Genesee County. Ag in the Classroom is an agricultural-based education outreach program.

Students will be speaking about their experiences in these programs: Ag Literacy Week; Incubation and Embryology; and 1st Grade Dairy Days. These programs are possible due to the support of local businesses, business people and school districts along with the dedicated staff members at Cornell Cooperative Extension.

Businesses, business members, and schools will be honored with annual awards. The awards to be presented include:

• Outstanding New Program Award to the Biotechnology Science Share Program, created by three high school science teachers at Batavia High School
• Outstanding Business Member Award to Syntec Optics in Pavilion
• APPLE Award to Alexander Central School District

The cost of the breakfast is $16 per person. All are invited and encouraged to attend!  If you would like to attend, please contact Melinda Chamberlin at 343-7440 or at
mchamberlin@geneseeny.com.

Here's a notice from the Volunteers for Animals at the Genesee County Animal Shelter:

"We currently have two neutered male cats (tested and up to date on vaccines) needing a home where they can safely roam outside.

"They are nice guys, just not happy with being cooped up indoors. They must be watched over, fed and have a safe place to sleep. If you can help one or both of these guys out, drop us an e-mail."

<http://www.vol4animals.org>
 

The kids and parents in Kelly March's (back, left) "Woolly Book Worms" club got some special treats for their last meeting Saturday: a scrumptious peanut butter pie, a delectable white cake with strawberries (both pictured below), and a visit from nearby children's author Peggy Thomas (second from right in the back).

Also included were some parent-friendly and kid-friendly beverages to wash the sweets down.

Thomas is the author of 14 books for children and young adults, including "Joshua the Giant Frog," which is a folkloric tale of the Erie Canal.

In spite of the fact that her mother, Margery Facklam, is also a children's author (her works include "Creepy, Crawly Caterpillars" and "The Big Bug Book"), writing was not Thomas' childhood ambition. Her father was a high school science teacher, and for a while it looked like she was going to follow in his footsteps and become a scientist. When it came time to go off to college, this became her focus.

Well, "focus" might not be exactly the right word...

"I kind of jumped around a lot in college," Thomas said.

After having explored different science programs, she ended up topping off her academic career with a master's degree in anthropology. But she gained something from her college experience that was arguably more valuable than a degree: her vocation.

"I learned from my mother that writing was a good, valuable thing as a kid," she explained. "And in college I realized that if I became a writer, I wouldn't have to be tied to just one thing. I could explore all these different subjects I was interested in."

Thomas' other works include juvenile nonfiction books on the subjects of forensic anthropology, animals, nature and New York State, as well as a picture book about President George Washington's life as a farmer in Mt. Vernon.

Her visit to the library was very informal. She sat down with the kids, let them ask questions, and talked about the steps involved in the writing process as well as the roles of the people involved -- including the illustrator, the editor and the copy editor.

She also showed everyone the "print run" of one of her mother's books, just to give an idea of the complexities of the book-publishing process.

Thomas lives in Middleport, which is about 2 hours and 45 minutes away from Batavia. For more information on her and the books she has written, vist her website at www.peggythomaswrites.com.

ADDITIONAL NOTE:

March would like to start Woolly Book Worms again in September. To learn more about this program, please contact the library at 343-9550, ext. 4.

Here's an announcement from a reader:

"Hello my name is Ronald. I have obtain permission from my city council (Batavia) to hold an event. I am reaching out to surrounding counties to see who would like to be involved. In Erie County, I am working with Aaron Coleman. I am currently working with several organizations in my county (Genesee).

"My goal is to make the Western New York Peace Festival a regional event and bring people of Western New York together in a moment of peace and unity for an acknowledgment of each other. It's a dream of mine to see unity and socialization between urban, suburban, city, county, culture and race.

"The event is planned for Aug. 28 (but the details still need to be worked out). There are meetings for those who want to be involved at 6:30 p.m. every 2nd and 4th Thursday at the Batavia Assembly of God Church, 24 N. Spruce St. The first meeting was on May 6. All interested please feel free to come or call me at 585-490-4002. Come and support your town, county and region."

IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CHURCH, Rt. 63, East Bethany, invites you to join us next Sunday, May 16th for our reknowned Chicken BBQ.  Serving from 11am till sold out (best to come early to avoid missing out).  Adults $8, Children $4, Chicken Only $4.

You will be seeing more and more of that big red bus around town.  Care-A-Van Ministries has added on morning ministry. 

The bus currently is going out Monday and Wednesday mornings. The purpose of the mornings out is to park randomly in neighborhoods and be there for people that need encourgement and prayer.

Pictured above is Paul Ohlson founder of the ministry with a man Herb who stopped by for prayer. Seen inside the bus is  Pastor Jack McMullen of the City Church and Pastor Mark Perkins from Oakfield Alabama Baptist Church. They  are two of the Pastors who volunteer their tme for the mornings out. Other Pastors that are currently volunteering are Pastor Larry Becker of City Church, Pastor Dale Gooch of the Emannual Baptist church, Pastor Charlie Piscitello of Faith Fellowship and Captain Bob Krutz of the Salvation Army.

Other Pastors have shown an interest of becoming involved. It is the vision of Paul Ohlson that enough churches and Pastors will come on board, so the bus could be out every morning and even possibly twice a day ministering to the people of Batavia.

Currently , Care-A-Van Ministries serves 28 different neighborhoods. They are looking to have churches partner and possibly take over a neighborhood, so Care-A-Van could reach out to other areas in the city that are in need.

As we say at Care-Van,   Keep the Light On!