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A Genesee Community College publication has earned top honors in an international competition recognizing excellence in traditional and emerging media.

The College's 2009 picture book won a Platinum Award at the 2010 Hermes Creative Awards. The Association of Marketing and Communications Professionals, an organization consisting of several thousand marketing, communication, advertising, public relations, media production and free-lance professionals, oversees this annual competition, which drew about 3,600 entries last year.

College Recruitment Communications Specialist Hal Legg developed the picture book, which earned recognition in the publications/brochure category, in conjunction with Buffalo-based Forest Productions & Photography. As the college's flagship recruitment publication, the picture book is designed specifically for use during face-to-face visits with prospects at high schools.

"It was a fairly ambitious project from the start," says Legg. "Our goal was to produce a piece that instantly resonates with 16- to 18-year-olds. I think you really have to wow them because there's so much competition among colleges for this group's attention."

So when Forest Productions & Photography's president approached him to ask about entering the publication in the competition last fall, Legg was flattered.

"The idea that our picture book was good enough to compete in the Hermes Awards was proof enough for me that we'd done a good job," he says.

Winning its highest accolade exceeded his expectation.

"An award of this magnitude is certainly surprising," says Legg. "Of course, I always set out to do solid work, but contributing to a piece that's one of the best of the best-well that's quite special. I hope it's rewarding to everyone at the college who played a role in creating the picture book, especially our students."

Genesee's picture book is one of just 27 projects worldwide to earn a Platinum Hermes this year in the publications/brochure category. Other winners include airplane manufacturer Cessna, energy producer Con Edison, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana and the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport in Arizona.

"I guess we're in some pretty good company, here," says Virginia Taylor, Ph.D, Genesee's vice president for student and enrollment services. "When you look at some of the firms involved in other winners' projects -- big ad agencies from major cities -- it's gratifying to be on par with what industry leaders are doing creatively."

For further information or for a copy of the 2009 picture book please contact Hal Legg at 343-0055, ext. 6380.

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>.