Stories from

Western New York Tri-County Chapter of the American Red Cross will participate in a state Shelter Operations drill from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday March, 19. In Genesee County, the drill will take place at Byron-Bergen High School, 6971 W. Bergen Road, Bergen.

The Red Cross and its community partners will be practicing how to set-up a shelter. The community can see what a shelter looks like, what the sleeping arrangements are, what we will offer for meals, and what a person should bring to a shelter. Join us for a first-hand look.

This information was provided by Independent Living of Genesee Region (ILGR) part of the WNYIL, Inc. Family of Agencies.

Independent Living of Genesee Region took part in a rally in Buffalo today for persons with disabilities.

It was held at the Governor's Regional Office to remind people of the importance of community-based medical services and its commitment to free persons with disabilities from nursing home and hospital placements.

Individuals with disabilities are disillusioned over the current actions of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s Medicaid Redesign Team (MRT). The hasty recommendations of Governor Cuomo’s appointees will cost more money than will be saved by forcing senior citizens and individuals with disabilities into institutions rather than prioritizing community care.

“These cuts are going to cost both senior citizens and individuals with disabilities to go into institutions, costing three times as much as to living in the community," said Douglas J. Usiak, executive director, Western New York Independent Living.

"Contrary to current media campaigns, not everyone is satisfied with the work of the Governor's Redesign Team.”

In addition, the WNY Independent Living, Inc. Family of Agencies is extremely disappointed that the proposals the disability community themselves made -- which could have saved over a billion dollars during the next five years -- didn’t make the cut for the recommendations to the state Department of Health by the Medicaid Redesign Team.

“They said this process was to include all stakeholders in the Medicaid Program, yet they ignored our recommendations in their deliberations,” said Todd G. Vaarwerk, director of Advocacy and Public Policy, Western New York Independent Living.

The rally was sponsored by the Western New York Independent Living Family of Agencies (WNYIL), Buffalo Independent Living Center (ILC), Independent Living of Niagara County (ILNC), Mental Health PEER Connection (MHPC), and Independent Living of Genesee Region (ILGR).

Independent Living of Genesee Region offers services which include: peer counseling for individuals with disabilities as well as their family members; financial benefits consultation; housing search assistance; home and building modification; independent living skills evaluation and instruction; mobility training; recreational peer support groups; a peer mentoring program; and individual and systems advocacy.

Support services including a volunteer program and equipment loans are available. Programs for consumers with disabilities include Medicaid service coordination, individual support services, and family support services transportation program.

Since August 2010, the center’s services have evolved in order to meet its goal of full partnership with people with disabilities in the community. It now participates in programs concerning individual services, programs for consumers with developmental disabilities, mental health services, support services and community services.

To find out more about any of these services or to begin receiving them call (585) 815-8501 (Voice/TDD) or go to 113 Main St., Suite 5, Batavia, New York. Visit the Web site at www.wnyil.org.

Genesee County dairy farmers looking to update their management concepts to deal with today's increased market volatility are urged to attend a workshop on March 22.

"Managing the Margins" is a workshop useful for building long-term viability for any size dairy enterprise. This half-day educational program is hosted by The North West New York Dairy, Livestock and Field Crop Team.

It runs from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Cornell Cooperative Extension located at 420 E. Main St. in Batavia.

Pre-registration is required by March 18 because group size is limited. The $30 registration fee covers lunch and handouts.

To register contact Cathy Wallace 343-3040, ext. 138, or e-mail cfw6@cornell.edu.
For questions contact John Hanchar 658-3250, ext. 112, or e-mail jjh6@cornell.edu.

It wasn’t too long ago dairy producers were concerned somewhat with variation in milk price and very little with feed cost. More recently, the significance of dramatic price moves has been experienced farms and in the dairy farm community.

This workshop focuses on understanding the economic world around us, global commodity markets and various price-management tools and strategies available for farmer use when managing the risk of declining milk prices and the risk of increasing feed costs.

Managing margin risk has become increasingly significant for producers given enhanced volatility in commodity prices and input costs. While profits are possible in today’s marketplace, producers must simultaneously manage milk revenue and input costs to maintain profitable margins.

The objective of this program is to provide producers with concepts and tools to determine break-even prices, market strategies, and crop insurance decisions appropriate for their operations under various conditions -- with the end goal of being able to identify and capture profitable margins.

Alyssa Reeb, of Corfu, has been awarded a $1,000 per year "Educational Foundation Academic Distinction" scholarship to attend Alfred State College.

She is slated to graduate this year from Pembroke Central School and intends to enroll in the undeclared major program.

The scholarship, based on scholastic achievement, is from the Educational Foundation of Alfred, Inc., according to Deborah Goodrich, associate vice president for enrollment management at the college.

Fully accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, Alfred State College offers some 52 associate degree programs, 19 baccalaureate degree programs, and three certificate programs.

The Historical Society of Elba will have a Clor's Chicken B-B-Q on Sunday, April 10, on the museum grounds at 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. or until sold out. The location is Maple Avenue Extension.

Dinners are $8.50 each and include 1/2 chicken, beans, salt potatoes, roll/butter, applesauce and cookie. Dinners may be reserved by calling June at 757-2791. Members have tickets for pre-sale. Call Ron at 757- 2590.

This is the first fundraiser of the year for the Historical Society.

On May 14, the 14th Annual Antique and Collectible Sale will be held at the Elba Fireman's Recreation Hall.

The museum opens for visitors on Memorial Day and each Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m. until September. Some special events are being planned for young people.

We welcome everyone to come to enjoy Elba history. We have a restored 1842 home to browse, a barn that holds muck and farm tools, post office and gas station memorablilia.

The main museum has a collection of ladies' hats, Elba Elegant display, Grange, Rotary, Boy Scouts, fireman, military, businesses of Elba, school-related items, toys and a huge working loom.

We welcome old and young alike (and especially in-between) to join us in gathering and promoting the history of Elba. Our next meeting will be at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 7 at the museum. Coffee and refreshments are served at 6:30 p.m.

The highly anticipated grand opening celebration of the new Rosalie "Roz" Steiner Art Gallery at Genesee Community College is set for 4 to 6 p.m. on Friday, April 15.

The college Board of Trustees and gallery organizers are pleased to recognize the late Roz Steiner, President Stuart Steiner's wife, with the new facility that is named in her honor and located adjacent to the Genesee Center for the Arts at the Batavia campus.

Before Mrs. Steiner died unexpectedly in 2008, she was a visible figure at the college, participating in hundreds of events for board members, faculty, staff and students. She was active in community life and took a special interest in youth and education, serving in such roles as PTA president at John Kennedy School and hosting a number of Rotary exchange students.

She was a native of Maryland born in 1941. She and Stuart married in 1962, five years before relocating in Batavia, where they raised their four children.

The grand opening celebration features the work of two professional, regional artists, Eric Serritella and Carol Acquilano, in a dual exhibit. The two-hour celebration is free and open to the public, and includes music by the Tom Monte Trio and light refreshments.

Serritella is a nationally exhibiting ceramic artist specializing in hand-carved trompe l'oeil vessels transformed into birch and weathered logs. Serritella's one-of-a-kind tromp l'oeil ceramic sculptures have been awarded and exhibited in galleries and museums from coast to coast and in Asia. His work is included in permanent museum collections, including Pittsburgh's Carnegie Museum and The Everson Museum of Art's world class ceramics collection in Syracuse. Many other esteemed collections contain his work, including the Kamm Teapot Foundation – the world's largest private teapot collection.

Serritella has contributed to nearly 50 exhibitions and his work has appeared on the covers of AmericanStyle and Pottery Making Illustrated, and in the pages of Ceramics Monthly, NICHE, Clay Times, The Crafts, Report, and Ceramic Art (Taiwan), as well as in several books and calendars on ceramic art. He has given workshops in the USA, Canada and Taiwan. For more information, visit <http://www.ericserritella.com>.

Painter, printmaker and book binder, Acquilano is an award-winning artist based in Rochester. She paints the landscape in and around her native city of Rochester. Her favorite place to paint, however, is Italy, where she feels the connection to her ancestral roots. Also a printmaker, she has exhibited her work in Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Rochester and Cortona, Italy.

Acquilano studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Mass., and earned a bachelor's of arts degree from SUNY Empire State College. She has participated in multiple solo exhibitions throughout Rochester at the Little Theatre, Nazareth College, Philips Fine Arts, Cedar Arts Center, Arts for Greater Rochester and the Lightner Library at Keuka College. She has had several group exhibitions across the country and New York State, including the Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester.

Her selections for the Roz Steiner Art Gallery include paintings featuring cultivated landscapes of Cortona that have been painted over the last three years. Created both en plein air and in the studio, her paintings are a testament to her continued effort to develop her artistic voice. For more information on Acquilano, visit her Web site at <http://www.carolacquilano.com.>.

Community residents are kindly asked to RSVP for the gallery's grand opening celebration by calling 345-6809 or foundation@genesee.edu.

For gallery hours or for further information, please contact Gallery Manager Emily Pfeiffer at <http://ECPfeiffer@genesee.edu>.

Serritella's and Acquilano's dual exhibit continues through May 10. Currently, an exhibit of artwork by Genesee's Fine Arts students is on display in the new gallery.

A number of "wish list" items will be presented by the Michael Napoleone Memorial Foundation, Inc., at 4 p.m. Tuesday to benefit sick children at the B&L Wholesale Pediatric Treament Center.

The treatment center is located at Golisano Children's Hospital at the University of Rochester Medical Center. The goods will also benefit the Center for Pediatric Biomedical Research.

Donated items include an iPad, camera, toys, photo printing supplies and a cell electroporation system to the research center.

Attending the presentation will be medical staff and also Mark and Laurie Napoleone (Michael's parents) along with board members of the Michael Napoleone Memorial Foundation.

Michael's parents established a foundation in his memory after he died in 2006 from Burkitt's Lymphoma/Leukemia, an aggressive form of blood cancer. During Michael’s year-long illness, the community rallied around the family to assist with food, gas, medical bills and other necessities.

The foundation was created to give back to those who cared, give forward to those in need, and to support research efforts in finding a cure for childhood cancer. The foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization with the mission to “Lend a Hand for Hope” by:

• Assisting families whose children are undergoing cancer treatment with expenses related to hospital stays; provide those children with support during treatment and the means to remain connected with school, family and friends.
• Supporting ongoing research efforts in pediatric blood cancers.
• Offering assistance to youth organizations and community sports programs in Michael’s memory.

Rape Crisis Service is currently recruiting volunteers for our spring training cycle. There is an urgent need in Genesee, Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming counties for individuals to assist with this important service, which offers free and confidential assistance to victims of sexual assault and their loved ones and is the only one of its kind in the area.

Rape Crisis Service (RCS) offers sexual assault victims' referrals, short-term counseling and support during medical exams, police investigations and court proceedings. Being a RCS volunteer is a very rewarding experience, and without these important individuals who volunteer their time -- 24-hours-a-day, 7 days a week -- the services that RCS offers would not be available.

No prior experience is needed, as RCS provides all volunteers with New York State Department of Health mandated training that educates them how to provide support to victims and their families, assist in the legal process, and how to work with RCS counselors and other volunteers.

Those interested in volunteering for RCS must be at least 20 years of age and be comfortable working with victims in a crisis situation. We are seeking volunteers who can take phone calls from their home as well as volunteers who are able to accompany victims to the hospital or police station.

The time commitment is flexible, and at the volunteer's discretion. If you have always wanted to be an advocate for people in your community, this may be your volunteer opportunity!

Further information about how to volunteer and become involved in Rape Crisis Service can be found on the internet at www.pprsr.org or by contacting Theresa Asmus, Rape Crisis Service area supervisor at 344-0516, ext. 111.

Genesee Community College's newest academic program, Veterinary Technology, will host two information sessions from 5 to 6 p.m. on Monday, March 28 and from 12:30-1:30 p.m. on Tuesday March 29. Both sessions will take place in T102 in the Conable Technology Building. The information sessions are free and open to all students and the general public.

The information sessions will discuss Veterinary Technology as a career, the application and admission process, academic requirements and prerequisites as well as degree and licensure information and frequently asked questions.

The Veterinary Technology (Vet Tech) program prepares students to complete the Veterinary Technician National Examination (VTNE) that is required for veterinary technician licensure (LVT) in New York State. LVTs are employed extensively in small and large private veterinary hospitals, animal shelters, equine facilities, zoos, medical research facilities, as nutritional and pharmaceutical representatives or herd managers, with USDA and NYS Agricultural & Markets.

Veterinary Technology students complete courses in Anatomy and Physiology, Veterinary Pharmacy and Pharmacology, Veterinary Nutrition, Techniques in Laboratory Animals and Exotics, Small Animal Pathology and Nursing, Large Animal Pathology and Nursing, Surgical Nursing and Anesthesiology, Veterinary Radiology and Dentistry, Parasitology, as well as general education courses, including communications, computers, and mathematics.

Vet Tech students also complete three "externships" consisting of supervised real world experience working with animals in clinical settings throughout the region.

"The local job market is growing for anyone looking for a career as a vet tech," said Kathryn Seweryniak, director of the Veterinary Technology program at Genesee. "The demand for veterinary technicians is expected to grow by 20 percent in New York State over the next six years, and by 41 percent nationwide."

The entire program consists of 72 credit hours and can be completed within two years by students pursuing full-time study. Those students desiring to further their education and career options can explore a business management dual degree or transfer options with four-year colleges and universities to pursue higher degrees in the veterinary medical field.

For further information please contact Kathryn Seweryniak, director of the Veterinary Technology program at 343-0055, ext. 6187 or <http://keseweryniak@genesee.edu>.

The Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council (GO ART!) is pleased to announce a new exhibit by Daniel Cherry and Robert Williams in its Bank of Castile Main Gallery located in Seymour Place, 201 E. Main St. in Batavia.

The exhibit runs through March 29th and showcases more than 30 works by the two photographers, combined. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday, and by appointment.

Cherry has loved taking pictures since he was young. He grew up on a small farm in Oakfield and was very involved in 4-H as a boy. He is now a single dad, and proud father of two boys, Daniel Jr. and Jimmy, whom he has photographed since their birth.

He has exhibited at the former PIECES Gallery, Main Street Coffee and Batavia’s “First Thursdays” event. He is a regular contributor to GO ART!’s annual winter group shows, but this is his first feature show.

Camera in hand everywhere he goes, Cherry feels strongly that “images are important” and that “cameras are like our eyes, but they can capture a moment forever so that someday people can see what we saw…they are a history of our lives, and they can never be replaced if we lose them.”

Similarly attached to his camera, Williams’ slogan is “have camera will travel.” He has belonged to the Batavia Photography Club for 24 years, a club that he feels is a great venue to learn to improve your photography skills (www.bataviaphoto.org).

While most of his photography features elements such as flowers, scenery, hot air balloons and fireworks, Williams has also dabbled in weddings, senior family portraits and family portraits.

“I have learned if you do something and you want a picture of it, take it right then as it might not be there next time,” Williams said, adding, “Go out and have fun with (your) camera.”

He is exhibiting a variety of photos that he hopes everybody enjoys viewing.

GO ART! exhibits are made possible, in part, with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts. For more information, contact GO ART! at 343-9313, info@GOart.org or visit www.GOart.org.

This month, the Genesee Center for the Arts at Genesee Community College will present the Jack Stokes play, "Nobody Likes Mordacious (And that's the Way He Likes It)."

Local schools are invited to the daytime private performances of the show scheduled for 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Wednesday, March 23 and Thursday, March 24. One final performance is scheduled for the public at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 25.

Special ticket prices for Friday's performance for family patrons include a buy-one-get-one (BOGO) ticket special. Patrons may buy one adult or senior ticket and get one children ticket free.

Patrons may also "check in" to Genesee Community College on social media platforms such as Foursquare or Facebook, using a mobile device, to receive the BOGO special. Patrons just need to show their "check-in" from their mobile device at the box office when purchasing tickets.

The play is a lively stage fantasy that presents the audience with a young girl named Orafu, who needs to rescue her parents from the ploys of a very wicked fellow. On an epic quest laced with humor, Orafu encounters genies, shadows, monsters, pirates and enlists the aid of a witch-fighting guide in order to restore her family. This play is appropriate for any audience, particularly elementary and middle-school children.

GCC Forum Players cast members are: Tyler Eldred (Dansville) as Chairman; the Narrator, Latoya Soloman (Rochester) as Assistant to the Chairman; and a utility player, Faith Horne (Rochester) as Orafu; a girl going on an adventure, Elizabeth Daniels (Albion); Mother of Orafu, Bobby Steeves, (Albion), Father of Orafu and a utility player, Alex Farley (Pembroke); Mordacious, a wicked fellow, Jamie Hicks (Sterling); Madam Swizzle, a famous fighter of witches, Heather Hilderbrandt  (Lockport); Mordy's Mother and a utility player, Alayna Zimbrick (Hilton); Sailor One, and a utility player, Joanne Taheri (Clarence and Newfane); Mad Maude, a vicious pirate, Sailor Two and a utility player, Alex Grayson (Watertown); Captain Doodlesack, a ship commander, Patrick Dodge (Warsaw); Genie, the Huge and Hairy Thing and a utility player, Ben Liebrand (Greece), Bloody Bernard, a vicious pirate, Nikkia Travis (Rochester); Crazy Catherine, a vicious pirate captain and utility player, Trevlyn Henry (Bronx).

"Nobody Likes Mordacious (And that's the Way He Likes It)," is directed by Norm Gayford, professor in the Humanities Department at GCC. This is his fifth year associated with GCC's theater and his third directing the Children's Theatre show.

Technical and Stage direction by Ed Hallborg, theater technical director and instructor in GCC's Fine and Performing Arts Department, and Jessica Yost, of Albion, a first-year GCC student, is the stage manager.

General admission ticket prices for the public performance at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 25 are $8 for adults, $5 for senior (55+), students and Genesee faculty and staff, and $3 for Genesee students with a valid GCC ID. GCC Alumni receive a $2 discount on a ticket with a valid GCC Alumni ID card.

For more information on the daytime school performances, contact the Genesee Center for the Arts at 345-6814. The box office is normally open 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and one hour prior to the start of each performance.

To reserve tickets, contact the Box Office at boxoffice@genesee.edu <http://boxoffice@genesee.edu > or call 345-6814. Don't forget BOGO! The Genesee Center for the Arts Box Office accepts cash, checks and now MasterCard and Visa credit cards.

Amy White, of Pavilion, was named to Dean's List at Mansfield University for the fall 2010 semester.

To be named to the Dean's List, a student must be attending the university full-time and earn at least a 3.5 GPA.

Mansfield University is a member of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. For more information, check online at mansfield.edu.