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Boy Scouts of America to honor distinguished citizens at May 23 Boypower Dinner

By Billie Owens

The Iroquois Trail Council Boy Scouts of America will recognize six distinguished citizens at the 37th Annual Boypower Dinner scheduled for May 23 at Genesee Community College.

The keynote speaker will be Vice Admiral Dirk J. Debbink, chief of U.S. Navy Reserve and a Distinguished Eagle Scout.

The Boypower Distinguished Citizen’s Award recognizes positive countywide impact through community and professional service, and a long tenure of service both through business and personal involvement in community causes.

Event Chairman Roger Triftshauser, D.D.S., and Scout Executive James McMullen are pleased to announce the 2012 Honor Roll of Distinguished Citizens:

Betty Lapp (Genesee County) serves as Board Chair of the United Memorial Medical Center and the Genesee Valley Educational Partnership.

Mitchell McLaughlin (Wyoming County), executive vice president of Five Star Bank, serves as chairman of the board of the Wyoming County United Way.

David Bellavia (Orleans County), a decorated veteran of the Iraq War, is active in efforts to support war veterans.

James Culbertson (Livingston County), Livingston County clerk, has served on numerous community boards and has chaired past Livingston County United Way campaigns.

Husband and wife team Ken Kaufman and Michelle Farina (Niagara County) have used their musical talents to raise relief funds for a variety of local and international causes. Ken is also well known as the organist for Buffalo Sabres home games.

The annual Boypower Dinner is the premier event to raise monies to support scouting programs for nearly 4,000 boys from 7-20 years of age and girls ages 14-21 in Genesee, Wyoming, Orleans, Eastern Niagara, and Livingston counties.

“We couldn’t ask for a better group of role models for our Scouts,” Triftshauser said.

The Boy Scouts of America is the nation’s foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training. The scouting organization is composed of 2.7 million youth members between the ages of 7 and 20, 1.1 million volunteers and nearly 300 local councils throughout the United States and its territories.

SPAGHETTI DINNER

By John Roach

Pavilion Boy Scout Troop 16

Spagheeti Dinner

Eat in or Take Out

Spaghetti, Homemade Sauce, Salad and Bread

$6.00 per ticket

Pavilion Fire Hall, Rt. 19, Paviion, NY

Help support our scouting program.

Event Date and Time
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Waterfowl hunters, birders with disabilities now have an accessible blind at Iroquois

By Howard B. Owens

It's taken more than 160 hours of his own time, and countless hours of help from volunteers, but Christopher Clarke, Indian Falls Boy Scout Troop 6066, has completed the key component of his Eagle Scout project -- a birder blind at the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge that is handicapped accessible.

After getting assistance from an engineer to design the structure and help from fellow Boy Scouts and Boy Scout leaders during the construction of the modular blind, Chris supervised installation of the parts Sunday afternoon.

"A lot of people from all over come here, so this is something that is pretty much for everybody," Chris said when asked why he decided to tackle this project.

During waterfoul hunting season -- which opens Saturday -- only hunters with disabilities will be able to make reservations to use the blind, according to the park's assistant manager, Dawn Washington.

After the season ends Nov. 17, photographers -- both those with disabilities and those without -- will be able to reserve the blind.

Only birders with reservations will be allowed in the blind, Washington said, and visitors to the park who happen down Feeder Road are asked not to disturb anybody using the blind. A sign next to the entrance to the blind's walkway asks visitors to respect the solitude of people using the blind.

During the spring and summer, the gated entrance to the road is locked, but park officials will help people with reservations gain access to that portion of the park.

The blind is at the end of a long dock that was installed by Jonathan Hoste and members of Troop 40 from Wrights Corners. The dock was paid for with federal grant money.

Chris, who enjoys hunting and fishing and has taken a few scouting hikes in the park, said when he heard park officials wanted to get a handicapped accessible blind installed at the end of the dock, he decided he would like to help the park with the project.

"It all came along pretty smoothly," Chris said. "We only had a couple of minor changes."

To make reservations to use the blind, call (585) 948-5445.

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