Skip to main content

Genesee County Chamber of Commerce Awards

Chamber Awards: Charters' passion to 'give back' earns her Geneseean of the Year

By Joanne Beck
mickey chambers
Mickey Charters.
Photo by Howard Owens

NOTE: This is the fifth of seven stories The Batavian will publish today and tomorrow (Friday and Saturday) about this year's Chamber of Commerce award winners. The awards will be presented on Saturday evening at Batavia Downs. Tickets are still available for the event.

When Mickey Charters was pursuing her bachelor’s at Brockport State College, a professor said something she never forgot: you give back to the community.

“That always stuck with me. As a child or in high school I never volunteered, but in college, yes. Once you give back, it’s so easy, it’s a flow you just go along with it,” she said during an interview with The Batavian. “It started out with that, working with people with dementia.”

Charters, who lived in Brockport before moving to Bergen 24 years ago, has certainly latched onto that ideology. Describing herself as a “late bloomer,” she earned her degree in therapeutic recreation one class at a time after her children were in high school and took her first job in a nursing home working with people with dementia.

She has since devoted her skills of calm restraint — required to do this type of compassionate endeavor — whether it was helping to take care of her uncle, working or volunteering in the field, including at Office for the Aging, Alzheimer’s Association, Crossroads House and a grassroots respite program based at Batavia First Presbyterian Church.

It is that dedicated background and ongoing community service that has earned Charters the county’s Chamber of Commerce Geneseean of the Year Award. While she feels a bit shy and humbled by the attention, Charters is finding that “it actually feels good.”

“You know, all my friends are just really, really happy, and I'm happy to see them happy,” she said. “And I know I do a lot of work for my respite program, but I don't call that work. I just call it the love for people. That's how I enjoy that.”

It may not be a surprise that Charters is an animal lover, citing the beloved creatures — especially dogs and cats — for keeping her grounded. “I love taking care of them,” she said, as one answer to what she likes to do for fun. Dog-sitting happened to include the white Pyrenees in her charge this particular day. Add to that going for drives and weekend jaunts with husband Jamie, who is the other half of what she feels is still a “newlywed” couple.

They met at Crossroads House, where Jamie had been volunteering. Charters was volunteering for Visiting Nurses Association and followed a woman who went to Crossroads as the next chapter of her journey. The nonprofit’s founder, Kathy Panepento, asked Charters if she’d like to be a regular at the house, and she accepted. 

To this day, she and Jamie have a “date night,” volunteering there on Saturdays, visiting with residents, reading to them, combing their hair, polishing their nails, and chatting with family members.

“I would probably say, make them feel special. They're getting ready for their next journey,” she said. “We want them to look nice. We want them to smell nice. We want them to feel comfortable.”

They’ve been having that traditional date for at least 13 years and were married nine years ago.

What keeps you going when encountering people going through challenging times as dementia, Alzheimer’s and facing that next chapter?
“Most definitely my faith. I think you have to have some type of faith, whether it’s God or out in the woods. You have to have something,” she said. “You can’t just go from one person passing away to another person passing away. You have to clear your mind. I think you have to do that. But you can clear it any way that makes you comfortable. Some people like to just walk out in the woods. I like to do that in the spring and summer. I don’t like to do it during the winter … I just, I’ll sit and not really meditate, but I can just think, as in meditation, to clear my mind.”

As for the respite program, the one she operates is one of four in Genesee County, with others at St. James Episcopal Church in Batavia and at sites in Corfu and Le Roy. The program offers caregivers an opportunity to take a break while their loved ones are cared for by trained volunteers from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. once a month.

The routine includes social time with coffee, tea, juice and cookies; a craft; a hot meal for lunch; an exercise session; a game of Bingo; and a music sing-a-long. Charters aims to keep it routine so as not to disrupt the pattern for guest attendees. They need to be mobile and able to use a restroom, and volunteers do not administer medications, she said.

Yes, even while talking about this award, Charters wanted to promote this program. She and others hope to spread the word and help more caregivers to get a break in their own routines to go shopping, run errands, make doctor appointments and take care of things they may not be able to otherwise.

Aside from that positive aspect, Charters is also happy to share that this program “costs nothing” to participants. And she has a whopping 16 volunteers ready and able to be there when needed.

Why has this population drawn you in?
“They are people too, and a lot of people didn’t know how to communicate with them,” she said. “And you just had to have patience and perseverance with them and shoe that you are the kind person and help them. Sometimes it works, sometimes it didn’t, but it was easy to change their thought process because it goes so fast, and they know that you’re a kind person, inside their heart, they know.”

So does Genesee County.

For more information about the respite program, call 585-343-0505.

Marone selected to receive Humphrey award at the Chamber's 53rd annual awards ceremony

By Press Release

Press Release:

Peggy Marone has been selected to receive the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce’s Wolcott “Jay” Humphrey III Excellence in Community Leadership Award. The Chamber’s Board of Directors gives this award, no public nominations are solicited. It is not an annual award and is only given when the Board feels there is a qualified candidate. 

The Award is named after Mr. Wolcott “Jay” Humphrey III who was President of the Wyoming County Bank (Pavilion State Bank/Five Star Bank). He was extremely involved in the community as a volunteer and encouraged his employees to develop a commitment to volunteerism and community. He was a visionary that could see the big picture and made real improvements to his passionate beliefs.

Peggy has served as Leadership Genesee’s program director for the past 23 years. During this time, Peggy has shaped the leadership within our community with more than 600 alumni participating under her tutelage. Peggy challenges each graduating class to contribute and make an impact on Genesee County. 

The Genesee County Chamber of Commerce will be celebrating its 53rd Annual Awards Ceremony on Saturday, March 1 at Batavia Downs, Park Road, Batavia. This is the County’s premier event that honors businesses and individuals for their achievements in business, community service and volunteerism.

Tickets are $65.00 per person or a table of 10 for $480.00. 

The evening begins at 5 p.m. with Hors D’oevures, Entrée Tables & Cash Bar (no formal sit-down dinner is to be served). The Award Program starts at 7 p.m. where dessert and coffee will be served.

This year’s honorees are:

Wolcott “Jay” Humphrey III Excellence in Community Leadership Award: Peggy Marone

Business of the Year: H.E. Turner & Co.

Small Business of the Year: Southside Deli

Agricultural Business of the Year: Alexander Equipment

Entrepreneurial Business of the Year: Meraki Beauty, LLC

Special Recognition of the Year: Genesee County 4-H Critter Crew

Geneseean of the Year: Mickey Charters

Call Kelly J. Bermingham, at 343-7440, ext. 1026 or email kbermingham@genseeny.com to make your reservations or with any questions you may have.

Call for nominations for Chamber's annual awards ceremony

By Press Release

Press Release:

The Chamber’s Annual Awards Committee has announced the 2023 Annual Award Ceremony will be held on Saturday, March 2 at Batavia Downs Gaming, Park Road, Batavia. This is the County’s premier event that honors businesses and individuals for their achievements in business, community service, and volunteerism. 

Please note that a brief write-up will qualify your nominee for consideration. Nominations are now being accepted for Business of the Year, Entrepreneurial Business of the Year, Agricultural Business of the Year, Innovative Enterprise of the Year, Special Service Recognition & Geneseeans of the Year. Business Nominees must be a Chamber Member (If unsure of your nominee, call the Chamber to verify).

Nomination forms are available at the Chamber of Commerce office, 8276 Park Road, Batavia, and can also be downloaded from the Chamber Website at www.geneseeny.com.

Nominations MUST BE RECEIVED BY Dec. 29 to be eligible for consideration. If you would like more information, feel free to call or email Kelly J. Bermingham, Director of Member Relations & Special Events at the Chamber office, 343-7440, ext. 1026, kbermingham@geneseeny.com.

GC Chamber of Commerce annual awards ceremony March 2, nominations sought

By Press Release

Press Release:

The Chamber’s Annual Awards Committee has announced the “2023” Annual Award Ceremony will be held on Saturday, March 2, 2024, at Batavia Downs Gaming, Park Road, Batavia. This is the County’s premier event that honors businesses and individuals for their achievements in business, community service, and volunteerism.

Please note that a brief write-up will qualify your nominee for consideration. Nominations are now being accepted for Business of the Year, Entrepreneurial Business of the Year, Agricultural Business of the Year, Innovative Enterprise of the Year, Special Service Recognition & Geneseeans of the Year. 

Business Nominees must be a Chamber Member (If unsure of your nominee, call the Chamber to verify). 

Nomination forms are available at the Chamber of Commerce office, 8276 Park Road, Batavia, and can also be downloaded from the Chamber Website at www.geneseeny.com.

Nominations MUST BE RECEIVED BY December 29 to be eligible for consideration. 

If you would like more information, feel free to call or email Kelly J. Bermingham, Director of Member Relations & Special Events at the Chamber office, 343-7440, ext. 1026, kbermingham@geneseeny.com.

Authentically Local