Announcements

This year's ND graduating class stands forty-two strong. Thirteen members of the Class of 2009 were commissioned as Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion at our Opening Day Mass on Friday, September 5, 2008. Father Michael Rock, OdeM., Pastor of Our Lady of Mercy in Le Roy, New York and a member of the ND Board of Trustees, performed the commissioning ceremony as part of the first mass of the year at ND.

Eleven of the students were trained at ND last spring by Deacon Tom Casey.  The remaining two were trained at their parish.  We look forward to their service to our community.

Caption:  L to R – Row #1: Henri Burdett, Eric Shormann, Melissa Smith, Brad Cohen, Kristen Francis and Beth Fischer

L to R – Row #2:  Craig Houseknecht, Stacy Squire, Paige Scofield, Kate Spadaccia, Matt Jackson, Ashley Calarco, Sean Zawicki

Information submitted by Notre Dame

The Notre Dame Volleyball Teams are fundraising to defray costs for Notre Dame students who will be participating in this year’s missionary experience to Camden, New Jersey.  The girls have been bicycling in the “Ride for Camden” effort for the last couple of weeks.  Each girl is riding fifty miles and asking for sponsorships per mile.  If anyone would like to sponsor one of these athletes please contact Rhonda DiCasolo, Carolyn Babcock, or any of the Notre Dame volleyball players.  Pledges from a penny to a dollar per mile are welcome as are donations in any amount.  We hope to provide an opportunity for more Notre Dame students to attend the life-altering experience of a week at Camden’s Romero Center.  Our trips in the past have always had such a tremendous impact on our students and staff.  Thank you to all who have already sponsored a volleyball player.

From Genesee Community College:

The Genesee Community College Foundation is seeking nominations for its Alumni Hall of Fame, which recognizes those alumni who have achieved outstanding success and made a lasting impact on the community. The Foundation will induct its third group of honorees in a ceremony on March 25, 2009 at the Batavia campus.

"This is our effort to find and honor Genesee Community College's most distinguished graduates, based on their accomplishments," Patti Pacino, Alumni Coordinator noted. "We are proud of our alumni and want to recognize their success."

The criteria for nominating an individual to the College Alumni Hall of Fame are based on the individual's contributions to his or her profession, distinguished service to the community and/or service to Genesee Community College.

Nomination forms can be downloaded from Genesee Community College's alumni website (http://www.genesee.edu/portals/alumni/halloffame.cfm) and emailed or sent to the Genesee Community College Alumni Office.

Nominations may be submitted by the nominee or by friends, family, work associates or other colleagues who are familiar with the nominee. All nominations received by January 9 will be considered by the Selection Committee. New inductees will be honored at a reception, and their photo and a short biography will be featured on a plaque displayed in the Alumni Hall of Fame, located on the second floor of the Conable Technology Building. The next induction ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday, March 25, 2009.

Genesee Community College's Alumni Hall of Fame inductees currently include: Joseph H. Bell, GCC '79, vice president of Global Process and Product Integrity at Moog, Inc. and managing director for Moog operations in Bangalore, India; Monica H. Dawson, GCC '72; co-owner and secretary/treasurer of Shepard, Maxwell and Hale Insurance Agency; Jerry Reinhart, GCC '71, founder of Access Rentals and president of Reinhart Enterprises, Inc.; Paula Savage, GCC '76, director of tourism for the Greater Rochester Visitors Association; Lori Stupp, GCC '89, regional director of United Way and a member of the AAA Speakers Bureau; Peggy Weissend, GCC '99, registered Community Health nurse with the Genesee County Health Department; Ann M. Bell, GCC '88, retired executive director of the Genesee Region Independent Living Center; Steven G. Hyde, GCC '82, president and CEO of Genesee County Economic Development Center; and Gary T. Maha, GCC '76, Sheriff of Genesee County.

Learn about "People of the Longhouse". Larry VerWeire of Ganondagan State Historic Site will speak about the people and the site. Ganondagan was the site of a 17th century Native American community that was a flourishing, vibrant center for the Seneca people. This program will take place at Genesee County Park & Forest Interpretive Nature Center, 11095 Bethany Center Rd., E. Bethany, NY 14054.

Details:

Saturday, December 13, 2008
10am-12noon
$5/person ($10/family)
Pre-registration required by December 12, 2008.
Please call (585) 344-1122 to register.

From the Salvation Army:

The Salvation Army's bellringing effort in Batavia is crucial this year, announced Major Leonard Boynton, director of the local Salvation Army.

“We need to get as many bellringers as we possibly can due to dramatic increases in requests for assistance. With the slowing economy, greater numbers of individuals and families have been coming to The Salvation Army asking for food, rent and utilities assistance, prescriptions and emergency housing,” noted Boynton.

The emergency family assistance office is assisting record numbers of families. In September we assisted 200 families, up from 110 in September 2007. In October 266 families in October, up from 231 last year. Holiday assistance applications have already risen over the 200 mark, toward an expected 700 to 800 families, said Boynton.

“We need groups and individuals to help raise the funds necessary to assist these families in need,” said the Major.

To ring the bells, volunteers can call the local Salvation Army directly at 343-6284. They can also call The Red Kettle Center, 24/7 at 1-877-764-7259 or go on-line to www.redkettles.org.

“We need volunteers at all times at a variety of locations. Please call as soon as possible,” added Major Boynton. “We thank all the caring people of this community who never forget those less fortunate.”

From the Gensee Region Independent Living Center:

The Genesee Region Independent Living Center will host a Holiday Open House on Friday December 12th from 12-4 pm at 61 Swan St in Batavia. It is a time of gathering to come and see what services we offer to the community and what we are all about.

Santa will be there to meet and greet everyone. Refreshment will be served.

Questions: Please call the Center Monday-Friday 9-4 at 585-343-4524.

From the press release:

The Wal-Mart Foundation has awarded a grant for $10,000 to Genesee ARC, a non-profit organization that supports people with disabilities in partnership with their families and the community.

The grant funds will be used for the organization’s TEAM  - Together Empowered Advocates Meet -  Program, a Genesee ARC leadership project for people with and without disabilities, ages 16-26. The participants in TEAM learn about community service, decision-making and assessing the needs of their local community.

Genesee ARC serves Genesee County in Western New York and has programs and residential sites in Batavia, Elba, Oakfield, and East Pembroke.

“Wal-Mart has been a friend to Genesee ARC since opening their doors in our community in 1995,” said Donna Saskowski, Executive Director of Genesee ARC. “We appreciate this wonderful support of our TEAM program through the Wal-Mart Foundation.”

“Wal-Mart and Sam's Clubs of New York believe that Genesee ARC is a great organization and we are proud to help them achieve their goals," said Philip H. Serghini, Senior Manager for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

Thelma Montreal, grandmother of a TEAM participant and Genesee ARC Board Member, said. “My granddaughter is so proud of her volunteer work in our community and has grown into a confident young woman thanks to the services she receives at Genesee ARC.”

Genesee ARC has been in existence since 1966 serving individuals with disabilities and their families. The agency was founded by a group of dedication parents and friends wanting to provide a better education and quality of life for their loved ones. A broad range of services are available for adults and children, including service coordination, advocacy, recreation, transportation, residential, day program and employment training. For additional information, visit  www.gencoarc.com.

The grant was made possible through the Wal-Mart Foundation’s State Giving Program. Through this program, the Wal-Mart Foundation awards grants at the state and regional levels to support unmet needs in areas of focus such as: Education, Job Skills Training, Environmental Sustainability and Health. For more information, please visit: www.walmartstores.com.

From Genesee Community College:

Dorothy Smith of Batavia, NY, Lead Teacher for the Toddlers, and Stephanie Kellogg of Oakfield, NY, Lead Teacher for the Pre-K of Genesee Community College Association Child Care Center have been awarded a Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential in recognition of outstanding work with young children. The credential was awarded by the Council for Professional Recognition in Washington, DC, which represents the early childhood education profession.

CDA is the only major national effort to improve early childhood education and care by evaluation and recognition of the skills of individuals providing care. The first Credential was awarded over 30 years ago, and now 49 states plus the District of Columbia include CDA in their childcare licensing regulations.

Today, parents who use early education and care are especially concerned about their children's welfare. With this in mind, as part of the CDA assessment process, every candidate for the CDA Credential is observed working with young children or families by an early childhood professional. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the ability to work with families to develop children's physical and intellectual capabilities in a safe and healthy learning environment.

The CDA Credential is having a positive effect on the quality of early childhood education and care. Its impact is evident in center-based and home visitor programs as well as family child care, the most common form of care for children under five years old.

"We are very proud of the commitment and dedication exhibited by Dorothy and Stephanie," Maggie Hagen said. "This effort and their new credentials continue our ongoing belief in developing the skills that foster quality service and care for our children."

For further information on CDA, contact the Council for Professional Recognition at 2460 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20009-3575, (202) 265-9090 or (800) 424-4310. For further information on Genesee Community College Association Child Care Center call Maggie Hagen, Director, at 585-345-6833 or email: mkhagen@genesee.edu.

Richard Laub, Buffalo Museum of Science curator of geology, is the featured dinner speaker tonight at the  Eastern States Archaeological Federation’s annual meeting. He will speak on the Hiscock Site, an archeological dig in Byron. The federation is meeting at the Holiday Inn Lockport, 515 S. Transit Road.

The site was accidentally discovered in 1959, but was not actively excavated until the 1980s. The site has yield mastodon fragments and paleo-Indian artifacts.

The full program of the federations meeting can be downloaded as a PDF here.

From Genesee Community College:

The latest program organized by Genesee Community College's chapter of Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) to benefit the general community is a one-day plastic bag collection effort at the Batavia Campus on Tuesday, November 11, 2008 from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM in the cafeteria. All members of the College and local community are encouraged to participate, and those participants who bring in "bags of bags" (35 bags or more) will receive a free Tops Market reusable shopping tote.

"Every year millions of plastic bags are dumped in landfills and thousands more litter our streets, steams and waterways. Plastic bags destroy our marine life and our environment," Jennifer Bryant, student president of Phi Theta Kappa said. "Our goal with this plastic bag collection and recycling initiative is to promote a healthy alternative."

Tops Markets is not only donating 100 reusable shopping totes to the recycling effort, but they are also accepting the multitude of bags from PTK's one-day collection and will ensure that they are properly processed and recycled into other items.

Another green opportunity sponsored by PTK includes signing up for the "End Junk Mail" project wherein PTK members will fill-out and mail in the special postcard in the ‘opt out' of junk mail database. Participants in this initiative help eliminate the volumes of unwanted junk mail most Americans receive daily. In addition, PTK will be selling the special Chico reusable totes which are made from 100% natural products. Proceeds from the $5 Chico totes support the Hites Foundation scholarship fund for PTK members who are transferring to 4-year colleges.

Established in 1918, Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society serves to recognize and encourage the academic achievement of two-year college students and provide opportunities for individual growth and development through honors, leadership, and service programming.

For more information about PTK, contact Dr. Alicea-Maldonado, faculty advisor for Phi Theta Kappa at 585-343-0055 x6391 or email: ralicea-maldonado@genesee.edu.

From the Richmond Memorial Library:

*Boys and Books:* The GRO program of the Richmond Memorial Library will offer a parent workshop that addresses the gender literacy gap and offers suggestions to parents of boys for fostering reading. This program will be held at 7:00 on Thursday, November 6, in the Gallery Room at the library. To register, call 343-9550 extension 4. Limited child care is available.

From Genesee Community College:

The Fine Arts Committee at Genesee Community College is pleased to welcome PUSH PHYSICAL THEATRE to our campus this holiday season. Hailing from Rochester, New York, PUSH PHYSICAL THEATRE will be performing at the Genesee Center for the Arts on Thursday, December 4, 2008 at 8:00PM, in the Stuart Steiner Theatre at Batavia's main campus.

Gravity defying, PUSH has been called a cross between fine art sculpture and The Matrix. Athletic and entertaining, this theatre of the body features performers who appear to manipulate time and space in a live environment. "Once you've experienced PUSH, you will know the strength of the human soul expressed by the power of the human body."

Husband and wife team Darren and Heather Stevenson founded PUSH PHYSICAL THEATRE in 2000 out of a desire to push the boundaries of conventional theatre. "It's all about the stories. The narratives of our lives played out with hope, strength and optimism." PUSH's unique form has transformed it into a national company that has performed all over England, across the United States and Mexico and has appeared on PBS and NPR.

PUSH's unconventional artistic process can currently be viewed at its MySpace Project Page (www.myspace.com/pushtheatre), where the online community is given an opportunity to view video of works-in-progress and offer comments and opinions, which are taken into consideration and influence the finished work. For more information, including images, videos and downloads, visit www.pushtheatre.org.

General admission ticket prices are $10.00 for adults and $5.00 for seniors/students/faculty. For ticket reservations, contact the Genesee Center for the Arts Box Office at (585) 343-0055 x6814, or by email to BoxOffice@genesee.edu. The Genesee Center for the Arts Box Office accepts cash and checks only, credit cards are not accepted. For door-to-door directions to the Genesee Center for the Arts, sent via email, visit www.genesee.edu.

For further information contact: Christopher M. Montpetit, 585-343-0055 x6814, BoxOffice@genesee.edu.

From the VA Western New York:

VA Western New York Healthcare System is holding an open house for the newly renovated cardio-pulmonary rehabilitation and fitness center, Friday, November 7, 2008 from 1:30- 3:30pm.

The $1.2 million project included the renovation and increased space for cardiac rehabilitation and patient therapy on 4B. Veterans who have had open heart surgery, myocardial infarction (heart attack), angioplasty, congestive heart failure, and those who are medical management history of heart and lung diseases utilize the facilities.  The fitness center is also available to all veterans at no cost who are referred by their provider. “We expect that this modern area with state of the art equipment will enhance the participation in our cardiac and pulmonary rehab programs as well as improve our veteran and employee satisfaction,” states Dr. Miguel Rainstein, acting Chief of Staff.

VA WNY Healthcare System provides care to over 40,000 veterans in Buffalo, Batavia, and seven community based clinics located in Lackawanna, Niagara Falls, Lockport, Olean, Dunkirk, Jamestown and Warsaw.

From the VA Medical Center:

Additional walk-in clinics have been scheduled for veterans enrolled in VA health care at VA WNY Healthcare System, 3495 Bailey Avenue in Buffalo.  The vaccines will be available at Desk 4 located on the first floor Saturday, November 8 from 8am -1pm, Tuesday, November 11 (Veterans Day) noon – 3:30pm, Saturday, November 15, 8am – 1pm, and Sunday, November 23, 9:00am – 2pm. Enrolled veterans may also contact their primary care provider to obtain the vaccine.

There is no charge for the flu vaccine for veterans enrolled in VA health care.  Eligibility will be verified prior to administration of the vaccine.  For information regarding VA Healthcare eligibility call 1-888-823-9656.

From Genesee Community College:

Genesee Community College continues to demonstrate a commitment to student success and community connections on Thursday, November 13, 2008 when more than 25 of the area's top health care employers and four-year universities will attend the first annual Fall Nursing Job Fair to explore educational and career opportunities.

Health care institutions represented include Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Strong Memorial Hospital, and Kaleida Health. In addition, representatives from educational divisions such as Niagara University's Department of Nursing and Roberts Wesleyan College will also be in attendance.

Despite the current economic crisis, the nursing field is experiencing rapid growth, which is projected to continue for the next few years. "This event will provide our students and community members with networking and career opportunities, and get people excited about this ever-expanding field of work in an otherwise challenging job market," said John McGowan, Career Center Coordinator. "We are always excited to see the various successes that come out of this event for both employers and potential employees."

The event is free, open to the public, and will be held at the Batavia Campus of Genesee Community College in the Forum from 12:30 - 2:00 p.m. on November 13. Attendees are encouraged to bring their resumes and come prepared to interview. For a full list of attendees, directions and additional details, please visit www.genesee.edu/ctc or contact John McGowan at 585-343-0055 ext. 6383.

Local bookstore Present Tense has planned a fun and festive event to kick-off the holiday season this year! Three authors will sign books as part of the store’s two-day Holiday Open House, scheduled for Friday, November 14 from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm and Saturday, November 15 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.

The weekend event features authors Christopher Norment, Jennifer Ford Berry, and Peggy Thomas, who will appear at 1:00 pm on Saturday, the 15th.

Christopher Norment is the author of Return to Warden’s Grove: Science, Desire, and the Lives of Sparrows. A perfect book for outdoors enthusiasts, it chronicles three seasons of field research studying Harris’s Sparrows in the Northwest Territories. In a series of essays that explore the wild splendor of a harsh landscape, the often hilarious antics of a man alone in the bush, and the importance of nature in human lives, Norment gives readers a glimpse of the beauty of biological fieldwork as a vital way to pay attention to the world and be connected with something outside the self.

Dr. Norment is a professor of environmental science and biology at SUNY College at Brockport. Return to Warden’s Grove has just been nominated for the John Burroughs Award, which recognizes well-written and illustrated natural history publications.

Jennifer Ford Berry is the owner of Mothertime Marketplace, a semi-annual event for children and moms in Western New York and former owner of Berry Patch Kids, which was an upscale consignment store in Batavia, NY. Her new book, Organize Now!: A Week-by-Week Guide to Simplify Your Space and Your Life provides simple and effective tools to organize every aspect of life. The book is not only easy-to-use but covers a wide variety of topics from paperwork, time management, mental clutter, pets and specific rooms to special events such as moving or vacation planning. The advice is proactive, straightforward and presented in checklists so that readers can see immediate results as they work.

Jennifer, a resident of Attica, NY, founded her professional organizing business in 2002.

Peggy Thomas is a well-known children’s author who lives in Middleport, NY. Her books for children include Snow Dance, Joshua the Giant Frog, Farmer George Plants a Nation, and New York: The Empire State. In addition to writing, Peggy is also an instructor for the Institute of Children’s Literature and a frequent speaker in schools and libraries.

Along with the visiting authors, Santa himself will visit the store from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm on Saturday.

Present Tense, a locally-owned, independent bookstore, is located at 101 Washington Avenue, Batavia, NY.  For more information call (585) 815-7640, or visit www.presenttensebooks.com.

From the VA Medical Center:

Veterans enrolled in VA health care may obtain flu vaccines at walk-in clinics at VA Western New York Healthcare System in Batavia, 222 Richmond Avenue. The vaccines will be available Monday through Friday, between 8:30 and 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 and 3:00 p.m. at the outpatient clinic. Enrolled veterans may also contact their primary care provider to obtain the vaccine. There is no charge for the flu vaccine for veterans enrolled in VA Healthcare. Walk-in clinics will be held through December 31.

Eligibility will be verified prior to administration of the vaccine. For information regarding VA Healthcare eligibility call 1-888-823-9656.