Announcements

The Alfred C. O'Connell Library at Genesee Community College has awarded eight student poets in its Ninth Annual Student Poetry Contest.

The eight winners include a diverse set of students, from many campus centers and from many age groups. Winners were Kiley Conklin, April Cipolla, Andrea Louis, Richard Seitz, Kelly M. Johnson, Matthew Bouwens, Sadie Popham, and Jessica Veltre, whose poem "Look at March" won First Place. It reads:

Follow the crooked tips of the trees,

Exposed and undressed, waiting for leaves.

Follow the water, not quite yet a stream,

But it trickles and traces each rock, journeying.

Gaze at the sky, it craves to be blue;

Silver still lingers, but there's hope in its hues.

Gaze at the ground, white succumbing to brown,

Green will come soon- Earth claiming its crown.

Sean Walker, a 2006 graduate of Geneseo Central School, is the winner of GCC's Student Art Show, which runs through May 2 and showcases the best works of the college's Fine Arts students.

Walker has been an artist since he was a kid, and he spent the last few years developing his talent before enrolling at GCC. His goal is to start a career in freelance art and eventually become an art director.

He specializes in realism and fantasy artwork, and is also interested in Romanticism and storytelling via illustration.

Photo submitted by Elisa DiPietro

Hey all you Cub Scouts! The Seneca District is gearing up for the big Cubmobile Derby on Saturday, May 8. It will be held in the park across from the Alexander School parking lot.

Registration for the race begins at 9 a.m. Attendees should park in the school parking lot.

All registered Tigers, Wolves, Bears and Webelos I and II are invited to participate. Cost is $3 per car (if by check, payable to BSA Seneca District). Packs and Dens can race with multiple drivers.

There will be First-, Second- and Third-place awards in each division and one overall Best of Show award.

Cubmobile design information and other specifications for racers are available on-line at the website of the Iroquois Trail Council of Boy Scouts <www.itcbsa.org>.

Call event chair Bob Spiers for more information at 591-3384.

An item in the D&C says that the office of Dr. Vladimir Gaspar, 8745 Lake Street Road, Le Roy, suffered severe water damage following a water line break over the weekend. His offices have been temporarily relocated to Lakeside Health Systems, 156, West. Ave., Brockport. For more information, call (585) 768-2620.

Community Action of Orleans & Genesee will hold its annual Community Appreciation Luncheon beginning at 11:30 a.m. on Monday, May 17 at the American Legion Hall in Albion.

The hall is located at 131 S. Main St.

The luncheon will highlight accomplishments of Community Action as well as services provided to residents of Orleans and Genesee counties. It will also provide an opportunity to say "thank you" by recognizing individuals and organizations for their continued support and generosity.

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Genesee County’s Master Gardeners will host the annual Garden Gala from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 22.

It will be held at the extension, 420 E. Main St. in Batavia. The plant sale will start promptly at 10, featuring indoor and outdoor plants, a chance auction, free soil pH testing and gardening advice by certified Master Gardeners. Refreshments will be available for a nominal fee.

Don’t miss your chance to pick up some great plants for your own garden.

For more information contact Amy Berry at 343-3040, ext. 106, stop by the office or visit online <http://www.genesee.shutterfly.com>.

Assemblyman Steve Hawley announced Monday that the Adelphi NY Statewide Breast Cancer Hotline & Support Program is conducting its annual Mother’s Day Mammography Campaign.

The organization is reaching out to New York women and asking them to help raise breast cancer awareness by getting a mammogram.

“As we celebrate Mother’s Day in the coming weeks, it’s important that we still remember how adverse a breast cancer diagnosis can be to a loved one,” Hawley said. “Raising awareness about breast cancer is essential for advancing treatment and prevention in our families and community.

"Even though the medical community has made great strides in breast cancer research, to date, the most effective way to fight breast cancer is early detection. I would encourage all women to help raise awareness for this cause by getting a mammogram this Mother’s Day.”

For more information about the annual campaign and to locate an accredited mammography facility nearby, call the Adelphi New York Statewide Breast Cancer Hotline & Support Program at 800-877-8077 or visit
<http://www.adelphi.edu/nysbreastcaner>.

Callers with limited income can also find out about low cost and free mammograms through the hotline.

 Tomorrow 4/26/10 6-7pm there will be an information session at 430 E Main St. Batavia (GCASA) for anyone interested in learning more about CASA for Children and how to become a volunteer CASA.  If you are interested and can't make the information session please call Tara Pariso at (585) 344-2550 ext. 2331 or email at tpariso@co.genesee.ny.us

On Friday, 19 February 2010, DAPP Children’s Town in Malambanyama, Zambia, Africa formally dedicated its new kitchen and dining area. Over eight hundred students, staff, families, and dignitaries attended the dedication. 

This effort began in early fall of 2007, when Ed Leising, a long-time member of the Batavia Rotary Club, was traveling from Buffalo to Baltimore, MD. While waiting for his flight, he met Pia Jorgensen in the lounge. She had a briefcase with a large Planet Aid Canada logo. He learned that she recently emigrated from Denmark and she was the Canadian representative for Planet Aid Canada; an organization that funds projects world-wide. The majority of the money comes from collecting then selling usable clothing. The profit from the sale of the clothing is used to fund their projects.

One of their projects; DAPP Children’s Town, located in Zambia, was in need of funding to purchase commercial kitchen equipment and update the dining area. Children’s Town is a school with about 300 students and about 30 staff from the surrounding area. Most students are local and live at home, however some are orphans, and live at the school. Before the installation of the new kitchen, the school prepared daily meals by cooking the food on two stone and concrete wood-fired pits. The plan was; utilize an existing building for the new kitchen equipment and eating area. The school had all of the electrical service and plumbing infrastructure needed for the kitchen and dining hall.

As a dedicated Rotarian, Ed was confident the Batavia Rotary Club and other Clubs in District 7090 would embrace this project. In a unique service project, the Rotary Club of Batavia, the Rotary Club of St. Catherines, Ontario, the Rotary Club of Lusaka Central, Zambia, Rotary District 7090 and the Rotary International Foundation pledged money totalling over $13,000.

All equipment has been purchased, received, and installed. Much of the work to improve the existing space has been done by the students, and staff of DAPP Children’s Town. They performed the construction and utility work that was required to convert the existing space into the new kitchen. The students and staff used the skills learned in Carpentry Training class to build all of the tables and chairs. All of the furniture was constructed of rosewood; which is indigenous to the area. One of the goals of DAPP Children’s Town is to give the students a solid background in the types of skills that can be used after graduation. Most will learn some construction related skills.

Rotary Clubs world-wide and Rotary International fund both local and international projects such as the DAPP Children’s Town project every year.   All service clubs such as Lions, Kiwanis and Rotary give generously to assist those in need all over the world. The value of service clubs cannot be under estimated. A good example is Rotary’s 25 year effort to help eradicate polio by initiating a project called Polio Plus in 1985. By 2012 Rotary will have raised more than 1.2 billion dollars to help eradicate polio.   At the beginning of Rotary’s Polio Plus project there were an estimated 350,000 cases of polio identified each year. As a result of the efforts of Rotary, the World Health Organization, the U.S. Center for Disease Control, UNISEF, the United Kingdom and Germany, now there are about 1,100 cases of polio identified each year. Polio is endemic in just four countries. Recently, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s grant of 355 million dollars and an additional 200 million from Rotary it is expected that polio will be totally eradicated some time after 2012.

From May 2-5, the Pentecostals of Genesee are inviting people to attend a Creation Seminar featuring Creation Science Evangelist Steve Grohman, who speaks hundreds of times each year at schools and churches, and via radio.

Over 350 dinosaur fossils will be on display, and Grohman, Ph.D, will explain why he believes that fossil records and other scientific data support Young Earth Creationism rather than Darwinian Evolutionism. Each session will be different.

The sessions are as follows:

10 a.m. to noon and 6 to 8 p.m., Sunday, May 2

1 to 3 p.m. and 6:45 to 8:45 p.m., Monday, May 3

6:45 to 8:45 p.m., Tuesday, May 4

6:45 to 8:45 p.m., Wednesday, May 5

The event is free, open to the public and does not require registration. For more information, please contact the Pentecostals of Genesee at 345-0925.

For more information on Steve Grohman, please visit www.creationseminar.net.

From Tara Pariso:

Genesee County CASA for Children, Inc. would like to thank all of its volunteer advocates. Not only is this National Volunteer Appreciation Week,  but our advocates deserve recognition all year long for their hard work,  dedication, and caring for the abused and neglected children in Genesee  County.  The work the advocates do can be stressful, heart wrenching, and  trying at times, but in the end knowing that you are advocating for a child  in need is what makes it worth it.  A huge Thank You to all of the CASA's in  Genesee County.

*In picture: Tara Pariso, Executive Director, Thelma Montreal, Deborah Davis,  Peggy Lamb, Eric Friedhaber, Linda Buzzell, and Donna Machowiak.  Not  pictured: Lisa Cochrane, Fran Moyles, Irene McNutt, Diane Mills, Marilynn  Palotti, Amanda Rissinger, Dawn Jaszko.

The Batavia Society of Artists will have a Spring Show in the Gallery Room at the Richmond Memorial Library in Batavia from May 1-29. It is free and open to the public during regular library hours.

Genesee Community College has expanded eligibility for its Promise Plus Tuition Scholarship Program for GLOW high school and GED graduates.

Every graduate will receive a scholarship covering the cost of tuition for one or two college courses during the July 6 – Aug. 7, five-week summer session if they attended high school in Genesee, Livingston, Orleans or Wyoming counties.

Also, students who live in the four-county service area, including home-schooled students, who earned a GED Diploma in 2010 are also eligible for up to two tuition-free courses, regardless of age.

Graduates of the Royhart, Pioneer, Wayland-Cohocton, Honeoye Falls-Lima, Lima Christian, Akron, West Valley, Fillmore and Barker School Districts are eligible, too.

And high school graduates who attended high schools outside of the GLOW service area but have accumulated GCC college credits through the College's ACE Program are also eligible to participate.

Lastly, Job Corp GED recipients and students graduating prior to the beginning of the first module of summer classes will be considered for the tuition scholarships on a case-by-case basis.

Under the Promise Plus Scholarship Program, students outlined above can take up to two tuition-free summer courses at any of the college's seven campus locations including Albion, Arcade, Batavia, Dansville, Lima, Medina and Warsaw. The scholarship pays all tuition and fees and the student is only responsible for purchasing textbooks.

The credits earned can be used to get a head start on college and can be used not only at GCC, but will transfer to all State University of New York (SUNY) schools and most other colleges and universities as well.

The deadline for submitting the Genesee Promise Plus Scholarship Application is June 18. There is no limit to the number of students receiving these scholarships. The one-page application form is available at all seven GCC campus locations as well as on-line at <http://www.genesee.edu/promise>.

For more information contact <http://tmlanemartin@genesee.edu > or call 345-6800 or 1-866-CALL-GCC or stop in at any GCC campus.

CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) for Children will offer an information session for people interested in volunteering to help children victimized by domestic abuse or neglect.

This session will feature information on what being a CASA volunteer entails, as well as the testimonies of experienced volunteers. People will also have a chance to apply for a volunteer position.

No prior experience or training is necessary. Anyone who is passionate about helping children in the community is encouraged to attend.

This meeting will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. at 430 E. Main St. (GCASA Conference Room, 2nd floor). For more information, please contact Tara Pariso at 344-2550, ext. 2331.

Those looking for a fun, tobacco-free family night can find just that in the Elba Central School gymnasium from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 21. Families with children in Pre-K through sixth grade are welcome to play games like Dance Dance Revolution and basketball; refresh with smoothies, ice cream, and other healthy snacks; and enjoy a DJ and live entertainment.

"This will tie in with our tobacco-free policy," says school nurse Cathy Contant, "and we're hoping it will really reduce the (TV) screen time that families have."

Contant is one of the main organizers of the night, along with counselor Kelly Carlie and several teachers. It is also a senior project for students Sherday Schultz, Julie Marshall, Rebecca Morse and Meghan Andrews.

The four seniors agree that they hope the night will encourage fitness and family togetherness in a fun way. They are hoping that local families will, for at least one night, turn off the TV and spend more time together.

"We want to promote a healthy lifestyle," says Marshall.

The night will be co-sponsored in part by Reality Check and Genesee County Stop DWI.  There is no admission charge and is open to anyone with young children.

The Genesee County Legislature has proclaimed the week of April 18-24 as "Federation of New York Insurance Professionals Week."

Katie Kegler, treasurer of the Genesee Region Insurance Professionals (GRIP) was on hand to accept the proclamation from legislature Vice Chair Hollis Upson.

GRIP was formed in 1961 and is the local affiliate of the Federation of New York Insurance Professionals. Both organizations are open to members of the insurance and insurance-related industries, and provide members opportunities for education, community service and networking.