Announcements

Press release:

The Le Roy Jr./Sr. High School “Marching Knights” became stars of their own Disney show on April 25 when they entertained guests at EPCOT Park at the Walt Disney World Resort. They traveled over 1,000 miles from Le Roy to take part in the Disney Performing Arts Program.

The student performers, under the direction of Bradley Meholick and Tim Denmark, put on a musically delightful show as they marched through the Canadian Pavilion in World Showcase toward Future World taking them past Space Ship Earth.

Their performance included The Foundations' “Build Me Up Buttercup” and Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” By being part of this special show production, the students got an inside look at what it is like to be a professional in the entertainment industry.

This was the marching band’s second visit to the resort since their 1997 march at EPCOT Park.

Vocal, instrumental and dance ensembles from around the world apply to perform each year as a part of Disney Performing Arts at both the Disneyland Resort in California and the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.

Once selected, they are given the opportunity to perform at the resort for an international audience of theme park guests. Millions of performers have graced the stages of the Disney Parks in the more than 25-year history of the program.

For more information, visit www.DisneyPerformingArts.com or call 1-800-603-0552.

Pictured from left, top row: Samantha Balbi, Tia Stone, Lauren Halle, Ava Reinhart, Kaetlyn Andrews. Middle row: Jessica Sosnowski, Panorea Tsoukalos, Evelyn Chadbourn, Taylor Lundfelt. Bottom row: Melania Frias, Londyn Hume, Ariana Frias.

Press release:

Images in Dance students achieved excellent ratings at the Star System National Talent Competition last month in Rochester. They competed against dancers from throughout Western New York and Canada.

Among the 17 top performances included a routine by Batavia High School Senior Taylor Sanders, who achieved Platinum and was named First Overall dancer of her division. Taylor, the daughter of Gerry and Lynn Sanders, of Batavia, will be attending Niagara University in the fall and intends to continue with her dance opportunities while studying Pre-Medicine. Another top performer, Amanda Boss, the daughter of Dan and Sue Boss, of Pembroke, will be attending Genesee Community College in the fall. She intends to continue her dance career while studying Health Studies at GCC.

Highlights of the Rochester event included:

Amanda Boss -- Elite High Gold and 4th Overall

Ariana Frias -- Elite High Gold and 10th Overall

Melania Frias -- Platinum and 3rd Overall

Tia Stone -- Elite High Gold and 8th Overall

Samantha Balbi -- High Gold

Panorea Tsoukalos -- Elite High Gold and 1st Place

Lauren Halle and Ava Reinhart -- Duet Elite High Gold

Taylor Sanders and Amanda Boss -- Duet Platinum and Platinum and 1st Overall

Road Trip & We've Got The Beat (Twinkle Team) -- 2 Elite High Golds

Up, Vacation & Jai Ho (Juniors) -- 3 Elite High Golds

Wrecking Ball (Teens/Akron) -- High Gold and 3^rd Overall

Breath of Life (Teens/Perry) -- High Gold

Images in Dance owner Robin Cotler will coordinate two additional competition opportunities for her students this spring. All dance routines will be performed at the Images in Dance recitals. Recital dates are posted in our newsletter at imagesindance.com

The premiere of "Mother's Day Madness Shopping Spree & Flower Fundraiser" will be held at the Harvester 56 Theater from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 10.

There will be multiple crafters and vendors, basket raffles, 50/50 and lunch items will also be available for purchase.

It is sponsored by the Batavia Players, who intend to make this an annual event.

For more information, contact Kellie Wade at 314-3301 or at <kelliew9@yahoo.com>

The Town of Bethany Republican Committee seeks candidates for their endorsement meeting on at 6 p.m. on Monday, May 12, in the Bethany Town Hall. Candidates are sought for town supervisor and town board member.

Interested candidates please contact Chairman Gregg Torrey by Friday, May 9.

<gregg.torrey@gmail.com> or call 585-507-8139

The annual cheese tent sale at Yancey’s Fancy, Inc., is being postponed until autumn due to construction delays and safety concerns. Instead of its original date of May 10th, it will take place to Sept. 13th. The hours will remain the same (8 a.m. till sold out) and it will be held at Yancey’s Fancy headquarters on Main Road, Corfu.

Please e-mail <customerservice@yanceysfancy.com> or call 585-599-4448 with further questions or concerns.

The First Presbyterian Church of Elba, located at 23 N. Main St. in Elba, is holding a free mobile food pantry from 5 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 21.

Fresh produce, baked goods, packaged food will be provided by FoodLink of Rochester. The exact food items available are not known, but fresh produce will be available. There is no income verification required and no ID is necessary, but you must be 18 years old to pick up food from the pantry.

Please provide your own bags/cart/vehicle to transport items to your home.

Enjoy a spaghetti dinner at the Generation Center beginning at 6 p.m. on Friday, May 9, in recognition of Genesee County Foster Parents Month.

The event is sponsored by the Holland Land Office Museum. Cost is $9 at the door or $8 pre-sale. Mark Graczyk, "Hidden History" columnist and managing editor for the Batavia Daily News, with be the featured speaker. There will be live music by Chordially Yours.

The Generation Center is located at 15 Center St., behind the Masonic Temple building in Downtown Batavia.

The City of Batavia Community Garden is hosting an Open House on from 9 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 10, at 10 MacArthur Drive (behind the Batavia Youth Center).

This a great opportunity for City of Batavia residents to view how a vacant wading pool has been made into the new “City of Batavia Community Garden.” Meet with the garden’s staff and learn more about the efficient “Square Foot Gardening Method.”

There will be refreshments and gardening demonstrations.

For questions or more information contact the Youth Bureau at 345-6420.

Press release:

ROCHESTER, NY — The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, along with lead sponsor, University of Phoenix, will host “Hiring Our Heroes – Rochester,” a hiring fair for veterans and military spouses. More than 55 employers are expected to participate with jobs available for veterans and military spouses of all ranks and levels of experience. Companies range from America's biggest employers to dozens of small companies from the region. The event will also include a free Hiring Our Heroes employment workshop focusing on resume writing, interview skills, and job search techniques for military members – past and present – as well as their spouses.

Since Hiring Our Heroes began in March 2011, more than 1,500 companies have hired 21,600 veterans and military spouses as a result of more than 700 hiring fairs. In March 2012, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Capital One launched Hiring 500,000 Heroes, a national campaign to engage the business community in committing to hire half a million veterans and military spouses by the end of 2014. Thus far, more than 1,400 businesses of all sizes have pledged to hire 411,000 heroes toward this goal. To date, 255,000 hires have been confirmed toward this goal.

WHAT:    Hiring Our Heroes – Rochester
WHEN:   Thursday, May 8  -- 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Workshop begins at 8:30 a.m.

WHERE:    National Guard Armory
76 Patriot Way
Rochester, NY 14624

RSVP:    
Interested job seekers should register for free at hiringourheroes.org. Walk-in job seekers are allowed (veterans must provide proof of service).

This hiring event is also being held in partnership with the New York National Guard, Rochester Business Alliance/RBA Staffing, NYS Department of Labor, Veterans Outreach Center, Inc., NY Employer Support of the Guard & Reserve (ESGR), U.S. Department of Labor Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (DOL VETS), U S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Goodwill Industries International, The American Legion, and other local partners.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation (USCCF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce dedicated to strengthening America’s long-term competitiveness by addressing developments that affect our nation, our economy, and the global business environment.

HiringOurHeroes.org            @hiringourheroes           FreeEnterprise.com

Press release:

Batavia High School Class of 2015 will be hosting the Dodge Test Drive Fundraiser and a Clor's Chicken Barbecue, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 10, at Batavia High School.

This fundraiser is open to all community members, age 18 and over, and is extremely easy to participate in. For every community member who comes to Batavia High School on May 10, and test drives a new Dodge and fills out a brief survey, the BHS Class of 2015 will receive a donation from Dodge toward the class senior trip and prom. Participation is free and takes less than 10 minutes.

The test drive will also coincide with the class chicken barbecue, which will be sold during the event.

Please come out to support the Class of 2015 and their exciting plan for their senior year by participating in the Dodge Test Drive and purchasing some delicious Clor's barbecue. 




Batavia High School


260 State St., Batavia

(585) 343-2480

Press release:

From the Village of Le Roy to Florida's Treasure Coast, John Scanlan may now live far from his childhood home, but the lessons he learned in Western New York and at Genesee Community College are still with him. A police officer in Palm Beach, Fla., Scanlan is also a writer. His second crime novel, "Victims of Circumstance," has just been published by Sunbury Press, Inc. His first book, "Of Guilt and Innocence," was Sunbury's best seller for February and March 2013.

Scanlan grew up in Le Roy, where his parents Mary and John Jr., and siblings, Beth, Tim and Tom still live. He now lives in Stuart, Fla., with his wife, Jessica, and children Alexandra (5), Taylor (4), and Ben (9 months).

After graduating from Le Roy High School in 1999, Scanlan came to Genesee Community College where he majored in Computer Science and played on the Cougar baseball team. He graduated in 2001 and continued his studies at the College at Brockport.

"Two great spring training trips to Myrtle Beach, SC., and Cocoa Beach, Fla., as well as the everyday camaraderie with my teammates really enhanced my time at GCC," he recalls. "Though I changed my major to Criminal Justice after leaving GCC, the things I learned while earning an associate degree in Computer Science have really helped me in my job as a police officer.

"Having more than just a working knowledge of computers certainly gives me an advantage in law enforcement, not to mention helps with my other job as a writer."

From 2001-2004, Scanlan worked for the Department of Homeland Security and the United States Border Patrol. In 2005 he joined the police department in the Town of Palm Beach where he serves on the Crisis Intervention Team and regularly encounters material that inspires his writing.

His first book, "Of Guilt and Innocence," tells the story of a 5-year-old girl's kidnapping from an affluent community in Boca Raton, Fla. Reviewers on Amazon call it an "amazing book" with a "really exciting conclusion." "I could not put it down." There are similar reviews for his second novel, "Victims of Circumstance," which chronicles how new evidence sets a convicted killer free and how that impacts the victim's husband.

Scanlan believes his ability to write about the emotions involved in a criminal investigation sets his writing apart.

"I know what investigators go through when they deal with difficult situations. And as a father...I know how that then affects your perspective on things," he said in an interview on the blog Author Quiz.

Scanlan says his writing began as a "secret hobby" that he pursued further when he found himself with some quiet hours at home. Depending on his schedule, he writes between one and three hours a day, but sometimes doesn't write at all.

"I never push it and that keeps it fun and me looking forward to it," he said on another blog.

Copies of both of Scanlan's books will soon be available at GCC's Alfred O'Connell Library.

Press release:

Genesee Community College photography students will once again exhibit their work at the Genesee County Park and Forest Interpretive Center in East Bethany. Following last year's successful display, "Around the Bend: The Shared Landscape," students this year will share "Environmental Portraits of Western New York."

The show opens with a receptionfrom 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday, May 9, at the Genesee County Park and Forest Interpretive Center, 11095 Bethany Center Road, East Bethany. Refreshments will be provided.

Photography instructor Joe Ziolkowski introduced his students this semester in both COM 105 (Intermediate Photography) and COM 118 (Introduction to Digital Photography) to portrait photography. The students, from both the main campus in Batavia and GCC's Albion Campus Center, were assigned to photograph a subject in an environment that helped illuminate that subject's life and surroundings.

The portraits reveal characters in a variety of settings. There's a farmer with cattle in a barn who appears to be doing early morning chores; a mother surrounded by the detritus of a busy day with small children; an artist pencil drawing a portrait of her own.

"Creating a portrait of a subject in its natural surroundings adds elements to their character, and therefore portrays the essence of their personality, rather than merely a likeness of their physical features," Ziolkowski said.

Students in COM 118, Introduction to Digital Photography, learn how to use the manual functions on a digital camera to control light and color. They also learn software workflow to enhance their digital files. With a digital camera, results can be seen instantly on the liquid crystal display (LCD).

"As they progress through various assignments during the course, they continue to improve on composing images in camera and reading the light available to make effective photographs," Ziolkowski said.

The COM 105, Intermediate Photography course helps students refine their photographic skills by exploring more advanced technical techniques while on location and adding studio lighting, advanced printing and camera techniques and portfolio development. Students in COM 105 have already taken COM 118 and COM 103, Introduction to Black and White Photography.

"This class combines elements of both of those classes to offer a unique experience in both analog and digital photography," Ziolkowski said.

In photography classes students learn about photographic elements, including composition, foreground/background relationship, color schemes, values, shades and contrast. They also refine the use of "Qualities of Light" such as silhouette, rim, accent, radiant, dramatic shadow, and Chiaroscuro. In addition, they exercise time management and workflow skills.

For more information about photography coursework at GCC, contact Joe Ziolkowski at (585) 343-0055, ext. 6558, or jlziolkowski@genesee.edu.

"Environmental Portraits of Western New York" will be on view through Saturday, Aug. 30, at the Interpretive Center at Genesee County Park and Forest. The Center is open from 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and noon to 4 on Sundays. For more information about the center, contact Conservation Education Program Coordinator Judy Spring at (585) 344-1122 or jspring.geneseeconsed@yahoo.com

The Holland Land Office Museum offers a program called "Have History will Travel" and invites schools and organizations that would like a history presentation to contact the musuem at 343-4727.
 

SADD -- Students Against Destructive Driving -- is holding a fundraiser night of bowling at the Mancuso Bowling Center from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, April 25.

Cost is $12.50 per person and includes two hours of bowling and shoe rental.

Pre-register by calling the Genesee County Youth Bureau at 344-3960.

Have the profits will go to the countywide SADD chapter, which is supported by GC STOP-DWI & the Youth Bureau.

The annual Global Premier Soccer New York Summer Festival returns to Batavia Sports Park on May 17.

As in years past, it is expected to attract teams from throughout Upstate and Eastern Canada.

This promises to be another great soccer tournament, so get your team signed up today!

Each team is guaranteed three games with a cost of $300 per team.

It's a great opportunity to get some game practice before your season starts.

For more info contact Declan Doherty via e-mail  ddoherty@globalpremieresoccer.com or 716-380-5080.

Press release:

Join the Genesee County Master Gardeners on April 16th for “Square Foot & Container Gardening.”

Would you like to grow nutritious, great tasting vegetables but always come up with the same excuses? Too much work – too many weeds – takes too much space – bad soil…

Square Foot Gardening solves all these problems in a simple, easy and logical manner. Let us show you how it is done. Still not sure? Try growing your veggies in a container. We will share with you the basics of container gardening.

Fee for the class is $10. It will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Genesee County, 420 E. Main St., Batavia. Pre-register by April 15 by calling Brandie at 585-343-3040, ext 101.

This program is part of the Genesee County Master Gardeners popular Coffee and Dessert Series. Participants enjoy a variety of gardening topics taught by Master Gardeners along with coffee, tea and dessert.

For more information visit our Web site at: www.genesee.shutterfly.com <http://www.genesee.shutterfly.com

Press release:

The BEST Center at Genesee Community College has the training that can land you a job. In a recent report, the Job Development Bureau at the Genesee County Career Center cited 20 openings for service desk technicians at a Batavia computer firm. The positions require A+ Certification, for which The BEST Center provides the essential training and test-preparation courses.

The A+ Certification from CompTIA (Computing Technology Industry Association) is the industry standard for validating the skills expected of entry-level computer technicians. This certification opens doors to exciting career options in computer technology. The BEST Center offers this training through ed2go, the industry leader in online learning for adults. The program is convenient, interactive and enjoyable.

Students can start this course at any time. Online learning offers maximum flexibility to fit the coursework into your life schedule. Students who successfully complete the program will: understand operating systems and software for both desktop and mobile devices; know how to install computer hardware; perform routine troubleshooting and more. They will gain the necessary knowledge and skills to prepare themselves to take the A+ exams to attain certification.

"These skills are very marketable right now," said Rosemary Jonientz, director of Business Skills Training at The BEST Center. "Technology is essential for almost every business today and these positions are in demand."

The A+ certification training program can be completed in 230 hours. The program costs $1,695.00. Scholarship training funds may be available for dislocated workers and low income earners. For more information on training scholarships, contact the Genesee County Career Center at (585) 344-2042.

"For those looking for a career change or in need of a new job, this is a terrific opportunity to retrain yourself in a field that will be growing well into the future," Jonientz said.

For more information, contact The BEST Center at Genesee Community College at (585) 345-6868 or bestcenter@genesee.edu.

In honor of National Volunteer Week, April 6-13, United Memorial Medical Center held a dinner on April 8 at Bohn’s Restaurant to recognize volunteer service within the organization. Their gifts of time were spent assisting visitors, comforting family members waiting for a loved one in surgery, helping patients on Hope Haven, serving coffee at the refreshment kiosks at the Hospital and at the Jerome Center, and helping someone choose just the right item in the gift shop.

Their dedication and compassion assists United Memorial in caring for patients and visitors every day. Volunteers are part of our team and part of our UMMC family. We depend on them and turn to them when we need assistance on large projects or a helping hand. Last year, 85 individuals volunteered more than 13,500 hours. While we can measure the time they have donated, their true gifts of compassion, empathy and care is limitless.

This year, United Memorial and its auxiliaries, the UMMC League and St. Jerome Guild, Inc., honored volunteers who reached milestones in the cumulative number of hours they have volunteered. Guild members Sandy Colson, Jamie Kendall, Donna Morrow, and Mary Dee Ognibene received 100-hour pins; Jerry Pollino and Ann Valone were honored for 500 hours; Anita Rynkowski for 1,000 hours; Jeanette Attardi, Donna Condello and Geri Wiess  for 2,000 hours; Guild Secretary and Gift Shop Cochair Marilyn Dickinson received her pin for 3,000 hours. Carmela Gualtieri has achieved 4,000 hours and Frances Scafetta 6,000 hours. Donna Morrow was also honored as the 2014 Guild Honorary Member.

United Memorial Medical Center League members who were honored include Bev Bennett, Joyce Diegelman, Carole Grooms, and Mary Sage for 300 hours; Norma Meyers for 500 hours; Nancy Arras, Carol Balaz, Anna Barone, and Kathy Bender for 1,000 hours; Diane Buchholtz and Lynn Houseknecht for 1,500 hours; Sharon Andrews and Diane Fraser for 2,000 hours; Kay Wickson for 3,000; and Linda Pembroke for 4,000 hours.

Augustine Fleming, has volunteered at United Memorial’s Hope Haven unit for over 7,500 hours. Her dedication to assisting patients recovering from addiction equals four years of full-time employment.

Volunteer recognition services are organized by United Memorial’s Volunteer Coordinator, Karen Tennity. To learn more about volunteer opportunities at United Memorial, call (585)344-7465 or visit us online at www.ummc.org/join-our-team/volunteers