scholarships

Press release and submitted photo:

ALBANY, NY -- The New York State School Facilities Association announced that Allison Della Penna, a junior at Utica College, is a recipient of the Fred Hack Memorial Scholarship.

Della Penna, a graduate of Batavia High School, is studying Child Psychology. She is a member of the Division 3 NCAA Women's Volleyball Team; acts as a resident assistant; and is an honors program member, scholar athlete and recipient of the College's President's Award. She has been on the dean's list four times.

Allison is the daughter of Matthew and Ellen Della Penna, of Batavia. Her father is director of safety, security and operations for the Genesee Valley Educational Partnership.

The Fred Hack Memorial Scholarships were established in the mid-1990s in honor of the association's first executive director. six scholarships are awarded each year to children of NYSSFA active and affiliate members who are enrolled, or planning to enroll, in a full-time program of study at an accredited post-secondary school.

The New York State School Facilities Association is a professional organization of more than 600 school facilities directors, facilities managers, head custodians, health and safety coodinators, and other key school facilities personnel. It's headquartered in Albany.

Press release:

The Janice & Paul Keesler Scholarship Fund is proud to announce that it is now accepting applications from qualified students toward receiving scholarship assistance.

As a living memorial for two people who loved New York State and the outdoors, this fund assists students training in the field of wildlife management.

Paul and Janice were avid sports persons who wrote and lectured about the outdoors and founded and published the nationally recognized and respected "New York Sportsman Magazine."

A great loss to all those who appreciate the wonder of nature, Janice passed away suddenly in 1988 and Paul in July of 2005. They are greatly missed.

According to Scholarship Fund President Dave Hamilton, "These annual scholarship awards are available to any New York State resident who has been accepted into an accredited institution of higher learning and is, or will be, working toward obtaining a degree in some facet of wildlife management."

The 23rd series of Janice & Paul Keesler Scholarship Awards will be distributed in December. To date, the fund has had the honor of distributing more than $29,500 in grants to deserving Wildlife Management students.

Any qualified individual interested in applying for these Scholarships may do so by sending a request for an application form, along with a stamped, self-addressed legal sized (#10) envelope to:

The Janice & Paul Keesler Scholarship Fund
C/o Bridget Keesler (sec/treas)
PO Box 485
Newport, NY 13416

An application may also be obtained by going to www.keeslerscholarshipfund.org and the application can be printed from the Web site. The completed application form must be returned to the committee no later than Sept. 1.

Individuals or clubs wishing to make a contribution to the fund may do so by sending their donation to the same address, with the sincere gratitude of the Scholarship Committee! In December of this year and continuing on an annual basis, a wonderful couple who cared deeply about our state's outdoor sports will be remembered in a meaningful way, thanks to the generosity of those same outdoor sportsmen.

For additional information about the Keesler Scholarship Fund, please visit this Web site:

www.keeslerscholarshipfund.org

Or send inquiries to:
Keeslerbridget@gmail.com

Starting tomorrow, 32 restaurants in Genesee, Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming counties will be participating in "Dine-Out Days." A percentage of their profits this week will benefit the GCC Foundation, which provides student scholarships. This will last through Saturday, Sept. 25.

Select restaurants will offer discounts and featured menu items.

The following Genesee County restaurants are involved in Dine-Out days this year:

• BATAVIA

Alex's Place, at 8322 Park Road

Bohn's Restaurant & Lounge, at 5256 Clinton St. Road

Miss Batavia Diner, at 566 E. Main St.

Delavan's, at 107 Evans St.

Pauly's Pizzeria, at 314 Ellicott St.

Subway, at 412 E. Main St. and 8351 Lewiston Road

Terry Hills Restaurant & Banquet Facility, at 5122 Clinton St. Road

T.F. Brown's, at 214 E. Main St.

• OAKFIELD

Caryville Inn, at 25 Main St.

Oakfield Hotel/Scopano Lanes, at 49 S. Pearl St.

• STAFFORD

Red Osier Landmark, at 6492 Main Road

• LE ROY

D&R Depot, at 63 Lake St.

Scooters of Le Roy, at 140 W. Main St.

McDonald's, at 67 Main St.

The Ganson Inn, at 65 Lake St.

Le Roy Country Club and Golf Course, at 7759 E. Main Rd.

Pizza Land, at 131 W. Main St.

For more details, contact the GCC Foundation office at 345-6809 or e-mail foundation@genesee.edu. For up-to-date information on Dine-Out Days, please visit www.genesee.edu/gcc/dineoutdays.

Genesee ARC Mary Anne Graney Memorial Scholarship recipients Emily Hopkins, Danielle Hirtzel and Ashlea Harmon with Scholarship Committee Chair, Charles Graney.

Teens from Batavia, Oakfield-Alabama and Churchville-Chili High Schools are the recipients of the 2010 Genesee ARC Mary Anne Graney Memorial Scholarships.  The $1,000.00 scholarship awards were presented May 25 at the Genesee ARC Community Center to Ashlea Harmon, Danielle Hirtzel and Emily Hopkins.

A member of the Batavia High School Class of 2010, Ashlea plans to attend Genesee Community College, then transfer to a four-year school to complete her course of study in Elementary Education, specializing in Special Education. Ashlea has given her time and talent to several volunteer opportunities such as Special Olympics, Challenger Sports, the Down Syndrome Parent Support Group Auction, Salvation Army and numerous Genesee ARC community events. She is also an active member of the National Technical Honor Society.

Danielle is graduating from Oakfield-Alabama High School and intends to pursue her career in Childhood Special Education. Danielle has dedicated many hours of community service helping with Challenger Sports, Stephen’s Table, Friends of Rachel program and other worthy causes. She is active in Girls Scouts, high school band, swim team, Library Club and a member of the National Honor Society.  She will be attending SUNY Brockport in the fall.

The third recipient, Emily Hopkins, plans to attend SUNY Oneonta, to study Psychology, with aspirations of obtaining her Master’s Degree in School Psychology.  A student at Churchville-Chili High School, Emily has volunteered many hours of service with Special Olympics, Batavia YMCA, Ronald McDonald House, Challenger Sports and Genesee ARC special events. She is very active in extra-curricular activities with her school and is a member of the National Honor Society.

Three $1,000.00 scholarships are awarded to high school seniors each year interested in working in human services, special education or related fields.  The scholarship is in honor of Mary Anne Graney, a special education teacher, who died in 2004. According to Genesee ARC Scholarship Committee Chair, Charles Graney, “The scholarship is a living memorial, honoring Mary Anne’s commitment to Genesee ARC and enriching the lives of people with disabilities.”