Announcements

Have you thought about being a volunteer?

Learn about opportunities available at Crossroads House? They are hosting five days in the month of April to learn about opportunities for volunteering in a variety of ways including resident care and beyond at Crossroads House!

These are no obligation days! Pick a date and stop by to learn more!
April 2nd – 10am – 11am
April 6th – 6:30pm – 7:30pm
April 11th – 6:30pm – 7:30pm
April 19th – 6:30pm – 7:30pm
April 21st – 1:00pm – 2:00pm

Crossroads House
585-343-3892
11 Liberty St., Batavia NY 14020
Crossroadshouse.com

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Genesee County’s 4-H Youth Development Program will offer a two-part apron sewing workshop at 7 p.m. on Wednesday April 20 and Wednesday April 27. This workshop is open to all area youth ages 8 -19 and youth do not need to be 4-H members to participate!

Participants will learn basic sewing skills such as reading a pattern, understanding cutting layouts, pattern pinning, sewing and pressing a straight seam, top stitching a pocket and more!  Cost is $10 per youth and all materials will be provided.

Class size is limited and preregistration is required by April 13. The workshops will be held at the Cornell Cooperative Extension building located at 420 E. Main St., Batavia.

For more information or to register, contact Brandie Schultz at the Genesee County 4-H Office, 585-343-3040, ext. 101. Visit our website at: http://genesee.cce.cornell.edu/events for more information. 

Press release:

Anyone who seeks information about a wealth of services that are available to people with disabilities, most at no cost to the individual, can just stop by the Richmond Memorial Library any Friday from March 25^th to April 29th from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. A staff member of Independent Living of the Genesee Region (ILGR) will be present at the 19 Ross St. facility near East Main Street in Batavia to answer questions on disability-friendly programs of the two organizations.

Patrons who are blind, dyslexic, or who otherwise prefer to listen to their literature can access audio talking books from the Library’s stock and through the download station of eBook distributor OverDrive. They can also download eBooks from Freading, movie and shows from Freegal Movies, and three songs per week that are theirs to keep and also listen to three hours per day of streaming music, courtesy of Freegal Music.

Plus a free subscription to Hoopla provides patrons temporary streaming access to audiobooks, movies, music, eBooks, comics and television series, 24 hours per day.  Seniors can access Services to the Aging in Genesee County (SAGE), a program providing library services to homebound and resident senior citizens in the County, funded by a grant from the Muriel H. Marshall Fund for the Aging, through the Rochester Area Community Foundation. 

Anyone can learn about a host of services that ILGR offers to individuals with disabilities, including: Individual Advocacy; Benefits Advisement; Budgeting Assistance; Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Services (CDPAS) for those needing Home Care Assistants; Educational Coaching for parents dealing with schools’ Committees on Special Education; Falls Prevention Education; Family Reimbursement Services for relatives of individuals with developmental disabilities; advice on Housing options in the community and application assistance; Information & Referral to community resources; advisement on Job Searches; a Loan Closet of gently used medical equipment; “Ticket to Work” Employment Network for those receiving Social Security benefits; Transition Services for young people and seniors with disabilities who want to live independently; ambulatory and wheelchair-lift-van Transportation Services; plus Advocacy for Change of disability discrimination practices on a system level.

Please contact David Dodge at (585) 815-8501, ext. 415, or e-mail him at ddodge@wnyil.org with any questions.

"The Making of a fashion designer." Genesee Community College Fashion Design, Business and Computer Information Systems Professor, Donna Ehrhart, will be speaking at the Tea X Design event on Wednesday, March 30, 2016 from 1 - 2 p.m. in room T119, at the Batavia Campus Center.

Guests will be invited to enjoy an afternoon tea and cookies social in addition to hearing about the fashion design process. Professor Ehrhart will explain how an individual can bring an idea from conception to the marketplace. This event is FREE and open to the public.

Fashion is more than just clothing. For those unable to truly experience it, this event may open new doors or even uncover hidden interests. Attending this event may open new doors or even uncover hidden interests in product development.

Attendees will be given the opportunity to see garments and quilts custom made by Designer/Professor Donna Ehrhart. She will also discuss how her life experiences and opportunities influenced her creative abilities and will be giving advice on how to start a fashion business. The fashion design program at GCC was established six years ago to complement the Fashion Business program that will be celebrating the 35th annual fashion show on Saturday, April 30. Under Professor Ehrhart's guidance, fashion design students have been featuring their garments and accessories in what has become the largest and longest running fashion show in Western New York.

Professor Ehrhart said, "I would like to share my enthusiasm and excitement that comes from designing and creating using fabrics. Plan on attending the Tea X Design event at Genesee Community College."

For more information please contact the Fashion Department secretary, Cheryl Young at 585-345-6830.

This information was provided by Cornell Coopoerative Extension of Genesee County:

StopPests in Housing is holding a Webinar “Bed Bug Control Starts With Good Contracts” from 1 to 2:30 p.m. EST on Tuesday, March 22nd. Property managers/landlords, procurement and other housing staff will gain an understanding of the importance of good pest control contracts in effective bed bug management.

This Webinar is open to anyone to participate but will specifically address the issues and needs of affordable housing providers. Registration is limited to the first 1,000 people. The Webinar will be recorded and archived at stoppests.org

To participate in the live event, register here Bed Bug Control Starts With Good Contracts

Speakers, Dr. Dini Miller from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and Dr. Stephen Kells from University of Minnesota will share their extensive knowledge of contract language and the oversight needed to ensure an integrated pest management (IPM) approach is taken with proactive inspections, record keeping, monitoring, and appropriate treatment protocols.

StopPests in Housing, a Northeastern IPM Center program, is funded by an interagency agreement between HUD’s Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes and the USDA. For more integrated pest management resources and training opportunities visit stoppests.org or e-mail stoppests@cornell.edu

Press release:

The Food Processing Technology Program at Genesee Community College recently put 12 new pieces of diagnostic laboratory equipment into action for the first time after a substantial purchase was made with support from a grant through the Educational Credit Management Corporation Foundation (ECMC) in collaboration with the Genesee County Economic Development Center.

GCC's currently running FPT 205 class that meets at the Batavia campus every Monday and Wednesday was the first group to use the new equipment, which includes a new milk analyzer, water activity meter, moisture analyzer, thermometers and micrometers.

"We are very excited to put our new equipment to use," Greg Sharpe, GCC's instructor of Food Processing Technology said. "We now have all the lab equipment here that was purchased through the grant and our students are actively engaged in laboratory assignments that closely relates to real-world food manufacturing. We are very thankful to the ECMC Foundation."

The ECMC Foundation strives to inspire and facilitate improvements that affect educational outcomes, especially among underserved populations, through evidence-based innovation. Its goal is to improve academic achievement among underserved students as they prepare themselves for higher education and careers. GCC was awarded approximately $40,000 for its new equipment from ECMC, which grants funding based on its values of college readiness, college retention, research and reform in teacher training and career readiness.

The exact equipment purchased through the grant includes:

• Lacticheck Milk Analyzer -- Analysis of milk for protein, fat and water content

• Bostwick Consistometer -- Analysis of foods for thickness and viscosity

• Blended Stomacher -- A blender that mimicks the action of a stomach

• Water Activity Meter – Analysis water content

• Refractometer – To analyze sugar content in foods and beverages

• Ebulliometer – Tests the percentage of alcohol in wines

• Moisture analyzer -- Tests moisture content in foods

• Brookfield viscometer -- Analysis of foods for viscosity

• Salt Auto-titrator -- Salt testing in foods

• Total Acid Auto-titrator -- Assesses the pH and acid content in foods and beverages

• Sieve screens – Tests particle size in food products

• Thermometers – Measure temperature

• Can tear-down equipment – Helps ensure seams on cans are properly sealed

The Food Processing Technology program at GCC launched in the Fall of 2014 and is the only one of its kind offered at any of SUNY's 30 community colleges. Through the College's strong partnerships with other educational institutions such as Cornell University, Rochester Institute of Technology and Cornell Cooperative Extension, the program has been designed to give students the knowledge, skills and experience necessary for career success at hundreds of food manufacturing facilities across Upstate New York.

Press release:

Cornell Cooperative Extension Genesee County is pleased to present a “Save Energy Save Dollars” workshop on two dates: Thursday, Feb. 25 at 7 p.m. and Monday, Feb. 29 at 10 a.m. Both workshop sessions will take place at CCE Genesee County at 420 E. Main St. in Batavia.

“Save Energy Save Dollars” is a workshop that was developed by Cornell University Cooperative Extension and the New York State Energy Research Development Authority (NYSERDA).

The workshop, part of the NYSERDA Empower Project, is free and open to all members of the public. It runs approximately two hours and focuses on how both renters and homeowners can reduce energy bills via low-cost, no-cost energy conservation methods. Participants of this workshop will also learn:

·        What the biggest energy users in their home are;

·        How to improve your home's comfort (health and safety, too);

·        Find out about financial assistance (grants, loans, on-bill financing, etc.) and how to get started on your home energy upgrades.

Workshop participants will leave with their own individualized Action Plan plus three energy-saving light bulbs. Please RSVP to this event so that adequate materials can be prepared. RSVP to Brandie Schultz at 585-343-3040, ext.101 or bls238@cornell.edu by Friday, Feb. 19.

Submitted photo and press release:

Pittsford, New York – After tallying all the figures, Campground Owners of New York (CONY) announces today that Skyline Camping Resort & RV Sales in Darien Center, New York, operated by the Tybor family, raised $5,394 in donations for Camp Good Days and Special Times, as part of CONY’s fourth annual statewide fundraising event for charity held throughout 2015.

According to Suzanne Bixby, CONY’s Marketing and Communications Director, the association raised a total of $91,000 in 2015, bringing CONY’s four-year fundraising total for Camp Good Days to approximately $248,000.

“We are, simply put, grateful to CONY parks like Skyline Camping Resort, as well as their campers and supporters, for helping us raise our largest annual total yet for Camp Good Days and Special Times,” Bixby said. “And I think we’re all a little proud that we’re bringing smiles and camping fun to children and their families braving cancer.”

Throughout the 2015 camping season, Skyline Camping Resort & RV Sales held a 50/50 raffle, a horseshoe tournament, and other raffles and sales.

With fundraising by CONY campgrounds from across New York State, a combined total of $91,000 in checks were presented to by CONY leaders to Camp Good Days and Special Times Founder Gary Mervis at a special ceremony on November 14, 2015, during CONY’s annual exposition held at the Turning Stone Resort in Verona, New York.

Camp Good Days and Special Times is a New York State-based organization providing camping experiences free of charge to children with cancer. Since its inception, Camp Good Days has served more than 45,000 campers from 22 states and 29 foreign countries at its camp, located on the shores of Keuka Lake. More information: www.campgooddays.org.

For more information about Skyline Camping Resort & RV Sales, visit www.skylinervresort.com.

Participating CONY campgrounds all across New York State raised funds in a variety of ways, including selling paper balloons and T-shirts, displaying change collection boxes, and hosting special events including walks, dinners, raffles, auctions, and concerts, to name a few.

CONY member campgrounds are fundraising once again in 2016 for Camp Good Days.

Campground Owners of New York (CONY), headquartered in Pittsford and founded in 1963, is an association dedicated to the promotion, growth, improvement and development of privately owned campgrounds in New York State. More information about the association and its campgrounds – including a free camping directory - is available at www.nycampgrounds.com and www.campcony.com.

Press release:

"An Evening of Comedy with Etta May" will have you laughing in your seat on Friday, Feb. 12, at 7:30 p.m. Learn the true meaning of LOL (laughing out loud) with an evening featuring the "Queen of Southern Sass" who is also the winner of American Comedy Awards' "Stand-Up Comic of the Year."

Etta May is a Kentucky woman and comedy icon! Hailed as the "Polyester Princess," May delivers a high powered take-no-prisoners performance full of truth, irony, humor and wisdom. This trailer park goddess has appeared on Oprah, Showtime, CMT, CBS SundayMorning, ABC, Columbia Pictures and NBC. She headlines the hugely successful Southern Fried Chicks Comedy Tour and touts a huge fan base on SiriusXM comedy channels. Etta May is a seasoned performer with national appeal!

Tickets to "An Evening of Comedy with Etta May" are $8 for adults, $5 for GCC faculty/staff and senior citizens, $3 for GCC students. Alumni with ID receive $2 off the full ticket price. Tickets are available through the GCC box office at (585) 345-6814 or via e-mail boxoffice@genesee.edu.

For videos, press photos and further information on Etta May, visit www.ettamay.com.

Bergen-based Liberty Pumps, which is celebrating a half century in business this year, sent us this photo to share with you of their entire crew. They wish everyone "Happy Holidays!"

Submitted photo. Will, Penny and Bill Kennett listen as Scott Henahan, Building Trades instructor at the Batavia CTE Center, gives a brief overview of the course offerings taught explains some of the Building Trades curriculum.  

Press release:

A record turnout at the Open Houses held at both the Batavia Career and Technical Education (CTE) Center and the Charles G. May Center in Mt. Morris gave students the opportunity to learn the educational pathways to a career in the trades. During the open house, students and their families toured classrooms, and spoke with skilled trades professionals who were on hand to discuss employment opportunities.

Will Kennett, a 10^th-grader from Byron-Bergen High School, visited the Batavia CTE Center Open House with his parents, Penny and Bill. They toured the center with hopes of learning more about the programs offered. Will noted that he’s looking at his options.

“I want to pursue a trade and hope to attend this center next school year,” Will said.

Penny added, “The programs here have a wide range of opportunities. You can have a successful career in the trades.”

Alex Jones is a Criminal Justice student from Batavia High School. He brought his parents, Joyce and Edward, to learn more about what their son is studying. 

“It’s really interesting to learn about court cases and how our prison system operates,” Alex said. “I plan on pursuing a career as a police officer.”

Alex’s mom Joyce also noted, “The college credits that he earns in this program are a bonus for when he enters college.”

Past, present and perspective students visited the Animal Science Program at the May Center said Jon English, Animal Science instructor. 

“We had a large number students and their families who were interested in learning more about our Animal Science program,” English said.  “So many people commented that they did not know the extent of our programs.”

The Mt. Morris and Batavia Career and Technical Education Centers are programs of the Genesee Valley Educational Partnership. The Partnership operates as a Board of Cooperative Educational Services offering shared programs and services to 22 component school districts located in Genesee, Wyoming, Livingston and Steuben counties in New York state. 

Ascension Parish will hold a festive traditional Polish Wigilia Dinner at Ascension Parish, Slomba Hall, 17 Sumner St., Batavia, on Sunday, Dec. 6th, 2015 at 5 p.m. with doors opening at 3:45 p.m. The general public is invited to celebrate the Christmas season in faith, hope and love.

The Wigilia is a seven-course meatless Christmas meal replete with the sharing of the Opłatek (Christmas Wafer). Kolendy (Christmas Carols) will be sung. There will be a visit from St. Nicholas for the children. Entertainment is being provided by the Ole Hippies.

There will be cocktails, theme baskets, 50/50 split club, quilt and specialty raffles.

Donations are $25 per person (adult) and $12 per person (child). Tickets may be purchased online at ascensionrcc@weshareonline.org. for a cost of $26.75 per person (adult) and $13.75 per person (child).

For more information contact the Parish Office at 585-343-1796.

Featuring catering by Dibble Family Center, Batavia.

The Genesee County 4-H Youth Development Program is offering a Harvest Pie Workshop for all area youth ages 5 to 19.

The workshop is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 17th, at 6:30 p.m. and will take place at the Cornell Cooperative Extension Office, 420 E. Main St., Batavia. Come and learn how to bake holiday pies just in time for Thanksgiving! Youth do not need to be 4-H members to attend, and parents are welcome. Cost: $10 per youth.

Register by Nov. 13th by calling Brandie at the 4-H Office at 585-343-3040, ext. 101. Complete event information is also available on the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Genesee County website at http://genesee.cce.cornell.edu/events

Press release:

Can photography change the course of history for a landscape? In 1872, Congress was so moved by photographs of Yellowstone that it was made into a National Park. The GCC Photo Club students continue in this tradition as they bring you inspiring local views captured by their lenses in “The Land of Our Land” photo show at the Genesee County Park & Forest Interpretive Nature Center.

Finding balance with the location, quality of light, and atmospheric conditions, the artists practice using camera settings and their own creativity to create interesting and thoughtful images. Students’ interpretation of their work is revealed in the captions of each piece.

Celebrate the beauty of autumn in Genesee County at “The Land of Our Land” photography show, hosted by the GCC Photo Club from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 13th at the Interpretive Nature Center at Genesee County Park & Forest. Photography show is free. Enjoy some refreshments, take in the views, and just breathe...

(Submitted photo: Kathy Coyne, LPN instructor, caps LPN Graduate Eileen Fugle.)

(Submitted photo: LPN graduates Brandon Hilyard, Ajanee Hill, Emma Greenman, Rima Gebrimariam, Amanda Gath and Eileen Fugle.)

Press release:

The Genesee Valley Educational Partnership’s School of Practical Nursing celebrated its graduation Oct. 16 at Pavilion Central School. Twenty-five practical nursing graduates were capped and pinned during the ceremony. The majority of this high-ranking class achieved a 90 percent or above average.

These students completed the 12-month, 1,200-clock-hour program, which is certified by the New York State Education Department and designed to prepare graduates for the NCLEX-PN Examination for licensure.

Applications are currently being accepted for this 12-month program that is offered in three locations, Batavia, Greece and Leicester. All of the Adult Education Programs offered by the Partnership are eligible for GI bill ® funding for qualified applicants.

For more information about this program, contact the Adult Education/School of Practical Nursing at (585) 344-7788.

###

The Genesee Valley Educational Partnership offers a broad scope of adult education programs including a School of Practical Nursing and a Certified Nursing Assistant program, vocational training as well as classes for those seeking to broaden their skill sets. The Partnership operates as a Board of Cooperative Educational Services offering shared programs and services to 22 component school districts located in Genesee, Wyoming, Livingston and Steuben counties in New York state.

(Submitted photos.)

Press release:

Girl Scout Troop 42001 completed their Bronze Award during September. 

The Bronze Award is the highest award a Junior Girl Scout can earn. Following completion of some prerequisites, the Junior scouts submitted and voted on sustainable projects they would like to complete for our community and/or environment.  

The majority vote was to build birdhouses. The scouts had to: locate an organization that needed birdhouses; meet with organizers to determine what to build; obtain plans and determine supplies needed; create a letter for solicitation of supplies; solicit for those supplies; locate someone to cut the lumber; assemble the birdhouses; and finally, install the birdhouses.

Services and supplies provided by Woody at Genesee Lumber, Park at ACE Hardware, Frank Kulikowski, of Frankly Design, and Bob Bathrick, master carpenter and cabinetmaker for TRB Bathrick.

The original installer of the blue birdhouses at the Genesee County Park is Charles Augrom. The scouts met with Augrom to discuss the project. He also provided oversite on the construction of the houses on Sept. 11. The scouts enjoyed installing the blue birdhouses with Augrom and Jerome, an ACORN volunteer, on Septe. 27.

Press release:

The Buffalo Sabres, the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA), and the National Hockey League (NHL^®) have announced the launch of a new hockey-themed educational course as part of the NHL & NHLPA Future Goals™ Program. Since its launch in September 2014, Future Goals™ has reached over 375,000 students across the United States and Canada in 3,500 schools and yielded over 1.5 million hours of STEM learning.

The Hockey Scholar™ course takes students on an exciting educational journey with a goal of winning the Stanley Cup. As they guide their team, students complete twelve learning modules that educate them and test their knowledge on core STEM concepts covering data analysis, geometry, life science and physical science topics. These topics come to life through real hockey examples that include the dynamics of the ice surface, equipment design, athletic performance, and geometric and energy considerations to how the game is played.

Hockey Scholar™ maps to state and provincial math and science standards as well as the national NGSS and CCSS Math standards. The course was developed by Washington, D.C.-based EverFi, the critical skills education leader that has certified more than 12 million learners.

“The level of engagement in this program from the league, the players, and their clubs is unprecedented in the sports world,” said EverFi Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer Jon Chapman. “What’s most important is how this partnership is making a difference for thousands of students and teachers across North America.”

Heather Cummings, sixth-grade Science Teacher at Alexander Central School District will begin using this program today, Oct. 28, with approximately 62 students. This summer, Shannon Whitcombe, Middle and High School Principal and avid Buffalo Sabres fan learned about the program during a meeting with EverFi, Inc. After this First Day Start, there will be over 3,000 students taking part in the Future Goals program locally in Buffalo-Niagara Region. Alexander will be the first Science department in Genesee County to begin utilizing this resource which is provided by the NHL, NHLPA and Buffalo Sabres at no cost to all area schools.

More information on Future Goals™ can be found at futuregoals.nhl.com or feel free to contact your local Schools Manager, Colleen Schafer at (716) 748-6860 or colleen@everfi.com

In honor of New York State History Month, which is celebrated the entire month of November, the Genesee County Federation of Historical Agencies, Western New York Association of Historic Agencies (WNYAHA) and the Genesee Community College History Club are teaming up to sponsor "History Day" at GCC on Saturday, Nov. 7, from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. in the College Forum.

The aim of the event is to promote awareness of all of the historical assets in Genesee County and is free and open to the public.

Museums and historical agencies from all over Genesee County will set up booths for visitors to explore. In addition, there will be local history books on sale, craft demonstrations, reenactors from different periods in history, firing demonstrations and much more.

The GCC History Club will also provide a photo booth where attendees can have their picture taken with impressionists of Abraham Lincoln, Gen. Robert E. Lee and Gen. Ulysses S. Grant.

"I am very excited about History Day!" Derek Maxfield, GCC's associate professor of History said. "We did this a few years ago and it was very well received. It is a great way for the public to learn about what our county has to offer in museums, historical societies and historical assets."

New York State History Month was created by the New York State legislature in 1997 and represents an opportunity for historians to assert the vital importance of preserving and learning about our state's history. It is also a time to engage with the public through programs and learning opportunities about the history of New York State and the ways in which we can help preserve our history.