Announcements

Unplug and enjoy quality, family time for all ages at The Salvation Army on East Main Street, Batavia, on Saturday, May 14, starting at 7 p.m.

Starting at 7 p.m. there will be games and activities for all ages and families. This includes adult coloring and puzzles, a bounce house, and at 7:30 an adult Yahtzee contest.

There will also be Wii Frisbee Disk Golf and Outdoor Challenge, apples to apples, headbands and more! At 9 p.m. there will be a teen life-size Tic-Tac-Toe game.

Plus popcorn and snacks, too!

Submitted photos and press release:

On Sunday, April 24, the Byron Fire Department held an Open House and welcomed community members to come and check them out. Volunteer firefighters, EMTs, and ladies’ auxiliary members were on hand to greet the public and show off their equipment and hall. The event was blessed with a warm and sunny day. 

Adults and families with young children were welcomed, and each child was given a junior firefighter’s hat and a toy fire truck. Those lucky children were encouraged to explore the equipment, they climbed into the fire trucks and ambulance. Firefighters boosted the children into the driver’s seat and some of the kids were delighted to blow the sirens.

The Byron Rescue Squad is very involved in the health and well being of their community and have responded to an amazing 170 calls in 2015. These EMTs proudly showed off their well-equipped ambulance and even let the kids get comfy lying on the gurney.

Inside the hall the EMTs did blood-pressure checks and gave out some health info and tips. Firefighters were available to hand out some in-home fire prevention information and smoke detectors. Members of the ladies’ auxiliary, which has hosted Genesee County’s Dances for Adults with Developmental Disabilities for the past 12 years, were on hand to provide refreshments and serve up a free lunch of spaghetti and meatballs.

Byron Fire Department is always accepting applications for membership. Open meetings are on the second Monday evening of the month at 7 o'clock.

Here's a thank-you note sent in recently from the mother of Josh Harloff, who was the subject of a charity benefit on April 30.

Thank you to everyone who came out for our son, Josh Harloff's benefit, on Saturday, April 30, and also for all who donated baskets, gift cards and money!

A big thank you to my brother, Jeff Fluker, and my sister-in-law, Sandy, and my two nephews, Bradley and Jamie, and everyone who helped them cook, set up, sell tickets and clean up!

It was much appreciated.

The Harloff Family

Press release:

May Means Mystery at Corfu Free Library

Members of the Corfu Book Club will be discussing the mystery book of their choice and each one will have their own title to share. The meeting will take place at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 19, at the library located at 7 Maple Ave. in Corfu.

“Usually all of the members read the same book, but May gives each reader the opportunity to pick one of their favorite authors or titles and share that at our meeting. We have a nice collection of mystery titles at the Circulation Desk and people can just stop by to pick out what they may want to read and discuss,” says Diana Reding, Library director.

New members are always welcome. Book Club meetings usually are about an hour in length and light refreshments are also served.

At the end of the May meeting, the members choose the book that they will discuss at the following month’s meeting and a wide variety of genres are always considered.

For more information about the Corfu Free Library Book Club and the library’s other programs please call the library at (585) 599-3321. Additional details can be found online at the library’s Web site at www.CorfuFreeLibrary.org.

Batavia High School Class of 1976 is having a 40^th reunion on July 1 and July 2. If you have not received an announcement, it may be because you are listed below.

The following are classmates that we have no address or phone number for. If you know where any of these folks can be reached, please notify the Reunion Committee at: 585-356-7276. THANK YOU!

• Greg Andrews
• Jeff Baker
• Betsy Baker
• Debbie Balicki
• Mary Ann Barone
• Joe Barzuk
• Ray Bernard
• Don Betties
• Barb Bullock
• Scott Burns
• Jim Burr
• Barb Cadieux
• Paul Caito
• Tom Caruso
• Don Cecere
• Luann Cervone
• Deborah Coughlin
• Madeline Davenport
• Elizabeth DeLaPave
• Sonya DeJesus
• Richard Delgado
• Mike Dispenza
• Sandy Duggan-Giuliani
• Deborah Dunn
• Helen Flint
• Wanda Heath
• Gary Hiscutt
• Deborah Hodge
• Vicky Hopfer
• James Howe
• Susan Hursh
• Catherine Johnson
• JoEllen Keene
• Janet Kensinger
• Margaret Koert
• Carl Kruger
• Lorene Kuehl
• David Lang
• Doug Lapp
• Eileen Lawson
• Clara Luque
• Gordy Majors
• Bill Mapes
• Tim Mortellaro
• Dave Mosicki
• Jim Orosco
• Russell Peet
• Wanda Polk
• Linda Poteat
• Jim Reilly
• Mike Ricobono
• Blair Rockefeller
• David Ronan
• Keith Samuelson
• Tom Saraceni
• Joanie Scappa
• Steve Shaw
• April Smith
• Gary Snyder
• Gary Spadacino
• Peggy Stevens
• Mark Stewart
• Doug Stone
• Donna Sullivan
• Georgeanne Syracuse
• Ed Taggert
• Ruth Terrill
• Jeff VanBuren
• David Walsh
• Yvonne Watts
• Doug Young

Press release:

The Photography Enthusiasts of Western NY will open their spring show on Friday, May 13 at 7 p.m. at 58 on Main, 58 Main St., Le Roy. 

Refreshments served. This online club of almost 300 members has shows of their photographic work throughout the year at the gallery at 58 on Main. 

The club is free and open to all interested in photography. For more information, call 585-768-2402 or e-mail jim@delooze.com. 
You can find us on Facebook: Photography Enthusiasts of Western NY

Award-winning writer Louise Wareham Leonard will give a reading at Genesee Community College this Wednesday, May 4, 2016 from 12:20 - 1:15 p.m. in room T-203 of the Conable Technology Building. The event is free and open to the public. Interested attendees are asked to RSVP with JoNelle Toriseva, GCC director of English, Communications and Media Arts by e-mailing: jrtoriseva@genesee.edu.

Louise Wareham Leonard's first novel "Since You Ask" was released in 2004, and was published in New Zealand, Australia and the United States. It received the James Jones Literary Society First Novel Award. Wareham Leonard has also been shortlisted for the Prize in Modern Letters. Her second novel, "Miss Me A Lot Of," was published in 2007 and became a bestseller in New Zealand. Her latest collection, "52 Men," was published by Red Hen Press last fall. She has also published in literary journals, including "Poetry" and "The Rumpus," including the recent "How to Date a Writer" which can be reviewed online at: http://therumpus.net/2015/09/funny-women-132-how-to-date-a-writer/

Born in Wellington, New Zealand, Wareham Leonard immigrated to New York City, where she attended Dalton School and the United Nations International School. She graduated from Columbia in New York with a degree in Comparative Literature and Society. At Columbia, she was awarded the Andrew D. Fried Memorial Prize for excellence in critical and creative writing. She represented Columbia in the Glascock Intercollegiate Poetry Contest. Along with New York and New Zealand, she has lived and worked in Mississippi, Europe, the Caribbean and the outback in Western Australia.

Living internationally features in her writing, and Wareham Leonard reflects on her unique ancestry and heritage.

She said: "New Zealand has a strong, strong pull for me. We drove all over both islands when I was a girl, staying at motels with hot swimming pools and Maori dances, visiting the pancake rocks and Mt. Cook and Franz Josef Glacier. I have come back from New York several times as an adult to live for extended periods in Wellington, and always ended up in Paekakariki. Turns out I have ancestors there and around Whanganui, and recent revelations around that have made my visceral attachment to New Zealand make more sense. It's something powerful and unexpected, a draw to the intensity and stunning beauty. I have a good mind to come back and live in a campervan in Northland sometime. On the other hand, my education was mostly Northeastern American and that, as well as being turned inside out – from a quiet reserved NZ girl to an outspoken New Yorker – has formed my personality and my sensibilities as a writer. It's an odd mix. I have often felt flung out into the world, but now I realize I actually have ties."

JoNelle Toriseva, director of English, Communications and Media Arts, knows Wareham Leonard through their work on the literary publication, "Tin House," where work is reviewed and considered for inclusion in the magazine.

Submitted photo. Front row, from left: Kaitlin Laird, Nina Searchfield, Rebecca Reamer, Jaclyne Passage, Victoria Welka, Zoe Falsone, and Kayle MacIntyre. Back row, from left: Samantha Siple, Ashley Brady, Ashley Chapman, Nicholas Lathrop, and Stephen Gass.

Press release:

Batavia Career and Technical Education (CTE) Center students attended the New York State Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) Spring Leadership Conference in Liverpool, New York on April 13-15.

Zoë Falsone (Attica) and Jaclyne Passage (Le Roy) completed their 2015-2016 terms as senior vice president, parliamentarian and Region E vice president for New York State HOSA. Zoë participated in two events, Job Seeking Skills and Home Health Aid, and earned a Bronze Medal in Home Health Aid.  

Jaclyne participated in Job Seeking Skills where she earned a Silver Medal. She also presented with Rebecca Reamer (Pavilion) in the Medical Innovations event and was awarded a Silver Medal. Their topic was Human Head Transplant. In preparation for this event, Jaclyne and Rebecca worked with the Batavia CTE Computer Information Systems (CIS) students and Maggie Poray, CIS instructor, to design and create 3-D head models to use during their presentation.

Rebecca Reamer and Ashley Chapman (Caledonia-Mumford) chose Medical Photography Rebecca focused on dentistry pictures and Ashley focused on Emergency Medical Services utilizing friends and family from her local fire department.  Ashley took the Health Issues Exam, and qualified for national competition.

Samantha Siple (Caledonia-Mumford) participated in Home Health Aid and Job Seeking Skills and earned leadership skills.

Nina Searchfield (Caledonia-Mumford) received a silver medal in Nurse Assisting. Nina also presented with her partner Ashley Brady (Attica) in Health Careers Display. Their topic of choice was midwifery. Previous to the competition, these two students spent time at United Memorial Medical Center (UMMC) on the maternity floor during their clinical rotations through the Health Dimensions program. 

Victoria Welka (Byron-Bergen) and Kaylee McIntyre chose to show their artistic skills in Extemporaneous Health Poster. Kaylee earned a Bronze Medal for her artistic creation. She also created a chapter poster, which earned the New York State HOSA Chapter poster winner for 2016. Kaylee was chosen as the New York State HOSA 2016-2017 Region E vice president.

Kaitlin Laird (Batavia) competed in the Extemporaneous Writing event. She campaigned for a position as a New York HOSA State Officer, was elected and will serve as the senior vice president for the 2016-2017 term.

Stephen Gass (Pembroke) and Nicholas Lathrop (Attica) both performed well in the Personal Care category. Nicholas earned two Gold Medals in both Interviewing Skills and Speaking Skills. His topic was Innovate, Inspire, and Ignite. Nicholas was so stunned that he received two Gold Medals that his classmates needed to repeat that he had won first place again. Stephen looked at Bonny Shelby, his instructor, and said, “This makes me realize I can do anything!”

Three students, Nina Searchfield, Zoë Falsone and Kaitlin Laird, earned achievement awards at the conference. The Batavia CTE Center HOSA Chapter won the T-shirt and trading pin design contest for 2016. The submission was used for T-shirts that were provided to all participants at the Spring Leadership Conference. The design was made into a trading pin that will be distributed in June at the National Leadership Conference.

Zoë Falsone, Ashley Chapman, Jaclyne Passage, Kaylee MacIntyre, Nina Searchfield, Rebecca Reamer, Nicholas Lathrop, Stephen Gass, and Ashley Brady are eligible for participation at the HOSA National Leadership Conference in Nashville, Tennessee in June.

Four students from the Batavia CTE Center have been inducted as the New York State HOSA Officers. Rebecca Reamer -- President; Kaitlin Laird -- Senior Vice President; Kaylee Mac Intyre -- Secretary; Victoria Welka -- Region E Vice President. These four young women will attend the officer Summer Leadership Academy in Albany in June.

Four students from the Genesee Valley Educational Partnership Adult Education LPN/CNA Program also attended the conference and participated in the Knowledge Tests. Jessica Newton won a gold medal in Human Growth and Development; Aimee Donohue received a Silver Medal in the Behavioral Health; Leanne King won a Silver Medal in Medical Law and Ethics and a Bronze Medal in Pathophysiology.

The Batavia Career and Technical Education Center is a program 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. 

Press release:

As Genesee Community College's director of Veterinary Technology, Carrie Caccamise seeks to expose her students to as many facets of the profession as possible. Students in the program work with animals of all sizes in the current curriculum, but they have little exposure to marine life or zoo animals.

"While at a conference last summer, I voiced this concern to a colleague," Caccamise said. "He suggested that I reach out to Ray Ball at the Tampa Zoo, so I did."

Ball, director of Medical Services at the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa, Florida, welcomed Caccamise and her students to travel down to the Sunshine State and observe the zoo's day-to-day dealings with its resident animals during the College's spring break from March 12-19. After a flurry of fundraising, Caccamise and a group of eight GCC seniors flew to Tampa to begin the week-long, behind-the-scenes observation and experience that was a first for the College's Vet Tech program.

"Though the students were unable to restrain or perform procedures due to safety concerns, they were still able to learn a great deal as the veterinarians and veterinary technicians explained everything they did and patiently answered all of our questions," Caccamise said.

While at the Tampa Zoo, the students observed exams and treatments on many animals including a penguin, a two-toed sloth, a spur fowl, white and black rhinos, a pig, tortoises, a screech owl and elephants. Animals used in the Zoo's outreach program including armadillos, tortoises and pythons had wellness exams performed during the week. The exams involved anesthesia, radiographs, ultrasound exams and blood draws. Since these animals are not as friendly as most dogs and cats, the students were able to observe the different techniques for handling and administration of anesthesia during the examinations.

When the students were asked to summarize their experiences, these were among statements they shared: "It was a once in a life time experience." "The vets and technicians were extremely friendly. Even the zookeepers were very helpful in teaching us." "It was an awesome trip. Dr. Ball was so friendly and open to helping us learn." "Mind blowing experience!" 

The students also took a trip to the Florida Aquarium to observe exams on horseshoe crabs, eels, stingrays, otters and sea turtles, and a stop at the Marine Mammal Pathobiology Lab to see necropsies on two manatees.

"We were all very impressed with the amount of data collection that occurs in zoos such as the Lowry Park Zoo," Caccamise said. "The data collected is what helps the animals' counterparts in the wild stay healthy."

Housed at the Lowry Park Zoo is a manatee hospital, one of few sites in Florida that rehabilitate injured or sick manatees. During their stay, GCC's vet tech students also witnessed the treatment of an injured female manatee and her calf. Since adult manatees can weigh up to 1,200 pounds, the students saw the difficult process of getting the animals from the truck they were transported in, to the tank where they will live during their rehabilitation. They also witnessed the end result of the process, experiencing the release of a manatee that was rehabilitated at the hospital and deemed healthy enough to return to the wild.

The group received funding for the trip from Academic Innovations at GCC which contributed $1,000 and the Christina Salvador Scholarship Fund, which pitched in $500. Funds were also raised through the Vet Tech Club at the College and each student did their part to help pay for the trip.