The task force charged with finding ways to stabilize fire and emergency medical service in Genesee County has identified eight priority measures from a list of about 100 recommendations provided by an independent consulting firm.

County EMS Coordinator Tim Yaeger (photo at right) on Thursday said the task force is meeting regularly in an effort to implement these strategies, with a focus on developing standards that all local fire departments or companies can follow and finding efficient ways to recruit potential volunteer firefighters.

In July 2022, the Genesee County Comprehensive Fire & Emergency Medical Service Implementation Plan (Fire & EMS Plan) was finalized. Since that time, the task force received feedback on the recommendations from Municipal Resources, Inc. of Plymouth,

Earlier this week, the Genesee County Economic Development Center issued a press release on the promotion of Batavia resident Mark Masse from senior vice president of operations to president and chief executive officer.

Masse, 51, (in file photo at right) is a lifelong Genesee County resident, growing up in Stafford, graduating from Le Roy Central School and spending some of his spare time at Adam Miller Toys & Bicycle on Center Street in Batavia – a business started by his grandfather and later owned by his mother, Joyce, and uncle, Gary Miller.

An avid golfer and bowler, Masse joined the Polish Falcons leagues in both sports in 1995 and has been participating ever since. The start of his 30^th year in the bowling league will be delayed a bit, however, due to a scheduled hip replacement in October.

He has a daughter, Grace, and 6-month-old granddaughter, Kennedy, and a son, Jack.

Masse is a certified public account who worked for Freed, Maxick & Battaglia for 15

In a unanimous vote, the board passed a resolution that calls for payment of up to $500 in local training stipends for certain firefighter training for Town of Batavia firefighters.

“It’s long overdue and we’re very supportive of volunteer fire service,” Batavia Town Supervisor Greg Post said. “We’re pleased to pass this resolution as quickly as we were able to.”

In March, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the start of the statewide program, stating that the goal is to strengthen and stabilize New York’s volunteer fire service. She said that $10

Wednesday afternoon’s annual meeting at Terry Hills Restaurant in Batavia may have been the first under the name UConnectCare, but it served as a celebration of the many ways the agency formerly known as Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse is having a positive impact on community health.

Chief Executive Officer John Bennett, speaking to 73 employees, board members and award recipients, outlined a long list of recently added programs that, in his words, “are building access to essential services for those in need.”

“As far as quality of care, I look at two things – our staff and board members who go above and beyond each and every day, and the expansion of our service over the past seven years,” Bennett said.

The agency changed its name to UConnectCare Behavioral Health Services last fall to reflect its work toward implementing programs to reach a wide spectrum of people in the areas of prevention, treatment, recovery, detoxification, supportive living and residential.

In 2023, Bennett said, the agency received three significant grants:

-- A federal Rural Communities Opioid Response Program Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome II grant for $498,848 from the Health Services and Resource Administration to provide the Healthy Moms/Healthy Babies program to pregnant and postpartum women.

-- A federal Targeted Capacity Expansion Special Projects grant in the amount of $375,000 to provide harm reduction services in the community.

-- A Statewide Health Care Facility System Transformation grant for $985,250 from the NYS Department of Health to improve building capacity in the integrated outpatient treatment program in Batavia.

UConnectCare’s reach, as indicated by the 2023 numbers, is expanding as well, Bennett said, noting that more than 35,000 people were served by the agency’s Prevention department and more than 39,000 counseling visits were provided.

“Furthermore, we had 2,400 visitors at The Recovery Station (on Clinton Street Road), served 339 people in community residence or detox settings, served 1,538 patients in integrated outpatient services and provided 380 childcare sessions,” he said.

‘FRIENDS OF UCONNECT CARE’ HONORED

Four individuals, a public health agency and a Buffalo pharmacy received “Friends of UConnectCare” awards at the luncheon.

Honorees are as follows:

-- Erin Martin, case manager at Genesee Justice. Nominated by the Batavia clinic, Martin was recognized for her continued service to the agency by helping clients face their legal consequences and by encouraging them to make positive steps toward improving their lives.

-- Gordon Luthart, health teacher at Medina Junior-Senior High School. Nominated by Orleans County Prevention, Luthart, a Marine Corps veteran, was awarded for working with UConnectCare over the past decade to provide prevention education in the classroom.

-- Pam Gefell, mental health therapist for Orleans County Mental Health. Nominated by Orleans County Treatment, Gefell, a former UConnectCare counselor, provides evaluation and counseling services on a weekly basis in Albion for those who have co-occurring (substance use disorder and mental health issues) disorders.

-- Dr. Davina Moss, founder of Positive Direction & Associates, Inc., of Buffalo and creator of The Positive Direction Model. Nominated by Recovery Services, she is instrumental in starting and sustaining the agency’s Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies program. Dr. Moss said she shares the award with Jessica Budzinack, coordinator of UConnectCare’s program to help the pregnant and post-natal population.

-- Genesee/Orleans Department of Health (GO Health). Nominated by Genesee Prevention, GO Health partners with UConnectCare on the GOW Opioid Task Force and joined forces with UConnectCare on the HEALing Genesee group over the past 18 months. Both agencies have worked to implement new programs focusing on Naloxone and fentanyl education and medications for opioid use disorder, including the launching of the task force’s Text for Naloxone Line.

-- Riverview Pharmacy, Buffalo. Nominated by Residential/Detox Services, the pharmacy was acknowledged for its reliable and dependable service to those on medication and its communication with UConnectCare’s nursing staff.

FOUR RECEIVE FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIPS

Three graduating seniors and a Genesee Community College graduate each will be receiving $1,000 scholarships, courtesy of the UConnectCare Foundation.

They are:

-- Kenna MacKenzie, Le Roy High School, who will be attending SUNY Geneseo to major in Psychology.

-- Megan Gates, Kendall High School, who will be attending SUNY Brockport in the Nursing program.

-- Chloe Crossett, Kendall High School, who will be attending SUNY Brockport in pursuit of a degree in Social Work.

-- Brianne Amico, who earned an associate’s degree in human services from GCC before enrolling at SUNY Plattsburgh. She plans to work toward a master’s degree in social work at SUNY Binghamton.

Disclosure: Mike Pettinella is the publicist for UConnectCare.

If its performance during a scrimmage game last Saturday afternoon at the Town of Pembroke football field is any indication of future success, this season’s version of the Genesee County Spartans will do very well in the Northeastern Football Alliance semipro league.

The Spartans rolled past the Auburn Pride, 34-6, getting a pair of touchdowns from running back Jed Reese and TD passes from quarterbacks Alex Rood and Corey Turpin.

“The 34 points is the most we’ve ever scored, so from that aspect it was a great tune-up for the season opener on June 1 (against the visiting Lockport Wildcats, 3:30 p.m.),” Spartans Head Coach Harry Rascoe said. “Overall, our new organizational push to create a better team on and off the field really showed.”

Receivers Jazon Henderson and Rayshawn Huitt caught touchdowns passes while fellow wideout Deyonci Farley led all players with in receiving yards, said Rascoe, noting the QB competition will continue right through to the first regular season game.

On defense, Anthony Natrigo recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown, while Cody Wenner and Max Rapone each had an interception and Karen Marucci and Matt Dillon forced fumbles. Gunner Rapone led the way in tackles, with newcomers Ryley Elliott and Jalen White also leading the way.

New kicker, Julie Petry, was good on four of five extra point attempts.

Genesee County Spartans’ schedule:

June 1 Lockport Wildcats

June 8 at Rochester Chargers

June 15 at East Coast Blue Devils

June 22 at Watertown Red & Black

June 29 Rochester Chargers

July 13 at Lockport Wildcats

July 20 Ithaca Warriors

July 27 East Coast Blue Devils

Respect for the sport of bowling was front and center on Saturday night as brothers Tim and Tom Rohl were inducted into the Genesee Region USBC Hall of Fame at the local association’s Annual Banquet and Awards Ceremony at Batavia Downs Gaming.

Honored for their achievement on the lanes, the Le Roy natives were enshrined before 70 people at the newly remodeled Genesee Banquet Room.

Their presenters – former GRUSBC President and Hall of Famer Paul Spiotta for Tim and Hall of Famer Mark Brown for Tom – each spoke of the way the gentlemanly demeanor displayed by the soft-spoken left-handers over the past 40 years.

Both Spiotta and Brown mentioned the word “respect” in their introductory speeches – noting that the Rohls earned the respect of their peers by showing respect for the game.

Tim Rohl, 57, who has resided in Florida for the past 18 years, is a four-time GRUSBC Masters champion, while Tom Rohl, 50, who continues to live in Le Roy, won the prestigious scratch singles tournament twice.

They have multiple GRUSBC Association Tournament titles, including the Johnson-Ianni Doubles event as teammates in 1999, as well as victories in tournaments throughout the area.

Many others were recognized at the banquet, including Batavia High senior Benjamin Sputore, who received the Barbara J. Kreiley Scholarship Award ($750) and also a plaque and ring for his 300 game on Oct. 14, 2023. Sputore also had the high series for boys with 720.

Sputore (photo at right) said he plans to attend Genesee Community College in the fall in pursuit of an associate’s degree in general studies/criminal justice.

ASSOCIATION LEADERS – 2023-24

Adult

High Game, Men – 300 – (28)

High Series, Men – 857 – Brian Cline (Mancuso Bowling Center)

High Average, Men – 239 – Brian Cline (Mancuso Bowling Center)

High Game, Women – 289 – Amanda Coniglio (Mount Morris Lanes)

High Series, Women – 745 – Amanda Coniglio (Mount Morris Lanes)

High Average Women – 212 – Traci (Spanitz) Gustke (Le Roy Legion Lanes)

Youth 

High Game, Boys – 300 – Ben Sputore (Mancuso Bowling Center)

High Series, Boys – 720 – Ben Sputore (Mancuso Bowling Center)

High Average, Boys – 194 – Dominic LaPiana (Mount Morris Lanes)

High Game, Girls – 211 – Ava Tortorice (Mount Morris Lanes)

High Series, Girls – 534 – Emma Balduf (Mancuso Bowling Center)

ASSOCIATION TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS

Open Team – Christ Recycle, 2,860. Team members are Marvin Christ, Larry Boyce, Albert Burch and Robbie Hanks.

Women's Team – Splitz & Giggles, 2,501. Team members are Sharon Stefanini, Tiffany Crawford, Barbara Casavant and Breanna Seever.

Open Doubles – Daryl Dillon and Greg Gilman, 1,524.

Women's Doubles – Karen Allis and Jane Chaddock, 1,284.

Open Singles – Jeremy Yasses, 775.

Women's Singles – Breanna Seever, 654.

Open All-Events – Scott Culp, 2,262.

Women's All-Events – Breanna Seever, 1,937

TWO DIRECTORS ELECTED – DUES INCREASE APPROVED

GRUSBC members in attendance elected Matt Bourg of Alexander and Troy Fanton of Kendall to the association’s board of directors. Bourg’s term runs through 2026 while the term of Fanton, who is replacing Pat Fuller of Medina, starts on Aug. 1 and runs through 2027.

A proposition to increase the membership dues by $1 – to $25 for a Standard membership and to $9 for a Local Only Adult membership passed by a 43-6 vote.

The GRUSBC’s local portion of the dues had been fixed at $8 for a Standard membership since 2019-20, and now will increase to $9. The USBC's national office receives $15 and the New York State USBC gets $1.

GRAND PRIZE DRAWING WINNERS

Association members Donna Pike of Mount Morris, Danielle Schultz of Batavia and Jack Duyssen of Le Roy each won $500 in the grand prize drawing that concluded the awards ceremony.

Twenty-five-dollar winners were Tim Fonte of Dansville, Keith Holland of Alexander, Joe Connolly of Le Roy and Christina White of Kendall. 

Andy Martin of Le Roy won the Brunswick Rhino Pro bowling ball.

Previously: Brothers Tim, Tom Rohl to be inducted into Genesee Region USBC bowling Hall of Fame on May 11

Speaking at the Batavia Town Planning Board meeting at the Town Hall on West Main Street Road, Melissa Franklin, technical sales & services representative, responded

Growing up in what he calls “the cowboy culture” of rural Montana, former National Football League quarterback Ryan Leaf said that he never saw another man reach out for help with mental health issues because of the stigma associated with it.

Leaf failed to live up to the expectations of the No. 2 pick in the 1998 NFL draft, leaving professional football after a relatively uneventful five seasons. He then turned to drug use, which led to his arrest and incarceration for 32 months.

Today, a week shy of his 48^th birthday, he tells his story at venues throughout the nation when he’s not commentating on college football and the NFL as a radio and television host. 

On Wednesday night, he capped his appearance in Batavia with a two-hour talk in front of 70 people at Genesee Community College. Earlier in the day, he spoke to about 300 high school 11^th- and 12^th-graders at the GCC gymnasium (see story below).

Leaf's presentations were sponsored by UConnectCare (formerly Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse).

Leaf shared that he didn’t have the ability to cope with failure, instead blaming others and taking a self-righteous and “I’m better than you” attitude. He said he didn’t know where to turn when his emotional health worsened.

“I wasn’t used to seeing people being vulnerable or transparent, it's just not,” he said. “It's a huge reason why I didn't seek help because I grew up in what you would consider a cowboy culture of Montana (and) then in locker rooms in college and in the NFL where you've never seen another man simply say, ‘I'm really struggling here. Can you help me?’

“So, if we haven't seen it, what would make us think anybody would be able to do it? Right? It's not taught. What has been taught is rub some dirt on it, get it back in there, toughen up.”

He went on to say that his father, who he said he admires, told him, “Why can’t you just stop (taking the Vicodin pills that led him astray)? Yeah, if I could stop, I would have done that a long time ago. Clearly, this was not a choice. And the idea was stigma exists -- the idea that someone may know that you need help is more frightening than actually getting the help that you need.

“That's what stigma is, and it will be the last rail that you have to climb over for people to take mental health and substance abuse seriously.”

Married with two young children, Leaf, now a Connecticut resident, illustrated his point by comparing those with a medical illness with those suffering from mental illness.

“A perfect example, two kids get sick in the same neighborhood. One has leukemia and one deals with a mental health disorder or substance use disorder. The difference in comparison to how the public then treats the family of the leukemia child in terms of support, food, things of that nature in comparison to what the individual family deals with when it comes to the mental health side of things … they're ostracized, they’re isolated, they’re talked about … when in reality, there's medical science that exactly the same thing exists. It's a disease.”

Leaf, realizing that some in the audience were in recovery, credited those in attendance for coming to hear him speak.

“You had a choice to be at home, stay at home, and not do something to try to be part of the solution tonight within your community,” he said. “So, I applaud all of you and you should applaud yourselves for being able to go off and do that and be a part of it.”

As for his own life, Leaf said he was driven by competition – “my first drug of choice,” he said -- at a young age and developed into a three-sport star (basketball, football and baseball) in high school.

“I worked harder than anybody else, and so I was rewarded with the opportunity to play at any college,” he said. “I was able to get an education for free and relieve my parents of the burden of having to have to foot the bill or something like that,” he said. 

He said he didn’t fit into the Montana culture and looked to escape, signing with Washington State University, where he led his team to a trip to the Rose Bowl and became a Heisman Trophy finalist in his junior year.

His collegiate success led to him being selected by the San Diego Chargers right after Peyton Manning in the 1998 NFL draft. With it came a five-year $31 million contract, including an $11.5 million signing bonus.

Despite Leaf’s extraordinary athletic talent, his dream of a long NFL career and a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame never materialized as he was ill-equipped to handle adversity. He ended up playing for four teams before calling it quits. From there, his dependency on Vicodin led to possession and burglary charges as he continually searched for a way to ease his inner pain.

Eventually, after two years in prison, he was able to turn his life around by finally considering the plight of others around him.

“When you make it about someone else, you're not thinking about you at all, you're not thinking about your problems and your troubles with things you've dealt with, you're actually thinking about someone else's issues,” he said. “That's what empathy is … you actually put yourself in the shoes of someone else going through something. And I don't think I really had an empathetic bone in my body until I was confronted with all my stuff.

“There was no talk of mental illness or drugs or alcohol in my life when I got to the NFL because there just wasn't. It turns out that I was dealing with mental health issues. I just didn't understand it.”

Leaf compared himself to Peyton Manning, who is considered one of the greatest quarterbacks ever, as he pointed out the public’s perception of success.

“If I placed Peyton Manning right here and I stood next to him right now in front of us and asked you to point out the failure and the success, I don’t think it would be hard for anybody to do the pointing,” he said. “But that’s how people view and define success and failure.

“We’re both far removed from playing NFL football. He’s been retired for some time and I as well. If you look at our resume and our life right now, Peyton is a 48-year-old father of two and so am I. I own a profession and consulting company -- a broadcasting one a does he. We both do a ton of philanthropic things and give back to our communities. We both are very happy with our lot in life and … suffice to say, we both have the life of our dreams.”

Leaf said the “baggage” of the past doesn’t define a person’s life today and hope for the future.

“I mean a lot of people quit from that aspect of things like it will never get better. And I think it's the furthest from the truth,” he said. “It does not matter at all what has gone on in your past if you’re willing to accept that and surrender to who you are and why you're here. It's all about what you do today and tomorrow.”

Disclosure: Mike Pettinella is the publicist for UConnectCare.

“Those are three things you can control,” said Ryan Leaf, former National Football League quarterback and now a sought-after motivational speaker, to about 300 high school juniors and seniors on Wednesday morning during a prom awareness event at the Genesee Community College gymnasium.

Leaf, the No. 2 selection in the 1998 NFL draft (right after Peyton Manning), came to Batavia as a guest of UConnectCare (formerly Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse).

Following a stellar collegiate career at Washington State University where he was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy in his junior year, Leaf was drafted by the San Diego Chargers – receiving a five-year, $31 million contract, including an $11.5 million signing bonus.

The Great Falls, Mont. Native said that being handed that kind of money only reinforced his belief that he could do anything he wanted.

“Money, power and prestige; I had it all,” he said to the students from Batavia High, Oakfield-Alabama, Elba, Byron-Bergen and Lyndonville at the outset of what turned out to be a two-hour talk. “I really felt that I was more important than anyone else.”

With wins in his first two NFL starts, Leaf was on top of the world. But in week three of his rookie season, a loss to Kansas City, he had “the worst game of my life” and was devastated.

“I wasn’t equipped to deal with it,” he said, adding that he experienced “arrested development” at age 13. “I was humiliated and embarrassed.”

Life in the NFL went downhill quickly after that, with Leaf sharing that he doesn’t remember many good things about his five-year NFL career. He went on to play for Dallas, Tampa Bay and Seattle before mental health issues prompted him to, in his words, “walk away from the think I wanted to do since I was 4 years old.”

Falling into depression and living under the burden as being known as one of the biggest draft busts ever, Leaf said he turned to taking Vicodin to ease his pain.

“I didn’t want to feel anything and the Vicodin did that for me,” he said. “It was eight years of a constant chase.”

Leaf said he squandered all of his money and resorted to going through friends medicine cabinets in search of his high – and then to entering strangers’ homes to find pills. Law enforcement caught up to him in March 2012 and he was sentenced to seven years in prison for burglary and possession of narcotics.

“For 26 of the 32 months that I served, I did nothing much watch a little TV at the end of my bed,” he said. “I wanted to die. I didn’t want to be there.”

Fortunately for him, his cellmate urged him to help some of the other inmates learn how to read. Reluctantly, he accepted the offer and, later on, he set out to become a substance abuse counselor.

Over the past 12 years, Leaf, 47, has maintained sobriety and has worked tirelessly to improve his life through AA meetings, therapy, prayer and meditation, and reaching out to others.

“What changed is (that I embraced) service to others, and it’s not money-generated,” he said. “Just sharing my story. And (addressing the students) your life’s story is just as inspirational and impactful as mine because you’re still here. Sharing that is the most serviceable thing you could do.”

Leaf, a Connecticut resident, talked about how he changed his attitude toward women – “I never respected women,” he said – and speaking glowingly of his wife, 6 ½-year-old son and 6-month-old daughter.

When not traveling around the U.S. speaking about substance use and mental health stigma, Leaf, chief executive officer of RAM Consultant, Inc., serves as a college and NFL analyst for Westwood One Sports and hosts a radio and television shows.

Stating that he’s “OK” with his past, Leaf said, “We all screw up and then think it’s the end of the world. But it’s not. You can stumble and fall but you need to keep trying. It doesn’t matter what happened it the past.”

He encouraged the students to “do the little things” that provide strength in times of temptation.

“You always have a choice,” he said, mentioning drinking and driving, drug use and sexual activity. “Enjoy the next couple weeks (before proms and graduations). It’s fleeting. It goes by so fast.”