While most Americans have amenities like a vehicle, a home, food to eat, fresh water to drink and nice shoes to wear, there are many adults and children who around the world face each day with minimal clothes, little food and no shoes.

This Thursday Nov. 10^th from 6-9 p.m. at the New Hope Life Center, 8052 Bank Street Road, Batavia will host a community volunteering event to provide shoes to children and adults of Uganda to protect their feet from jiggers.  

Jiggers are small chigoe fleas that live in the dust, and are found on the dirt floors in schools and the homes of many families in Uganda and other similar climates.

These parasitic insects cling to and infest livestock, transferring jiggers into homes primarily in rural areas. The female jiggers burrow into the surface of skin that has been exposed to the flea. Once embedded in the body, the jigger lays eggs and creates up to pea-size egg sacks and continues to multiply by laying more eggs.

Materials needed for this event are denim blue or black jeans, a pair of fabric scissors and monetary donations will be accepted. Suggested donation is $10 but will accept any donations.

The $10 donation covers costs to:

$3 -- pay the tailor

$3 -- for the shoemaker

$2 -- purchase supplies, tires, thread and glue to finish the shoes.

$2 -- to get the shoes overseas to Uganda.

Sole Hope is also in need for foot washing and jigger removal supplies like, Emla numbing cream, stickers for children, large safety pins, surgical gloves, cotton balls, medical tape, gauze, band aids, suckers or lollipops.

For more information and or to make a donation contact Michelle at 585-297-0779. 

Pictured above from left to right are Pastor Tammy J. Smith from New Hope ministries and Michelle Gillard.

Bart Dentino, founder of We R 3C Inc. — “Creating Caring Communities” — will be the featured speaker at the Pasta for Peace free spaghetti dinner at 6:30 p.m. March 19 at First Presbyterian Church, 300 East Main St., Batavia.

One aim of the Creating Caring Communities program is motivating people of all ages to “develop intrinsic motivation to treat others with kindness, compassion, and generosity,” said Dentino, who lives in Elba.

The We R 3C program is helpful for older people as well as school-age children. “As a matter of fact some of my favorite uses of the curriculum is with multi-generational groups,” he added. “Watching and listening to them share with each other and learn about each other is a joy.”

The We R 3C curriculum teaches skills associated with “pro-social” behaviors and their relationship to kindness, compassion, forgiveness and bullying, and sets people in motion to create caring communities, Dentino said. Established in 2011, the focus is now to begin making people aware of its existence, garner support in the educational community and get the program into the hands of as many people as possible.

Bob Purifico, the organization’s chief executive officer, helped to create and led, as CEO and director, two international, creative problem-solving programs for 30 years. “The two organizations were Odyssey of the Mind, which many schools in this area have participated in, and Destination Imagination,” Dentino said. “Each of these organizations reached into all 50 states and 40-plus countries world wide.”

The We R 3C program has been piloted for the past two years in a variety of schools and organizations.

“It is changing the relationships of the people who have participated in it for the positive and causing them to take what they’ve learned and apply it to the communities that they take part in on a daily basis,” Dentino said.

 “The three areas that we’ve determined are the initial groups that we’d like to reach out to are schools, faith-based groups and youth organizations,” Dentino said. “We have had interest from the business, home-school and special needs organizations and will expand into those areas in the future.”

We R 3C has also met with several people from the state Department of Corrections who expressed an interest in using the curriculum to help incarcerated offenders make a successful transition to living productively in the community at large, he said.

“We’ve had teachers say, upon completing sessions for their classrooms, that the methods and skills that it teaches have improved their relationships with their parents, spouses and children at home,” Dentino said. “It’s been called a ‘revolutionary’ approach to relationship and community building and it’s unique and effective approach to bullying behavior.”

Dentino said We R 3C is available for programs in Genesee County.

The Pasta for Peace program seeks to reduce violence and promote respect by increasing awareness throughout the community. While the March 19 dinner is free, a free-will offering is appreciated.

Pasta for Peace is sponsored by Pax Christi Genesee County (Paxchristiwny.com). Pax Christi is rooted in the Catholic Peace Movement, but operates locally on an interfaith basis. Questions regarding the Pax Christi or the Pasta for Peace Program may be directed to wprivett.paxchristi@gmail.com.

Free Spaghetti Dinner: Pasta for Peace

The second “Pasta for Peace” free spaghetti dinner, will be held on Thursday, Nov. 17, at 6:30 p.m., at the First Presbyterian Church, 300 East Main St., in Batavia.  Local author and peace advocate Jim Morasco will be the featured speaker.  90 people attended the first Pasta for Peace in September.

Morasco, who rode his bicycle 400 miles in June to raise $1,400 for local charities, will discuss his personal transformation, his observations about people who experience trauma, and how he has seen first-hand that “Either through circumstance and/or trauma they learned coping skills that reinforced violence as a way to get what they want.” 

He says that his own personal transformation was made possible by positive role models and an early sense that there was a higher power, which was clarified through Christian and Seneca experiences.  He says that he has “always had a thirst for knowledge – and both formal and informal education has given me a better understanding of the world than just what we are taught as children.”

Morasco has spent most of his career with people who do not know peace in their lives.  “When I look at our culture I see this theme of violence over and over again.”  However, he says that he knows in his heart that he must not only advocate peace but more importantly be an example to others as well.

Today, he says that his number one priority in life is social justice, “because I believe (injustice) is at the core of most of the world’s problems.”

As he says, “Call it Karma or whatever, but one day I was thinking about how the canal project must have looked like to the Native Americans. I would think it was a "scar" on Mother Earth.  Anyway, later on in the day I came across a Pow Wow that was being held and I ventured in.  I spent the afternoon talking with new found friends and being spiritually enriched by the singing and dancing that was occurring.  It gave me the opportunity to re-connect with people that have been such a big part of my journey.  It felt like a little bit of "home".

The event is sponsored by Pax Christi Genesee County.  Pax Christi is part of the International and National Catholic Peace Movement, but operates on an interfaith basis locally.  Pax Christi hopes that increased local understanding  will reduce violence.

Jim Morasco is also the Associate Pastor of First Baptist Church in Batavia and a counselor for the local alcohol and substance abuse agency, GCASA.

The spaghetti dinner is free.   Reservation calls to Joyce: 585-757-2218 or Trudy: 585-599-3302, will be much appreciated.   Free will donations will be accepted gratefully.

Gospel & Grace

Saturday, March 19, 2011

6 - 9 PM

At the YWCA, 301 North St. Batavia

Pre-registration is appreciated for table set up. Please RSVP: 343-5805 or by emailing ywca@rochester.rr.com  Event will include gift basket raffles.

Bring your family and friends and a dish to pass. Enjoy words of inspiration and entertainment from community groups. Speakers include: Melissa Thurston and Selina Smith.

Entertainment: Asheesh Williams, Cooper Singers, James Armstrong, Sheila Rolle, The Lockport Singers and The Williams Singers.

In celebration of our 45th anniversary year Genesee ARC is sponsoring a local screening of the Sprout Film Festival. The event, which showcases films by and about people with developmental disabilities will be held Saturday March 19 at the Batavia High School auditorium.

Sprout is a private, non-profit organization founded in 1979. The mission of the New York City-based organization is to provide innovative programming that raises the profile and showcases the work of people with developmental disabilities.

The local showing will include a selection of short films, ranging from documentaries to music videos. Some films are moving, enlightening and inspirational; others are humorous, whimsical and fun.  Each film will be introduced by a Sprout representative.  There are two show times, and 2:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.and donations are gratefully accepted.

The Sprout Film Festival is made possible with funds from the Decentralization Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts, administered by the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council.  Any one with questions may call ARC Director of Development, Shelley Falitico at 343-1123 ext. 231.

Friday October 15, 10 am- 6 pm and Saturday October 16, 10 am - 5 pm

Featuring classes and evening lecture with George Siciliano.   Friday, "Size Really Does Matter".       Saturday "Twirling Logs"   Classes are from 9 am - 4 pm both days, $55.00 for non- members.

Contact Elaine Ross: 748-4831 or elainejr@rochester.rr.com to sign up

Lecture Friday, October 15 at 7 pm, $5.00 admission.  Open to the public

The show also features over 200 quilted items, a quilt raffle, members' boutique, door prizes, vendors and silent auction to benefit VA Medical Center patients.

See blog post on this site, http://museumquiltguild.blogspot.com, or for more information, contact Martha Lorshbaugh: 993-0357 or lorshbaughm@gmail.com

Family Fun Night

@City Church

210 East Main Street

Batavia, NY 14020

Doors open at 6:30pm

Movie starts at 7:00pm

THERE WILL BE DOOR PRIZES AND POPCORN!!!!

Genesee ARC invites area residents, neighbors and families to view the Genesee ARC Community Center improvements firsthand during an art exhibit and open house, March 11, from 5:00pm to 7:30pm in celebration of Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. The Community Center, 38 Woodrow Road, Batavia, is the former St. Mary’s School.  It was purchased by Genesee ARC two years ago.

The Art Show, entitled “Celebrating Art-abilities” was made possible with funds from the Decentralization Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts, administered by the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council.

A “Meet the Artist” event is planned during the open house, along with light refreshments and tours.  Executive Director Donna Saskowski will be making a special announcement at 6:30 p.m.  Anyone requesting additional information or to see the art show after March 11, may contact ARC Director of Development Shelley Falitico at 585-343-1123 or sfalitico@rochester.rr.com..