Make A Difference Day

Photos: Seniors from BHS pitch in to make a difference in Batavia

By Howard B. Owens
Oct 23, 2020, 5:59pm

For Batavia High School seniors, today was Make a Difference Day, the day seniors fan out around the community completing a variety of volunteer projects for community organizations.

Photos are from the seniors' clean-up project at the Batavia Cemetery.

Seniors also helped out at:

All Babies Cherished Genesee ARC (participate in activities with individuals with disabilities)
Batavia First United Methodist Church (organizing and possible yard work)
Genesee Cancer Assistance (organize office inside the hospital)
Cornell Cooperative Extension (recording books for kids, assembling soil kits, organizing storeroom)
Crossroads House (organizing kitchen cupboards, general indoor cleaning)
Batavia First United Methodist Church (organizing and yard work)
Genesee County Park (yard work at the outdoor learning center)
Genesee County Youth Bureau (decorating Halloween bags)
Genesee Orleans Art Council (help with artistic mural painting, landscaping, cleaning, wall painting)
Habitat for Humanity (construction work)
Holland Land Office (yard work)
Kiwanis Park
Manor House (gardening and landscaping)
Batavia Peace Garden (yard work, painting)

BHS seniors ready to 'make a difference' in the community today

By Mike Pettinella
Oct 23, 2020, 6:34am

Batavia High School seniors are doing their part to “make a difference.”

Kathie Scott, the district’s public relations coordinator, said the students will be participating in the annual “Make a Difference Day” activities from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. today at various locations in Batavia and also at Genesee County Park in Bethany.

The locations and job descriptions are as follows:

All Babies Cherished (Prepare garage sale items. May work Outside doing yard work.)
Genesee ARC (Participate in activities with individuals with disabilities.)
Batavia Cemeteries (Yard Work. Wear close toed shoes & bring gloves. Historic Batavia Cemetery on Harvester Ave.)
Batavia First United Methodist Church (Organizing and possible yard work.)
Genesee Cancer Assistance (Organize office inside the hospital. Contact Sue or Theresa who will meet you in the ER Parking lot.)
Cornell Cooperative Extension (Recording Books for kids, Soil Kits, Organizing Storeroom.)
Crossroads House (Organizing kitchen cupboards, general indoor cleaning and possible light yard work.)
Batavia First United Methodist Church (Organizing and possible yard work.)
Genesee County Park (Yard Work at the Outdoor Learning Center.)
Genesee County Youth Bureau (Decorating Halloween bags. Check in at front desk of Senior Center; they will direct you to the multi-purpose room.)
Genesee Orleans Art Council (Help with Artistic Mural painting, Landscaping, Cleaning, Wall Painting.)
Habitat for Humanity (Construction work. Location is 116 S. Swan St. (Note: At this site, a COVID attestation needs to be completed before arriving and a face covering is required). Here is the link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfbth1qSxPqca_rsLpV4Jg0BunQHJB6T_pYFMrLInqp4tl8Fw/viewform?gxids=7628
Holland Land Office (Yard Work. Bring Gloves. Grounds & Peace Gardens.)
Kiwanis Park
Manor House (Gardening & Landscaping.)
Batavia Peace Garden (Yard work, painting.)

Photos: Batavia students and teachers take a day to make a difference

By Howard B. Owens
Oct 16, 2019, 1:41pm

It's Make a Difference Day for Batavia High School seniors with students and teachers taking on several community projects, including cleanup at the Peace Garden despite the rain.

Top photo: Leah Wroten. Second photo, Wroten along with Carolena Williams, Gabrielle Lawrence, Andrea Kraus, Katie Metzler and Ethan DiLaura.

At the Batavia Agri-Business Child Development Center on Brooklyn Avenue, Ron Williams, Alesia Schmidt and Sherry Crumity.

Marcello Harris, Jacob Bondaruk and Joshua Wasiulewski clean toys at the Batavia Agri-Business Child Development Center.

Jacob Crimes cleaning a display case at the Holland Land Office Museum.

Charlie Burton and Ayden Dowd-Devay paint a door at HLOM, while in the background Eddie Goodenough vacuums.

Make a Difference Day is next Wednesday for BHS seniors and the community benefits from it

By Billie Owens
Oct 10, 2019, 12:25pm

Press release:

Make a Difference Day for all Batavia High School seniors will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 16.

They will participate in the annual Make a Difference Day community service project in various nonprofit agencies throughout the community.

Participating agencies include: All Babies Cherished, Arc of Genesee Orleans Rainbow Preschool, Batavia Agri-Business Child Development, Batavia Housing Authority, Batavia Peace Garden, City of Batavia Youth Bureau, Crossroads House, Genesee County Parks, Genesee County Youth Bureau, Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council, Habitat for Humanity, Holland Land Office Museum, NYS Veterans’ Home, Premier Genesee Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation, United Memorial Medical Center, VA WNY Healthcare System of Batavia, YMCA, YWCA Children’s Center, and YWCA of Genesee County.

Batavia City Schools is dedicated to helping their over 140 seniors learn and develop the importance of giving back to their own community while helping to foster civic responsibility. This is an integral part of their Batavia High School academic curriculum, and is a component of their graduation requirements.

BHS seniors made a difference in the community Wednesday by helping others

By Billie Owens
Oct 11, 2018, 2:55pm

Above photo: Taiyo Iburi-Bethel working at the Habitat for Humanity job site on East Main Street in Batavia.

Submitted photos and press release:

Batavia High School seniors participated Wednesday in the annual Make a Difference Day. From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., various community service projects were carried out in nonprofits throughout the community.

Benefitting agencies included: All Babies Cherished, Arc of Genesee Orleans, Batavia Agri-Business Child Development, Batavia Housing Authority, Batavia Peace Garden, City of Batavia Youth Bureau, Crossroads House, Genesee County Parks, Genesee County Youth Bureau, Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council, Habitat for Humanity, Holland Land Office Museum, NYS Veterans’ Home, Premier Genesee Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation, United Memorial Medical Center, VA WNY Healthcare System of Batavia, YMCA, YWCA Children’s Center, and the YWCA of Genesee County.

Batavia City Schools is dedicated to helping their seniors, more than 140 of them, learn and develop the importance of giving back to their own community while helping to foster civic responsibility.

This is an integral part of their Batavia High School academic curriculum, and is a component of their graduation requirements.

Above photo: Kate Folger is busy at the Habitat for Humanity job site on East Main Street.

Above photo: Elise Hoerbelt weeding at Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council.

Photo above: Alex Christensen making decorations for a Halloween party.

Above photo from left: Felicity Anderson, Karissa Kesler, Shay Kilner and Tracy Lin at Premier Genesee Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation setting up for games with residents.

Above photo from left: Jocelyn Castaneda, Elizabeth Cohen and Nia Ross helping out at the YMCA Preschool.

Above photo from left: Amanda Jackson, Hannah Finkney, Garrett Harloff, Damien Sprague, Tom Ognibene, Anthony McMaster and Cristina Kolberg helped with yard work at the VA Medical Center.

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