The Zonta Club of Batavia - Genesee County is pleased to announce that they are now accepting applications for their annual Scholarship Awards. 

They encourage all high school seniors in Genesee County to apply. 

Applications can be obtained through your school's guidance office, career center office, or online by emailing zontabatavia@gmail.com.

All applicants will be asked to schedule an in-person interview with our scholarship committee. Submission deadline for applications is April 12.

The Jerome Foundation is sponsoring the William F. Brown Jr. Scholarship. The award is given in memory of the late William F. Brown Jr., noted author, broadcaster, and journalist who contributed greatly to the quality of life in Genesee County through his writing, and as a member of numerous community and civic organizations.

An annual $1000 scholarship for four years for a total of $4000 given to a deserving Senior graduating from a Genesee County School whose intention is to pursue a career in the field of journalism, marketing, communication or public relations (in print, radio, television or digital media).

Applications for the scholarship have been sent to area High School Counselors or can be found at thejeromefoundation.org. Applications are due May 10 and can be mailed to The Jerome Foundation, PO Box 249, Batavia. If further information is needed, contact Chris Fix at thejeromefoundation@gmail.com.

New York State Senator George Borrello announced that the New York Conference of Italian American State Legislators is accepting applications for four $3,000 college scholarships, two academic and two athletic.

Scholarships are available to residents of the 57th Senate District who are current college students or high school seniors entering college. Students can access and complete the application by visiting: https://www.nyiacsl.org/apply-for-scholarship-form. 

The application deadline is Friday, March 15.  

“This is an excellent scholarship opportunity for high school seniors and college students in the 57th Senate District who have worked hard, distinguished themselves from their peers, and intend to pursue higher education,” said Senator Borrello. “With college costs continually rising, these scholarships give young individuals and their families the opportunity to lessen the financial burden associated with higher education. I encourage eligible students in my district to apply.”

Applicants should have a grade point average of 85 or higher; be active in community service and extracurricular activities and demonstrate financial need. In addition to these qualifications, students applying for an athletic scholarship must also be involved in an organized sport(s).

Applicants need not be of Italian American heritage to apply.

Scholarship recipients will be announced in April, and the winners will be honored at a ceremony in Albany.

The New York Conference of Italian American State Legislators is a bipartisan organization of state Assembly and Senate members who actively promote and celebrate the state’s Italian American community.

Join in to celebrate Matthew’s birthday and bring a “Plus One” with you to give blood and help patients in need celebrate more birthdays with their loved ones. The event includes a t-shirt sale and basket raffle with all proceeds for the Matthew Kota Scholarship Fund for students at Notre Dame High School and Byron-Bergen Jr./ Sr. High School. 

At a very young age, Matthew Kota, of Byron, knew exactly what he wanted to be when he grew up - a doctor. But sadly, his dreams were cut short. In memory of Matthew for his birthday, the Batavia community and surrounding areas are encouraged to give the gift of life and donate blood at the largest annual American Red Cross blood drive in Genesee County on Saturday, Jan. 27, at Northgate Church South Campus in Batavia. 

“Matthew never waited for anything to happen, he made things happen,” said Jason Kota, Matthew’s father. “He was truly one of a kind and I’ve yet to meet anyone else on this earth like him.” Matthew, the eldest of four children, was just 17 years old when he passed away in 2008 from complications of brain surgery.

Matthew enjoyed the outdoors and had a smile that would light up a room, but it was his humanitarian spirit that friends and family say was contagious. Matthew had a desire to help people, and that’s one of the reasons why he became a blood donor and volunteered with the Red Cross. He had hoped to join the Gallon Donor Club and even though he did not achieve that goal, his family and friends are now carrying out his wishes by holding blood drives in his memory. He was posthumously awarded the 10-gallon milestone from donors on his behalf in 2021. “Matthew was our son, a friend, leader and now our Angel,” Jason Kota said. 

Family and friends say hosting this blood drive is a unique way to memorialize what Matthew stood for - helping others. They are now giving back by turning their heartbreak into hope for other families in need. At this point, the Kota family has now collected 906 units - and counting - in their 15 years of hosting the blood drive. 

How to Sign Up

Schedule your appointment by visiting RedCrossBlood.org and entering the sponsor code bataviany or zipcode 14020.  Walk-ins are welcome around appointments. 

 Donate at the 16th Matthew Kota Memorial Blood Drive on Saturday, Jan. 27 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Northgate Church South Campus – Community Room located at 350 Bank St. Batavia.

"This is a unique opportunity because they can be enrolled in college, trade school or the armed forces," a committee member said. 

There will be two scholarships available, and seniors are asked to complete the scholarship form provided HERE. 

New York high school seniors who are graduating and interested in pursuing a career in agriculture can apply for New York Farm Bureau’s Agricultural Youth Scholarship. Eligible students can use the financial award for college or advanced training in the skilled trades. Statewide winners can earn up to $3,000 towards their future education.

The applicant or their family must be a New York Farm Bureau member, and the student must live and/or work a farm or be involved with agriculture in the state. The student must also complete the application which includes writing an essay addressing what they value and stand for in agriculture and life and how these values have impacted their decision to pursue an agricultural career.

Scoring will determine both county and district winners and may include a personal interview.  Each district winner will receive $250 and then compete for one of two state scholarships worth $3,000 and $2,000, based on their submitted applications. Applications must be submitted by March 1, 2022, and the judging will take place prior to April 20, 2022.  

For more information, including the online application, go to New York Farm Bureau’s website at www.nyfb.org. The scholarship information and web-based application can be found under “Promotion and Education” in the programs section of the website. You can also call the New York Farm Bureau office at 1-800-342-4143 for more information.

Girl Scouts of Western New York (GSWNY) is proud to announce 56 Girl Scouts as the 2021 recipients of the Girl Scout Gold Award, and 33 Girl Scouts as 2021 GSWNY scholarship recipients.

These exceptional change-makers took action to improve their local, national, and global communities while earning Girl Scouts’ most prestigious award in the world for girls.

In Genesee County, the sole awardee is Ava Flores, of Troop #42141, Oakfield, whose project was called "Feed the Need."

In addition to the Girl Scout Gold Award, Ava is one of the recipients to also be awarded a scholarship, in her case, $1,000 from Hans and Charlene Schoenenberger.

The Girl Scout Gold Award acknowledges the power behind each recipient’s dedication to not only empowering and bettering herself, but also to making the world a better place for others.

The Gold Award project is the culmination of all the work a girl puts into “going for the Gold.”

The project should fulfill a need within a girl’s community (whether local or global) and create change that has the potential to be ongoing or sustainable.

Approximately 80 hours of community service are involved in the project.

Completion of the Gold Award also qualifies the Girl Scout for special scholarship opportunities and she can enlist in the military at a higher starting pay grade.

For more information on the Girl Scout Gold Award, visit gswny.org.

Nominations are being accepted for the 2021 BCSD Foundation Inc. Scholarship. This scholarship will be awarded to a graduating senior from Batavia High School.

The nominee has been successful in his/her educational program and has sought out skills to further his/her career. In addition, he or she has exemplified our Batavia school culture and climate of “Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be Safe, Be Connected and Be Ambitious.”

Any member of the local community may nominate a Batavia HS senior who meets the above criteria. Nomination forms are available on the Batavia City School District website. You may complete the Google Form or this pdf document to nominate a deserving senior.

All nominations need to be received by May 21.

BCSD Foundation -- Our Mission:

To develop, procure, and manage resources, contributions, and educational funding and ensure that these will be used directly to support the City of Batavia School District, its population, programming, property development, and student scholarship funding.

The Genesee Symphony Orchestra will livestream a free memorial concert next Friday honoring the late musician and educator Bob Knipe, who played in the orchestra and served on the board for many years, among his other contributions.

Music Director and Conducter S. Shade Zajac, in a note to friends and supporters about the concert, says Bob was truly a "force for the arts," one who "worked tirelessly to make our GSO a vibrant part of our GLOW region."

The Robert Knipe Memorial Concert will be held virtually via the streaming service Vimeo beginning at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 26.

A few days prior, a lnik will appear on the GSO website and its social media pages with a link that will allow you to access the concert. The link will go directly to the livestream, which will be activated at 7:20 p.m. March 26.

Here's the program for next Friday's concert:

• Der Freischütz Overture -- Carl Maria von Weber
• Midsummer Night's Dream, Op. 61 - Nocturne -- Felix Mendelssohn
• Trois (3) Gymnopédies, Gymnopédie No. 1 -- Erik Satie, orchestrated by Claude Debussy
• English Folk Song Suite, March -- Ralph Vaughan Williams
• String Quarter No. 16 in F Major, Op. 135, III. Lento assai, cantate e tranquillo -- Ludwig van Beethoven
• Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 68, Finale -- Johannes Brahms
• "Nimrod" from Enigma Variations, Op. 36 -- Edward Elgar

Also be aware that GSO's board and the Knipe family have decided to create a scholarship in Bob's name.

About the Robert Knipe Memorial Fund

It will be used to expand opportunities for elementary, middle school, high school and college-bound students to further advance their music education. The funds will promote their musical growth through attending music camps, festivals, Area All State and All State festivals -- empowering them to enter music and stay involved in their musical growth. It is hoped young musicians who are beneficiaries will be influenced to continue in their musical career. 

GSO hopes to raise donations from the memorial concert to support this new project and you can donate on the GSO website.

"Bob was passionate about many things ... One of his many passions was creating opportunities for young musicians to further their growth and love of the art," says Zajac.

Previously: Arts and civic leader and tireless volunteer Bob Knipe will be missed

File photos from May 2017 taken of the GSO's visit to Oakfield-Alabama Elementary School.

The Genesee County Interagency Council is pleased to announce that we will be offering a $1,000 scholarship for the Fall 2021-2022 semester for Genesee Community College students and high school seniors.

Those eligible will be students living in Genesee County and attending Genesee Community College or high school seniors; in good academic standing, and majoring in or intending to major in Human Services, Social Work, Sociology or Psychology ONLY.

Because the goal of this scholarship is to support those students who have a strong drive to contribute to the field of Human Services, special consideration will be given to those students who have already demonstrated a commitment to the field through their employment, volunteer, academic, or extracurricular pursuits.  

Completed applications must be received by Friday, May 7. (See PDF links below to print out, fill out, and mail in. One is for high school students; the other is for GCC students.)

The awardee will be notified by June 1 and presented at our June 17th picnic meeting. However, if the picnic is cancelled due to COVID-19, we will acknowledge the awardee in another way and the check will be mailed directly to the individual.

We look forward to having the opportunity to support a Genesee Community College student in their pursuit of a degree in the field of Human Services.  Please feel free to contact me at (585) 343-1611 if you have any questions.

The mission of the Genesee County Interagency Council is to create fellowship and understanding among community human services agencies. The council helps to identify community issues and encourages development of resolutions.

Genesee County Interagency Council Inc.

P.O. Box 1619

Batavia, NY 14021

• High School Student Application
• Genesee Community College Application