Press Release, Orleans County Office for the Aging

ALBION – Every May, the Administration for Community Living leads our nation’s observance of Older Americans Month. The theme for 2020 is “Make Your Mark.” This theme was selected to encourage and celebrate countless contributions that older adults make to our communities.

This theme was selected to encourage and celebrate countless contributions that older adults make to our communities. Their time, experience, and talents benefit family, peers and neighbors every day. Communities, organizations, and individuals of all ages are also making their marks. This year’s theme highlights the difference everyone can make – in the lives of older adults, in support of caregivers, and to strengthen communities.

Gil Cain

Unfortunately, we are not able to hold our local Older American Celebration due to Covid-19.  We are sad that we cannot celebrate our clients and 45 years as Office for the Aging! We will look at rescheduling in the fall. We did send two nominations to Albany for Volunteer of the Year to represent Orleans County. Please read the nominations we received.

Gilbert Cain is a native New Yorker and lives in Medina. Gil retired from Lipton after 38 years as a distribution analyst. He is a widower with nieces in the Medina area. Gil has been a Hospice volunteer since June 2015 and in that time he has mastered the residence volunteer meal server position. Gil now trains new volunteers.

Gil won the 2018 Hospice of Orleans Volunteer of the Year Award for outstanding volunteer service. In 2019, Gil provided over 700 hours of service to Hospice. He stands out as a volunteer because he take time to learn patient’s favorite foods and makes certain that those foods are available to the patient. Gil has been known to deliver spaghetti dinners, lemon pie and special donuts to patients at all hours of the day and night.

Gil also donates prepared holiday meals from Tops or Wegmans for residence patients and their families. The patients are able to sit down to a delicious holiday meals with all the trimmings due to Gil’s generosity. Gil works at least six shifts per week in the residence.

Hospice patients and family members are amazed at all that Gil does at the age of 85. Gil also participates in the Hospice fundraisers and is a friendly, welcoming face around the campus.

Gil would offer to other New Yorkers that volunteering is a great way to keep your mind and body busy. Gil states that volunteering and giving to others is a great way to lift your spirits and feel rewarded at the end of the day.

Louise Henderson

Louise Henderson was born and raised in New York and has lived on the same property in Orleans County since the early years of her marriage to her husband, John. The two bought and remodeled a one-room schoolhouse into the home where they raised their 6 children. In 1984, disaster struck when their home caught fire. The schoolhouse was gone, but resilient as ever they built their current house on the ashes.

Louise worked at the Cornell Cooperative Extension for 20 years prior to her 25 years as a library assistant at Swan Library and its successor, the Hoag Library. Even though she retired, she still volunteers at the Hoag Library. When she isn’t working, you can find her surrounded by family celebrating birthdays, holidays, and planning and creating 4-H projects.

Through her platform as a library assistant, Boy Scout leader, 4-H assistant and church volunteer, Louise has been fortunate enough to touch the lives of many community members. She often talks of how she has helped children learn how to read and she has shared with them the humble virtues of patience, kindness, and using their manners.

For many she has been that mother figure who you could count on to help you with your homework, provide you with encouragement when it seemed like on one else would, and always has a word to wisdom of you when you need some life advice.

In her role as a 4-H leader and mother of 6, she was able to aid so many youths in learning necessary life skills and leading them to a brighter path. Louise has been volunteering for over 40 years.

If you are ever lucky enough to obtain an unsolicited piece of advice from Louise, she would remind you that kindness, patience and being polite will never go out of style. After her lifetime of service, she would also ask that you never stop learning and giving back to your community.

Thank you to both Gil and Louise for all that they do for the community. The State Office for the Aging looks to hold a recognition event in Albany in the fall if feasible.

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Students, staff adjust to remote learning due to Covid-19

Press Release, Genesee Community College

ALBION/MEDINA – Genesee Community College’s Albion and Medina Campus Centers have announced the Spring 2020 Instructors and Students of the Semester.

Each semester, one instructor and one student from each campus center are recognized for their outstanding instructional and/or academic performances. Despite the Covid-19 campus center closures, officials at each center collected nominations from fellow teachers, colleagues and students, and a small committee led by James Simon, associate dean at Medina and Albion Campus Centers, determined the winners.

Albion Campus Center

Jennifer D’Alessandro

Jennifer D’Alessandro is the Spring 2020 Instructor of the Semester at the Albion Campus Center. After graduating from Lyndonville High School, D’Alessandro earned degrees from Niagara Community College and Medaille College.

With undergraduate work in business administration and an MA in Organizational Leadership, she is a valuable asset to GCC’s business program. In addition to teaching business and marketing courses for the Albion Campus Center, D’Alessandro also teaches full time for Villa Maria College in Buffalo, and through the years she has taught classes throughout Erie, Niagara and Orleans counties.

In the nomination, a student remarked: “As the pandemic has caused a lot of changes [Ms. D’Alessandro was] present on Zoom every Tuesday with a smile, a lesson and care for all her students and their personal lives.”

When asked about working at the Albion Campus Center, D’Alessandro remarked, “Genesee Community College is an innovative and supportive environment. The Albion Campus Center feels like family.”

Her advice to a new instructor is “try to ‘see’ the student who doesn’t want to be seen. You might be the only person who ever shows them how important they are.”

Besides teaching, she has worked in marketing, fundraising and sales, and when asked about her most rewarding experience she said, “Teaching is a privilege. I have the opportunity to impact students’ lives, which I take this very seriously. I’ve seen so many of them grow and succeed. I’m thankful for my path and I am thankful for the past ten years of teaching. I love my job.”

D’Alessandro resides in Lockport and is married with five children, three grandchildren, and has two “very ridiculous” cats. Apart from teaching, she enjoys traveling as an avid “cruiser,” reading and studying the Bible and a variety of online marketing magazines.

John Bradley

John Bradley is the Spring 2020 GCC Student of the Semester for the Albion Campus Center. As a Communication and Media Arts major, Bradley expects to graduate from GCC in 2021. He enjoys many aspects of college life, but especially enjoys being able to explore and discuss both new and old ideas with others in a guided setting. He has a strong willingness to listen, but also enjoys participating in discussion and expressing his own ideas while considering the ideas of others.

Bradley has discovered a passion for the creative arts as well, and his charcoal drawing won first place in the Student Art Show exhibit at GCC last December. His interests outside of college include computer programming and networking. He is currently working in a grocery store and finds it satisfying to be a part of the workforce during Covid-19 providing essential services to his community. He resides in Albion.

The instructor who nominated John Bradley noted: “John has really brought depth to our class discussions and offered fascinating insights to topics. After the transition to remote learning, John continued to offer great critiques on our discussion board. He is a fantastic student who deserves to be recognized as Albion’s Student of the Semester.”

Medina Campus Center

Ralph Torcello

is the Spring 2020 Instructor of the Semester at the Medina Campus Center. Torcello has been teaching business courses at GCC for 20 years, and he is one of only a handful of instructors who has taught at all seven GCC campus locations. This semester, one of his courses was Accounting 102, taught at the Medina Campus Center.

After graduating from Pavilion High School, Torcello was a GCC student himself and transferred to SUNY Geneseo where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, and then SUNY UB for his MBA.

Torcello believes that is important for all students to have an understanding of business and business language, no matter what they do in life. The student who nominated Torcello noted that he has gone above and beyond this semester offering additional help whenever needed.

Once classes went to remote, online delivery, Torcello stepped up to learn all the nuances of effectively teaching his course in a different way providing a stellar example to his students. One student observed, “He has taught me that no matter how educated a person is, there is always something new to learn, and he role modeled what that looks like, as well as the value of stepping outside of our comfort zone.”

Torcello’s fondest memories of GCC are not only the last 20 years of teaching, but also the days of attending classes in the 90s from various instructors including Bruce Lindsey, Sid Bender, Bernie Marcus and Marirose Ethington.

Torcello lives on a small dairy farm in Pavilion, his childhood homestead, with his wife, Diane. They have two sons and three grandchildren. When asked what he enjoys at GCC he stated, “I can honestly say that after all these years, I have never met a staff worker, secretary, professor or student that I didn’t care for at GCC. For me, it will always be a great place to be, and at present I miss it terribly.”

Emalee Houseman

Emalee Houseman is the Spring 2020 Student of the Semester at the Medina Campus Center. In her second semester, Houseman is pursuing her Associate of Science degree in Teacher Education, with plans to graduate in spring 2021. Thereafter, she plans to transfer to SUNY Brockport to earn her New York State Teaching Certification and degree in English with a concentration in Adolescent Education. Her end goal is to become a high school English teacher.

The instructors who nominated Houseman stated that she is hard working and always prepared for class and she maintains a positive attitude that is contagious. This attribute was tremendously helpful during the transition from on-site to remote learning during Covid-19.

Houseman resides with her parents, sister and dogs in Lyndonville. Her family has been her biggest influence and she believes their support and encouragement has helped her be the student she is today with a “never quit” attitude. Aside from being a full-time student, Houseman volunteers as a LOYAL soccer coach in her community in the summer.

At GCC, Houseman most appreciates the variety of courses offered, as well as the support she has received from her advisor and instructors. “They are always there for you, and they never let you feel as if you are a burden to their time.”

Her advice to new college students is this: “Whatever you do, try your best. Even if you don’t get the desired outcome, let that push you to try even harder.”

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ALBION – Hospice of Orleans normally has a big luncheon each year to recognize key volunteers and supporters. A big public gathering isn’t possible right now, due to the Covid-19 pandemic and restrictions on more than 10 people in one place.

Hospice of Orleans, however, wanted to publicly acknowledge its annual award winners. Chris Fancher, the volunteer coordinator and a social worker for Hospice, announced the winners today through Hospice’s Facebook page (click here).

Mary Janet Sahukar Award – Annette Mannella and Beverly Saskowski

This award in named for Hospice’s founding director, and for the first time there is a tie. Hospice is recognizing Annette Mannella and Beverly Saskowski with the award.

Mannella is the board secretary for Hospice and serves on the Personnel Committee. She also chairs the Nominating Committee. She is a generous donor and supporter of Hospice with an incredibly large and giving heart.

Saskowski is the board treasurer and serves on the Personnel and Development/Volunteer Services Committees. She also chairs the Finance Committee. Saskowski assisted with the review and hiring of IT contractors. She is a generous donor and supporter of Hospice.

In addition to their Board positions both Manella and Saskowski serve as direct care volunteers, residence volunteers, residence grocery delivery volunteers, and co-facilitators of volunteer Relias training.

Business/Civic Service Award – Holley Pharmacy

Holley Pharmacy works with the Hospice team on a daily basis to ensure patients have the medications needed to ensure their comfort and well being. In times of a patient crisis where new medications need to be ordered and quickly picked up, Luke Miller, owner and pharmacist, will come out in the middle of the night to open the pharmacy and dispense the patient’s medications.

Pharmacist John Carl, Pharmacy Tech Chris Penna, and Pharmacy Tech Corey Miller-Lamb are extremely helpful and work very hard to ensure Hospice patients have the medications they need.

“A special thank you to their driver, Duane, and all the awesome people behind the scenes at the Pharmacy,” Fancher said.

Volunteer of the Year – Janice Mann-Beech

Janice Mann-Beech serves as a family support volunteer, providing much needed respite care to family members who are caring for patients in their homes. She gives selflessly of her time and talents to Hospice families.

She serves the Martin-Linsin Hospice Residence as a greeter and participates in Hospice fundraisers and events.

“Janice exemplifies the model of a humble, dedicated, hardworking volunteer,” Fancher said. “Janice unassumingly and diligently conducts her Hospice work.”

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Press Release, Shirt Factory

Provided photo: The Shirt Factory in Medina won the award for most creative Bloody Mary during a competition in Buffalo.

MEDINA – The Shirt Factory is proud to announce its recent victory as the “Most Creative Bloody Mary” at Sunday’s Bloody Mary Festival in Buffalo. The recipe submitted was a collaborative effort by all members of the Shirt Factory, but developed by Lead Bartender Chris Kozody and Manager Madison Greenwald.

“Competing in an event of that magnitude was a lofty goal for us considering the small scale of our kitchen and equipment,” said Alix Gilman, co-owner of the Shirt Factory. “Something about the nature of our team made the announcement and call for applications to the festival more realistic despite the obvious concerns about our limited space. Everything we dream, every challenge we throw their way, they take it and run together.”

The Shirt Factory also finished 3rd in the “Best Overall Bloody Mary” category.

Sponsored by Step Out Buffalo, Buffalo’s Bloody Mary Fest is now in its 5th year. The event was held at Buffalo Riverworks and included 10 bars from around the Buffalo area. Hartman’s Distillery was the sponsoring vodka and was used in every competing Bloody Mary.

“While this is certainly an incredible victory for the Shirt Factory, we are equally as excited to further showcase what Medina can do when up against the best the city has to offer,” said Scott Robinson, co-owner of the Shirt Factory.

Located in the heart of Medina, the Shirt Factory is a cafe by day and cocktail bar by night. Recently named one of the top cocktail bars in Western New York by Step Out Buffalo, the Shirt Factory also focuses on showcasing only local beers and wines from the region. The winning Bloody Mary will be available all this coming weekend during “Boozy Brunch” from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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MEDINA – A U.S. postal carrier in Medina will be honored on Wednesday with the Postmaster General Hero Award.

Lisa Moule has worked for the United States Postal Service as a Medina rural carrier for nearly 14 years.

She will be honored on Wednesday at the Medina Post Office for her concern and quick response when she was delivering mail to one of her hardship-case customers.

When Moule was speaking to an elderly customer while bringing the mail, Moule noticed the woman seemed confused. Without hesitation, Moule called 9-1-1 to get the woman medical attention. Moule waited until help arrived. She later heard that it was believed the woman had suffered multiple strokes.

“I’m proud of the service our carriers provide at the mailbox and the care they take of the community they serve,” said Medina Postmaster Scott Streebel. “Lisa certainly went above and beyond her regular duties. It’s an honor to recognize her for this life-saving act.”

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