Photos courtesy of National 4-H Council: John Gabalski meets Craig Melvin, an MSNBC/NBC News anchor. Gabalski travelled to New York City last Wednesday to shadow Melvin for the day as part of 4-H’s “Day in the Life Experience.”
Staff Reports Posted 1 March 2017 at 8:26 am
4-H Day in the Life connects notable 4-H alumni to 4-H youth
Craig Melvin goes over the day’s schedule with John Gabalski. The local 4-H’er participated in a rundown meeting with Melvin and the news team, toured the New York City studio, and watched Melvin’s full-hour broadcast live in studio.
Orleans County 4-H’er John Gabalski describes his trip to the NBC studios in New York City last Wednesday as fantastic.
“It was an inspirational experience,” John said.
John, 15, was selected by the National 4-H Council to take part in a “Day in the Life Experience” with 4-H alum Craig Melvin, who is an MSNBC/NBC News anchor. Melvin anchors MSNBC Live on weekdays and is co-anchor of the Today Saturday edition.
John was able to visit the MSNBC/NBC News studios at Rockefeller Center New York, and learn first-hand from Melvin what it takes to be a news anchor at a major television network.
He also got to enjoy some down time with Melvin, who treated John to lunch from the NBC Commissary.
“I had some pasta, a roll and fruit,” John said. He and Melvin then took their lunch back to Melvin’s office and discussed the work that goes into producing Melvin’s daily one-hour news broadcast. John said Melvin was also interested in learning more about his participation in 4-H, including raising rabbits.
Gabalski watches Melvin’s hour-long segment in the studio.
John is a member of the Orleans County Rabbit Raisers and Outback Orleans 4-H Clubs, and is also a member of Orleans County 4-H Senior Council. He lives in Byron with his parents, Walter and Kristina Gabalski.
John watched Melvin’s Feb. 22 broadcast live in the studio. “That was my favorite part of the experience,” John said.
He was able to watch Melvin while listening to the director through an earpiece. “It was very interesting to see how everything works behind the camera, the way they handle the cameras and the lighting. It’s pretty cool,” John said.
Melvin also gave John a tour around the offices and studios of MSNBC/NBC News. John said Melvin pointed out the office door of Al Roker, however Roker was not in his office at the time.
John Gabalski is pictured outside the studio at Rockefeller Center New York.
The “Day in the Life Experience” is part of an alumni outreach effort by 4-H GROWS to connect notable 4-H alumni to 4-H youth.
Dvon Williams, director of integrated marketing, National 4-H Council, said John’s visit to shadow Craig Melvin at MSNBC/NBC News was the first of the “Day in the Life Experiences,” which will be repeated in other regions across the country.
John is considering the possibility of a career in broadcasting. That interest in journalism and his role as a 4-H news reporter were factors in him being chosen for the “Craig Melvin Day in the Life Experience,” Williams said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 February 2017 at 3:17 pm
BINGHAMTON – Two students from Orleans County are on the Dean’s List at Binghamton University, State University of New York, for the Fall 2016 semester. This honor recognizes students who have achieved a grade-point average of 3.5 or higher.
Monica Benjovsky of Albion and Julia Smith of Kendall both are on the list of honored students.
By Kristina Gabalski, Correspondent Posted 26 February 2017 at 9:44 am
Kaitlyn Johnson, 13, appears on the cover of the January 2017 issue of Front and Finish, a national on-line magazine for dog trainers.
Two members of the Orleans County 4-H Heelers Dog Club have been receiving national attention.
Nicole Mrzywka traveled to New York City in February to compete with her English springer spaniel, Champ. Cerise Renaissance Man, for the Westminster Dog Show; and Kaitlyn Johnson was the featured cover story in the January 2017 issue of Front and Finish, a national on-line magazine for dog trainers, with her rough collie dog Poirot.
Johnson, 13, is a 7th grader at Oakfield-Alabama Middle School. She says she loves to do obedience with Poirot.
“Poirot is not only my dog, he is my best friend,” she wrote in the article for Front and Finish.
Her mom, Terri Lewis, said Kaitlyn competed in the Cleveland Classic Dog Show in Ohio in December 2016 with one-year old Poirot.
“She was the only youth to compete in obedience that weekend and placed 2nd in her class,” Terri said. “The judge was so impressed with her that he asked if she would be willing to write an article for an online magazine he publishes (Front and Finish). Kaitlyn was very proud to have the opportunity and submitted her article. She was the cover story. We are very proud of her accomplishments and are looking forward to continued success.”
Nicole Mrzywka, 15, is a sophomore at Holley Central High School. She participated in the prestigious 2017 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York City on Feb. 14. Nicole competed in the Breed Classes – Best of Breed Competition – with her two year old dog, Champ. Cerise Renaissance Man.
Provided photo: Nicole Mrzywka gets her English springer spaniel ready on Feb. 14 for Westminster Dog Show.
“It was a really great competition,” Nicole said. She explained that dogs are judged on how well they are built and meet the standard for their breed and how well they move. “I was very nervous.”
She said this was her first experience at the Westminster show and she did not expect to get very far this year, but, “as a learning experience, I learned so much.”
Some dogs are invited to participate in the Westminster show, she said, and others are welcome to participate if they have acquired a number of points in previous dog shows. Nicole said her springer spaniel had the points to qualify and she decided she would like to see what it would be like to take part.
Nicole said she hopes to be back at Westminster next year to take part in the Jr. Showmanship competition.
“My favorite thing is getting into the ring and showing,” she said. “It is what I love.”
File photo by Tom Rivers: Nicole Mrzywka, far right, is shown at the Orleans County 4-H Fair last July during one of the dog shows.
Provided photo: Kaitlyn Johnson and her dog, Poirot, are pictured after a competition.
Orleans County 4-H member John Gabalski has been chosen by the National 4-H Council to shadow MSNBC and NBC News anchor Craig Melvin during a “Day in the Life Experience” on Wednesday at NBC studios in New York City.
John is 15-years old and is a member of the Orleans County 4-H Rabbit Raisers Club, Outback Orleans Club, and 4-H Senior Council.
He was nominated for the opportunity by Orleans County 4-H educator Robert Batt and was selected from among youth 4-H leaders in New York State.
John has been involved in Orleans County 4-H since the age of 5, when he joined as a Cloverbud. He is a 10th grader enrolled in the Seton Home Study School Program and lives in Byron with his parents, Walter and Kristina Gabalski.
“It’s going to be a great experience,” John said. “It relates to the career I am interested in and my future goals.”
The “Day in the Life” experiences are part of the 4-H Grows alumni outreach effort to connect notable 4-H alumni to 4-H youth.
File photo by Tom Rivers: John Gabalski is pictured with a pen of rabbits during the 4-H animal meat auction in August 2015. Robert Bannister, in back, served as auctioneer for the event.
“These experiences will offer a 4-Her the opportunity to shadow an alum in their everyday career setting, experiencing their leadership in action through immersion activities, participating in meaningful leadership experience with the alum themselves, illustrating how 4-H alumni are paying it forward to the next generation of leaders,” the National 4-H Council said.
Dvon Williams, director of integrated marketing, National 4-H Council, noted John was chosen because of his interest in journalism and broadcasting and his role as a 4-H news reporter.
John’s experience on Feb. 22 will include meeting with Craig Melvin to learn more about his background and career; participation in a rundown meeting with Melvin and the news team; a tour of the New York City studio; and watching Melvin’s full-hour broadcast live in studio.
John’s parents say they are excited about the trip.
“We are grateful for the opportunities 4-H provides for our children,” Walter and Kristina Gabalski said in a statement. “They have learned about leadership both in their club-related activities, at the annual 4-H Fair, and through hands-on, real-life immersion experiences such as Career Explorations at Cornell University, Capitol Days in Albany, and the upcoming trip to NBC in New York City.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 February 2017 at 8:36 am
Emma Kenyon
ALBION – Emma Kenyon is 100 years old today. The Albion woman credits her longevity to her faith, and the love from many family and friends.
Kenyon has led an active life, working at Liptons, Kodak, Harrison Radiator Company and Owen’s Glass. She also worked in healthcare.
She is still going strong, her daughter Anne Downey said.
“She enjoys fellowship and socializing,” Downey said. “She has enjoyed her family, knitting and going on camping trips.”
Kenyon has been a widow for 18 years following the death of her husband, Donald Kenyon. She has three children – Anne Downey, and Patricia and Daniel Gormley – as well as two step-sons and five step-daughters, 10 grandchildren and 15 step-grandchildren.
The 1936 Albion graduate is a member of the Oak Orchard Assembly of God Church in Medina. She just moved to The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center in Albion.
“Her faith has been a key for her, and her family has always been around her,” Downey said.
Downey and her family wanted to wish her mother a happy, 100th birthday.
BANGOR, ME – Allison Christensen, a Kent resident, has been named to Husson University’s Dean’s List for the Fall 2016 semester.
Christensen is a senior who is currently enrolled in Husson’s Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Studies/Master of Science in Occupational Therapy program.
Students who make the Dean’s List must carry at least 12 graded credit hours during the semester and earn a grade point average of between 3.60 to 3.79 during the period.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 February 2017 at 3:59 pm
Provided photo, Iroquois Trail Council
BATAVIA – Nathan Pace of Medina is pictured with his wife Margaret after he was awarded a Silver Beaver award on Saturday by the Boy Scouts of America, Iroquois Trail Council.
The Silver Beaver is a national award from the Boy Scouts of America that recognizes distinguished service to local youth. Each recipient is a long-tenured volunteer who has also made significant contributions of service to their local community.
Pace, an attorney in medina, is an Eagle Scout. He has a long Scouting history that includes a former tenure as a Scoutmaster among numerous other direct leadership roles. Pace also currently serves as President of the Buffalo Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, where he has been instrumental in helping to develop new leadership training and camping opportunities for youth and adults throughout Western New York.
Pace was recognized during the Iroquois Trail Council’s annual meeting on Saturday. The council was itself recognized by the Boy Scouts of America with the 2016 Journey to Excellence Gold Award for program excellence. The Iroquois Trail Council provides development, leadership, and life skills to more than 2,500 youth in Orleans, Niagara, Genesee, Wyoming, and Livingston counties.
Provided photo: Andrew Cheverie is pictured on Tuesday after he graduated from the FDNY EMS Academy.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 February 2017 at 9:04 am
‘It’s an opportunity of a lifetime,’ says Andrew Cheverie, 20
Photo from FDNY: Andrew Cheverie, center, is pictured with FDNY Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro, left, and James P. Booth, chief of EMS.
NEW YORK CITY – Andrew Cheverie grew up in the Albion Fire Department. He spent countless hours at the fire hall with his father, Al Cheverie, the current president of the AFD.
Andrew, now 20, joined as an explorer at 14, a cadet at 16, and a full-fledged member at 18, trained as an interior firefighter.
The training and mentorship with the AFD convinced him he wanted to make firefighting his career. He is on his way to that goal after graduating on Tuesday as an EMT with the Fire Department of New York.
Cheverie will be part of a team responding to ambulance calls. He had orientation on Thursday and today is his first day taking calls.
He is based out of Washington Heights, Station 13 in northern Manhattan. It’s a busy area for FDNY. Cheverie said he will be responding to five to seven ambulance calls per eight-hour shift.
“It’s the opportunity of a lifetime,” he said by phone on Thursday night. “I’m looking forward to starting the next phase of my life.”
Andrew earned his Eagle Scout rank and created a smoke simulator and other stations for a fire prevention program. He is pictured on Oct. 14 when an elementary school student moved quickly through the course, staying low.
His parents, Al and Jan Cheverie, attended the graduation program on Tuesday, when 171 new EMTs were sworn in.
“I use the word ‘family’ to describe this Department because this is not simply a job,” FDNY Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro told the FDNY EMS Academy graduates. “This is a career. This is a commitment to something bigger than you, bigger than all of us. It is a brotherhood, a sisterhood, and yes, without question, a family. We respond together and everything we do is a team effort.”
Andrew applied for FDNY back in the fall of 2015. He didn’t hear anything from the department then, so he completed a year at the Harrisburg Area Community College, studying fire science. Then he enrolled at Monroe Community College to study fire protection technology.
He was halfway through his first semester at MCC when he got the call from FDNY that he had been accepted in the three-month EMS Academy. Cheverie jumped at the chance.
He said the training through Albion, with Haz-Mat and emergency vehicle operations, stood out and helped him earn a spot at FDNY.
“All of the training at the Albion Fire Department has helped me,” he said. “Without that I wouldn’t have decided to become a firefighter.”
He plans to earn his bachelor’s degree through the John Jay School of Criminal Justice in New York City. His ultimate goal is to be a professional firefighter with the FDNY, transitioning from the ambulance to firefighting.
Cheverie said he can adjust to living in the big city.
“I’m definitely a country boy at heart,” he said. “I loved living in Orleans County, but being 20 years old there is so much to do in the city.”
GENESEO – The State University of New York at Geneseo has announced its Dean’s List for the Fall Semester 2016. To be on the list, a student must have achieved at least a 3.5 grade point average while taking a minimum of 12 credit hours.
Two students from Orleans County made the Dean’s List: Elizabeth Banty of Albion and Bradley McPherson of Medina.
ROCHESTER – Nazareth College announces its Dean’s List for the Fall of 2016 semester and the list includes four from Orleans County.
Madeline Bilicki of Medina is studying Social Work.
Cady Messmer of Albion is studying Business Management.
Sarah Papponetti of Albion is studying Health Sciences.
Regan Stacey of Medina is studying Musical Theater.
A student’s grade point average must be at least 3.5 or above, and they must complete 12 credit hours of graded work that semester in order to be included on the dean’s list at Nazareth.
BATAVIA – Genesee Community College, including all seven campus locations in Batavia, Albion, Arcade, Dansville, Lima, Medina and Warsaw, proudly announces the following from Orleans County are among 312 full and part-time students who were named to the Dean’s List for the Fall 2016 semester. Students honored on the Dean’s List have earned a quality point index of 3.50 to 3.74.
This year’s Genesee Community College Fall 2016 Dean’s List honorees, with their hometowns, are listed below:
• Albion – Jessica Kincaid, Courtney Cook, Peter Madafferi, Zachary Champeney, Andrea Muoio, Alyssa Shortridge, Mitchell DeSmit, Emma Mitchell, Kathy Alexander, Christina Koester, Brian Smeltzer, Stephanie McGee and Stephanie Poole.
• Clarendon – Heather Sugar.
• Holley – Dennis Wakula, Ceallachan Kelly, Starlyt Knight, Skylar Keiffer, Randi Gergely, Allister Bartlett, Richard Tamblin, Courtney Strickland and Amy Greenman.
• Kendall – Karin Forte
• Kent – Phyllis Tinkous
• Lyndonville – Christopher Hutchings and Dakota Froman.
• Medina – Bailey Allen, Nikkie Keyes, Lucas Cook, Abigail Smith, Brittany Button, Lisa Tombari, Haley Noreck, Melinda Pitcher and Adam Dunn.
• Waterport – Sierra VanWycke.
The College also maintains President’s and Provost’s Lists comprised of students who earned quality point index of 3.75 (roughly equivalent to an A) or better. These other GCC honorees are announced separately.
NEW PALTZ – SUNY New Paltz is proud to congratulate Lydia Erakare of Albion for being named to the Dean’s List for the fall ’16 semester. Dean’s List designation is reserved for students who excel academically and earn at least a 3.3 grade-point average in a semester with a full-time course load.
PAUL SMITHS – The following students were named to the Dean’s List at Paul Smith’s College during the fall 2016 semester. (Each earned a semester average of 3.3 or higher to receive this distinction.)
John Morrill of Holley is majoring in environmental sciences. He earned a semester average of 3.3 or higher to receive this distinction. Morrill was also named an Adirondack Scholar, having achieved a cumulative average of at least 3.8.
Kerry Rice of Albion is majoring in park and conservation management. She earned a semester average of 3.3 or higher to receive this distinction.
BUFFALO – Wynter Dumont of Albion is a recipient of the Ross B. Kenzie Family Scholarship. The Kenzie Scholarship is awarded to students who qualify based on high school average, SAT/ACT scores, and ability to achieve academically. To continue to receive the scholarship, students must maintain a 3.0 grade-point average.
Photos by Tom Rivers: Members of the Honor Guard in Orleans County are pictured with their certificates after being named the 2016 ‘Person of the Year” by the Orleans Hub. Pictured, include, from left in front row: Dave Kusmierczak, Adam Johnson, Earl Schmidt and Eric Delano. Second row: Ken Schaal, Fred Heschke, Steve Johnson, Tony Vicknair, Frank Berger, Dave Higgins and Ron Ayrault. Back row: Gary Befus, Bryan Splangler, George Bakeman, Mike Donahue, Steven Goodrich, Bob Blosenhauer, Charles Eberhardt, Al Pulcino and Glenn Whitmore.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 February 2017 at 8:40 am
Orleans Hub recognized nine outstanding citizens on Tuesday during an awards program at Hoag Library in Albion. Pictured, front row, include: Bill Menz, Nicole Tuohey and Carol D’Agostino. Back row: Jack Burris, Linda Redfield, Wes Bradley and Holley Ricci-Canham. Missing: Chris Busch and Erik Olsen.
ALBION – Orleans Hub held its annual awards program on Tuesday evening and presented certificates to our annual list of “Outstanding Citizens” and also the “Person of the Year.” About 75 people attended the program at the Hoag Library.
Orleans Hub Editor Tom Rivers and Publisher Karen Sawicz pick the annual winners, looking for people who make extraordinary contributions to the community.
We named the “Honor Guard” as Person of the Year in appreciation for veterans who volunteer at about 100 military funerals each year. The Honor Guard provides a solemn and dignified sendoff, sometimes standing for hours in the freezing cold or blistering heat.
The Honor Guard marches in parades, and attends numerous local community services – Memorial Day, the opening ceremonies for the County Fair, Sept. 11 and Pearl Harbor memorial services, and many other events.
There are Honor Guards in Medina (with members from Lyndonville) and a combined group from Albion and Holley. Each group has about a dozen regular volunteers and they usually range in age from 60 to their early 90s.
The Albion-Holley and Medina groups will often work together for a funeral. They want a good turnout to pay their respects.
Many communities struggle to have enough volunteers for the Honor Guard and veterans may come in from outside the community. Orleans County still has a dedicated corps, but the Honor Guard members worry about that, especially as many of the veterans get older.
Several Honor Guard leaders spoke at Tuesday’s awards program, saying they are grateful for the chance to show respect for the veterans at their funerals.
Orleans Hub presented our fourth annual list of Outstanding Citizens. We picked people who have been volunteering or serving in community causes for many years. They do their good deeds for little to no pay, driven by a love for their community and neighbors.
Here are our picks for Outstanding Citizens for 2016:
Nicole Tuohey: The Medina woman is a prolific fundraiser in the fight against Alzheimer’s. She typically raises about $1,000 each year for the “Walk to End Alzheimer’s.” Tuohey, 26, each year sells about 1,000 paper “elephant links” and creates a chain that is used to kick off the annual “Walk to End Alzheimer’s.” Nicole has Triple X Syndrome. She hasn’t let that disability prevent her from being a tireless advocate against a disease that took the lives of her grandparents, Don and Jane Bradley.
Erik Olsen leads a town meeting during a recent “Old Tyme Day,” an annual celebration at East Shelby Community Bible Church.
Erik Olsen: The leader of East Shelby Community Bible Church has the church dedicated outreach. Every July for the church hosts an “Old Tyme Day” celebration in east Shleby, serving pie, lemonade and hot dogs for a penny. There are horse-drawn rides, candle-making, and other activities with an emphasis on fun – and old-fashioned technology. About 2,000 to 3,000 people attend Old Tyme Day, a huge crowd for the tiny hamlet in East Shelby once known as West Jackson Corners. Church members have created a mini-village across from the church. That village also draws about 500 to 1,000 people for an old-time Christmas celebration.
The church has been growing ever since Olsen and an initial group of 40 people started the church at a former Methodist Episcopal building in 1989. That church building had been empty for 30 years. The East Shelby Community Bible Church has grown so much – about 275 members – it has put an addition on the building.
Carol D’Agostino: The Kendall Junior-Senior High School principal makes numerous community connections as leader of her hometown school. She serves on the boards for the Orleans Economic Development Agency, the Orleans County United Way and the Human Services Council of Orleans County, often bringing back ideas for Kendall to improve opportunities for students and the community. D’Agostino helped start the Kendall Innovations Committee, which brings together leaders from the school district, town government and county to brainstorm ways to promote Kendall. She is a member of the Lawnchair Ladies and led the school through a major capital construction project.
Linda Redfield: The long-time ESL teacher helps students build a better life. In the past 20-plus years, Redfield has helped about 400 farmworkers learn English. Redfield started going to labor camps in 1994, before a school built by the World Life Institute became the base for classes in 1999. The school on Stillwater Road offers evening courses in English, as well as computer literacy, pottery and other programs through a partnership with the Orleans-Niagara BOCES. Several of the students attended the awards program on Tuesday.
Wes Bradley: The Lyndonville resident leads the fund-raising effort that makes Lyndonvilel the place to be each Fourth of July in Orleans County. Bradley works throughout the year raising money on the big show, which tops $20,000. Bradley, a retired teacher, is active in the community in many ways, from serving on the Yates Town Board, to 37 years with the Fire Department and serving as finance chairman for the Lyndonville United Methodist Church. He also serves on the Lyndonville Area Foundation Board of Directors, which distributes more than $100,000 a year to community causes. Bradley also helped start Lyndonville’s annual Christmas celebration in 2013, where residents, businesses or organizations decorate Christmas trees in Veterans’ Park. That has now grown to 61 trees with the community welcoming Santa and singing Christmas carols.
Jack Burris: The Albion resident started a new ministry last year where he and a team of volunteers take a former red delivery truck to stops in Albion, Medina and Holley, alternating sites each week. Hands 4 Hope distributes bags of food and takes prayer requests. “Unfortunately in Orleans County there is a lot more heartache out there than I thought there was,” Burris said. “There are a lot of people in tough circumstances.”
Provided photo: Chris Busch, right, is pictured with Ronan Tynan on Sept. 17. Tynan, one of the biggest names to perform in Orleans County in many years, sang to a capacity crowd at St. Mary’s Catholic Church.
Chris Busch: The chairman of the Orleans Renaissance Group isn’t afraid to aim high and reach for the stars. Last year he and the ORG welcomed famed Irish tenor Ronan Tynan to Medina for a concert at St. Mary’s Catholic Church.
Busch has been an active Medina community member for many years, leading the Tree Board that has helped Medina plant about 1,000 trees in recent years. Busch is chairman of the Medina Planning Board, insisting on design standards in the historic district that have preserved Main Street’s look as if it was a Norman Rockwell painting. Those standards have attracted investment in the downtown from numerous businesses.
Busch last year also helped spearhead the first-time Farm-to-Table Dinner event in Medina on Aug. 4 that attracted 137 people for a fine dining experience on a closed off section of Main Street.
Holly Ricci-Canham: The Carlton woman compiled a book on local farmers, a two-year effort that culminated in 300 pages after interviewing 150 farmers. “Mom & Pop Farming in Orleans County, New York – The past brought to life” is one of the most ambitious local history books in many years. The book includes about 400 photographs and includes reminisces about simple days with lots of hard work. The farms featured in the book were part of a close-knit community with neighborhood schools and churches. Ricci-Canham grew up on a “mom and pop” farm in Kenyonville run by her parents, Pete and “Mike” Ricci. The book covers farm operations throughout county with sections about muck farmers, dairies, fruit and vegetable farms, canning companies, migrant labor camps, “ladies accounts,” technology changes as well as country schools, “kids play” and fairs and celebrations.
Bill Menz: The Medina resident has spent more than a decade working on a monument and memorial outside the former Medina Armory, which has been a YMCA the past 35 years.Menz doesn’t want the original purpose of the building to be forgotten, as a training site for soldiers who served in many wars. Menz helped build the monument that was unveiled in 2008 by the Armory. In recent years he has been raising money for a bronze statue to go on top of the monument. Menz and the Company F Memorial Committee met its $65,000 goal at the end of 2016, with Menz sending out letters, knocking on doors and making numerous phone calls. The 7-foot-high statue could be ready in 2018.
