Provided photo – Kevin Doherty (left) is presented with a Paul Harris Fellow by Ed Fancher (right).

Press Release, Albion Rotary Club

ALBION – The Albion Rotary Club presented Kevin Doherty with a Paul Harris Fellow. The presentation of a Paul Harris Fellow recognition is The Rotary Foundation’s way of expressing its appreciation for a substantial contribution to its humanitarian and educational programs. It is named for our founder, Paul Harris, a Chicago lawyer who started Rotary International with three business associates in 1905.

Rotarians often designate a Paul Harris Fellow as a tribute to a person whose life demonstrates a shared purpose with the objectives of The Rotary Foundation. The Albion Rotary Club had the honor and pleasure of recognizing Kevin Doherty as he becomes a Paul Harris Fellow.

Kevin has given back to the community for a number of years and in a number of different ways. He served on the Albion Central School Board, taking leadership on watching building projects at the school through completion. He is active at his church, active with the Boy Scouts and has supported the Albion Strawberry Festival for many years. He has served since 2005 on the Swan Library / Hoag Library board, and served as President of the Board for most of that time. As a board member, he has taken a significant leadership role helping to plan, raise money, work with lawyers and bankers, purchase property and work with the builders to complete the library project. By taking on that leadership role, Kevin encouraged the community to participate in the project in many ways, and helped to keep the project moving. The end result is a beautiful library that the community has embraced.

“It’s never too late to try something.” – Carl Tuohey

Photo by Tom Rivers – Carl “Cal” Tuohey of Medina signed copies of his book, “Black Belt, Gray Hair,” on Saturday at Bindings Bookstore in Albion.

MEDINA – Carl “Cal” Tuohey was 52 when he was looking for a fun and physical activity to do with his son Jackson, 6.

Five years ago a friend suggested they try Tae Kwon-do. Tuohey was willing, and he started at the beginner level with his son and a class that mostly consisted of children.

Tuohey, a systems analysis for a Niagara Falls company, enjoyed the twice-a-week sessions. He even started writing a column in the monthly newsletter for Kwandrans Tae Kwon-do, where he was a student.

Tuohey urged people to be physically active, and to not let age keep them on the sidelines. Over four years he climbed the ranks, earning 12 belt titles, which was culminated when he earned a black belt a year ago at age 56.

“It’s never too late to try something,” Tuohey said Saturday during a book-signing at Bindings Bookstore in Albion.

Tuohey has written a book about his journey to a black belt. In “Gray Hair, Black Belt,” he talks about signing up for Tae Kwon-do at 52, when he weighed nearly 250 pounds.

He praised the supportive atmosphere at Kwandrans, where he said students and instructors are like a second family.

He became a regular contributor to the newsletter, writing about 45 articles. He shared tips about stretching and exercises, while also trying to motivate people to stick with the program and work towards the next belt.

He compiled those articles, plus other thoughts, in his 155-page book that is available at Bindings in Albion and the Book Shoppe in Medina.

These days he still tries to stay active, although he said a bum knee forced him to scale back from Tae Kwon-do. His son went on to earn a yellow belt. These days the father and son spend more time together with Scouting events.

Tuohey remains a big advocate for Tae Kwon-do and physical fitness, especially after age 50.

“I never thought I’d be a black belt,” he said. “But I kept with it.”

Pastor also is working on new ‘Jobs for Life’ ministry for Orleans County

Photo by Tom Rivers – Tim Lindsay has led Harvest Christian Fellowship in Albion since the church started in 1987, first meeting in the former Firemen’s Recreation Building on West State Street. In 1991, the church moved to 560 East Ave., where Lindsay is pictured.

ALBION – Tim Lindsay was turning 50 and celebrating 20 years as a pastor in Albion in the fall of 2007. As he reflected on his ministry, he did the math and realized he had preached about 1,000 sermons in Albion.

He thought about enduring principles he learned in those 20 years and preached about them in a sermon series he called “1,000 Sundays.” Members of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Albion gave Lindsay good feedback about the sermons.

Lindsay’s 20 years have now turned into nearly 26 years of commitment to the Albion community. He often preaches about the importance of “finishing the race,” of staying faithful to God.

Lindsay has had a few years to think about the “1,000 Sundays.” He was encouraged to expand on those principles and write about longevity in Christian life and ministry. He spent a year working on a manuscript.

The result is a 219-page book with 19 chapters. In “1,000 Sundays and Counting ” the pastor writes about his Albion church and some of the life principles he has learned. The book came out last month and is available locally at Bindings Bookstore in Albion.

“It’s not a how-to manual,” Lindsay said. “It’s a book about character.”

Lindsay grew up in Hilton. He and his wife Laurie have five grown children and five grandchildren. They were attending Golden Heights Christian Center in Brockport when that church decided to plant a new church in Albion. Lindsay was asked to lead the effort.

The Christian Center Church of Orleans County held its first service on Oct. 25, 1987 at Albion Firemen’s Recreation Building. The church was there for four years before buying a building a 560 East Ave. The church later changed its name to Harvest Christian Fellowship.

It has been influential in establishing the Orleans County Christian School and the Care Net Center of Greater Orleans, which provides free pregnancy tests and ultra-sounds, as well as support in a crisis pregnancy.

Lindsay also serves as chaplain in the Orleans County Jail and has served as a missionary to Africa. He just returned from Ghana and Togo. He distributed 200 copies of his books to Christian leaders in the countries.

Some of the principles in the book include:

Let God use the difficult circumstances of your life to form the character of Christ in you.

Leave a godly legacy for future generations.

Keep your heart tender and sensitive to Jesus even in the midst of trials.

Live for something bigger than yourself.

Find and maintain healthy relationships in the body of Christ.

Fulfill God’s vision and purpose for your life.

Lindsay is working to launch another ministry in the community, “Hands for Hope.” That initiative will partner with local businesses to connect residents to jobs that match their skill levels. Hands for Hope will run “Jobs for Life,” an eight-week job training program.

Hands for Hope includes representatives from several local churches. They want to connect residents with mentors, “who can help people when there are bumps in the road.”

Hands for Hope is aimed at unemployed and underemployed residents. Lindsay said 400 sites in the country are running the Bible-based program right now.

The churches and mentors will stress soft job skills, such as showing up to work on time, keeping a good attitude and conflict resolution skills.

“It boils down to character,” said Lindsay, who will be site leader for the project.

He believes good jobs can help lift many people out of generational poverty.

“This can help them get out of that cycle,” Lindsay said.

He welcomes businesses, churches, mentors and other participants for the program, which is expected to launch in January.

Photo by Tom Rivers – Patricia Crowley, project director of Orleans United through GCASA, has worked with the agency since 2000 to reduce substance abuse locally. She is pictured outside GCASA’s office in Albion, the former Knights of Columbus hall.

ALBION – She has led a coalition of law enforcement agencies, faith-based groups, health-care providers, parents, youths and businesses, about 100 people working together to reduce tobacco and substance abuse in the community.

“We all help and do our part,” said Pat Crowley, project director for Orleans United, a program run through GCASA, the Genesee-Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse.

Crowley said the group’s efforts over the past five years have resulted in reduced rates of teen smoking and drug use and experimentation.

Crowley is also a member of the Medina Village Board, and is active with the Medina Area Association of Churches and the First Presbyterian Church in Medina.

The Orleans County Chamber of Commerce honored her with a “Community Service Award” for 2013.

“I just love it,” Crowley said about her many roles. “Orleans is a great place to live. No matter where I live, I’ll always be involved in my community.”

Crowley grew up in Hornell. She began her career working with at-risk youth in Elmira. For 10 years she worked with kids in foster care and a group home. She then worked three years with at-risk youth in Orange County near Poughkeepsie.

In 1990, she her husband Tim moved to Medina when Mr. Crowley, a counselor with the state Department of Corrections, was hired to work at the Orleans Correctional Facility in Albion. Mr. Crowley is a Medina native. He now works at the Albion Correctional Facility, the women’s prison.

It didn’t take his wife long to get to know the community. She worked for the Arc of Orleans and the Head Start before taking a job with GCASA in 2000 as a prevention educator. She went into local schools, sharing an anti-drug and alcohol message, and meeting one-on-one with students who may have been fighting an addiction.

In 2004, she helped start the drug-free coalition. Four years later, the federal government approved a $125,000 annual drug-free communities grant for Orleans. The funding was for five years.

The coalition planned family-friendly activities, including roller skating at the YMCA, miniature golf and other events, including prescription drug take-back days, where the unused prescription medicine could be left at the Holley Police Department, Orleans County Public Safety Building and Medina Fire Department.

The grant also funded a survey of sixth through twelfth-graders in four local school districts about their drug, alcohol and tobacco use. The survey is done every two years.

“You need the data,” Crowley said. “The grant allows us to look at the data and assess where we are.”

The coalition just learned last week the federal government did not renew another five-year grant to fund the prevention effort in Orleans County. Crowley said the coalition will continue, and will find another way to promote its mission.

“We have people that will support us, we’ll just have to do it with less money,” she said.

Kenmore native embraced rural community, running businesses and giving to community causes

Judy Christopher is pictured with her husband Gene and their sons David, left, and Darrick.

ALBION – In 1984, the Christopher family bought a marina at Point Breeze. With her husband often away for a job as an executive for TAD Staffing, Judy Christopher did most of the work at the business, connecting with customers and trouble-shooting when there were problems that needed to be solved.

“There was nothing she wouldn’t do,” said her husband of 47 years, Gene. “She pretty much ran the marina without me.”

Five years after buying Four C’s Marina, the family opened Phoenix Fitness in downtown Albion. Mrs. Christopher started the health club after a cardiac rehab site closed down in Albion. When the center needed a certified trainer, Christopher earned those credentials while she was in her 50s.

When members of the gym needed a fitness goal, she started 5k and 8k races at the Strawberry Festival, wanting to promote wellness in the community.

Christopher organized the races for two decades. One year, the DOT closed the canal bridge on Butts Road, which was part of the race route. Christopher wanted the bridge open for runners. She was told no by the DOT. But she wouldn’t accept that. The bridge was open during the race.

‘She always found time to get things done. I don’t know how she did it.’ – Gene Christopher, speaking about his wife

“She was tenacious, but she was gentle about it. She did it with a smile,” Mr. Christopher said about his wife, who died from cancer at age 70 on Aug. 3.

The Orleans County Chamber of Commerce honored Mrs. Christopher with a Lifetime Achievement Award during a banquet on Sept. 14. Wendy Hinkley, branch manager for Five Star in Albion, told the crowd that Christopher was a community cheerleader with lots of “spunk and passion.”

Judy Christopher

Gene met Judy while they were college students at Canton Ag and Technical College in northern New York. Gene was studying machine and tool design. Judy earned a degree in business. Gene was a country boy from Albion. Judy grew up in Kenmore.

“She lived in the city,” Gene said. “She didn’t know a maple tree from a willow tree or a herd of cattle from a flock of cattle.”

They fell in love, married and raised two sons, Darrick and David. When the husband and wife looked for a home, Gene pushed for Albion. Judy was game for the adventure and soon planted a big garden.

When the couple went out to dinner in the early years of their marriage, Gene noticed that his wife knew more Albionites than he did, despite his roots in the community.

“She loved the village of Albion,” Gene said. “She liked Small Town USA.”

Judy was the first woman elected to serve on the Albion Town Board. She was a long-time member of the Albion Rotary Club and served on the Swan Library Board of Trustees.

The Rotary Club runs a fishing derby for about two weeks every August. Christopher was one of the key leaders of the derby, and sold many of the ads in the derby program. Even when she was very sick from cancer this spring and summer, Judy called local businesses, selling ads for the derby.

“She did all of her derby work while she was as a sick as a dog,” Gene said.

When Gene was away on business trips for TAD, he often returned home to an 1835 farmhouse that was undergoing a remodeling effort begun by his wife. Judy had her own tool box and reglazed windows, tackled woodwork, painted walls and took on other projects. She made the drapes in the house. She hung all of the wallpaper. Gene just marveled at her.

“She always found time to get things done,” he said. “I don’t know how she did it.”

Judy often told her husband and family to not feel overwhelmed with daunting challenges, including her bouts with cancer.

“She had a saying, ‘You eat an elephant one bite at a time,’” Gene said. “That is how she got through things.”

The Christopher family will be participating in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk on Oct. 20 at Watt Farms in Albion. The event has raised $225,000 the past seven years to fund research and provide services for people with cancer.

CRFS leader has built growing company with 650 employees

Jodi Gaines

ALBION – A company that has grown into Orleans County’s largest private employer did not exist until 11 years ago when Jodi Gaines started the business from her kitchen table.

Gaines would start Claims Recovery Financial Services, a company that has become the leader in its industry, helping banks and investors recoup money when a home is foreclosed. Gaines and her 650 employees are committed to knowing the industry regulations in all 50 states and meeting all deadlines for clients.

Her employees work with attorneys, county clerks, utility companies and investors from all over the country. CRFS works to recover past-due interest, unpaid principal, unpaid taxes and unpaid insurance on houses.

The company’s commitment to clients has CRFS in expansion mode, growing from 150 workers in the fall of 2011 to 320 a year ago. In the past year, the company has opened a location in Medina, where it has 230 workers. There are 300 CRFS employees in Albion, and another 80 work in San Antonio.

Gaines and the company have had a critical impact on Orleans County’s economy, and for hundreds of families. Her drive to build a vibrant company, and her years of community service, have earned her a “Lifetime Achievement Award” from the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce.

“I’m extremely grateful and humbled for my family and employees,” Gaines said during a phone interview while she attended a conference in Dallas earlier this week.

She is often traveling, meeting with clients and speaking at conferences, where she is recognized as an industry expert and leader.

Gaines credits the CRFS management team and her dedicated employees for the company’s success. During different growth opportunities, she has been wooed to move the company out of state. But she said the employees in Orleans County, with their high standards, are irreplaceable.

Gaines witnessed that commitment to the job while she worked at the former Anchor Savings Bank and Dime Bank in Albion. When she started the new company, some of her former co-workers were quick to join her and help the company take off.

“I knew this would work in Albion,” she said about the company’s early days. “It was all about the people. I saw their work ethic and the pride of the people in Orleans County. The people around me are absolutely wonderful. They work incredibly hard. We don’t go home until the job is done.”

Claims Recovery was the Chamber’s Business of the Year in 2012, when the company more than doubled its workforce. Gaines and CRFS pulled that off again this year, again doubling the employees.

Gaines still manages to be involved in community service. She is a member of the board of directors for the Orleans County United Way. She also was involved in the Albion youth soccer program for many years.

With the United Way, Gaines said the organization teams with agencies to provide a lift for residents who may be down on their luck.

Gaines said she is thrilled to be part of the United Way and CRFS, organizations that are providing opportunities for people “to grow and be successful.”

“I have a great management team and an incredibly supportive family,” she said. “Otherwise I wouldn’t be able to do what I do.”

After buying Sigma in Medina, new owner has shown commitment to community

Photo by Tom Rivers – Some of Baxter International’s management team members in Medina include, from left: Russell Fuller, director of operations: John Sprague, controller; and Nelson Patterson, vice president.

MEDINA – In April 2012, Baxter International became the owner of Sigma International, a company started by local resident Roger Hungerford.

Many community members wondered how Baxter, a company based in Deerfield, Ill., would connect with small-town Medina. Baxter, a company with a world-wide presence, has proven itself in the past 18 months, committing to numerous community causes, employing nearly 500 people and working to grow the operations in Medina, likely leading to more job opportunities for local residents.

The Orleans County Chamber of Commerce named Baxter its “Business of the Year.” Several Chamber members nominated Baxter for the award, which will be presented Saturday during a banquet at the White Birch Golf Course in Lyndonville.

Baxter manufactures Sigma Spectrum pumps, which utilize smart infusion technology in the medical field. The Medina site inside the Olde Pickle Factory on Park Avenue has produced 250,000 Sigma Spectrum pumps at hospitals and medical sites throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Baxter is working to take the technology worldwide and may make a push into Latin and Central America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

Photo by Tom Rivers – Nelson Patterson, Baxter’s vice president in Medina, holds one of the Sigma Spectrum pumps manufactured in Medina. Baxter has 490 employees at the Olde Pickle Factory, plus another 60 workers on contract. The Medina site produces about 45,000 to 60,000 Sigma Spectrum pumps annually.

“They are all options,” said Nelson Patterson, the company’s vice president at Medina.

Sigma and Baxter in recent years have been producing about 45,000 to 60,000 pumps in Medina. Patterson said that number could jump if the company expands into other countries.

Baxter has about 50 employees with graduate degrees and PhDs. The manufacturing floor depends on employees determined to put tiny pieces in the exact locations in building the smart-infusion pumps, devices that reduce medication errors by delivering the specific amounts of IV medications and fluids to patients.

“We need people who are good at doing precise labor,” Patterson said. “We’ve been successful here because of the dedication of the employees. I’m immensely proud of the employees.”

The pumps are programmed with drug libraries that eliminate the need for clinicians to manually enter commonly used drugs and dosage rates.

The pumps weigh about 2.5 pounds, and measure a tenth the size of many other large volume pumps. The Sigma Spectrum features a wireless connectivity option.

Photo by Tom Rivers – A group of Baxter employees sepnt Wednesday working on projects at Hospice of Orleans in Albion. The group includes, from left: Pat Bennett, Amanda Ledger, Mary Jo Allen, Sue Verheyn and Sherry White.

Baxter employees do rigorous quality control and testing on each device, and a team of technicians is available to assist customers in the field.

Baxter first teamed as a part owner of Sigma in April 2009. At that time there were 235 employees at the site in Medina. Baxter has helped the company grow since then to a current workforce of 490 employees, plus another 60 workers on contract. The company makes hiring military veterans a priority and has 85 on staff in Medina.

Baxter has 110 high-skilled employees in engineering, marketing and with technical skills. The company sponsors some employees to pursue advanced degrees, and also offers up to $5,000 a year for other employees to complete continuing education classes at Genesee Community College.

“Baxter is very focused on developing people and helping them develop their skills,” said Patterson, who has been with the company since 2007.

Patterson has an office on the main floor in one of the many cubicles. His workspace isn’t any different from the others. When he walks the floor, he greets many workers by name. He has lunch with the employees and attends some of their softball games and other community events.

He serves on the board for the Orleans County United Way. The company matches employee contributions to the United Way. Last year the total contribution from Baxter and the company workers totaled $54,000.

On Wednesday 60 Baxter employees were given a paid day off from the company to do service projects in the community as part of United Way’s “Day of Caring.”

“This isn’t just a facility that manufacturers infusion pumps,” Patterson said. “This is a facility where people sustain families and build futures.”

YMCA director has organization on new path

Photos by Tom Rivers – Jeff Winters, executive director of the Orleans County YMCA in Medina, has led the organization to profitability, a big increase in membership, and the start of a $400,000 capital campaign.

MEDINA – It was 2010 and Jeff Winters had a law degree and a good job. He was only 27 with a bright future ahead of him.

But Winters dreaded his new career, the long hours of paperwork and what felt like detachment from regular folks.

So three years ago, Winters walked away from that life and took a job as executive director of the Orleans County YMCA in Medina. The organization ran at an $80,000 annual deficit, operated out of a historic building in need of significant repairs, and had a modest membership base.

Winters, now 30, has led a transformation of the local Y, with membership doubling to 2,400. The Y has made a concerted effort to expand outside of Medina, by running youth programs in Albion and Lyndonville, which has resulted in a big boost of program participants.

“We got back to the basics, focusing on good customer service and programs,” Winters said.

The organization is now profitable. The Y put a new roof on its historic site in Medina, the former Armory on Pearl Street. It has new cardio equipment, treadmills and other exercise equipment.

It has raised $275,000 towards a $400,000 capital campaign, which will increase handicapped accessibility of the facility and add a vestibule and two unisex bathrooms and shower areas inside. The lobby will be expanded for social areas for coffee and conversation. A “Child Watch” room and group exercise room will be added.

Jeff Winters is pictured with some of the new exercise equipment recently added to the Orleans County YMCA.

The transformation of the Y earned Winters the Chamber of Commerce’s “Community Service Award.” Winters, a Medina native, said the honor should be a group award because many community members have diligently worked to keep the Y in the county.

The Orleans County Y used to be known as the Lake Plains YMCA before the organization joined the GLOW Y, which has sites in Batavia and Warsaw. The decision to join the multi-county Y likely saved the Y in Orleans County, giving the Medina-based program access to more resources, Winters said.

Scott Taylor is the leader of the GLOW Y. He said Winters has done a remarkable job in three years.

“He has a passion to help others in the community,” Taylor said. “He has grown the programs, done fund-raising and worked on the capitol project.”

Winters took a significant pay cut to join the Y, but he said he doesn’t have any regrets. He is happy to be working in his hometown of Medina, connecting with people of all ages.

“When I was hired at 27, it was a leap of faith on my part and also on their part,” he said.

The YMCA has been running programs out of the former Medina Armory for about 30 years. The site was built in 1901 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Winters, a 2000 Medina grad, was an offensive lineman for Medina’s varsity football team and played catcher on the baseball team. He played baseball for four years at Ithaca College before earning his law degree at the University at Buffalo. He was working as a lawyer, but found he didn’t enjoy writing legalese.

“I consider myself a people person and I missed the people,” he said. “This job has definitely aligned all of my passions.”

Winters like sports and business. With the Y position, he has been able to combine many of those interests in leading the organization.

He praised a team of employees that has grown from 13 three years ago to 47 now. The Y has been reinvigorated by many new volunteers who are looking for ways for the Y to engage the community.

One new program starts on Sept. 28. The Y wants to tap a growing movement for 5K races through obstacles and mud. Many of these races draw hundreds of participants. The Y is planning its debut “Mud Run” on Sept. 28 beginning at the Sacred Heart Club with the first waves of runners at 11 a.m. The course includes three farms and the Erie Canal.

Participants will slip and slide down a muddy hill, climb hay bales and carry wood, as well as maneuver through other challenges.

“We’re always trying new things and taking some risks,” Winters said.

Winters and the other Chamber winners will be honored Saturday during a banquet at the White Birch Golf Course in Lyndonville. The event is open to the public. Tickets are available by calling the Chamber at 589-7727.