By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 October 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Watt Farms hosted a Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk for the 11th time today and several hundred people participated in the event at the farm on Route 98.
People could walk for either 1 kilometer or 5 kilometers through the orchards at Watt’s.
Karen Meiers, a breast cancer survivor for four years, is pictured with members of the Holley Fire Department and their families. Meiers is married to Ron Meiers, a former Holley fire chief.
The Holley firefighters passed out pink plastic fire helmets today for children at the Making Strides event.
Kevin Dann, the deputy Holley fire chief, shows his support for fighting breast cancer.
Liz Snyder of Albion signs in to participate on the walk at Watt’s.
Karen Watt, right, is a breast cancer survivor. She is pictured with her children, Brody and Lauren Kirby, and Lauren’s son Evan, 3.
Harris Reed, the assistant fire chief at Holley, pulls a wagon with his daughter Abigail. They opted for the longer route: 5 kilometers.
A team from Hartway Motors in Medina stops for a group photo in the orchard at Watt’s.
The event in recent years has annually raised about $50,000 for the American Cancer Society.
Provided photos – Student Mykaela Hill presents one of the pillows the class made to Dr. Supriya Mohile at UR Medicine’s Wilmot Cancer Institute at Highland Hospital in Rochester.
Press Release, Wilmot Cancer Institute at University of Rochester Medical Center
ROCHESTER – During a reception today at Pluta Cancer Center, eighth-graders from Carl I. Bergerson Middle School in Albion presented 70 ponchos they made in their Family and Consumer Science class for women who are facing breast cancer.
The students today also presented 50 pillows to both the Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester and UR Medicine’s Highland Hospital.
Seventeen students from Albion Middle School presented – and modeled – ponchos for patients undergoing radiation therapy at Wilmot Cancer Institute’s Pluta Cancer Institute in Henrietta.
The ponchos are more comfortable than a hospital gown and help women feel more secure and cozy while undergoing radiation therapy that breast cancer patients often receive daily for five to seven weeks.
The pillows help provide underarm support where lymph nodes have been removed and also help increase comfort for patients in other ways.
Kimberly Toombs, the class’s teacher, gratefully received a poncho from Pluta and pillows from BCCR and Highland Hospital during her treatment, which began after she was diagnosed in 2014.
Judy Zeeman-Golden (left), social worker and poncho project organizer at Pluta Cancer Center, poses with Kimberly Toombs, family and consumer science teacher at Albion Middle School and breast cancer survivor.
Having sewing skills as a family and consumer science teacher, she wanted to give back to the projects that had helped her. This was music to the ears of Judy Zeeman-Golden, a social worker at Pluta who manages the Poncho Project.
“The Pluta Cancer Foundation buys the fabric for the ponchos but what’s hard is making sure I have enough sewers to keep the project going. Until Kim came along, I was constantly scratching my head,” Zeeman-Golden said. “Kim has been this gift from the poncho gods. She kept busy while recovering by making ponchos, then got her class involved. She knew how wonderful it was to have because she’d been given one.”
Toombs says getting her class involved in this project not only helps those affected by breast cancer but also provides a valuable service learning opportunity for the students.
“Service learning engages the students in that it allows them to become actively involved in projects,” Toombs said. “When they have the ability to make something that will help someone else, it becomes personal to them.”
The tag that will be attached to each poncho to inform the recipient who created them.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 October 2015 at 12:00 am
Ashley Wiegele is pictured in her senior photo.
ALBION – Ashley Wiegele was only a few days away from her high school graduation when she was in a boating accident on Lake Ontario on June 20, 2014.
Ashley, then 17, wasn’t able to participate in commencement. She was paralyzed from the chest down.
She is home in an apartment with her mother, and receives physical and occupational therapy. Ashley is hopeful she will one day walk again.
For right now, she is mostly limited to her apartment, which isn’t handicapped accessible.
Her friends and the staff at Albion Central School want to give her more freedom to be out in the community. They have organized a benefit on Oct. 24, with a goal to raise at least $10,000 to buy a van with a wheelchair for Ashley.
“Rock ‘n Roll for Ashley” will feature live music from several local musical acts from 3 to 10 p.m. at the Albion Elk’s Lodge, 428 West State St. in Albion. The event also includes a giant basket raffle, pumpkin decorating for kids and adults, and side raffles.
“Albion and Orleans County are great. When somebody is in need they’re there to help,” said Scott Green, a guidance counselor at the high school and also the event chairman.
Ashley’s injuries have required her mom to become her full-time caregiver, resulting in a loss of income for the family.
Ashley has been mostly confined to a bed at her apartment. She only leaves the house for doctor’s appointments, which requires calling for a special van to transport her, Green said.
“This is about her mobility, to allow her to get up and go,” Green said. “Having a van will give Ashley some independence, allowing her to do things that other people take for granted, like grocery shop with her mom, or visit the library, or catch a movie with friends.”
Solo performers at the Oct. 24 “Rock ‘n Roll for Ashley” include Gregg Albertson and Shannon Vanderlaan, who will open the event. They will be followed by several local bands including Delano Steele and Atomic Swamis.
Food will be available for purchase at the event. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the door or by calling (585) 944-0678.
There is also an on-line fund-raising page for Ashley at CrowdRise. Click here for more information.
HENRIETTA – State Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R-Batavia) will host a free community health fair, sponsored by the Assembly Minority Conference on Thursday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the RIT Inn and Conference Center at 5257 West Henrietta Rd. in Henrietta.
The health fair will be aimed at informing seniors about services available to them and how they can best manage their health. Free services at the fair will include blood pressure and glucose screenings, hearing, laser and vision screenings, flu shots and organ and tissue donor registration information.
“I am excited to host this free community health fair to give back to our seniors and help them access a multitude of free services,” Hawley said. “Healthcare is becoming increasingly expensive, and unfortunately, many residents lose access to certain services when they retire. I encourage all of my constituents to take advantage of this free health fair, and I look forward to seeing them in attendance.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 October 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
WATERPORT – The runners take off at the start of the Brown’s 5K Cross Country Run and Memory Walk. Eric Boyce of Bergen, number 360, won the race in a time of 16:25 and Dana Phillips of Lyndonville, number 380, was the first woman to finish with a time of 21:17.
There were 140 participants in the run and walk, which covered 3.1 miles at the fruit farm owned by the Brown family. That nearly doubled the participants from last year.
Runners head down a lane at the beginning of the race, which went through orchards, a wooded area and along a corn field.
Tom Smith of Albion won the 50-59 age group. He also led a “Run for God” training program to get people ready for the race.
Kate Krieger, left, and Sienna Garcia Mathewson hand out water to runners, including John Steier.
The race was dedicated to the memory of Joyce Harris, a former Carlton Town Board member and active community booster. Many of her friends wore “Ya Ya” shirts in her memory.
David Cristofaro finishes the race in memory of his mother, Judy Christopher.
Some members of the Churchville-Chili cross country team present a quilt made from past Brown’s 5K T-shirts to Margy Brown, the race organizer for all 20 of the events. Brown has put on the events as a fund-raiser for Hospice of Orleans. The first 19 races/walks raised $35,000 for Hospice. Proceeds from today aren’t tallied yet.
Paul Glor, coach of the cross country team, has run the last 13 races and won several of them. He used his past race T-shirts for the quilt.
Margy Brown and her son Jeffrey, right of quilt, are pictured with Paul Glor, left, and the Ruhland siblings, who run cross country at Churchville-Chili. Their mother made the quilt. The siblings include, from left: Matthew (in back), Ian, Elizabeth and Genevieve, far right.
Glor and the team created the quilt for Margy Brown for her commitment to the race for two decades.
Brown’s Berry Patch looks a lot different without the playground, swing set, the Jumping Pillow and other popular attractions. The family decided to retire from the retail side of their business this year.
They remain an active fruit farm, and are committed to helping Hospice.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 October 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Amber Lowery, an Albion 8th-grader, holds a pillow she made for recovering breast cancer patients.
Amber and other students in Mrs. Kim Toombs’ Family and Consumer Sciences class have been making pillows and ponchos for breast cancer patients.
Toombs was diagnosed with breast cancer in July 2014. After surgery, she completed chemotherapy and radiation in January 2015.
Kim Toombs gets the thread lined up so student Julie Porter can sew a poncho for a breast cancer patient.
The class will deliver the ponchos and pillows later this month when they take a field trip to the Pluta Cancer Center through Strong Memorial Hospital, the Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester, and Highland Hospital.
Toombs said she received help through all three organizations.
“I didn’t know there was a need until I went through it myself,” Toombs said about the pillows and ponchos.
Ella Knaak shows one of the ponchos she made in class. The students are making 70 ponchos, 50 medium-size pillows and 50 small pillows to be given to breast cancer patients.
Angel Rushing, front, Deyonci Farley and other eighth-graders work on the ponchos during class today.
Toombs wears a sticker noting she is a breast cancer survivor.
She thanked her students for working so hard on the project in class.
By Kristina Gabalski, Correspondent Posted 8 October 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Kristina Gabalski
KNOWLESVILLE – A new fitness trail has opened at the 4-H Fairgrounds on Route 31 in Knowlesville. There will be an opening ceremony today at 6 p.m. with the Albion Running Club, where runners and walkers will then try the course.
“We see people come and walk the grounds all the time and thought this would be a nice addition,” Orleans County 4-H Educator Robert Batt said.
The half-mile trail includes six stations with various exercises/activities. The project is sponsored by the Running Club.
The public is invited to attend the grand opening and also to come out and make use of the trail at any time.
“4-Hers will also be able to use the trail before meetings,” Batt said.
The project includes a number of recycled items. Batt said the poles used for the signs are made from recycled tires and have been repurposed from a former exhibit on the fairgrounds. Additionally, old agricultural tires are used as part of the stations. At Station #1, for example, the tires are used for a triceps dip.
“The project is green and environmentally friendly,” Batt observed. “It’s super exciting.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 October 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
KNOWLESVILLE – John Steier and his son Evan haul tires on the new fitness trail at the 4-H Fairgrounds, which opened today to the public.
The Steiers and other particpants in the Albion Running Club jogged the course and tried the six stations, doing push ups, dips and other maneuvers while completing the half-mile fitness trail.
Pam Coville and her husband Mark bend down and flip tires, one of the challenges on the fitness trail.
The Running Club kicked in $450 towards the trail, which is open to the public and includes signs showing how to attempt the activities along the course.
Brian Krieger does push-ups at one of the stops.
The project includes many recycled items, including the poles used for the signs. Many old farm tires are utilized as part of the stations.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 October 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – The dome of the Orleans County Courthouse is shining purple the first half of this month for Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
The county’s domestic violence unit responds to about 400 referrals each year.
The dome is pictured on Monday night on the courthouse.
The second half of the month the courthouse dome will shine pink at night for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. About 70 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year in Orleans County.
Watt Farms is again hosting the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk this month. The 11th annual event has been moved to a Saturday. It will be an open course from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event has raised $325,000 in its first 10 years. Click here for more information.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 October 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Members of the Albion Police Department are wearing pink pins with silver angel wings on their uniforms this month in honor of Breast cancer Awareness Month.
“Breast cancer has in some way affected everyone in our community,” said Police Chief Roland Nenni. “The Albion Police Department hopes that by aiding in awareness we can help in a small way to find a cure.”
Pink ribbons are also being displayed on all police patrol vehicles.
“The more we can raise awareness as professionals and public servants, it may prompt women to be checked or someone to make a donation,” Nenni said.
Sgt. Gary Van Wycke, a member of the Albion PD for 21 ½ years, stands by a patrol car that has a pink ribbon on the door.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 October 2015 at 12:00 am
Knights-Kaderli Walk/Run has raised more than $250K
Photos by Tom Rivers
EAST SHELBY – There were about 200 people out walking and running the 3.1-mile course on a chilly Saturday morning for the 27th Knights-Kaderli Walk/Run.
The course starts near the East Shelby Fire Hall on East Shelby Road.
The Knights and Kaderli families have raised more than $250,000 with the event in 27 years. The money is put in a fund and given to help families with expenses while battling cancer.
John Bertrand of Clarence has a big burst of energy at the start of the race. He finished third overall with a time of 23:51. John is the grandson of the late Richard Knights.
Mr. Knights died from cancer in 1984. Five years later Sue Scharping Kaderli died from the disease.
The two families work together with fund-raisers for the Knights-Kaderli Fund. Other families also help, including the family of the late Dave Millis of Albion. Together they are able to distribute about $50,000 annually to help about 50 families battling cancer.
John Kaderli, the son of the late Sue Kaderli, sells raffle tickets on Saturday. There were about 100 gift baskets available during Saturday’s event. Kaderli thanked the community for supporting the cause for so many years.
“It’s a fabulous fund,” he said. “We’ve been able to help a lot of people.”
Staff Reports Posted 25 September 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Karen Watt is pictured with the orchard train used to take people on trips at Watt Farms Country Market in Albion.
ALBION – A local farmer who has spearheaded several community efforts, including raising more than $300,000 for breast cancer research, has been named the 2015 Pullman Memorial Humanitarian Award winner.
Karen Watt runs a local fruit farm and farm market with her husband Chris. She has been involved in numerous community and state organizations. She is currently the chairwoman of the Oak Orchard Health board of directors.
She has served as president of Orleans County Farm Bureau, and also represented the region on the state board of directors for Farm Bureau.
Mrs. Watt, a retired math professor at Brockport State College, will be presented with the humanitarian award on Oct. 25 in a special program at Pullman Memorial Universalist Church, 10 East Park St. The award ceremony and reception to follow are free and open to the public.
A breast cancer survivor, Watt organizes the annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Orchard Walk at Watt Farms each fall. In over a decade, the event has raised over $325,000 for the American Cancer Society.
Karen Watt addresses a crowd of about 1,000 people last October before the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Orchard Walk at Watt Farms.
The Humanitarian Award will be presented to Watt the day after this year’s “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer” walk at Watt Farms.
Watt has travelled the world sharing her expertise in direct marketing and value-added retail. She was president of the North American Farmers Direct Marketing Association, which put her in its “Hall of Fame.” She has visited rural African villages in three countries to help farm families brainstorm ways to increase their revenues.
In addition to her advocacy for migrant farm worker health as a board member of Oak Orchard Health, Watt has served on the National Advisory Council on Migrant Health, including a year as its chairwoman.
She is currently secretary of the board of the National Center of Farmworker Health and received the 2013 Outstanding Migrant Health Center Board Member Award from the National Association of Community Health Centers.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 September 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – John Given of Elba runs at Mount Albion Cemetery with the Fit in 50 group on Thursday evening. Given has been a regular each week with the program. He has lost 100 pounds in the past three years, including about 15 since January.
ALBION – A community exercise program that started on a blustery Saturday morning back in January has continued each week with participants getting together for a run or a walk.
The “Fit in 50” program through the Albion Running Club has had 117 people join for a walk or jog at least once during 2015. A core group of about 15 show up each week. (The weekly runs shifted to 6 p.m. Thursdays at Mount Albion Cemetery, and will likely move back to Saturdays on Oct. 17.)
“It’s the consistency that gives you the best reward,” said Joe McPhatter of Albion.
He has brought his infant son, Jai Li, on many of the runs, pushing him in a jogger stroller.
McPhatter said his blood pressure is down and he has lost 5 pounds since January.
Some of the Fit in 50 have opted to be in Run for God programs at the Albion Free Methodist Church or to exercise on their own.
Joe McPhatter pushes his son Jai Li in a jogger stroller while out for a run at Mount Albion this evening.
Through nearly nine months of the program, 17 of the participants have lost 121 pounds this year, with most seeing drops in blood pressure and body mass index. That’s an average loss of 7 pounds per person.
The collective weight loss numbers should grow as the Albion Running Club, organizer of the effort, collects more data from the runners and walkers.
Brian Krieger, one of the leaders of the program for the Albion Running Club, said Fit in 50 has made a difference for the participants, improving their health and connecting them with other runners.
John Given of Elba ran the Strawberry Festival 8-kilometer race in June 2014. The Running Club organizes that race. It sent out a mass email to Strawberry Festival runners, informing them about the “Fit in 50.”
Given received the email and decided to try the Saturday run in January, even when the weather was cold and snowy.
“I thought, ‘This is just what I need to get me going in the winter,'” he said about the group runs.
Given, 57, has lost about 100 pounds the past three years, from a high of 284 pounds. He has been a regular for the Albion runs each week. He had never ran farther than an 8-kilometer race before this year. He set a personal best finishing the 10-mile Metro 10 race in Albion on Aug. 22 and then ran a half marathon for 13.1 miles on Labor Day in Geneseo.
Given comes to Albion for the group run once a week, and tries to get in one or two more runs on his own each week. He enjoys the camraderie in Albion.
“It’s been wonderful with the fitness, meeting new people and making friends,” he said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 September 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Bonnie Heck, owner of the Herbalty Cottage, stands by the tea bar in her new business at 415 Main St. Heck and her family renovated a former insurance office to create the new space for Herbalty Cottage.
MEDINA – Bonnie Heck and her daughter Lindsay know the power of organic food and all-natural ingredients for better health.
Heck, the owner of the new Herbalty Cottage in downtown Medina, was injured in a car accident about seven years ago. She struggled to get out of bed for weeks.
Visits to chiropractor helped her regain movement and ease pain. Heck said she discovered newfound energy once she ate all-natural foods that were organic with no preservatives and additives.
Her daughter Lindsay, 19, has Fibromyalgia, a syndrome that causes fatigue, sleep problems and chronic muscle pain. Lindsay has managed the condition with a healthy diet and yoga exercises every day.
The mother and daughter are sharing some of their insights and some of the food, teas, and other products they’ve discovered at the new business at 415 Main St. Herbalty Cottage opened on Tuesday following major renovations of a former insurance office.
“Why not be proactive before anything happens?” Mrs. Heck said in urging healthier lifestyles.
Lindsay Heck is pictured with some of oils and vinegars that include the Herbalty Cottage label. Lindsay, 19, is becoming certified in reflexology.
Bonnie Heck describes the business as “a specialty shop with a unique taste.” Herbalty has a tea bar for drinking the many organic teas, and a tasting station where customers can dip freshly made bread into oils and vinegars.
Heck has 38 flavors of oil and vinegar that have the Herbalty logo. She also sells organic pasta, and a variety of syrups, salves and tinctures.
“We don’t have anything like this around here,” she said about the business. “We’re unique. Everything is organic. It’s a different type of product line for downtown.”
Herbalty also sells Himalayan salt lamps to reduce air pollution and stress. Heck also carries a line of all-natural lotions made by Terri Jordan of Carlton, who runs a business called “The Soap Cottage.”
Lindsay Heck, left, and her mother Bonnie opened a new business on Tuesday in downtown Medina.
Lindsay is working on becoming certified in reflexology, where she massages hands, feet, the ears and face. She will have an office at Herbalty to work with her clients.
Her mother also is becoming certified as a herbologist.
The family business also includes Tom Heck, Bonnie’s husband and Lindsay’s father. He is recently retired from the state Department of Transportation. He did many of the renovations, including tearing out the carpet and installing a new vinyl floor. Tom also handles labeling and shipping for the business.
Herbalty is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 September 2015 at 12:00 am
File photo by Tom Rivers – Runners are pictured at the start of last year’s Brown’s Berry Patch 5-kilometer Cross Country Run and Memory Walk. This year’s race will be Oct. 10 and will feature a new course and a new starting time at noon.
CARLTON – The race and memory walk will go on at Brown family farm this year. It will be the 20th 5-kilometer cross country walk and run at Brown’s.
The Brown family has raised $35,000 for Hospice of Orleans through the event. This year’s walk and run will start at noon on Oct. 10. Participants should gather at the former retail site for Brown’s Berry Patch on Route 18.
The Brown family retired from the retail side of the business – the gift shop, ice cream, bakery and playground – this year after more than 30 years.
Margy Brown, the race director, decided to keep the 5K event going to raise funds for Hospice and provide some motivation to exercise in the fall.
This year’s event will be in memory of Joyce Harris, an active member of the Carlton community who died from cancer at age 65 on April 24.
Brown wanted to honor the memory of Harris, who was her neighbor.
Harris was a member of the Carlton Town Board for 11 years. She enjoyed promoting the community and getting things done on the Town Board, said her husband of 47 years, Will.
“She liked to get involved and see if she could get something accomplished,” her husband said.
Joyce Harris
He will be at the Brown’s 5K with the couple’s two grown daughters, and other family, friends and colleagues.
Mrs. Harris worked as a secretary/bookkeeper for her family’s farming operation and then for Torrey Farms before retiring with Shelby Stone.
Mr. Harris grew up in the Village of Albion and started dating his wife in high school. They moved out to rural Carlton.
“We liked the country atmosphere,” he said. “It was a great place to raise kids.”
For more information on the Brown’s 5K, including registration information, click here.
