By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 March 2014 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Tim Lindsay, pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Albion, is site leader for the new Jobs for Life program in Orleans County. He discussed the program during a meeting with the Albion Rotary Club last week. Lindsay welcomes mentors and businesses to be part of the program.
ALBION – A group of churches is trying to “flip the list,” and the break the cycle of poverty for local residents.
The churches have formed Hands 4 Hope Orleans and launched a “Jobs for Life” program that is designed to give residents basic job skills, and also connect them to job opportunities and a mentor who will be a source of encouragement. The Rev. Tim Lindsay, pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Albion, is site leader of the program.
“We’re trying to do things that foster independence and help people become self-supporting,” Lindsay told the Albion Rotary Club on Thursday. “We want to put jobs at the top and get people out of the cycle of dependency.”
Hands 4 Hope Orleans started the 16-class program on Jan. 27. The class meets twice a week at Hoag Library. Local business leaders have volunteered to help lead some of the classes. The first group of five students is scheduled to graduate on March 24.
Lindsay said he has witnessed big changes in the students in about six weeks of classes. They have gained confidence and direction.
He urged the Rotary Club, which includes several local business owners, to consider hiring a Jobs for Life graduate. The first class is expected to include five graduates. Lindsay expects to have additional classes in the future.
Each graduate will receive a certificate and businesses can have faith the students have learned the importance of values, showing up on time, conflict resolution, team work, a positive attitude, taking responsibility and overcoming roadblocks.
“We want this certificate to mean something to employers,” Lindsay said.
Besides Harvest Christian Fellowship, the Oak Orchard Assembly of God, Light of Victory, Albion Free Methodist Church and Alabama Full Gospel are all helping with Jobs for Life. For more information on Hands 4 Hope Orleans, click here.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 March 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – The Orleans County Music Educators Association put on an All County Music Festival this afternoon at Medina High School Auditorium.
Three retired music teachers from the county led the students. David Stacey, pictured in the top photo, retired from Lyndonville in 2012 after 35 years of teaching.
He directs the All County Senior High Band, which is performing “Amazing Grace.” Stacey said he was thankful to have a chance to work with music students again. The band played four numbers.
Kyler McQuillan, left, of Albion plays a trumpet solo while Thomas Follman of Lyndonville plays a solo with his tuba during the Senior High Band’s performance of several Beatles songs. There were about 80 students in the All County Senior High band from the five school districts in Orleans County.
Mary Campbell, a retired music teacher who worked in Kendall and Medina, leads the All County Junior High Chorus. The group performed five songs, including “Come In From The Firefly Darkness.” There were about 110 students in the chorus.
Mike Grammatico, a retired music teacher who worked 10 years in Lyndonville and 23 years in Albion, directs the All County Elementary Band. The band of 80 students is performing “March Of The Phantom Brigade.”
Another music teacher, Matt Schroeder, also worked with the elementary students. Schroeder teaches music at Cleveland Hill Schools in Cheektowaga.
The Orleans County Music Educators Association is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 March 2014 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
Here’s another reminder to turn your clocks ahead by an hour tonight. Daylight saving time officially starts at 2 a.m. Firefighters also encourage you to check smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
The photo above shows the very impressive clock tower at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Jamestown. This church was built from 1892 to 1894 and is one of the most impressive Medina sandstone churches I’ve seen. The four-sided clock tower is home to the only chime bells in the city of Jamestown.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 March 2014 at 12:00 am
Only 3 districts in country recognized with Magna
MEDINA – A program through the Orleans/Niagara BOCES that connected the community with veterans has been recognized with one of three national awards “for taking bold and innovative steps to advance public education,” according to the National School Boards Association.
The local BOCES will receive a Magna Award for its Literacy Zone/Men’s Cooking Class. The Literacy Zone provides adult education and is run by the Orleans/Niagara BOCES.
“This project encompasses lifelong learning at its best,” said Susan Diemert, literacy specialist for Orleans/Niagara BOCES. “From children to adults, the value of education and support for each other was a result of a project that developed from a simple idea. A community worked together to provide the awareness needed to help those less fortunate.”
Provided photo – Members of the Orleans/Niagara BOCES Board of Education and the Literacy Zone coordinator include bottom row, from left: Wendy Swearingen (Lew Port), Dr. Thurston Dale (Medina), Susan Diemert (Literacy Zone Coordinator), Rebecca Albright (Wilson), Maureen Kaus (Niagara Wheatfield) and Joanne Woodside (Lockport). Back row, from left: Johnny Destino (Niagara Falls), Ruth Smith (Barker), Thomas Klotzbach (Lyndonville), Janice Covell (Starpoint) and Donald Joslyn (Albion). Missing: Keith Bond (Royalton Hartland), Michael Carney (North Tonawanda), James Reinke (Newfane).
An independent panel of school board members, administrators, and other educators selected the Magna winners from nearly 250 submissions. The NSBA recognized the program for advancing student learning and encouraging community involvement in schools.
Orleans/Niagara BOCES Adult Literacy program began a new initiative in July 2013 called a Literacy Zone Welcome Center located at the Christ Community Church in Lockport. It was patterned after the Niagara Falls program that was started in 2009.
A Literacy Zone Welcome Center is located in an impoverished neighborhood in a city with high levels of unemployment, illiteracy, and underemployment. It invites individuals and families to come to a facility for high school equivalency, remediation, computers skills, and job readiness and career preparation.
The Literacy Zone staff can assist the individual to find solutions to help break barriers and move in a positive direction toward employment, training, post secondary, and a more productive life.
“This project made a difference in the lives of all that were involved,” Diemert said. “Orleans/Niagara BOCES Adult literacy program is more than just an academic program. Our goal is to help people to recognize what challenges they have and how to develop a plan to overcome the barriers to create a brighter life for themselves and their families.”
The Orleans/Niagara BOCES won the grand prize for districts with 5,000 or fewer students. Other Magana winners include the St. Charles Parish Public Schools in Luling, La., and the Kent School District in Kent, Wash. Each of the grand prize-winning school districts will receive a $5,000 contribution from Sodexo during a special presentation at NSBA Annual Conference on April 5-7 in New Orleans.
Diemert said the Lockport program has been successful due to partnerships in the community. The BOCES worked with more than 60 agencies and community organizations to run the program and strive for successful solutions for the students.
The group partnered with the Kids Breaking Free Foundation, a community enrichment organization supportive of educating at-risk youth and their families. The Men’s Cooking Class was a result of this partnership. The men learned how to slice and dice, learn recipes, and budget for healthy meals for their families. The idea to cook for the veterans sparked other community involvement and partnerships to raise awareness for the local veterans in Niagara County.
KBFF was also running a book club for fourth- to sixth-graders who were reading a book about veterans. This resulted in a canned food drive to benefit veterans and their families.
The class on July 5 last year prepared salads and manned the grills on one of the warmest days of the summer at the Elks Lodge in Lockport. Kids Breaking Free Foundation, volunteers from veterans’ organizations, and Orleans/Niagara BOCES staff helped plan and run the event on July 5.
“It was a wonderful day and uplifting to see so many people supporting our local veterans,” said Chuck Diemert, Literacy Zone Coordinator. “What started as a simple lunch developed into a partnership with many groups and individuals resulting in a community project that would raise money and awareness to address the needs of thousands of veterans in our community.”
The Orleans/Niagara BOCES serves 13 school districts in the two counties.
Dr. Clark Godshall, District Superintendent of Orleans/Niagara BOCES, said he is proud of the Board of Education and the Literacy Zone staff members.
“To receive national recognition for their outstanding achievement just highlights the thoughtful and deliberate work they do to improve the lives of our students and the community,” Godshall said.
Provided photo – Albion FFA students who competed at the district competition include, front row, from left: Alexis Bentley, Alexis Maines, Julie Porter, Sophia Smith, Alaina Fleming, Laiken Ricker, Clara Stilwell, Isabel Penafiel, Lauren Beam. Back row: Megan Rosato, Sara Millspaugh, Logan London, Elizabeth Bentley, Abigail Maines, Harrison Brown and Jayne Bannister.
Article by FFA reporter Megan Rosato
BATAVIA – Albion FFA members went to BOCES in Batavia on Thursday to compete in FFA Districts. Students competed in Career Development Events (CDEs), which help students develop the abilities to think critically, communicate clearly, and perform effectively in a competitive manner.
There are 24 CDEs, covering job skills in everything from communications to mechanics. The finalists moving on to substates include:
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 March 2014 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Stephanie Ferris walks her dog Marti this morning along the towpath by the Glenwood Avenue canal bridge. Ferris said a group of regulars are usually out walking the canal on Saturdays in Medina.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 March 2014 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – An apple tree on East State Street is covered in snow in this photo taken last month.
U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is seeking federal disaster assistance for fruit growers who expect to face a decimated crop due to the extended periods of sub-freezing temperatures.
The harsh cold will likely hurt the grape, cherry and peach crops. Apples are more hearty and are expected to be fine, said Larry Meyer, the director of the Farm Service Agency in Orleans County.
The extent of the damage won’t be known for months, but Gillibrand wants to get the process started. She is asking Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to swiftly grant a disaster designation for Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Oswego, Yates and additional counties as more crop losses are determined.
Meyer doesn’t expect Orleans to be included on the list because there aren’t a lot of acres for cherries, peaches and grapes, the fruit that has been harmed the most from the deep freeze. Orleans farmers grow about 200 acres each of peaches and cherries and 20 acres of grapes. Farmers have about 6,000 acres of apples in Orleans.
“There’s definitely been a couple of very cold days that have caused damage to the minor crops,” he said.
Grapes are big business in other counties, especially in the Finger Lakes area. New York State’s vineyards generate an estimated $4.8 billion toward the state’s economy. Jobs in New York’s wine and grape industry grew by 20 percent in the last decade, she said.
Gillibrand said some vineyards have lost 90 percent of their crop.
“When New York’s farmers struggle, our entire economy struggles,” she said in a statement. “This long and bitter cold winter has been extremely harmful to grape growers and vineyards. Losing out on these crops will set them behind all season, and hurt local businesses and jobs at a time we just can’t afford anymore setbacks. We need these federal resources on the ground without delay so we can help our farms recover, and grow our economy.”
The federal assistance can help provide farmers with prompt access to the financial and technical assistance they need to recover, including assistance through the Emergency Loan Program, the Supplemental Revenue Assistance (SURE) program, the Emergency Conservation Program and the Emergency Watershed Protection Program.
Meyer said the FSA in Orleans will be assessing the impact of the freeze. The damage should be more clear in the spring, he said.
ALBION – Teachers at Albion Elementary School dressed in blue today in support of Wayne Burlison, the elementary band teacher who is fighting colon cancer.
Teachers wore blue and signed a “Go Team Wayne” banner. Mr. Burlison’s wife Lisa teaches second grade at Albion.
Today happens to be “National Dress in Blue Day.” This started in 2009 on the first Friday of March to bring national attention to colon cancer and to celebrate the courage of those affected by this disease.
MEDINA – In this photo taken from the Medina Canal Basin during the 1890s, we see the freight boat “Celina.” Stenciled on the boat it says, “The Buffalo Rochester Transit Co.”
The sign on the roof of the building at dockside states: “Buffalo and Rochester Steamboat Express Inc.” This was a fast way for local farmers and produce dealers to ship fruit at the time. Note the seven-story tower of the White’s Hotel in the background.
KENDALL – The sun casts an array of colors while rising this morning over Lake Ontario at Cleng Peerson’s Point, a spot overlooking Bald Eagle Bay in Kendall.
Rich Miller shared the photo with Orleans Hub. Today will provide a break from the harsh cold. Temperatures will be in the high 30s, low 40s.
