By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 September 2015 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Some leaves are pictured Thursday evening on a bright sunny day.
This week’s heat wave will continue today with a high of 84 degrees as well as mostly sunny skies, according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo.
On Saturday, it will reach 82, but there is a chance for thunderstorms and showers. The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook due to the scattered thunderstorms that could hit Western New York on Saturday afternoon and early evening.
Sunday is forecast to be sunny, but the high temperature will fall to 64.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 September 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Local stone mason Neal Muscarella has been busy the past three weeks at the Pullman Memorial Universalist Church. He has reset and repaired the front steps and pavement stones by the church at the corner of East Park and Main streets in the historic Courthouse Square.
After resetting the sandstone pavement stones, Muscarella worked on a section today between the sidewalk and the street. He is putting concrete in that strip, which will help to hold the sandstone sidewalk pieces in place.
Muscarella, an Albion resident, also spent two weeks repointing mortar on the historic church. He was in a cherrypicker lift removing old mortar and putting in mortar between the pink Medina sandstone ashlars in the church’s towers, chimneys, and above the roof line.
Pullman Memorial received assistance for the project from the St. Lawrence District of Unitarian Universalists Chalice Lighter funding program, and the Medina Sandstone Society in Medina.
The Chalice Lighter program receives donations from Unitarian Universalists across New York State. Bill Lattin, the retired Orleans County historian, is chairman of the buildings and grounds committee for the church. He worked with Muscarella on the restoration work.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 September 2015 at 4:24 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – The Wal-Mart Supercenter in Albion evacuated customers and employees this afternoon after a small electrical fire in the deli around 3:30 p.m.
Albion and Barre firefighters responded to the call, where one customer said there was a noticeable burnt smell and some smoke.
Firefighters say there was a burnt-out motor in the deli, in what turned out to be a minor incident. The building was evacuated after the fire alarm was pulled.
Albion and Barre firefighters are positioned in front of the store to keep people from going in while other firefighters check on an electrical fire.
ALBION – The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office will once again sponsor a household pharmaceuticals collection event next weekend.
Sheriff Scott Hess and Jail Superintendent Scott Wilson are pleased to announce that the Sheriff’s Office will again participate in this semi-annual undertaking, which will take place on Sept. 26 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
This is a collaborative effort with the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, the Orleans County Health Department, and the Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism & Substance Abuse.
This is a great opportunity for the public to surrender unwanted and/or expired medications and drug paraphernalia for safe and proper disposal. Events such as these have dramatically reduced the risk of prescription drug diversion and abuse, as well as increasing awareness of this critical public health issue. Similar collection events held in the past have been touted by all involved as having been highly successful.
There are three collection locations:
Orleans County Public Safety Building, 13925 State Route 31, Albion;
Holley Fire Department, 7 Thomas St., Holley;
Medina Fire Department, 600 Main St., Medina.
Special Thanks to the Holley and Medina Fire Departments for providing space in their facilities for this event.
By Kristina Gabalski, Correspondent Posted 17 September 2015 at 12:00 am
KENDALL – Three students from the City of Rochester are part of the Kendall student body in 2015-16, the first year Kendall is participating in Urban-Suburban Program.
District Superintendent Julie Christensen reported to the Board of Education on Wednesday that the three Rochester students are in first, third and seventh grades.
“They are beautiful little girls,” Christensen said.
She noted they are on the bus for a little while, being the last stop on a route that also stops in Hilton and Brockport before reaching Kendall.
The Kendall Board of Education embraced the program to help boost student enrollment. The district also expects to receive abut $12,000 in aid for each student in the program.
Christensen reported that currently there are 719 students attending school in the district. That’s down from 727 last year at this time.
Kendall also is offering enrollment to non-resident staff children, with a charge for tuition.
District Student Services Coordinator Nick Picardo has a daughter in first grade at Kendall. The family lives in the Hilton school district.
Picardo told the Board of Education he is very happy to have her attending Kendall, where she has received a warm welcome. He noted that when asked which school she would rather attend she responded, “I would rather be in Kendall.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 September 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
RIDGEWAY – Occasionally people will stop at Homer McPherson’s home on Horan Road and ask if he wants to give up the carriage step and two hitching posts in the front yard.
McPherson, shown sitting on his front porch, gives them a resounding no.
When construction crews were installing water lines along the road a few years ago, McPherson worried the equipment might bang into a hitching post and break it. So he insisted the contractors pay extra attention to the relics from more than a century ago.
McPherson enjoys sitting on his porch and taking in the scene on the front yard at 3587 Horan Rd. The property was owned by his late wife Ruth’s family. McPherson said the hitching posts are in their original spots.
“I don’t know how deep they are, but they’ve never moved,” he said.
Another Ridgeway family has a little garden with flowers by their hitching post at 3608 Knowlesville Rd., not too far south of the Erie Canal.
Brenda Busch moved to the house in 2004. She is delighted to have the hitching post out front by the road.
“I love it,” she said. “I wouldn’t mind going back to those days.”
Busch, third from left, is pictured with family members, including Norman Karcher Sr., Marilyn Karcher, and Busch’s son Michael.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 September 2015 at 12:00 am
Chamber of Commerce Phoenix Award
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Laura Gardner worked more than two decades as an accountant before opening her own women’s clothing store, a lily and a sparrow, in downtown Medina five years ago.
Gardner drew local shoppers and out-of-towners for the durable designer clothing from designers in Turkey, Israel, India and the United States. She sells blouses, jackets, trousers, skirts, tunics and boots.
Gardner also has an array of leather handbags, perfume, jewelry, vintage glassware and note cards.
The business has been doing so well that Gardner purchased her own building on Aug. 29, 2014. She bought the building at 438 Main St., a site that had been home to Baughn’s Shoe Store since 1960.
She and her husband Tom worked with contractors to remove walls, pull up orange carpeting, remove drop ceilings, gut the walls to the bare bricks and create a radically different space. They put in new drywall, a new HVAC system, new electrical and plumbing, and a much different façade.
“What she has done is absolutely amazing,” said Kathy Blackburn, executive director for the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce.
The Chamber is presenting Gardner with the “Phoenix Award” during an awards program on Friday (Sept. 18) at Tillman’s Village Inn.
Blackburn said “a lily and a sparrow” draws people to the downtown, including some customers from outside the area.
“It’s fantastic to be that innovative,” Blackburn said about Gardner. “She’s put a lot of effort in that store.”
Gardner said she has about 1/3 more space in the renovated storefront compared to her former location at 510 Main St.
“It’s made for a better experience for the customers,” she said.
By Kristina Gabalski, Correspondent Posted 17 September 2015 at 12:00 am
Kendall Central School’s Twitter page – Kendall Central School posted this photo on Twitter, showing a view from the commons back to the new cafeteria.
KENDALL – Kendall School District officials and Board of Education members say changes in both the Elementary and Jr./Sr. High Schools due to the ongoing Capital Improvement Project have boosted spirits and infused a positive energy into both students and teachers during the first week of the school year.
“The beauty of the building is just stunning,” Elementary School Principal Sharon Smith told Board of Education members on Wednesday during the BOE meeting. “Everybody who walks in is just stunned. There is a positive attitude amongst the kids, they were in awe.”
The Elementary School was not part of a community open house held just before the beginning of this school year, meaning those students got their first look at changes and improvements when the school year began. “The students have noticed,” Smith said.
The district says the new cafeteria is “a great place to eat. Sunny and inviting!”
Board President Nadine Hanlon thanked administrators and district officials for their work overseeing Phase One of the project, which is being completed.
“On behalf of the Board, I want to thank everybody,” Hanlon said. “It is just beautiful. I felt like my own house was being built.”
Board Vice President Chris Gerken said the project has been a source of pride for everyone in Kendall.
“The project affects the whole community,” he said, “It is nice that it is for the whole district.”
District Student Services Coordinator Nick Picardo, who works in both the Jr./Sr. High School and the Elementary School, said the results of the project have been “breath-taking.”
“I can’t even put it into words,” he said. “I commend the Board of Education. Kendall is a way better place today than it was in June. The buildings are something to brag about.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 September 2015 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Leaders of the Orleans County YMCA are piloting a new program where youths ages 15 to 20 can receive a free Y membership for six months if they complete a 10-week life skills class.
Pictured, include, from left: Don Colquhoun, former board chairman; Y Executive Director Shauna Parkinson; and Dean Bellack, current Y board chairman.
All three will serve as instructors for the class, as well as Jeff Evoy, Medina school district superintendent, and Jim Simon, dean of the GCC campus centers in Albion and Medina.
“Part of our mission is linking into the community and finding where we can have an impact,” Bellack said.
The Y started childcare programs and exercise classes for senior citizens after assessing community needs.
Bellack believes there is a need for life skills, with topics such as money management, consequences of choices, goal setting, living on your own, and other issues.
“We are hoping they will look at their life trajectory a little bit differently and hopefully open up some possibilities for them,” Bellack said about the Life Skills program.
Orleans County Y officials believe the local Y is the first to offer such a program. Classes will be taught Tuesday evenings form 6 to 7:30 p.m. from Oct. 6 through Dec. 8. The classes will be in the classroom at the Y, located at 306 Pearl St.
Students in the program will receive a free membership during the 10 weeks of classes, plus another three months if they successfully complete the program.
The program will be open to 20 students for the first class.
Shauna Parkinson, the director of the Y in Orleans County, wants to target the program to students who aren’t engaged in sports and other school activities, although the program is open to all students.
“We’re looking to inform and educate on life skills that generally aren’t taught in school,” she said.
For more information on the program, call the Y at (585) 798-2040 or click here.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 September 2015 at 12:00 am
File photo by Tom Rivers – The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center, which became privately owned on Jan. 1, was added to the tax rolls for the first time this year at a $6,618,900 assessment. Comprehensive Healthcare Management Services LLC wants the assessment reduced to $2.5 million.
The two nursing homes in Orleans County have both taken legal action, seeking big drops in their assessments. If the challenges are successful, local governments could see more than $100,000 less in tax revenue with each site.
The owners of Orchard Manor in Medina are seeking the biggest reduction as a percentage. The 160-bed facility is assessed at $4.1 million. The owners, Global Health Care, say the assessment should be $410,000.
The former county-owned nursing home is now privately owned by Comprehensive Healthcare Management Services LLC. The company paid $7.8 million on for the 120-bed Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center on Route 31 in Albion.
The property went on the tax rolls for the first time this year with a $6,618,900 assessment. Comprehensive is challenging that assessment, filing legal papers saying it should be valued at $2.5 million.
There is a lot of tax revenue at stake if the properties are reduced in assessment. The issue will go before James Punch, acting State Supreme Court judge in Orleans County.
Global Health Care purchased Orchard Manor Rehabilitation and Nursing Center on Bates Road in 2012 from Medina Memorial Hospital. The site sold for $4.1 million. That has been the assessment since going on the tax rolls for the first time in 2013. That site is located within the Village of Medina.
Global Health pays about $225,500 in property taxes with a combined tax rate of about $55 per $1,000 of assessed property. That includes $70,233 to the Village of Medina, which has a $17.13 tax rate per $1,000 of assessed property.
If Global Health is successful in reducing the assessment to $410,000, it would pay a tenth in taxes what it does now or $22,550, with the village getting about $7,000 instead of $70,233.
The local taxing entities, led by the Town of Shelby, are discussing the legal battle for the assessment, trying to pool their resources in defending the higher assessment. Shelby is organizing the joint municipal effort because the town is responsible for assessing the property.
The former county-owned nursing home sits just outside the Village of Albion and doesn’t pay village taxes.
Comprehensive pays a combined tax rate of about $33 to the school district, town, county, library and for fire protection. At a $6,618,900 assessment, the tax bill for the nursing home is about $220,000 a year. If Comprehensive can reduce the assessment to $2.5 million, it would pay about $82,500 in taxes, less than 40 percent of the current tax bill.
Both nursing home owners filed complaints with the Board of Assessment Review, and those boards backed the levels set by the local assessors. Now, the issue will go before Judge Punch in State Supreme Court.
Staff Reports Posted 16 September 2015 at 12:00 am
First-ever Sustainability Fair packs Lyceum
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Leonel Rosario and his wife Dolores serve stuffed peppers with shrimp and fish that is covered in cheese corn sauce. They run Mariachi d’Oro Restaurant in Medina and were among the exhibitors during the first Ecumenical Sustainability Fair on Tuesday at Holy Family’s Lyceum.
Holy Family Parish, in cooperation with eight other local churches, hosted the Sustainability Fair that included 22 exhibitors who discussed recycling, composting, reducing consumption, caring for the environment and many other earth-friendly practices.
Photo by Tom Rivers
Leonel Rosario also discussed growing up poor in Mexico with the challenges to have enough food to eat and water to drink. Bob Golden, the event co-organizer, is at left.
“In Mexico, you were a vegetarian because you couldn’t afford meat,” Rosario said during a panel discussion.
Rosario said his childhood makes him value food and resources, and he tries to cook in small batches to reduce waste.
He also is a big advocate for preserving his Mexican culture, and leads many demonstrations on cooking and dancing.
Photo by Kristina Gabalski
More than 100 peope attended the Sustainability Fair to see exhibits, sample locally grown foods and hear presentations.
Photo by Tom Rivers
Sister Sharon Goodremote, an environmental educator in the Western New York Catholic Diocese, was the featured speaker during the Sustainability Fair. She discussed Pope Francis’ encyclical and shared practical ways for people to care for the Earth.
“I think it’s amazing to have so many people coming out to hear what Pope Francis has to say and how he is challenging us to care for creation,” Goodremote said.
Photo by Tom Rivers
Sister Sheila Stone, left, discusses ways, big and small, to care for the Earth and improve the health of a community. She is joined by Sister Sharon Goodremote during a panel discussion.
Stone worked 20 years at Buffalo Catholic Charities and has been involved in Sacred Heart Center and the EarthHeart ministry.
Stone said she is encouraged by some environmental success stories, such as the pushback against tobacco that has resulted in significant decreases in smoking rates. She spoke out in hearings against fracking and is pleased Gov. Cuomo and New York are banning the practice.
She suggested people go on nature walks.
“Spend time outside,” she said. “Get to know the trees and plants. Open yourself to awe and wonder.”
She would like to see more protection for the Great Lakes, including a ban on microbeads, tiny particles in cosmetics and in some dish soaps that end up in the lakes and harm fish.
The big threat to the world: Climate Change. Stone said government leaders and citizens need to address the issue.
“Just pray that the country has the will and the moral fiber to make some drastic changes when it comes to Climate Change,” she said.
Photo by Tom Rivers – Paula Bensley, back left, and Catherine Adams show off a healthy plant. They are both master gardeners with advice for growing flowers, plants and gardens. Master gardeners also have expertise for fighting invasive plants, such as hogweed.
Photo by Tom Rivers – Kay Walter helped serve grilled vegetables from Wegmans. The company donated money to help put on the Sustainability Fair.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 September 2015 at 12:00 am
Chamber Business of the Year
Photos by Tom Rivers – Greg Budd, general manager of the Hinspergers Poly Industries plant in Medina, stands by some of the solar blankets the company sells for swimming pools. Budd has been general manager of Hinspergers since the company came to Medina in 2002.
MEDINA – In 2002, a Canadian-based company bought the former Jamestown Container manufacturing building on West Oak Orchard Street.
Peter Hinsperger, owner of Hinspergers Poly Industries, was looking for an American location for the business. He looked at several sites from Wisconsin to West Virginia and settled on the spot in Medina.
Hinsperger prefers small towns. He grew up in a small town in southern Ontario.
“He likes giving people an opportunity, by giving them a paycheck,” said Greg Budd, general manager of the Hinspergers plant in Medina.
The Hinspergers plant has twice been expanded since the company moved to Medina in 2002. The building has gone from 25,000 square feet in 2002 to 83,000 square feet since the last addition in 2008.
Budd was the first hire for Hinspergers in 2002. The company was up to 17 employees in 2003, and 10 of them remain with the company today.
After two expansions of the facility and steady sales growth, Hinspergers now employs 70 in Medina. The company has been named the “Business of the Year” for 2015 by the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce.
Hinspergers is part of the “Canadian Cluster” in Orleans County. Other companies with Canadian headquarters include Brunner in Medina, Freeze-Dry in Albion and the newly opened BoMet Recovery in Albion. (Pride Pak also is looking to build a new vegetable processing plant in Medina.)
Greg Budd is pictured inside Hinspergers, where he said the big production space with wide walls works well for manufacturing pool covers.
Peter Hinsperger, company owner, not only likes small towns. Budd said the Orleans Economic Development Agency put together an attractive incentive package for the company.
The former Jamestown Container site also had wide enough production rooms for the company to produce custom-made pool covers that can spread out beyond 40 feet.
The plant has been expanded twice since 2002, going from 25,000 square feet then to 83,000 square feet since the last expansion in 2008.
Ken Mulcahy runs a machine that cuts covers, one of the steps at Hinspergers for creating pool covers. The company manufactures about 50 pool covers a day in Medina.
Because swimming pools vary so much in size and shape, Hinspergers has a C.A.D. team that will uniquely design the specifications for each pool cover. Each cover made in Medina since 2002 has its own serial number.
The company can look up that serial number for the specifications if a new cover is ordered for the same pool. A new cover will include tie-down straps in the same location as the old cover.
The serial number also allows the company to trace the cover through the sales and distribution process.
The range of sizes has “China proofed” the business for Hinspergers, Budd said. The covers can’t easily be mass produced by China.
Hinspergers also has two sites in Canada. It prides itself on a quick turnaround time for the custom orders, another reality that would be hard to beat by manufacturers in China, Budd said.
Kim Rutan sews the outside edge of a pool cover. She has worked at Hinspergers for 12 years. “It’s a nice clean place,” she said. “There’s not a lot of people so we all get to know each other.”
For a manufacturing site in its busy season, Hinspergers is relatviely quiet. The whir of sewing machines is one of the loudest noises.
Budd gives tours of the plant to distirbutors and local service clubs. They all comment how clean the floor is, and how there aren’t banging noises or smells of melting metal or rubber.
Budd walks the floor and he greets many of the employees by first name.
Hinspergers employees spread out a pool cover and check for any imperfections.
“It’s a nice clean, bright and airy environment,” he said.
The pool covers can be made in several colors. Hinspergers uses woven and extrusion coated polyethylene, which has tremendous strength, reduced weight, a range of colors and relatively low prices.
The mesh material allows some water or snow to drip through. Hinspergers has covers with a tighter mesh that blocks out debris and sunlight, reducing algae growth.
For customers in the South, Hinspergers’ pool covers tend to be solid because they don’t have to worry about letting some melting snow seep through. Those covers may have some smaller mesh patterns to let through water in some spots.
Greg Budd discusses production with Scott Galley, the plant supervisor and an employee since 2003.
Hinspergers made a big investment in Medina in 2008 when it put on a 33,000-square-foot addition and also added a 14-by-70-foot machine that makes the solar blankets for swimming pools.
The pool covers, however, remain the core business for the Medina plant, and Budd said the company has made them “in thousands of shapes and sizes.”
Hinspergers has been honored by the Chamber before. In 2003, the company was named “New Business of the Year.”
It will receive the “Business of the Year” award during a banquet Friday at Tillman’s Village Inn.
By Kristina Gabalski, Correspondent Posted 16 September 2015 at 12:00 am
CLARENDON – Clarendon Town Board members have decided to take a “wait and see” strategy regarding the possibility of “going solar” to save on energy costs at town facilities.
Board members have investigated the idea for several months, but during their regular meeting Tuesday evening decided not to move forward with solar power at this time.
“I can’t seem to get comfortable with it myself,” Councilperson Paul Nicosia said.
He explained that developments in solar energy are “coming fast and furious” and he would like to see it working elsewhere before Clarendon makes any decision.
“We can wait until the dust settles,” he said. “There is no urgency for us.”
Councilperson Marc Major agreed. “There are other steps we could take,” he said regarding energy efficient choices. “Every day I’m hearing stuff on the TV and radio about progress out there.”
He noted lighting could be changed to LED or a switch could be made to on-demand water heaters. “There’s a lot we can do in-house here.”
Councilperson William Campbell noted the county has informed municipalities that grant funding is available for solar projects which can cover up to 80 percent of the instillation/start-up costs.
Councilperson Allen Robinson said the town could afford to sit back and watch at this point.
“We need to do improvements at the Highway Department building,” he noted.
The 31-year old building is in need of a new roof and furnace which will be a major expense for the town.
In other business, Supervisor Richard Moy announced during his report that the town has received a $20,000 grant from the Rochester Area Community Foundation to help fund restoration work at the chapel in Hillside Cemetery. Officials said the grant funds would be used for roof replacement, a major component of the project.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 September 2015 at 12:00 am
ALBION – A Medina man admitted to breaking into the home of anelderly Albion couple and stealing some of their possessions, a crime that could result in up to 5 years in state prison.
Joey Johnson, 28, of South Avenue pleaded guilty to attempted burglary in the second degree on Monday during Orleans County Court. The charge, a Class E violent felony, normally carries a maximum sentence of 2 to 7 years in state prison.
As part of a plea deal, Johnson will not be sentenced to more than 5 years in prison. Johnson was charged with burglary, robbery and larceny after he entered the home of an elderly couple on March 21 and allegedly stole a safe with $10,000.
He will be sentenced on Nov. 23.
Several others pleaded guilty on Monday:
William A. Nichols of 46 W. Albion St., Apt. 3., Holley, admitted to hitting another man with a BB Gun during a fight at the Public Square in Holley on May 8.
Nichols pleaded guilty to attempted second-degree assault for a crime that left the other man with a gash to the head and check, and head aches, forcing him to miss work, according to Assistant District Attorney Susan Howard.
Nichols also admitted to punching another man with his fists during a fight on June 13. He pleaded guilty to third-degree assault.
He could face up to 1 1/3 to 4 years in state prison when he is sentenced on Nov. 30.
A Rochester man admitted to driving while intoxicated and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, crimes that could result in up to 4 years in state prison.
Jeffrey Houghtaling, 49, was arrested in Murray by Holley police on Oct. 25 when he was driving erratically with another person’s ID. He had a Blood Alcohol Content of 0.16 percent, twice the legal limit.
Houghtaling was in a homeless shelter in Monroe County when he allegedly stole the identification from a person there. Houghtaling then allegedly drove to North Carolina with the other person’s documents.
Houghtaling has at least four prior felony DWIs, and two prior misdemeanor DWIs, District Attorney Joe Cardone said when Houghtaling was arraigned in county court on May 18.
He will be sentenced on Dec. 21.
A Kent resident admitted to violating his probation and faces a maximum of 1 1/3 to 4 years in prison when he is sentenced on Nov. 16.
Luke G. Sorta, 23, was on probation but he didn’t meet terms for his probation when he abandoned his job at Brunner, failed to get his General Equivalency Diploma, admitted to smoking marijuana several times, as well as consuming alcohol and circumventing the drug testing policy. He also left the area without telling probation.
Sorta was recently arrested in Idaho on a warrant for violating probation. He was returned to Orleans County and has been in the county jail.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 September 2015 at 12:00 am
Kwandrans tries to make a wish come true
Photo by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Garett Smith stretches during a class at Kwandrans Tae Kwon-do in Medina on Monday. Garett, 12, takes Tae Kwon-do classes twice a week.
He said the classes help him feel better and healthier. He has cystic fibrosis. Tae Kwon-do helps move the mucus in his lungs, keeping them clear.
Garett started taking Tae Kwon-do a year ago.
“They work very well with him,” said his mother Melody. “They’re very accommodating to his needs.”
Photo by Tom Rivers
Garett, a Middleport resident, is a seventh-grader at Roy-Hart. He said he likes to move during his Tae Kwon-do classes.
In May, Garett attended Disney World in Florida for a week with his family, including four brothers. Garett and his family were picked for the trip through Make-A-Wish Western New York.
The family was treated like royalty, given a ride to the airport in a limo.
His classmates and instructors at Kwandrans were happy Garett went on the week-long excursion. The group at Kwandrans decided to raise $8,500 so another kid in Western New York could go on a Make-A-Wsh trip.
Provided photo – Garett is pictured with his brothers at the Jurassic Park display at Disney World. The brothers include, from left: Hayden (14) , Bradley (9), Logan (8), Garett (12), and Grant (3).
Kwandrans has already put on several fund-raisers, including a kick-a-thon, car wash, bake sale and candy bar sales. The Tae Kwon-do students and instructors have raised $4,000, a little less than half of the goal.
“Garett told us all about it after he went to Disney in May,” said Debbie Farfaglia, manager and instructor at Kwandrans. “It inspired us to want to do that for a family.”
Provided Photo – Garett jumps into a pool on the trip to Disney World.
The group is pushing more upcoming fund-raisers to reach the $8,500 goal, including a chicken barbecue on Sept. 26 at Medina United Methodist Church from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
There will be a 5K run/walk on Oct. 31 in Albion. Participants are urged to dress up in Halloween costumes and then complete the course.
A spaghetti dinner and basket raffle is scheduled for Nov. 21 at the Medina United Methodist Church from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
For more on Make-A-Wish Western New York, click here.
