Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Anita McCarthy places tickets in baskets up for raffle this afternoon at the Lockstone in a fundraiser for a new Santa School Museum.

There were just over 100 baskets in the raffle. The Albion Betterment Committee put on the benefit to help raise money for a new roof for the museum at 128 North Main St. Organizers say just over $4,000 was raised at the benefit today.

The group has secured a $10,000 grant from the Rochester Area Community Foundation, but the cost is expected to top $70,000 for the roof.

The Betterment Committee will be seeking a grant from Preserve New York for the roof and a grant from the Ralph C. Wilson for arts space and programming on the second floor.

People gather inside the Lockstone for today’s fundraiser.

The Betterment Committee purchased the building at 128 North Main last November from the estate of Henri Pulley. The site is 6,600 square feet. The Betterment Committee said the roof needs to be replaced before a museum opens.

The winning numbers for the basket raffle are called off. From left include Gail Ebbs, Lori Laine and Maureen Bennett. Laine helped secure many of the baskets for the raffle.

She said the museum on Main Street will be a boost for the community and the downtown business district.

“I believe in Albion and Albion needs to be branded,” Laine said. “What is a better brand than Santa Claus?”

The museum will pay homage to the late Charles W. Howard, who created the first Santa School in the world. He ran it on Phipps Road in Albion from 1937 until his death in 1966.

The group wants to develop an interactive tourism center with displays about the Charles W. Howard Santa School and Christmas Park, which Howard ran for many years near his farmhouse on Phipps Road.

Laine said many people still have strong memories of visiting Christmas Park as kids and meeting Santa.

“They hold that place as very special in their hearts,” Laine said.

Nolan Blake, grandson of Betterment Committee member Valerie Rush, served as an elf and took gift baskets to the winners. Rush has long portrayed Mrs. Claus during community events.

Betterment Committee leaders Joe Martilotta, Joe Gehl and Gary Kent have worked for years to promote Charles Howard’s legacy in Albion. Gehl, center, pulled the winning 50/50 ticket. Peter Turkow, the winner, donated the money back to the Betterment Committee.

Gary Simboli played Christmas music from his keyboard during the benefit.

Jesse Colmenero took photos of people and families in a holiday backdrop.

These Santa-themed rocks were painted during the event.

Provided photo from Susan Starkweather Miller

ALBION – The new slate roof is shown on Mount Albion Chapel on Friday. Easton Specialties Inc. in Honeoye Falls put the new Vermont slate on the roof for the chapel, and it was done in a way that the pattern and colors match the original slate from 1875.

The new roof is part of an overall $225,000 restoration of the building.

Local mason Neal Muscarella last year repaired and repointed the chapel’s entire exterior.  The most extensive damage was in the northwest section.

Easton also has rebuilt the northwest corner’s rafters and repaired the roof deck in spots where it has failed over the years. The company installed an ice and water shield, a copper drip edge and flashings.

Mount Albion will host a tour of the cemetery at 6 p.m. on Aug. 30, with the tour led by retired Orleans County Historian Bill Lattin and current Village of Albion Historian Sue Starkweather Miller. There is tour this evening beginning at 6 p.m. at the Otter Creek Cemetery with Town of Gaines Adrienne Kirby (13252 Ridge Road, Gaines).

There will be other substantial work to follow at the chapel including interior replastering of the north wall; electrical upgrades (wiring, outlets, internal and external lighting); heating unit for seasonal use; removal of old floor, repair subfloor and put in a new floor; and refurbish exterior doors and window trim.

The $225,000 for the chapel restoration was funded by donations from the community.

File photo by Tom Rivers: The chapel at Mount Albion Cemetery is shown in September 2024 before getting new mortar and a new roof.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The Marti’s on Main art gallery in Albion held a reception on Friday for a new art show featuring Jan Kisiel, Jenna Papponetti, Paul Facklam and Sharon Stewart. The top photo shows Harriet Symons, 10, taking a photo of paintings by her grandmother, Sharon Stewart of Albion.

Sharon Stewart is shown with some of her acrylic landscape paintings. Some of them are from trips she went on to Italy and Greece.

Stewart is a retired math professor from a community college in Kentucky. She and her husband Brian moved to Albion to be close to their daughters and their families, including six grandchildren.

Stewart, 79, was an art minor at Houghton College. She has 21 paintings featured in the new show at Marti’s, which is located at 20 South Main St.

Jenna Papponetti, 26, of Albion has seven charcoal landscape drawings on display featuring the Erie Canal. Papponetti also has written and illustrated three books. For more information on her books and artwork, click here.

Paul Facklam is recently retired as an art teacher at Roy-Hart, working in the elementary, middle and high schools. Before his 27-year teaching career, Facklam worked 20 years as an illustrator.

He has paintings with marshmallows, which he said represent “that soft, sensitive part out us.”

The paintings by Facklam shows marshmallows with fishing lures, billiard balls, and a hammer and nails.

“The hammer and nails represent the difficult or painful things that happen to us,” he said. “The fishing lures symbolize the things that we can be drawn to that are not particularly healthy for us.”

Jan Kisiel, a retired event planner who lives in Holley, has 12 pieces in the art show. She uses egg tempera painting, mixing dry pigment, egg yolk and some water.

The top painting shows a lamb sticking out its tongue. It was inspired from the ‘Good Shepherd” stained-glass window at the Canalside Community Church in Albion, a former United Methodist church. That window shows Jesus as a shepherd with lambs. In the window, one of the lambs is sticking out its tongue.

Kisiel said being an artist and an event planner are similar in that both need a strong attention to details.

For information on Marti’s, click here or call 585-590-9211.

Photos courtesy of Marlene Seielstad

ALBION – The Albion Rotary Club on Thursday presented a ceremonial check for $5,000 to the Office for the Aging in Orleans County. Rotary held its annual golf tournament last month at Shelridge Country Club in Medina and most of the proceeds will go towards the OFA’s volunteer transportation program, which provides rides for local senior citizens to medical appointments and essential errands.

Pictured from left include tournament committee leader Cindy Perry-Follman, OFA director Melissa Blanar, OFA employee and golf tournament committee member Becky Karls, and OFA employees Jackie Taylor and Kathleen Bates.

For information about senior rides and volunteer driving, contact the Office for the Aging at (585) 589-3191

Kathleen Bates also was honored and welcomed as a “Friend of Rotary.” Bates has volunteered at many Rotary community events, including the golf tournament, dinners and by selling light-up toys at Albion’s July 3^rd celebration at Bullard Park.

She was presented with the honor by Becky Karls and Rotary President Mike Bonnewell, left.

The Rotary Club meets the first and third Thursdays at Tavern on the Ridge with the first meeting at noon and the second meeting at dinner time.

Photos by Ginny Kropf: The Genesee Orleans Ministry of Concern’s executive director Jami Allport is all smiles in her new bright office in what used to be the maternity ward on the second floor of the former Arnold Gregory Memorial Hospital.

 ALBION –  After spending 15 years in the downtown on Main Street, the Genesee Orleans Ministry of Concern has moved into what they hope will be their “forever” office.

According to executive director Jami Allport, the move on Aug. 5 was a smooth one. Their new office gives them 2,200 square feet  (compared to 900 at their previous location in the Presbyterian Church), and allows for three bathrooms, a client interview room, four office spaces, kitchen and a designated break room.

The Genesee Orleans Ministry of Concern had its beginning 70 years ago as the Migrant Ministry Program, started by Medina teacher, the late Arden McAllister. He was joined by Sister Marian Adrian who was visiting Orleans County from Buffalo and saw many children without shoes and socks. Sister Marian would become a key player and in 1968, the Migrant Ministry program became Genesee Orleans Ministry of Concern, with an office in Batavia. That site was closed 10 years ago as a cost-saving measure.

When Sister Marian died in 2020, she left a considerable sum of money to assure the agency would continue to help those in need. It became known as “The Agency of Last Resort,” helping the neediest of the needy.

When the Village of Albion raised the rent for GOMOC’s office downtown, the agency relocated for three years to the basement of the Presbyterian Church at Main and State Street. GOMOC was running out of space when agency leaders learned of the availability of the former maternity wing at the former Arnold Gregory Memorial Hospital, now an office complex.

“Our new space is not only bright and big, but welcoming, too,” Allport said. “It is appropriate in that this was a place which welcomed new life, and now it provides a new beginning for us.”

Not only does the new space have a corner office with two windows, but there are individual offices for an office manager, furniture coordinator, youth coordinator, a newly added homeless coordinator and a summer intern.

“This location makes us feel more professional,” Allport said.

(Left) Jami Allport, director of the Ministry of Concern, looks down the spacious hallway in their new quarters in the Arnold Gregory Complex. (Right) The new home of GOMOC allows space for a client interview room, as pointed out by executive director Jami Allport.

The Ministry of Concern is currently helping 1,000 families a year, and seeing an increase annually. During a recent week, they saw 17 youth in 15 minutes who signed up for the Back to School Program (clothing).

Allport said there was a time when the agency was in a slump, but survived because of the generosity of Sister Marian.

“I’ve been told I have a lot of the qualities Sister Marian did,” Allport said. “She was extremely aware and knowledgeable about finances. She was cautious, but still fulfilled the mission. She was definitely a rock.  She created a very solid foundation for us to build on.”

The world in which GOMOC started doesn’t exist anymore, Allport said.

The agency has seen an influx people getting out of prison with no place to live and many working homeless, she said.

“Going forward we have to look for funding to meet the needs of our community now,” she said. “Many of our old problems still remain, but many are definitely different now.”

GOMOC relies on individual and corporate donations, but Allport also seeks grants to meet their needs. She has written 38 grants this year, and only a few have been funded.

“While I apply for a lot of grants, every single donation we get makes a difference,” she said.

She added that everyone is welcome and no one who comes in for help is judged.

“We are here to help,” she said.

GOMOC welcomes financial donations and donations of small furniture, such as beds, dressers, tables and chairs.

The Ministry of Concern is open Monday through Friday at 9 a.m. and see the last client at 3:30 p.m.

Basket raffle on Sunday at Lockstone goes towards museum

Photo by Tom Rivers: The bronze statue of Santa at Waterman Park is shown recently while traffic moves along Main Street. The Albion Betterment Committee is working to develop a Santa School Museum in the brick building in the middle across the street.

ALBION – The Albion Betterment Committee has been awarded a $10,000 grant towards a new roof for the Santa School Museum. A new roof for the building at 128 North Main St. could be at least $70,000.

The Betterment Committee continues to pursue grants and raise money for the roof and the museum. There will be a basket raffle on Sunday from noon to 3 p.m. at the Lockstone, 160 North Main Street. Proceeds go to the Santa School Museum.

The event also will include drinks from Cold Brew Coffee, treats from Sav’s Creekside Café, a photo backdrop from The Wed Shed. Jesse Colmenero photography will be there to take photos of families and children. Gary Simboli will be performing music from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. To donate a basket contact Lori Laine at mailgirl2159@yahoo.com.

The $10,000 grant was awarded by the Rochester Area Community Foundation. That organization also approved a $5,000 grant in the spring for new windows at the building.

The Betterment Committee purchased the building in November from the estate of Henri Pulley. The site is 6,600 square feet.

The Betterment Committee is working to turn the vacant two-story site into the Santa School Museum. It will pay homage to the late Charles W. Howard, who created the first Santa School in the world. He ran it on Phipps Road in Albion from 1937 until his death in 1966.

Howard continues to be revered among the people who portray Santa. The Santa School continues in his name in Midland, Mich. Howard also was well known as the Santa in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade from 1948 to 1965. Howard also was inducted as an inaugural member in 2010 of the International Santa Claus Hall of Fame.

The Betterment Committee wants to make the Main Street site into a tourism center that celebrates Santa. The group wants to develop an interactive tourism center with displays about the Charles W. Howard Santa School and Christmas Park, which Howard ran for many years near his farmhouse on Phipps Road.

The Betterment Committee envisions the first floor as interactive exhibits and displays, as well as room for a bakery and food operator. The site could also offer services, including showers, for canal boaters, cyclists and other visitors.

The second floor is envisioned to offer space for artists – painters, potters, and others in need of studio space. The second floor has large windows that let in natural light that would be ideal for artists.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The Albion Elks Lodge today unveiled a new memorial for veterans by the lodge’s flagpole at 428 West State St.

Jeff Mosher, a trustee at the lodge and a member of the Elks Riders in Albion, unveiled the monument with Sharon Pollock, the exalted ruler at the lodge.

The Elks used proceeds from past motorcycle dice runs and other fundraisers to pay for the memorial, which was created by Brigden Memorials in Albion.

The front of new Orleans County Veterans Memorial includes the logo from the Albion Elks Lodge, an image of a U.S. soldier, and the seals of the six branches of the military – the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force and Coast Guard.

A group from the Elks Lodge and others on a 100-mile motorcycle dice run gathered by the flag pole to see the new memorial.

“We want to remember all the veterans, past and present,” Pollock said. “Some have paid the full price, or come back injured and crippled. This beautiful monument pays tribue to all veterans.”

The back of the monument includes a quote from President Ronald Reagan: “Freedom is never more than one generation away from Extinction.”

After the memorial unveiling, about 50 motorcyclists left for a 100-mile Veterans Memorial dice run that will include stops at the VFW in Batavia, Elks Lodge in Brockport, Priscilla’s Black North Inn at Point Breeze, the VFW in Medina and a return to the Elks Lodge in Albion. (Jeff Mosher is riding the motorcycle with the American flag and an Elks flag on the back.)

There will be food and live music at the Albion Elks Lodge today after 5 p.m. The public is invited to attend.

The Albion Elks Lodge hosts many patriotic events throughout the year, including a Flag Day observance. The lodge also will be having a chicken barbecue next month for veterans at the VA in Batavia. The local lodge also donated $1,000 towards a van to take veterans to medical appointments.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Employees from Easton Specialties Inc. in Honeoye Falls put new slate on the roof of Mount Albion Chapel on Thursday afternoon.

The chapel from 1875 is getting a new roof as part of a $225,000 overall restoration of the building.

Local mason Neal Muscarella last year repaired and repointed the chapel’s entire exterior.  The most extensive damage was in the northwest section.  Muscarella has worked on several projects at Mount Albion over the years, including the Civil War memorial tower, the front sign, and the pond at the western side that is memorial to firefighters.

Before Easton Specialties started putting on the new slate, The Environmental Construction Group in Albion abated asbestos from the tar along the edges of the roof.

Easton also has rebuilt the northwest corner’s rafters and repaired the roof deck in spots where it has failed over the years. The company installed an ice and water shield, a copper drip edge and flashings, and now are nearly  done with the new Vermont slate with colors and in a pattern that are a perfect match to the original 1875 slate.

 There is still a lot to do inside the chapel. The overall $225,000 project includes interior replaster of the north wall; electrical upgrades (wiring, outlets, internal and external lighting); heating unit for seasonal use; repair of plaster and vaulted ceiling; removal of old floor, repair subfloor and put in a new floor; and refurbish exterior doors and window trim.

Mayor says selling the park to a business could be better use for site

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The Albion Village Board discussed the Santa statue and other Santa-themed items at Waterman Park during the board meeting on Wednesday. The board wonders if it makes more sense to move the statue and other elements about a block south to village-owned green space by the Presbyterian Church.

Perhaps the statue could be part of a space with a Santa House or gazebo, Village Board members said.

Mayor Tim McMurray and Deputy Mayor Greg Bennett said it may be a better asset for the village to sell the pocket park at Waterman, where it could be used for pop-up businesses or other purposes by a business.

The subject was brought up as part of a discussion about different parks in the village. Bennett acknowledged that many community members have worked hard at the site over the past decade or so.

The Albion Rotary Club spearheaded the 24-foot-long mural in 2018 that was painted by artist Stacey Kirby Steward. That mural shows a Santa in a sleigh over the Courthouse Square and downtown Albion. The mural is mounted on a steel frame at the park that is a half block south of the Erie Canal.

The mural honors Albion’s history as home to the Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School from 1937 to 1966. Howard also ran Christmas Park in Albion. Mr. Howard passed away in 1966. The Santa School continues in his name in Midland, Michigan.

The bronze statue of Santa was dedicated on June 10, 2023. It followed an $80,000-fundraising effort by the Albion Betterment Committee that took nearly a decade.

The spot by the Presbyterian Church was considered for the bronze statue, but bronze statue artists thought the statue would be dwarfed being next to the church, which is 175 feet tall. The artists thought the statue would look very small to passersby if it was placed next to the church.

They liked the spot at Waterman where people can walk by close to the statue, which is closer to the street so it doesn’t seem so small to people passing by.

During the statue dedication, many of Howard’s grandchildren and other family descendants attended the event which was held on a Saturday during the Strawberry Festival.

Charles Bergeman, Howard’s grandson, attended the event in 2023. He passed away later than year in October due to cancer. A sleigh was dedicated in Bergeman’s honor this past May. The sleigh was refurbished by Jim Babcock, a local contractor who is on the Betterment Committee’s board of directors.

The Betterment Committee is now working to develop a Santa School museum and visitor center almost across the street from Waterman Park.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Beaver Alley in downtown Albion is a one-lane street of Medina Sandstone pavers.

The Village Board is considering closing vehicular traffic to the street and allowing the site to be used for pedestrians and events, including concerts, a farm market and other community activities.

The sandstone pavers are pictured with a dusting of snow. The street is hard on the village’s plowing equipment.

The board wants to hear from the public about the idea during the Aug. 26 board meeting that begins at 7 p.m. at the Village Hall.

Mayor Tim McMurray said bollards could be put at each end of the alley to keep out cars and trucks. He said the alley, if made more inviting with lights and signage, could be a popular spot for events, providing a boost to the downtown business district.

McMurray said the pavers may need to be reset to be a smoother surface for pedestrians. Weeds also sprout up between the blocks. Herbicides are typically sprayed to battle the weeds.

The street was paved until 2003. When the Pike Company in Rochester, a contractor for the state Department of Transportation, tore up routes 31 and 98 in Albion about two decades ago, there were sandstone pavers under the roads.

Ed Salvatore was the Albion mayor at the time and he negotiated having the Pike Company put 5,500 of the pavers in Beaver Alley. Salvatore said the Medina sandstone blocks provided a sharp contrast between the new style of road construction on Main Street with the style from a century earlier. He also wanted to preserve some local sandstone history and add another element to historic downtown.

Before asphalt and concrete, many of the streets were made of cut Medina sandstone blocks. Salvatore wanted Beaver Alley, a short one-lane street, to resemble a street from the late 1800s.

There have been complaints the street is bumpy and hard to drive on. The DPW says the pavers also damage snow plows.

Village officials envision the site as a possible entertainment area like Jackson Square in the City of Batavia, which hosts a popular concert series.

Project eyed for former fairgrounds site at west end of Washington Street and West State Street

The village zoning map shows the area in green between Washington and West State streets that is currently zoned for Mobile Home Park. It would need to be changed to R-C (Residential/Offices/Limited Business) to allow for a housing project.

ALBION – Land formerly used a horse racing track and the fairgrounds in Albion is being eyed for a 70-unit housing project in Albion.

The zoning for the land in the late 1990s was changed to a “Mobile Home Park” classification to allow for manufactured homes, but that project didn’t happen. The site at the west end of West State Street and Washington streets has remained vacant since.

CDS Monarch sees demand for housing in Albion and Orleans County. The company wants to develop 13.5 acres into a 70-unit housing project with 30 units for seniors and veterans, and the other 40 units for working families.

CDS is based in Webster. It has developed projects in Buffalo, Rochester, Elmira, Endicott and Cicero.

Michael Lill, project associate for CDS, said the company wants to build 8-unit flat level buildings. The company would like to have businesses on site as well, including a pharmacy.

The housing would not be Section 8 or for people in drug rehab, he said.

CDS said Orleans County faces an out-migration of residents, with a shortage of housing a factor in the exodus.

The Albion Village Board held a public hearing on the zoning change on Wednesday. An attorney for ARG spoke against the change, saying putting more housing in the area by ARG may not be the best fit for that area which also includes the village’s DPW facility and the Albion Correctional Facility. The attorney suggested the zoning be changed to light industrial.

The attorney also said the village had the wrong tax map information about the parcels to be rezoned as part of the public notice.

Village Clerk/Treasurer Tracy Van Skiver acknowledged there had been a typographical error on one of the parcels. It was corrected about a week ago on the village website and Facebook page. The Village Board adjourned the public hearing until 7 p.m. on Aug. 26 to ensure it meets the public notice required for the zoning change.

The village sent the zoning change to the Orleans County Planning Board for its input but the board didn’t meet last month due to insufficient items. That board’s decision won’t be required due to the board not meeting, Mayor Tim McMurray said.

He sees the project as a positive for the village and Orleans County, bringing in new investment and housing opportunities. The community has experienced increased homelessness, McMurray said, and the state is trying to increase housing opportunities for people of all backgrounds.

CDS said it will present a detailed site plan for the project if the zoning change is approved. That site plan would then be subject to review by the Village Planning Board and code enforcement officer.

CDS said it has completed a phase 1 environmental impact study and also a wetlands delineation for the site.

Bullard hosting picnic for senior citizens on Thursday

ALBION – The thunderstorm has forced the Village of Albion to reschedule this evening’s concert featuring Highway 31. The band will instead perform at 6 p.m. on Aug. 26 from the amphitheater at Bullard Park.

Bullard next week will host the band Swamp Moose beginning at 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 19.

The park on Thursday is hosting a picnic for senior citizens from 4 to 6:30 p.m. The Village of Albion Recreation Department is putting on the event at the east end pavilion at Bullard.

Food and beverages will be served, including chicken barbecue, hot dogs, hamburgers, cucumber, tomato, onion salad, coleslaw with a sweet vinaigrette, water, watermelon and peach apple cherry dump cake.

Live music will be provided by The Hastings Duo. Participants are welcome to bring their own lawn chair but picnic tables will be available.

Photos courtesy of Crosby’s and Reid Petroleum: Crosby’s employees joined officials at Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to celebrate the $20,432 raised at Crosby’s stores to support awareness, research and treatment for CF. The Albion store at the routes 31 and 98 raised the most of all the Crosby’s stores. Zoey, a local CF fighter, holds the ceremonial check.

Press Release, Crosby’s and Reid Petroleum

ALBION – Crosby’s and Reid Petroleum successfully concluded their 2026 campaign partnership with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, raising a total of $20,432 to support awareness, research and treatment for CF.

The donation was presented to representatives of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF), as well as Tim, Annelle, and Beth Royer, the grandparents and mother of Zoey – a local CF Fighter supported by the CFF and Crosby’s. The presentation took place at Crosby’s Albion location, which was recognized as the store that had raised the most during this year’s CF Awareness Campaign.

“When the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation was founded 71 years ago, children born with cystic fibrosis were generally not expected to live long enough to attend kindergarten or elementary school,” said Heather McKeever, executive director of the Cystic Fibrosis

Foundation of WNY. “Because of Crosby’s support along with our Western New York community and donors like you, the median age is now 66 years old, and people with cystic fibrosis continue to live longer and healthier lives. Together, we will make CF stand for ‘Cure Found’!”

Crosby’s received a plaque from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The presentation was made last Friday at the Albion store at 204 South Main St. Every year Crosby’s dedicates a campaign month among other outside efforts to raise money and awareness for Cystic Fibrosis, along with the guidance and partnership of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. This year once again, the Albion store raised the most money for CF over the course of our campaign.

Throughout the campaign, Crosby’s customers showed their support by:

• Rounding up at the register
• Purchasing $1 pinups

During the event, Crosby’s Vice President Lenny Smith spoke about the personal and community-wide importance of the partnership, sharing the words of his late friend, who both fought and advocated for CF: “That’s what hope looks like: science, compassionate care, family, and community all coming together. I truly believe that is what we’ve accomplished here.”

The Reid Group, based in Lockport encompasses Reid Stores, LLC d.b.a. Crosby’s and Reid Petroleum, LLC. Crosby’s operates 90 locations throughout Western New York and Northwestern Pennsylvania. Reid Petroleum is a full-service independent fuel marketer providing a comprehensive range of products and services for retail and wholesale customers.

The family-owned business traces its roots to 1922 and is led more than a century later by 3rd and 4th generation members along with over 1,000 dedicated associates.

Provided photo

ALBION – Albion’s Class of 1966 celebrated its 60^th reunion last Friday at the Tavern on the Ridge.

Sitting from left to right include Ann Moore Brown, Donna Howes, Jennifer Buckner Conley, Chris Butcher Matull and Debby Passarell.

Second row from left: Barbara Christopher Dunham, Marcia Telga Stornelli, Sandra Restivo Hinmin, Cris Eddy Haltom, Marie Davis Rice, Bruce Sidari, Rebecca Passarell Daniels, Pat Whipple Clark, Charles Craddock, Patricia Barnum McKenna, Marylin Clark Burgoon, Margie Roth Page, Patricia Mack Halt and Linda Pecorella Freas.

Back row from left: Mark Theodorakos, Tom Gardner, Ernie Katsampes, Robert Parke, Jack Kriss, Dave Canham, Wil Harris, Jack Batchellor, Jim Wells, Phil Coville, Dave Bieber and Mike Elam.

Press Release, Community Action of Orleans and Genesee

File photo by Tom Rivers: Renee Hungerford, executive director of Community Action of Orleans and Genesee, in shown in 2025 standing outside the Head Start school on East State Street in Albion.

ALBION – Community Action of Orleans and Genesee is currently assessing the impact of a significant reduction in federal Head Start funding that will affect the organization’s operations, staffing, and future planning.

The reduction totals nearly $1 million, representing approximately one-third of the agency’s Head Start funding. As Head Start accounts for more than half of Community Action of Orleans and Genesee’s overall operating budget, the impact extends beyond a single program and presents challenges for the organization as a whole.

“While this funding reduction is occurring within the Head Start program, it is important to understand that no challenge affects only one area of Community Action of Orleans and Genesee,” said Renee Hungerford, Executive Director/CEO. “We operate as one agency, and changes of this magnitude create ripple effects across our organization.”

In addition to the direct reduction in program funding, administrative funding associated with federal grants is also affected proportionally, creating further financial implications that must be carefully evaluated.

The funding reduction stems primarily from enrollment challenges that have affected Head Start programs in communities across the country. Locally, Community Action of Orleans and Genesee has found it increasingly difficult to maintain full enrollment as more families find themselves caught on the benefits cliff, earning too much to qualify for Head Start services while still not earning enough to comfortably afford childcare and other basic necessities.

These are often minimum wage earners. At the same time, the expansion of Universal Pre-K programs that provide transportation has become the most practical option for many families. Community Action of Orleans and Genesee’s current funding structure makes it increasingly difficult to sustain the cost of busing, creating an additional challenge in serving families who need reliable transportation for their children.

“Our families are making the best decisions they can for their children,” Hungerford said. “When transportation is provided through another program, parents often have little choice but to enroll there. Unfortunately, the current funding model does not adequately account for the rising costs of transportation, facilities, insurance, supplies, and utilities, making it increasingly difficult to sustain services while remaining competitive with other early childhood programs.”

While enrollment has declined, Hungerford emphasized that the funding reduction is not a reflection of program performance or community need.

“The reality is that Head Start remains critically important in our community,” Hungerford said. “The challenge is that eligibility rules and economic realities have changed. Many working families no longer qualify even though they continue to struggle financially. At the same time, transportation has become an increasingly important factor in parents’ choice of early childhood programs.”

Hungerford also noted that Head Start provides far more than preschool services.

“Head Start is much more than Pre-K,” she said. “It is a comprehensive child and family development program. We provide education, health screenings, dental referrals, family support services, and resources that help parents achieve greater stability and independence. The impact extends well beyond the classroom.”

During Program Year 2025-2026, Community Action of Orleans and Genesee’s Head Start program demonstrated significant outcomes for children and families:

• 32% of preschool children successfully transitioned to kindergarten with improved school readiness skills, while another 42% will return for a second year of Head Start services to continue their development.
• 100% of enrolled children received preventive health screenings.
• 76 children were brought up to date on age-appropriate immunizations through coordination with healthcare providers.
• 49% of Head Start children received dental examinations and follow-up care in a region where access to pediatric dental services remains extremely limited.
• 80% of families participated in family engagement activities.
• 100% of families established and made progress toward family partnership goals related to employment, education, parenting, school readiness, housing stability, or financial well-being.

Community Action of Orleans and Genesee also notes that federal funding reductions are typically calculated using a per-child formula. However, those calculations do not adequately account for fixed costs that continue regardless of enrollment levels, including facilities, transportation, utilities, insurance, regulatory compliance, educational materials, and other operational expenses. As a result, the financial impact of enrollment-based funding reductions often exceeds what the formula suggests.

Community Action of Orleans and Genesee’s leadership team is actively reviewing all available options and advocating for every opportunity to lessen the impact of the reduction. Hungerford has begun reaching out to federal, state, and local elected officials to seek assistance and support in protecting critical services that benefit children, families, and communities throughout the region.

“This funding reduction affects far more than our organization,” Hungerford said. “It impacts the children we educate, the families we support, and the communities our elected officials serve. I am asking our federal, state, and local leaders to work with us to protect these vital resources for their constituents and help ensure that vulnerable families do not bear the burden of these cuts.”

Hungerford also expressed gratitude for the support already received from local leaders.

“We are thankful to Orleans County Legislature Chairman Lynne Johnson for her support of our advocacy efforts and her recognition of the importance of preserving these resources for our community,” Hungerford said. “Strong partnerships with local elected officials are critical as we work together to protect services that benefit children, families, and vulnerable residents throughout Orleans County and Genesee County.”

The agency is conducting a thorough assessment of financial and operational implications while pursuing every available avenue to preserve funding and minimize impacts on employees, services, and the families who depend on Community Action of Orleans and Genesee’s programs.

“These are difficult conversations, and we recognize the uncertainty they create for our staff, our families, and our community partners,” Hungerford said. “Our commitment is to approach every decision thoughtfully, strategically, and with the long-term sustainability of the agency in mind.”

Despite this challenge, Community Action of Orleans and Genesee remains focused on its mission and its commitment to helping local residents overcome barriers and achieve self-sufficiency.

“Community Action has weathered challenges before, and what has always carried us forward is the strength of our people,” Hungerford said. “Every day, our staff make a meaningful difference in the lives of children, families, and individuals across our communities. We remain committed to serving those who depend on us.”

Community Action of Orleans and Genesee will continue to provide updates as additional information becomes available and decisions are made.