By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 September 2016 at 12:08 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – This section of the sidewalk in front of the Lake Country Pennysaver at 170 North Main Street was removed and a new one will be put in that meets Americans with Disabilities Act standards for slope pitch, the state Department of Transportation said.
There are eight sidewalks that are receiving some work to meet ADA standards on Route 98 in Albion. Keeler Construction is doing the work for the DOT.
The sidewalks are an add-on to the paving project that is nearly done on 5 miles of Route 98 in Albion, from Route 104 going south.
Keeler started the $2.3 million paving project the week of July 18, from Route 31A to Route 104. The 5-mile section of highway has been milled and paved with new asphalt from curb to curb.
New pavement markings also have been added, and bicycle and shared lanes will be indicated through the village of Albion.
The project also includes rumble strips on the center line and the shoulders along the stretches of Route 98 that do not run through the village. Tactile strips on sidewalk ramps at intersections also will be included to be ADA compliant.
This section of the sidewalk is at the northwest section on the sidewalk by the Main Street lift bridge. Some of the sidewalks were too steep or didn’t have the proper angles and pitches on the ramps. Some sidewalks in Albion will be sanded down less than an inch to meet ADA standards, the DOT said.
Route 98 now includes bike symbols to direct people on bicycles and remind motorists to share the road. This photo was taken on Sunday during the Sept. 11 memorial service was a section of Route 98 was closed and a giant American flag hung from the Albion and Medina ladder trucks.
The paving project should be complete next week after final striping, with yellow and white lines.
By Matthew Ballard, Orleans County Historian Posted 12 September 2016 at 8:36 am
Site was precursor to Albion Correctional Facility, the current women’s prison
Photos courtesy of Orleans County Department of History: These images taken in the early quarter of the 20th century show some of the inner workings of the institution. A group of young women are shown posing with cups of soap in preparation to do laundry.
“Overlooked Orleans” – Volume 2, Issue 37
Nearly 125 years ago, the Western House of Refuge was constructed on farmland located west of the village of Albion.
It was largely due to the work of E. K. Hart that this location was selected as the site for this new establishment, which was opened on Dec. 8, 1893. For nearly a month, the institution went without receiving a single inmate until the first woman was “brought in” during the early part of January 1894.
The House of Refuge provides insight into an interesting period in the U.S. penal system. Women ages 16 to 30 who were charged with crimes ranging from petit larceny to public intoxication, prostitution, or “waywardness” would find themselves confined to the Refuge for a period of three to five years.
During a time when crimes of a sexual nature, such as prostitution, provided a double standard in society between males and females, women were sent to the House of Refuge by cuckolded husbands or families.
This image shows a group of children, those born to “inmates” at the House of Refuge. Many women who entered the institution were there under unfortunate circumstances and some of the babies were born as a result of those circumstances.
In its earliest years the House of Refuge would have fit the character of a minimum security institution where the grounds were surrounded by a short fence, far from the chain-link fence and razor wire used at prisons today. The goal of the institution was to train women in the various domestic duties assumed by good wives and housekeepers.
The fundamental belief was that by providing a basic grade-school education along with vocational training in sewing, knitting, cooking, laundry, and good etiquette, women would be well equipped to marry or enter into employment as a housekeeper upon their release.
This image shows the women receiving instruction in “domestic science” taught by Mrs. Ruth Webster Howard. The House of Refuge had both gas ranges and coal/wood stoves to prepare women for work in homes with either setup.
Here are a few interesting happenings and crimes involving women at the Western House of Refuge:
• 1894 – All of the inmates escaped from the Western House of Refuge through a second story window. Of course, the institution was only open for one month and the population consisted of three inmates.
• 1910 – Six young women escape from the House of Refuge and are chased to Albion by attendants of the institution. The women arm themselves with clubs and stones in an effort to confront their pursuers. Eugene Mahoney, the engineer at the House of Refuge is struck in the head with a rock and knocked unconscious. To avoid capture, the women threaten to throw themselves in front of an oncoming freight train but are apprehended before they are able to follow through on their threat.
• 1914 – Alice Stearns, 18, and Margaret Trapasso, 20, of Buffalo escape while hanging clothes outside; they were left unattended only for a few moments.
• 1915 – Antoinette Carron, a Utica woman, is sentenced to three years at the Western House of Refuge for stealing $1,000 worth of fine laces, embroidery, silks, feathers, and other expensive apparel.
• 1931 – Eva Young and Rose Babyak of Jamestown escape from the Western House of Refuge and were later arrested with an accused murderer and thief named Lyman Miller at Buffalo.
• In another case, date unknown, a 17-year-old girl was sentenced to three years at the House of Refuge after she was taken advantage of and “ruined” by a 38 year old man whom she was working for as a domestic servant. The man was sentenced to four months of hard labor; a fine example of the double standards of the time.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 September 2016 at 11:22 am
File photos by Tom Rivers: The ladder trucks from the Albion and Medina fire departments hold up a giant American flag during a Sept. 11 memorial service last year in Albion.
ALBION – Sunday will be the 15th anniversary of the Sept. 11, terrorist attacks where nearly 3,000 people were killed when four planes were hijacked and crashed into the World Trade Center buildings, the Pentagon and a field in rural Pennsylvania.
Larry Montello, a leader in the American Legion in Orleans County, has been organizing annual memorial services on Sept. 11.
He also pushed for monuments about the tragic day. Those monuments were unveiled five years ago on Sept. 11 and they are placed on the Courthouse lawn, Medina’s Rotary Park and the Legion in Albion.
“It’s part of history,” Montello said about the Sept. 11 attacks. “We can’t forget especially because it was something that happened close by.”
There will be a 10 a.m. memorial service on Sunday at the Elk’s Club on West State Street. Local firefighters, police officers, paramedics and other first responders will be part of the service, as well as local and state legislators.
Local veterans were part of the memorial ceremony Sept. 11, 2015 outside the Orleans County Courthouse by the 9-11 memorial.
Montello said the community is welcome to attend the ceremony. Later on Sunday, there will be a candlelight vigil outside the Courthouse at 6 p.m.
Montello said firefighters form throughout the county have been invited for the services. (There were 343 firefighters who died on Sept. 11 in New York City.)
Montello wants to remember the victims from the terrorist attacks, and also thank “local heroes” for being on the front lines of local emergencies.
He urged residents to proudly display flags on Sunday in memory of the victims, and in support of first responders.
He thanked the Elk’s Club and Orleans County government for hosting the services on Sunday. Local Boy Scouts and the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) also are assisting with the events.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 September 2016 at 10:01 am
ALBION – Students make a dash from school buses to the Ronald L. Sodoma Elementary School this morning, the first day of school at Albion Central School.
Today is also the first day for Medina and Holley students. Kendall and Lyndonville kicked off the school year on Tuesday.
Now that school has resumed, the New York State Sheriffs’ Association reminds drivers it is illegal to pass a stopped school bus with red lights flashing from either direction. Before a school bus activates the red lights, yellow lights give a warning that the bus will stop shortly and the red lights will come on.
It is also illegal to pass a stopped school bus in a school parking lot when the red lights are flashing. Drivers should obey signs, signals, and crossing guards in school zones. Slow down, especially around bus stops and in school zones, during before and after school hours.
Stay alert behind the wheel. Avoid use of electronic devices and other distracting behaviors while driving. Look for and expect to see pedestrians and bicyclists, especially before and after school.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 September 2016 at 7:47 am
Photos courtesy of Bruce Landis
Contractors have been busy this summer at Albion and Kendall school districts replacing roofs at both school districts. The top photo shows work at the new front entrance to the junior-senior high school at Kendall.
Bruce Landis of Photo by Bruce in Albion took photos from up high of the new roofs.
Kendall has replaced roofs on both the elementary school and junior-senior high school buildings as part of the capital project that included many other upgrades and improvements to the school campus. Elmer W. Davis of Rochester did the roof work $5,782,177.
Albion tackled about $2.5 million of roof work over the summer. J & B Installations replaced about two-thirds of the roof on the middle school (pictured) and about half of the elementary school roof over the summer.
This photo shows nearly the entire Albion school campus, where school starts on Wednesday.
Eight Boy Scouts from Troop 164 in Albion, along with four advisors, covered more than 100 miles backpacking on a 10-day trip to the Philmont Scout Ranch, a High Adventure Base in Cimarron, New Mexico.
This photo shows the Scouts and their advisors. Front row kneeling, from left: Daniel Grabowski and Freeman Lattin. Back row: Dr. Tom Madejski, John Kast, Paul Pettit, Tyler Kast, Noah Shiffer, Harrison Brown, Caleb Pettit, Nick Fleming and Joe Madejski. Eric Brown, who took the photo, also was an advisor.
Harrison Brown tests his climbing skills.
The hiking trip included elevations between 7,000 and 12,500 feet. Along the way the boys engaged in various activities such as rock climbing, panning for gold, spar pole climbing, shot gun shooting, burro racing, challenge courses, horseback riding, metal forging and a conservation project where they helped blaze a new hiking trail for future scouts to use.
The Scouts left Aug. 7 and returned Aug. 20. Here are some other highlights from the trip.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 September 2016 at 10:06 am
Company with Canadian roots is Orleans County Chamber of Commerce ‘Business of the Year’
Photo by Tom Rivers: Matt Beadle, plant manager for Freeze-Dry Foods in Albion, and Karen Richardson, president and co-owner of the company, are pictured with some of the Freeze-Dry products.
ALBION – In 1999, soon after the former Ontario Foods left Albion for a bigger plant in Medina, Freeze-Dry Foods moved into the Albion site on East Avenue, a sprawling site that used to be home to Lipton’s.
Ontario Foods (now Associated Brands) was a Freeze-Dry customer and the Canada-based company welcomed the chance to make its products in Albion at a site that has long been used for food processing.
Matt Beadle, plant manager, and Karen Richardson, co-owner and president, are pictured outside the Freeze-Dry plant in Albion that has a long history of food production, from Lipton’s to Ontario Foods and now Freeze-Dry.
Freeze-Dry has steadily grown in the past 17 years, overhauling the plant, adding new product lines and committing to a long future in Albion.
The Orleans County Chamber of Commerce has recognized Freeze-Dry Foods as the 2016 Business of the Year. The company and other Chamber award winners will be recognized on Sept. 16 at The Village Inn.
Albion has been a good fit for Freeze-Dry, said Karen Richardson, company president and co-owner.
“We like the location,” she said. “We’re only a couple hours away from Canada and we’re close to many customers. We’re in a transportation hub.”
Richardson said she expects more investments in the Albion plant and workforce as the company continues to grow.
Freeze-Dry has benefitted from many dedicated workers, including three current managers who started at entry level positions, Richardson said.
Provided photo: Freeze-Dry employees are pictured Friday after a picnic when the company celebrated being picked as the Chamber’s Business of the Year.
Freeze-Dry has 60 employees and has strived to reward them, plant manager Matt Beadle said. Twice the company has raised pay scales the past two years, and also has employees taking leadership and professional development classes at Genesee Community College in Albion.
The company had an employee picnic and celebration on Friday with nearly everyone wearing T-shirts noting that Freeze-Dry was picked as Business of the Year.
Beadle said the company had a recent job fair and 35 people showed up to fill out applications.
“The word is definitely getting out that we have good substantial jobs,” Beadle said.
The company, based in Oakville, Ontario, is one of the few freeze dry companies in the United States. (The technique dehydrates frozen foods so the moisture content changes directly from a solid to a gaseous form. The product maintains its original size and shape with a minimum of cell rupture. Removing moisture prevents a product from deteriorating at room temperature.)
Matt Beadle holds a new Campfire Meals product line launched last year by Freeze-Dry. The meals are in pouches and are ready by simply adding hot water.
Freeze-Dry has added new drying chambers because of increased demand. This year it plans to modernize the controls on its refrigeration systems, which follows a recent effort to install LED lights throughout the building. The new lights and refrigeration controls, as well as recirculated water, reduce the company’s energy draw, Beadle said, making the plant more sustainable.
Beadle joined Freeze-Dry two years ago. He says the employees and owners are committed to excellence, and building a stronger company.
“I see a lot of potential here,” he said. “I see a chance to grow a great business.”
Freeze-Dry declined to show how it makes its products, citing proprietary issues. The plant is certified by the United States Department of Agriculture.
The company specializes in freeze-dried meat & seafood to include poultry, beef, ham, sausage crumbles, pork, pizza toppings, flavored beef and pork, and numerous types of fish & seafood, Beadle said.
The products have a shelf life of up to 25 years because Freeze-Dry eliminates moisture and oxygen, while preserving nutrients, flavor, taste, color and aroma.
Beadle said Freeze-Dry food tastes better than competitors in China partly because of the meat and other ingredients used by Freeze-Dry. Beadle said the company strives to use ingredients that are locally sourced in the United States.
Karen Richardson holds a popular Freeze-Dry product: an emergency “Bug-out bag” that has a backpack, emergency food supply, and gear for short-term survival situations.
Freeze-Dry works with several major food companies, and also has worked to grow its own line of products, including camping/backpacking meals, a line of meals called Piper’s that can be prepared in an office, and emergency food products that are sold as part of survival kits. (Click here to see the Freeze-Dry product line.)
Beadle’s office has a hunting décor, with deer heads mounted on the wall. He has attended outdoor shows, including a recent major event in Utah. The campfire meals come in pouches with 12 different meal options that easy to prepare by adding hot water. The product hit the market last year and was developed in Albion, Beadle said.
“We did all the R & D right here,” Beadle said.
The product, and others made by Freeze-Dry, can be purchased at the Albion plant, 111 West Ave.
Beadle also thinks the company has a winner with the Pipers product, a three-pack of meals that are targeted for time-crunched office workers. The meals – rice & pulled pork, lasagna with meat sauce, rice and chicken tortilla – can be ready in 10 minutes with Keurig coffee machine that adds hot water.
“This is a real meal,” Beadle said. “It’s not astronaut food.”
Freeze-Dry also just started kosher food, and is looking to give back more to the community. It recently donated more than $10,000 of food to the Open Door Mission in Rochester.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 September 2016 at 4:08 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – All of the gas pumps are currently out of service at the Crosby’s in Albion after a driver backed into one of the pumps, knocking it over at about 3:30 p.m.
The safety valves kicked in and prevented gas from spewing at the scene, Albion Fire Chief Harry Papponetti said.
Crosby’s turned off the service at all of the pumps after the incident. No information was available on when service was expected to be restored.
ALBION – The union representing corrections officers at the Orleans Correctional Facility today presented a check for $500 to the Knights-Kaderli Memorial Fund, which assists cancer patients and their families in Orleans County. The fund helps families pay for nutritional supplements and prescriptions, as well as medical supplies and bills.
Corrections officers are pictured with Stacey Pellicano, a representative from Knights-Kaderli. The corrections officers include, from left: Matt Lamar, Craig Stalker, Kenny Gold and Bob Andelora. Gold, a union representative for the officers, said members gave of their money to support Knights-Kaderli.
“They’re a community based organization and we’re part of the community,” Gold said. “We want to keep our money in the community and support organizations that do a lot of good.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 September 2016 at 5:55 pm
GOMOC delivers about 700 couches, refrigerators, other items a year
Photo by Tom Rivers: Laverne Bates executive director of the Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern, stands by the furniture truck that has been sidelined due to engine trouble, bad brakes and other breakdowns.
ALBION — A popular local program that connects used donated furniture and appliances with needy recipients has come to a standstill.
The Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern has been using a 2004 GMC Savana van. The vehicle has about 160,000 miles and needs another engine, and other costly repairs totaling $8,000.
“It’s been in deteriorating mechanical health,” said Laverne Bates, executive director for the Ministry of Concern, which is known as ‘The Agency of Last Resort.”
The Ministry of Concern would prefer to buy a used vehicle for about $10,000. That could get a delivery truck with about 100,000 miles.
The Ministry of Concern doesn’t have the money for either repairs or another vehicle. Donations from the community will be needed to get the furniture program back on the road.
The delivery vehicle has been sidelined for three weeks now. Thursday morning two people called to donate items. There are about 100 people on a waiting list for furniture and appliances – refrigerators, stoves, washers and dryers.
“These are costly items that can be nearly impossible for poor and working poor families to afford new and even harder to locate in second-hand stores,” Bates said.
The furniture program is the costliest effort by the Ministry of Concern. It accounts for about $50,000 of the agency’s annual budget of about $180,000. Two part-time employees run the furniture program, which on average makes deliveries to 23 families each month or nearly 300 a year.
Bates and Nyla Gaylord, GOMOC’s grant writer, say there is a rising number of working poor in the community who can use the furniture and appliances that are given by others.
The Ministry of Concern provides the important service of picking up the items and matching them to a different owner. GOMOC also has a storage area on Platt Street for many of the items.
Bates said the program often comes through with dressers and beds for families, including those who have suffered fires, flooding and infestations. Sometimes families are in transition due to domestic violence, job loss or other family issues, he said.
Bates was happy this morning when a check for $100, the first donation towards the van, arrived in the mail.
Donors should send checks marked “Furniture Truck” to GOMOC, 121 N. Main St., Albion, NY 14411. For more information on GOMOC, visit www.ministryofconcern.com, or call the agency at (585) 589-9210.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 31 August 2016 at 10:23 am
Local organization now beneficiary instead of American Cancer Society
File photos by Tom Rivers The Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk at Watt Farms drew big crowds to the farm on Route 98 for a walk through the orchard. This photo is at the beginning of the walk in October 2013.
ALBION – In 11 years, a breast cancer awareness and benefit walk at Watt Farms raised $350,000 for the American Cancer Society.
The event is changing its focus. The beneficiary will now be Cancer Services of Genesee and Orleans, a group based in Batavia that serves people battling all types of cancers. That organization pushes to provide mammograms, colonoscopies and other services to people underinsured or without insurance.
That mission is more in line with Karen Watt’s focus. She wants more help for local residents and their families facing the cancer health crisis.
Watt, a breast cancer survivor who was diagnosed in 2005, also wanted to expand the walk’s mission to assist people fighting all types of cancer.
The walk will shift from a pink theme for breast cancer to a purple color to represent all cancers during the event at Watt Farms on Oct. 29. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. with the walk starting at 10 a.m.
“We wanted to make it more local and to step up preventive services,” Watt said.
Kevin Dann and other Holley firefighters have been regular participants in the walk at Watt Farms. They are pictured last October.
She wanted to partner with an organization that serves Orleans and Genesee counties because she said many of the participants on the walk have been from outside Orleans in Genesee County.
Watt is chairman of the board of directors for Oak Orchard Health, which has healthcare sites in Albion, Lyndonville, Brockport, Warsaw and Hornell, as well as a mobile dental unit.
Oak Orchard is a sponsor of the Oct. 29 walk, and so is Orleans Community Health, which runs Medina Memorial Hospital, the Urgent Care site in Albion, Dialysis Centers in Batavia and Medina, and other health services in Orleans County.
The Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk was a big draw to Watt Farms, sometimes with crowds of nearly 1,000 people.
Watt isn’t sure what to expect on Oct. 29. She hopes the community will continue to support and participate in the event.
For more on the walk, including registration information, click here.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 31 August 2016 at 7:49 am
ALBION – For nine years Bonnie Velez has been awarding a $250 fine arts scholarship to a graduating senior. Velez started the scholarship as a memorial to her son, Brandon Bruski, who was 18 when he was killed in a car accident.
Brandon Bruski in his senior picture in 2006.
Brandon graduated from Albion in 2006. He was a hard worker with a creative side. He enjoyed art. He had just finished his first year at Monroe Community College, when he fell asleep while driving and was in a fatal crash. He was also working with his mother at the Bonduelle vegetable packing facility in Brockport.
“He was a good kid,” Velez said. “It’s been horrible losing him.”
Velez has collected bottles, including many left at her East Park Street home as donations, to help pay for the annual award.
Velez decides the recipient of the scholarship. She reviews student’s portfolios, their collections of photography and paintings. She also looks over their report cards and wants to know college plans.
Rick Ebbs was Brandon’s Little League coach when he played for the American League team. Brandon was a hard-working player and a great teammate, Ebbs said.
He has become friends with Brandon’s family and Ebbs suggested a spaghetti dinner would raise money for the Brandon Bruski Memorial Scholarship. That idea has turned into a Sept. 24 event at the St. Mary’s Athletic Club on 538 Moore St., where Ebbs is a member.
The 3 to 7 p.m. dinner includes a basket raffle and 50/50 raffles. The goal is to raise $5,000 so the scholarship can be endowed with $250 given away every year.
“It will mean a lot the family to keep it going forever,” Ebbs said. “It can be done.”
Velez said she appreciates Ebbs and several other people stepping forward to help with the event.
Dinners are available at the door the day of the event or presale by calling Velez at 589-4688, Ebbs at 507-9171, Pam Taylor at 331-0863, Linda Lewis at 261-2191 or Debbie O’Mara at 590-6104.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 August 2016 at 11:38 am
ALBION — In July the Albion Police Department launched a new “Caught Doing Good” program where police officers would ticket kids who were spotted doing good deeds in the community.
The tickets are actually coupons for free ice cream. The Albion Betterment Committee is paying for the frozen treat. Initially the program teamed with The Frosty Bucket on Main Street. But that business has since closed. Now the coupons are redeemable at Cone Zone, a popular stop on Route 31 across from the Albion Central School campus.
The tickets are good for a $3 ice cream, with the Betterment Committee paying $2 and the Cone Zone, owned by Karen and Chris Kinter, covering the rest.
Pictured include, from left: Chris Kinter, ABC directors Joe Gehl and Gary Kent, Lt. David Mogle of the Albion Police Department, and ABC director Gary Derwick.
The Betterment Committee and Police Department hope the tickets will build trust in the community for police among children and teens. Police leaders say officers have their own discretion in recognizing kids. It won’t be used for kids who help police in investigations, Police Chief Roland Nenni said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 August 2016 at 5:07 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – The Albion Betterment Committee presented two landscape awards to businesses on Friday. Christopher Mitchell Funeral Homes and Dunkin Donuts were both recognized “for their commitment to the betterment of Albion.”
The top photo shows ABC directors – Gary Kent, Gary Derwick and Joe Gehl – presenting the award to Josh Mitchell, a funeral director at Christopher Mitchell.
Josh manages the grounds at both Albion and Holley. Josh joined the family business in 2011. He mows and waters the lawn, plants flowers, and pulls weeds. Soon after he started at Christopher Mitchell, Josh put up hanging baskets with flowers at the back entrance of the funeral home on Route 31.
“I want to make it colorful and feel homey,” he said about the property.
His father David said he is impressed how Josh has been so committed to the lawns at the funeral homes.
“He’s always been detail-oriented,” David said. “That’s why he is good at his job. It’s nice to see someone young take pride in their surroundings.”
Dunkin’ Donuts opened in August 2014, building a new store after taking down a dilapidated warehouse on South Main Street. The Betterment Committee said Dunkin’ represents a big improvement visually for the street, and the company has been committed to its landscape.
The following are pictured, from left: Joe Gehl; Gary Kent; Dave Eckhart, director of operations for 34 Dunkin’ stores from Medina to Syracuse; Albion store manager Tamara Gaita; and Gary Derwick.
Dunkin’ has an underground irrigation system that turns on at 4 a.m. every day.
ABC for the second year in a row has presented the awards, honoring a locally owned company and a corporate franchise. Last year, the Betterment Committee gave the awards to Albion Agencies and Burger King.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 August 2016 at 1:10 pm
Photo by Tom Rivers Kelly and Jay Kovaleski, both Albion teachers, are running a new program to help people focus on goals and find their passion in life. They are pictured by the “Perseverance” crayon in front of the elementary school.
ALBION – Nicholas Kovaleski was remarkably determined, even as a teenager, working towards his goals in football, swimming and tennis, and giving of himself by helping at home and through Boy Scouts.
Nicholas adopted “Live with Purpose” as his motto when he was 11.
He was courageous in his fight against leukemia. The community rallied around him and his family, with many people wearing “Live with Purpose” bracelets and T-shirts.
Nicholas was just 15 when he died from the disease on June 29, 2011.
Nick’s parents want to share “Live with Purpose” with others, helping people identify and reach their goals and passions.
“It’s about discovering talents,” said Kelly Kovaleski, an academic intervention teacher at the elementary school. “It’s about healthy decision making.”
Nicholas was very goal-driven and put in the hard work and dedication. That extra effort can be the difference in excelling, his mother said.
“It just takes that little extra effort to go from ordinary to extraordinary,” she said.
The family has awarded scholarships in Nicholas’s name to graduates who have a record of community service and who “Live with Purpose.”
Provided photos: Nicholas Kovaleski pushed himself when he competed in swimming, tennis and football.
Now, the Kovaleskis through workshops and presentations believe they can help people work towards their goals.
They use a compass and ask participants to list people and activities that have a positive influence on them. That represents “North.” Those are the people and things that “have your heart,” Mrs. Kovaleski said.
South can be those choices and people who pull you off course – “the detours of life,” Mr. Kovaleski said.
East represents the future and west is the past. Mrs. Kovaleski said many people have unresolved grief. She has used journaling and prayer for comfort since her son’s loss.
Mr. Kovaleski takes an early morning run to process emotions and have his quiet time. Mr. Kovaleski, a physical education teacher and coach at Albion, would like to share the message with youth groups, schools, churches – people of all ages.
“This is about finding our way in life,” he said. “Using the compass you can live with purpose.”
Kovaleski is a tennis and swimming coach at Albion and will be recognized next week with the Sportsmanship Award for Section 6. The family has set up a Website for Live with Purpose. Click here for more information.
The Kovaleski family includes parents Kelly and Jay, and Michayla (holding picture of her brother Nicholas), Matthew (back left) and Thomas.
