By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 November 2024 at 7:54 pm
37,000 pounds of produce delivered to Community Action last year by FFA
Photo by Tom Rivers: Albion FFA students, alumni and other volunteers unload vehicles and trailers on Dec. 9 last year. Scott Oldenburg, left, is the Albion FFA advisor. Kaitlynn Basinait, second from left, is the FFA president.
ALBION – The FFA chapter in Albion is again organizing a big food drive from the agricultural community. Last year, farmers donated 37,000 pounds of produce for the FFA food drive.
That food was collected by the FFA at the high school and then delivered to Community Action of Orleans & Genesee on State Street in Albion.
About 25 different food pantries were able to share the food.
The FFA started the food drive in 2010 with 3,000 pounds in the first effort and it typically tops 30,000 pounds in more recent years. The record is 53,000 pounds in 2020.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 November 2024 at 9:17 pm
Photos by Marsha Rivers
ALBION – The Albion High School band and chorus performed a patriotic concert for veterans on Thursday evening.
In the top photo, Elliott Michki, the vocal music teacher, directs the chorus. Kathleen Same is the accompanist.
The concert was a musical celebration of the United States and veterans, featuring American music and American composers.
The concert including the singing of the national anthem, led by the Mixed Chorus. Mickey Edwards, the district superintendent, then recognized the veterans in attendance.
The Mixed Chorus also sang “In Flanders Fields,” “A Tribute to the Armed Forces,” and “Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor.”
The Concert Band led by instrumental music director Mike Thaine performed the “Monterey March,” “Song of Operation Desert Storm,” and “Sparks.”
The combined Mixed Chorus, Concert Band and audience joined for “America the Beautiful.”
The concert included the premiere of a new composition, “Song of Operation Desert Storm.” It was written by the Moses Sherman, who led the Albion marching band from 1950 to 1975. Sherman passed away in 1997. His family recently discovered the song he wrote and four of the family members sang, including great-grandson Hunter Zambito, son Alec Sherman, great-granddaughter Keira Zambito and granddaughter Megan Zambito.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 November 2024 at 9:10 pm
UdderWays developed by Neal family wins 2nd place in Grow-NY competition
Provided photo: Zachary Neal and his father Jody Neal discuss UdderWays during the Grow-NY competition held in Ithaca the past two days. Jody’s son Jayden also is part of the UdderWays team.
ALBION – An Albion family won second place and $500,000 in the Grow-NY competition featuring 20 finalists in food and agriculture startups from around the world.
UdderWays LLC in Albion was developed by Jody Neal and his sons, Zachary and Jayden. They competed with 19 other finalists for a combined total of $3 million in prize money from the Grow-NY business competition. It is focused on enhancing the emerging food, beverage and agriculture innovation cluster in upstate New York.
There were 312 startups that applied from 26 states and 50 countries for the competition. UdderWays made the 20 finalists and emerged as one of the top winners.
UdderWays last January finished second in an agricultural innovation challenge at the American Farm Bureau Federation annual meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah. They won $20,000 at that event.
The Neals have developed a new system to sanitize and prepare udders for milking. The Neals worked on their udder cleaning system for nearly a decade. The device is used just before a cow is milked. Their invention uses a unique, brushless technology to gently stimulate cows and ensure clean and dry teats.
Jody Neal is a partner a Poverty Hill Farms in Albion, a dairy farm on West County House Road. His sons were active in the Orleans County 4-H Robotics program, where they learned programming and tech skills as part of a team that competed in the Rochester region.
The winners in the Grow-NY competition include:
$1 million grand prize winner: Unibaio of New York City offers naturally derived particles that trap the active ingredients of pesticides, fertilizers, and phytosanitary, enabling them to penetrate plants more efficiently.
$500K winner: PureNanoTech – From Parsippany, N.J., PureNanoTech created a nanobubble irrigation solution to maximize irrigation performance and optimize energy usage in the agriculture, pond and lake restoration, wastewater treatment, and disinfection industries.
$500K winner: UdderWays – From Albion, the UdderWays uses a unique, brushless technology to gently stimulate cows and ensure clean and dry teats. With the startup’s patented vortex-style application, farmers can achieve consistent stimulation and effortlessly promote milk letdown.
$250K winner: Clean Crop Technologies – Based in Holyoke, M.A., it combines electricity and food-grade gasses to remove pathogens from seeds before they are planted, increasing yields, reducing waste, and improving food safety without preservatives.
$250K winner: ClearLeaf – Based in San José, Costa Rica, ClearLeaf offers safe fungicides and bactericides protects soil and crops from a wide range of pre- and post-harvest pathogens, without harming the environment or human health.
$250K winner: For Bitter For Worse – The Portland, Oregon company has a distillery using certified organic, locally farmed ingredients to create a healthier, more inclusive culture with their non-alcoholic cocktails.
$250K winner: Zordi of Oakfield in Genesee County Zordi builds autonomous greenhouses with robots and AI to make delicious, high-quality produce available anywhere.
Press Release and photo from Community Action of Orleans & Genesee
ALBION – Community Action of Orleans & Genesee is pleased to announce the return of its “Wishing Tree” at Main Street Corner Thrifts, Gifts, and More this November, offering community members a unique way to support those in need during the holiday season.
Beginning the first week of November, the Wishing Tree will be adorned with special coupons and anonymous wishes that provide a helping hand to community members who may be facing hardships this season.
The Wishing Tree invites individuals to purchase coupons in-store or online that can be redeemed by others in need. These coupons include practical items such as two pairs of socks, a winter jacket, or $5 toward clothing or gift purchases. All purchased coupons will be hung on the Wishing Tree, offering immediate assistance to those who need it most.
In addition to the coupons, the Wishing Tree will hold anonymous wishes submitted by community members. After filling out a short intake form, individuals can share a wish that will be posted on the tree for adoption by others. Once a wish is fulfilled, the gift will be brought to Main Street Corner Thrifts, Gifts, and More for pickup.
“We are thrilled to bring the Wishing Tree back this year, especially after seeing the impact it had on our community last holiday season,” said Cassie Healy, store manager. “This year, we’ve made it even easier for people to participate by adding online links for those who may not be able to visit the store in person. Every act of kindness helps, and we’re excited to see our community come together again to support one another.”
To purchase a coupon online, community members can use the following links:
Coupons purchased online will be hung on the tree by Community Action staff, and anonymous wishes will be updated on the Community Action Facebook page. Any extra coupons will be distributed to other Community Action locations and local warming shelters, extending the reach of support throughout the region.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 November 2024 at 6:30 pm
Students boogie in protest in ‘Do You Want To Dance?’
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – The Albion High School Drama Department performs “Do You Want To Dance?” on Friday evening in the Albion Middle School Auditorium. The cast of about 30 also has two shows today at noon and 7 p.m.
The show is co-directed by Elliott Michki, Kailey Winans and Kathy Winans.
In the musical, Mayor Pete Lightfoot (Sawyer Brigham) reads a decree that there will be a tax on dancing. The town of SnapHappy, Ohio, revels in the joy of singing and dancing.
The mayor’s wife, Mona Lightfoot (Keira Zambito), leads the charge against taxing dancing.
SnapHappy kids keep dancing in protest and end up jailed.
The kids of the town continue to push back on the decree by boogieing. From left in front include Lily Brigham, Bradyn Whittier and Ella Trupo.
Chloe Mosele as Brandi, in front, and the cast sing “Walking on Sunshine “ in this scene. In back from left are Makenzie Cook, Madalyn Ashbery and Olivia Andrews.
The cast performs to “Dancing Machine.” From left Carly Smith and Kamryn Simmons.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 October 2024 at 3:00 pm
Bob Gibbs doesn’t shy away from tough jobs
Photos by Tom Rivers: Bob Gibbs, owner of the Environmental Construction Group in Albion, is shown inside the warehouse for company at 14109 Route 31, Albion.
ALBION – Bob Gibbs used to tag along with his father, helping him at construction jobs. Bob Gibbs Sr. was a local contractor and builder.
The elder Gibbs had a house on Brown Street, and at age 19, his son bought it and took on his first project by himself. For two years Gibbs redid the house and made it his home.
Gibbs felt the pride in bringing a distressed property back into a neighborhood asset. He also built a garage and in-ground pool for the property.
In the past 30-plus years Gibbs has sought out properties many other developers wouldn’t touch, from burnt-out structures to others enduring years of neglect.
“I like to see things that are in rough shape and then turn them into beautiful,” Gibbs said. “I like to see the progress.”
Bob Gibbs has turned 101 East Bank St. in Albion into a place that can be rented out of parties and events. His daughter recently had her bridal shower there.
He has put many forlorn buildings back to use for residents and businesses. And that’s in his spare time. He would rather do that than play golf.
In his full-time career, Gibbs owns and runs the Environmental Construction Group, which has 50 employees based in Albion. They do asbestos remediation, selective demolition and other work at distressed properties.
The Chamber of Commerce on Oct. 17 honored Gibbs as the “Business Person of the Year.”
Gibbs saw opportunity doing environmental work in the construction industry. He made that his career at age 23 and his skills were in demand. He was often away from home, including long stretches for work in New Jersey.
Gibbs in 2005 decided to launch his own business so he could be closer to home. He started Environmental Construction Group with a friend, Bruce Corey, who oversaw abatement for LeChase Construction Service in Rochester. Gibbs and Corey ran ECG together until Corey retired in 2019 and Gibbs bought him out.
They ran the business initially out of two tractor trailers in a spot behind Ace Hardware on Clinton Street. Then they moved to the former Halstead Oil building on West State Street. About 15 years ago, ECG moved to 14109 Route 31, which offered more space for the growing company and its abatement equipment – showers, negative air filters, ladders, scaffolding, hand tools, excavators and other materials. When ECG moved to Route 31, the company put a new roof and windows on the building, and painted it.
Provided photos: Bob Gibbs is shown outside 101 East Bank St., which was a storage building for a furnace and air-conditioning business. Gibbs has given it a new look, with new windows, and will make it available to be rented out for events. It also may be used for food education events with wine pairings. Gibbs’ daughter, Madeline Miller, is a registered dietician and may lead programs for the community at the location.
ECG is typically working on five to 10 projects at a time, mostly in Western New York but sometimes in Arkansas, Virginia, Texas and Wisconsin. ECG has worked on some of the biggest projects in Rochester, including nearly gutted 29 floors of Innovation Square (the 580,000-square foot former Xerox Tower).
Gibbs praised the hard-working team of employees. Many have been with the company for years.
Tim Lonnen, the operations manager and estimator, is Gibbs’ “right hand man.”
Three of the company’s superintendents are all long-time employees from Albion – Shawn Wright, Ron Enright and Ace Ashton. David Nieves, a foreman from Rochester, also has been a critical employee for the business since it started, Gibbs said.
About 40 percent of the employees have been with ECG for at least 10 years. That is an amazing retention in a business with a very high turnover, Gibbs said.
“We have grown to the company we are today, a task I could not have done alone and acknowledge that this could only have happened with the dedicated employees at ECG,” he said. “I try hard to invest in my community. I like projects that improve the image of buildings, from investing in the buildings that service ECG, developing vacant land into ready-to-build lots, to several homes picked up from the county auctions, and my new project at 101 East Bank Street. I firmly believe it’s my responsibility to give back to my community.”
Bob Gibbs renovated a house that burned in a fire on West Academy Street in Albion. These photos show the before and after of the stairwell in a house that he saved from the wrecking ball.
Photos courtesy of Community Action: (Left) From left include Community Action’s Facilities Manager, Ricky Standish; Director of Community Services, Katrina Standish; Pirate Toy Fund Executive Director, Otto Harnischfeger; and Community Action’s Lead Case Manager, Kristina Ettinger.
Posted 29 October 2024 at 1:48 pm
Press Release, Community Action of Orleans & Genesee
ALBION – Community Action of Orleans & Genesee Inc. is thrilled to announce the arrival of 300 toys generously donated by the Pirate Toy Fund.
On Tuesday, Community Action staff traveled to Spencerport to collect these toys, which will provide joy and support to children in need during the upcoming holiday season.
The Pirate Toy Fund is the nation’s only nonprofit organization dedicated to providing new toys year-round to agencies that assist children in need. Since its founding in 1995 by beloved children’s entertainer Gary the Happy Pirate and Dave and Lorrie Simonetti, the organization has distributed over 500,000 toys to children across the Greater Rochester area.
Inspired by the extraordinary life of Christie Simonetti, special friend to Gary and daughter of Dave and Lorrie, the Pirate Toy Fund continues to grow and fulfill its mission of spreading joy to children in difficult circumstances.
This year marks the fourth year that Community Action’s Director of Community Services, Katrina Standish, has coordinated the toy donations through the Pirate Toy Fund, a partnership that has significantly impacted the agency’s holiday program. Last year alone, approximately 285 children received toys directly from Community Action of Orleans & Genesee, while another 275 children were adopted by outside agencies, ensuring each child received a gift for the holidays.
“The toys we receive from the Pirate Toy Fund are crucial to the success of our holiday program,” Standish said. “These donations allow us to serve a significant number of children and help us make the holiday season brighter for local families.”
Community Action is deeply grateful for the ongoing support from the Pirate Toy Fund, which allows them to expand their reach and provide comfort and happiness to children who may otherwise go without.
Photo by Tom Rivers: Faith Smith, leader of the Orleans Koinonia Kitchen, is shown last Nov. 23 when more than 30 volunteers helped to prepare and serve 630 Thanksgiving meals for free.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 October 2024 at 2:42 pm
ALBION – The director of the Orleans Koinonia Kitchen has been nominated as a “Hometown Hero” by Save A Lot.
“Faith Smith tirelessly ensures no one in her community goes hungry,” Save A Lot declared.
Smith has led the kitchen for about 15 years. It moved from Christ Episcopal Church to Harvest Christian Fellowship in June 2022, serving several hundred meals every Thursday, and also expanding to frozen soups for people to take home.
Mike and Faith Smith are dedicated volunteers at the Orleans Koinonia Kitchen. Faith Smith has been nominated as a “Hometown Hero.” If she is in the top 5 of votes the OK Kitchen will receive a $500 donation from Save A Lot.
Smith was nominated by Rick and Dee Huntington for Save A Lot’s Hometown Heroes program.
The top five vote-getters receive a $500 Save A Lot gift card, which Smith said would go to the kitchen.
To vote, “like” or “love” Smith’s Hometown Hero nomination on Save A Lot’s Facebook page. Click here to see it. Voting started Oct. 22 and continues through Nov. 5.
Smith’s Hometown Hero nomination on Save A Lot states the following:
“Faith Smith has been a dedicated activist in the community, providing hot meals to those in need for over 15 years. Two years ago, she launched the Orleans Koinonia Kitchen (OKK) at the Harvest Christian Fellowship, where no one is ever turned away. When the extra food stamp benefits from COVID ended, Faith adapted by preparing and freezing soups to ensure visitors could take home meals for another day. Her drive to prevent hunger stems from her personal experience as a young, single mother struggling to feed her children.
“Faith’s contributions go far beyond providing a hot meal. She is deeply compassionate, offering birthday goodie bags, distributing gifts to needy children at Christmas, and delivering meals to shut-ins while performing wellness checks. She supports other community organizations, provides free items to those in need when there is a surplus, and assembles essential items like blankets, hats, and toiletries for the homeless. Tirelessly, she recruits volunteers to help with OKK’s mission.
“Her work is entirely unpaid, driven solely by her passion for helping others. Faith Smith is selfless, hardworking, compassionate, resourceful, and deeply committed to her cause. Her efforts ensure that no one in her community goes hungry, and she makes the most of every resource and donation she receives.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 October 2024 at 8:35 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Ernestine Freeman (right), a resident at The Village of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center in Albion, passes out treats to Tristan Streams of Lyndonville, who is followed by his mother, Mercedes Streams.
Tristan’s grandmother, Alex Powley, is the assistant director of nursing at The Villages.
The site put on its first “Haunted Hallway” this evening and will do it again on Sunday from 6 to 8 p.m.
A scary character jumps from behind the back of The Villages transport van. The vehicle had fake blood smeared on it. The Haunted hallway starts at the back of the nursing home on Route 31.
Meghan Clark, the activities director at The Village, welcomes people into the Haunted Hallway.
Proceeds from the event go to the activities fund. There were four residents as “scarers” on the hallway and five others passing out candy.
The hallway had red lights, big spider webs and some ghoulish characters.
Rhiannon Farrell, an activities aide, dressed up as a witch for the “Haunted Hallway.”
Margaret Thorne, right, and Eloise Hagibes, left, pass out candy to some of the children and their families.
“I love seeing all the kids,” Hagibes said.
Thorne said she has always enjoyed Halloween, and recalled giving out candy at the Clarendon Fire Hall with her husband and Clarendon firefighters.
Thorne is greeting Natalia Norton and her daughter Delphina White.
A good-size crowd walks the hallway soon after the event started at 6 p.m.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 October 2024 at 5:34 pm
Provided photo: Albion eighth-graders Mary McCormick (left) and Kendall Peruzzini are shown at last month’s Orleans County legislature meeting with their teacher Tim Archer.
ALBION – The Department of Veterans Affairs approved an application for a headstone for a Civil War solider with an unmarked grave at the Alms House Cemetery on West Countyhouse Road.
The headstone is expected to be delivered in a few weeks, Albion school officials said.
Albion eighth-graders Mary McCormick and Kendall Peruzzini spent part of their summer vacation working on the application to the VA. They scoured records from more than a century ago, working with Orleans County Historian Catherine Cooper at Albion Town Historian Sarah Basinait.
They needed to prove Union soldier Daniel Walterhouse was buried in an unmarked grave at the cemetery about 114 years ago. Many people were buried in a cemetery not far from the Alms House, which was a home for penniless, destitute, sick and others with infirmities and challenges.
The Alms or “Poor House” was open from 1833 to 1960. The Alms House closed in 1960 when the county nursing home opened on Route 31 in Albion.
Peruzzini, McCormick and their teacher Tim Archer submitted an application to the National Cemetery Administration, seeking a headstone for Walterhouse.
The students’ effort has been highlighted in local and Western New York media, and today was featured in The Washington Post, in an article headlined, “A Civil War soldier didn’t have a tombstone. Two teens just got him one.” Click here to see that article.
ALBION – Community Action of Orleans & Genesee is pleased to announce the return of its “Wishing Tree” at Main Street Corner Thrifts, Gifts, and More this November, offering community members a unique way to support those in need during the holiday season.
