By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 March 2016 at 12:00 am
Diana Kastenbaum
Orleans County Democratic Party leaders voted to endorse Diana Kastenbaum, a Batavia woman who is running for Congress against incumbent Chris Collins.
The local Democratic Party Committee is impressed with Kastenbaum’s passion for the race and her experience as the CEO of Pinnacle Manufacturing Company Inc. in Batavia.
“She is a small businesswoman who has come up from the ranks,” said Jeanne Crane, chairwoman of the Orleans County Democratic Party.
Kastenbaum’s family has owned and operated Pinnacle, a zinc and aluminum dye casting manufacturing company, since 1972. She is a graduate of The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. She is married to actor and comedian Hiram Kasten. Their daughter, Millicent, is a senior government major at Cornell University.
Kastenbaum told the Orleans Democrats she wants to see Congress work to make college more affordable for students, so many graduates do not have crushing student loan debt. She also said she would fight for good paying jobs, ending income inequality and providing better access to affordable healthcare.
The 27th Congressional District is heavily Republican and includes Orleans and seven other Western New York counties. Collins may have stirred up wrath from some voters, including some Republicans, with his recent endorsement of Donald Trump for president, Crane said.
“We’re going to give it a shot and do our best,” Crane said about Kastenbaum’s campaign.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 March 2016 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – The rescue of a Brockport State College student and a dog on Feb. 27 was the most popular story of the month on Orleans Hub in February. Holley firefighters are pictured on Saturday with Alexandria Disque, second from left, and a dog Sadie, as well as Sadie’s owner Cassie Wolfanger, left. Disque and Sadie were rescued this afternoon after being swept in a tunnel on Sandy Creek that goes under the Erie Canal. The firefighters were on a boat that went into the dark tunnel. Pictured from left in back include Fran Gaylord, Harris Reed and Justin McMillon.
February was the second-biggest month for Orleans Hub in our nearly three-year history, in terms of the daily average for unique visitors and page views.
Last month, Orleans Hub averaged 7,135 unique visitors each day. That’s the third time we’ve been above 7,000 for a month. We also averaged 23,566 page views each day.
Both numbers only trail September 2015, when the county was engrossed in a heated primary season. September remains the record for highest daily average for unique visitors with 7,671 and page views with a daily average of 25,523.
The February numbers passed January’s when we had a 7,054-average for daily unqiue visitors and a page view average of 23,089.
Here are the top five stories for February in terms of “clicks.”
Firefighters on Feb. 15 put out a fire in an abandoned building in Medina along the railroad tracks and behind the Olde Pickle Factory. The former boiler house is believed to have been used for a former greenhouse operation, White Brothers Rose, next door.
Local Sports also proved popular on Orleans Hub with 34,785 page views. The top local sports story was two local soccer stars signing Division I soccer scholarships. Albion’s Mariah Elsenheimer and Roy-Hart’s Emma Lindke have been soccer rivals in Niagara-Orleans League competition for the last four years. They will be able to continue their rivalry on the collegiate level this coming fall as both signed national letters of intent to play for Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference colleges.
Elsenheimer signed with Iona College and plans to major in Psychlogy. Lindke signed with Niagara University and will major in Marketing and Finance. Click here to see “Albion, Roy-Hart seniors earn Division 1 soccer scholarships.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 March 2016 at 12:00 am
ALBION – A public transportation provider in Orleans County will meet with agencies, stakeholders and the public on Wednesday afternoon during two sessions at Hoag Library, 134 S. Main St., Albion.
RTS Orleans transported about 40,000 riders in 2015. The agency wants to hear from customers and agencies on how the service can best serve the public, said Mike Ryan, manager of operations for RTS Orleans, which is based on West Academy Street at the Orleans County Highway Department.
RTS, the parent organization for the service in Orleans and several other counties, has launched a regional service efficiency study to identify service improvements and connections across the seven counties served by RTS.
Some of agencies served by RTS Orleans will meet at Hoag at 2 p.m. on Wednesday to discuss the service’s strengths and weaknesses.
The public is then invited to a 4 p.m. meeting at Hoag to discuss the local bus service.
The public can also fill out an online survey by clicking here. (Editor’s Note: The survey has been closed. This link to Survey Monkey has been removed.)
For more information, contact RTS Orleans at (585) 589-0707.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 February 2016 at 12:00 am
3 students win essay contest about ‘Black River’
Provided photos – Three Lyndonville High School seniors – Jenna Doran, Jasmine Plummer and Amanda Blackburn – read “Black River” and were picked as essay contest winners, earning a chance to have lunch with author S. M. Hulse of Spokane, Wa. Hulse will visit Lyndonville on March 11 as part of a three-day stint in the area for “A Tale for Three Counties.”
LYNDONVILLE – The three-county reading effort “A Tale for Three Counties” continues to grow each year from its initial effort that was focused among libraries in Orleans, Genesee and Wyoming counties.
The effort in recent years has expanded to Genesee Community College, with students reading and discussing the book, and the college planning lectures to address themes in the novel.
The 14th annual event for the first time includes a local high school reading the book and discussing it in classes. Lyndonville High School is using the book Grade 11 Pre-Advanced Placement English, Grade 12 AP English, and Grade 12 English.
About 45 Lyndonville students read the book and discussed the writing style, character development and themes in their classes. The students also entered an essay contest through “Tale” and three students – Jenna Doran, Jasmine Plummer and Amanda Blackburn – were picked as contest winners, a prize that includes lunch with the author.
S. M. Hulse of Spokane, Wa., author of “Black River,” will visit the three counties March 10-12. She also will be at Lyndonville to meet with students on March 11.
Lyndonville’s 11th grade pre-AP class discusses Black River during a recent class.
“We wanted to promote reading in general and connect to a larger community project,” said Jason Smith, superintendent of Lyndonvlle Central School.
He has read many of the 14 books through “Tale” and participates in the book discussion at Yates Community Library. He also was asked to read a couple books under consideration for “Tale” this year.
Smith likes how the “Tale” books are set in small towns, and include up-and-coming authors who visit the area.
“It’s an authentic learning experience where you can interact with the author,” he said. “The books are rich with dialogue, setting, themes and memorable characters.”
Black River includes some mature themes, but they weren’t too challenging for Lyndonville students, Smith said.
The story centers on Wes Carver, a retired corrections officer who is coping with the loss of his wife to cancer. Carver also returns to the Black River community for the parole hearing of an inmate who tortured Carver during a prison riot two decades earlier. That inmate badly broke Carver’s fingers, preventing him from playing the fiddle, one of his passions.
The novel explores faith, forgiveness, fatherhood and revenge.
For more on A Tale for Three Counties, click here.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 February 2016 at 12:00 am
Photo: www.DonaldJTrump.com – Donald Trump has emerged as the leading candidate for the Republican presidential nomination.
ALBION – The Orleans County Republican Committee endorsed Donald Trump for president today in a unanimous vote among about 60 committee members.
The county might be the first to officially endorse Trump for president, said Ed Morgan, chairman of the Orleans County Republican Party.
“He’s a businessman who has been very successful,” Morgan said. “Government should be run as a business and not political.”
Trump, the real estate mogul and reality television star, has emerged the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination. Morgan asked the local committee if any members wanted to endorse another candidate. Everyone backed Trump.
Morgan said he has met Trump several times, including when Trump was weighing a run for state governor against Andrew Cuomo in 2014. Trump opted not to run. Morgan and other Republican leaders in Western New York travelled to Manhattan in January 2014 to meet with Trump.
Photo courtesy of Ed Morgan – Donald Trump, left, poses for a photo with Ed Morgan, Orleans County Republican Party chairman, at a meeting in New York City in January 2014.
Morgan said Trump in person and on the phone is different from the bombastic persona on television.
“Yes, he’s a little radical and he pulls no punches,” Morgan said. “But in person he’s a totally different person to talk to.”
Trump has surrounded himself with skilled leaders in his businesses, Morgan said, and he expects Trump would do the same as president.
“He will pick the best, whether Republican or Democrat,” Morgan said. “He will have the brightest and smartest cabinet we’ve ever had.”
The Orleans County GOP Committee follows an endorsement from Congressman Chris Collins this week. Collins was the first member of the House of Representatives to back Trump.
Collins attended today’s Orleans GOP meeting, and he stated his support for Trump.
In announcing his support for Trump on Wednesday, Collins said Trump would “end business as usual” in Washington.
“Donald Trump has clearly demonstrated that he has both the guts and the fortitude to return our nation’s jobs stolen by China, take on our enemies like ISIS, Iran, North Korea and Russia, and most importantly, reestablish the opportunity for our children and grandchildren to attain the American Dream,” Collins said. “That is why I am proud to endorse him as the next President of the United States.”
The Orleans GOP also endorsed Collins for a third term in Congress. The Clarence businessman was first elected to the 27th Congressional District in 2012.
The Orleans Republicans also endorsed State Sen. Robert Ortt of North Tonawanda, State Assemblyman Steve Hawley of Batavia and State Assemblywoman Jane Corwin of Clarence for two-year terms in the State Legislature.
A Batavia businesswoman announced her candidacy for the 27th Congressional District seat currently held by Republican Chris Collins.
Diana Kastenbaum, a Democrat, is the CEO of Pinnacle Manufacturing Company Inc. in Batavia.
“As a small business owner from Batavia, I am well aware of the realities that face middle class families,” Kastenbaum said. “Using my years of experience as a businesswoman, I will bring new ideas and solutions to the problems we face in Western New York. We need a member of Congress who will fight for Western New York on the issues that matter most: good paying jobs, ending income inequality, making college more affordable, and providing access to affordable healthcare. Where Congress has failed us, I will lead.”
Kastenbaum’s family has owned and operated Pinnacle, a zinc and aluminum dye casting manufacturing company, since 1972. She is a graduate of The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. She is married to actor and comedian Hiram Kasten. Their daughter, Millicent, is a senior government major at Cornell University.
New York’s 27th Congressional District includes all of Orleans, Genesee, Wyoming, and Livingston counties and parts of Erie, Monroe, Ontario, and Niagara counties.
Collins, the former county executive in Erie County, was first elected to Congress in November 2012. He is seeking re-election to a third two-year term. He made news on Wednesday as the first member of the House of Representatives to endorse Donald Trump for president.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 February 2016 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
GAINES – A barn is pictured with hard-falling snow this afternoon on Crandall Road in Gaines. The snow fell a day after heavy rain in Orleans County.
Friday’s forecast calls for the chance of up to an inch of snow and a high of 22, according to the National Weather Service. Saturday is forecast for a high of 39 degrees while the high on Sunday will hit 46.
A tree on Crandall Road stands out with a foggy field in back.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 February 2016 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Meredith Patterson delivers a speech today at the Orleans County Legislature meeting, a speech that helped her win the zone competition of the American Legion Oratorical Contest on Feb. 6 in Mount Morris, qualifying her for the state competition March 5 in Albany.
Patterson, an Albion senior, said the Constitution was crafted with “fortitude and perfection” to last more than 200 years and counting. She urged people to research and understand the Constitution, calling the document a job description for citizens.
Orleans County Legislature Vice Chairwoman Lynne Johnson is pictured in back of Patterson.
ALBION – The Orleans County Economic Development Agency has become a local government front-runner in marketing technology by enhancing their already multilingual, all-mobile friendly marketing platforms with Augmented Reality.
A new breed of user-friendly and visually stimulating technology, AR makes two-dimensional “2D” objects appear 3D onscreen. Viewers can instantly watch short informational videos and access one-touch buttons to immediately call or email specific agency staffers, simply by scanning the agency’s business cards or local business park maps.
By downloading the free LAYAR app to any compatible Android or iPhone, mobile users are able to scan the agency’s materials from their computer screen or use AR to scan a hard copy business card or map from a mobile phone. Video and one-touch contact buttons then appear on the mobile device’s screen.
One side of the agency’s business cards features a corporate testimonial video from an international client (in Mandarin with English subtitles); video highlighting local business assistance programs and the benefits of doing business in Orleans County are also available on the agency’s dual-sided cards.
Colorized site maps used for marketing two business parks in Orleans County are now enhanced with video and AR to provide a heightened visual experience and more detailed site information about the shovel-ready Medina Business Park or Sandstone Development Site in the Medina, New York, Town of Shelby.
The Orleans EDA’s targeted business-to-business marketing video for the Medina Business Park’s 40,000 square-foot pre-permitted site includes isometric mapping elements with build-up architectural animation. This technology gives viewers a real-life interface on their digital screens to visualize, at a glance, the actual site and the many design-build options the OEDA can offer new or expanding businesses.
Reports suggest the use of augmented reality allows for more strategic marketing in far less time than traditional advertising. In 2014, 30-percent of mobile users used AR at least once a week; mobile AR app use is increasing with more than 864 million smartphone users downloading AR technology annually. Viewing site-specific content via smartphones with one touch contact access is not only convenient, it is the future of marketing and mobile communications.
Eighty percent of time spent on mobile devices is spent using apps by today’s mobile users who are always on the move. The reach of augmented reality is undeniable. Total revenue generated from AR by the end of 2013 was approximately $300 million. With AR revenue from mobile app usage expected to exceed $600 billion in 2016, the Orleans County EDA has advanced their global marketing strategies to include AR and other leading mobile connectivity platforms favored by mobile users across the United States and abroad.
File photo – U.S. Rep. Chris Collins, R-Clarence, marches in the Fourth of July parade in Lyndonville last summer.
CLARENCE – Chris Collins has the support of the New York State Independence Party in his re-election bid for a third term in Congress.
Collins represents the 27th Congressional District which includes eight counties, including Orleans County.
“I am honored to once again receive the endorsement of the New York State Independence Party,” Collins said in a statement. “Independent thinking and a commitment to finding solutions for Western New Yorkers has allowed me to successfully represent New York’s 27th district. Whether it’s reducing government spending, limiting the expansion of Obamacare, or working to expand middle class job opportunities, I will continue fighting for the interests of Western New Yorkers and their families.”
The Independence Party endorsed Collins today for another two-year term. He was first elected in 2012, and re-elected in 2014.
“We are proud to support Congressman Chris Collins for re-election,” said Frank MacKay, NYS chairman of the Independence Party. “Washington needs representatives who will work across party lines to find ways to move our country forward. Congressman Collins has done that in Washington, and we are proud to once again offer him our support.”
Provided photos – Orleans County Corrections Officer Chris Shabazz watches while an Erie County K9 team searches the Orleans County Jail on Saturday.
Press Release, Orleans County Sheriff Randy Bower
ALBION – The Erie County Sheriff’s Office Corrections Division K9 Unit on Saturday partnered with the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office to search the Orleans County Jail for contraband.
The purpose for this partnership will be to promote officer safety and to serve as a deterrent for those individuals that may attempt to smuggle dangerous contraband into the jail.
The partnership will allow the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office to utilize passive K9 services on a continued basis to fight the introduction of contraband.
K9 contraband searches will now be conducted at periodic intervals to promote safety and security for the employees as well as the inmates who are confined within the Orleans County Jail.
The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office is dedicated to creating a contraband-free jail and will use all available options to ensure that this goal is achieved.
Orleans County Sheriff’s Office personnel are pictured with two K9 teams from Erie County on Saturday. The Orleans County personnel include back row, from left: Chief Deputy Michael Mele, Jail Superintendent Scott Wilson, Sheriff Randy Bower, Deputy Jeff Cole, and Undersheriff Chris Bourke.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 February 2016 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Dr. Dan Webb, co-owner of Catalyst Research in Depew, goes over the latest survey of about 1,500 students in grades 7 through 12. He presented the survey results this morning during a meeting of the Orleans United Drug Free Communities Coalition.
ALBION – The strong societal message against tobacco and alcohol seems to be working with big drops in use by youths in Orleans County from 2005 to 2015.
Every two years students in grades 7 through 12 are surveyed on their use of tobacco, alcohol and marijuana. (Since 2013, students have been asked if they use non-prescribed prescription drugs as well, and in 2015 they were asked for the first time about e-cigarettes.)
Alcohol use among students has dropped from 28.1 percent in 2005 to 16.7 percent of 1,572 students in 2015. The survey includes students in Holley, Kendall, Lyndonville and Medina school districts. Albion does its own survey.
In the survey, students are asked if they used alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, non-prescribed medications and e-cigarettes in the past 30 days.
Alcohol use is down 41 percent in the decade, the biggest drop. It continues a steady downward trend from 23.6 percent in 2009, 20.3 percent in 2011, 19.1 percent in 2013 and 16.7 percent in 2015.
Tobacco use is down from 13.6 percent in 2005 to 8.5 percent in 2015, a 38 percent decline.
Marijuana use is down 14 percent since 2005, from 12.1 percent to 10.4 percent. However, it was at 9.3 percent in 2009 and has gradually increased to 10.2 percent in 2011, 10.3 percent in 2013, and 10.4 percent in 2015.
The marijuana number is lower than other communities that are seeing 15 to 20 percent use among students, said Dr. Dan Webb, co-owner of Catalyst Research, which compiles the data in the survey for the Orleans United Drug Free Communities Coalition.
“Most of the numbers are going in the direction we want,” Webb told about 25 coalition members this morning during a meeting at the Genesee-Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse.
The survey shows some areas of concern, particularly with perception of risk by students. In 2005, 80.6 percent said they viewed marijuana use as risky and dangerous. But in 2015 that percentage dropped to 53.0 percent.
Students also reduced their perceptions of alcohol and tobacco risk with alcohol’s perception of risk down from 69.5 percent in 2005 to 65.4 percent last year. Tobacco also was viewed less harshly by students in 2015 (78.1 percent say it’s risky and dangerous) compared to 86.5 percent in 2005.
Parents, however, are perceived by students as being strongly opposed students using alcohol (95.6 percent), tobacco (93.9 percent) and marijuana (90.5 percent). That 90 percent threshold is important for keeping some students from trying the substances and products, Webb said.
Students reported more pressure from friends not to use tobacco or alcohol compared to 2005. However, the perception of friends’ disapproval for using marijuana dropped from 81.4 percent against in 2005 to 73.8 percent in 2015.
The coalition started asking students about non-prescribed medications in 2013 and 2.7 percent said then they had taken non-prescribed prescriptions in the previous 30 days. That percent increased to 3.4 percent in the latest survey.
Webb said e-cigarettes are proliferating with vape shops in many communities selling flavors of products like they are selling candy.
Nearly 30 percent of students, 29.2 percent, say they have tried an e-cigarette and 14.7 percent said they used one in the previous 30 days. The survey also asked if the students ever added substances to the e-cigarettes besides nicotine and 10.3 percent said they did.
The survey results will be shared with each participating school district, including a breakdown of the survey responses for each district. The district data will be shared confidentially with each district.
For more on the Orleans United Drug Free Communities Coalition, click here.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 February 2016 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Scott Wilson, superintendent of the Orleans County Jail, said the county is working on initiatives for inmates struggling with drug addictions and also mental health issues. He addressed the Orleans United Drug Free Communities Coalition this morning.
ALBION – The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office is teaming with other agencies in the county to soon start several initiatives for inmates wrestling with drug addictions and mental health issues.
When inmates are released from the jail, they will be injected with a shot of Vivitrol, which helps fight opiate addictions. The Sheriff’s Office secured free shots from a manufacturer. The shot lasts for about 14 days.
The Sheriff’s Office also has been helping inmates secure health insurance coverage. Scott Wilson, the jail superintendent, said many inmates do not have health insurance. After a recent push, he said about 98 percent are now on Medicaid.
That program will start covering Vivitrol in July, which should ensure people who leave the jail can receive continued shots of Vivitrol to help fight their opiate addictions, and reduce the rates of committing new crimes, Wilson told the Orleans United Drug Free Communities Coalition this morning.
He shared other initiatives at the jail and community. Wilson is part of a team from the county going to Albany next week for crisis intervention training with mental health. The training will give guidance for law enforcement, mental health staff, probation and other agencies who work with people having mental health issues.
Roland Nenni, the police chief in Albion and Holley, is helping to organize the National Night Out on Aug. 2 at Bullard Park.
Police officers will be trained in using discretion in making an arrest and using force with someone having a mental health crisis, Wilson said.
The team from Orleans will work with other professionals next week in Albany to map out how services can best be provided in Orleans County, said Mark O’Brien, director of the Orleans County Mental Health Department.
Wilson said a re-entry coordinator will be added at the jail from an existing staff member. Wilson said addressing the addiction and mental health issues should reduce the inmate population, saving taxpayers and helping more people to be productive citizens.
The Drug Free Communities Coalition shared other efforts today, including a Narcan training program on March 10 at Hoag Library in Albion. Agency leaders and community members at 3 p.m. can learn how to administer Narcan to someone having a heroin overdose.
The Drug Free Communities Coalition is offering the Narcan training in response to opioid epidemic. For more information contact Sarah May at smay@gcasa.org.
The second annual National Night Out will be at Bullard Park on Aug. 2 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. and will include demonstrations from K9 teams and law enforcement professionals, as well as games and activities for children.
Roland Nenni, the police chief in Albion and Holley, urged agency leaders to come to the three-hour event and offer games and prizes to make it more fun for families.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 February 2016 at 12:00 am
Hands 4 Hope is an outreach with volunteers from many churches
Photos by Tom Rivers – Hands 4 Hope set up on Liberty Street by the First Baptist Church in Albion on Saturday, giving bags of food and taking prayer requests. The group includes, front row, from left: Dante Burgio, Amanda Basamania, Greg Stanton, Ron LaGamba and Cory Holz. Back row: Darrell Burgio, Jack Burris and Kevin Lemcke.
ALBION – The “hands” were out on Saturday, knocking on doors, flagging down cars and standing near a former red delivery van. The group, Hands 4 Hope, was offering prayers and free bags of food.
It was the fourth Saturday Hands 4 Hope has been out. They started on Jan. 30 on Lydun Drive in Albion. They have been in Medina at the corner Orient and Star streets, in Holley near Thomas Street and Public Square, and Liberty Street in Albion on Saturday near Beaver and West Park streets.
Hands 4 Hope is modeled after the Care-A-Van Ministries in Batavia, which has been operating for 16 years.
Jack Burris, owner of Burris Cleaning Service in Albion, pushed for Hands 4 Hope in Orleans County after seeing the success of Care-A-Van. Burris has shadowed Care-A-Van for nearly a year, going on outreach with Care-A-Van founder Paul Ohlson.
Care-A-Van also has red vans where it takes bags of food and welcomes people to step up in the truck and share their prayer concerns. Ohlson and volunteers are happy to pray with them.
Jack Burris stands by “Clifford,” a van now used for an outreach ministry. The hand on the left side of the van includes the sign for “love.”
Burris said he felt a prompting from God to try a similar ministry in Orleans. He found a van on eBay and connected with Greg Stanton from Stanton Signs in Medina to paint the logo. Burris calls the red van “Clifford.”
The past four Saturdays have been eye-opening, and confirmation to Burris and the ministry volunteers that there is a need for the food and prayers.
Many of the people who stop by Hands 4 Hope are in dire straits, feeling the stress of too many bills and not enough money. Many also are not connected from church and feel distant from God.
Burris and the volunteers hand off bags of food, hoping that will ease some of the stress of the physical needs. After that he says Hands 4 Hope will gladly appeal to a higher power. Burris will pray in the truck, writing down the prayer requests in a notebook, offering to keep the people and their concerns in his prayers in the future.
The first four Saturdays, Hands 4 Hope gave away 133 “shares” of food. No one declined a prayer.
“It’s not about the food,” Burris said. “It’s about the hope.”
These signs direct people to Hands 4 Hope van.
Burris said he expects Hands for Hope will be in Albion two Saturdays a month, and Holley and Medina once each. The months with five Saturdays he will wait to see where the group is led to minister.
So far the food has been paid for with an anonymous donor. Burris buys it from Pawlak’s Save-A-Lot. The volunteers separate the food into 40 shares on Friday evening. On Saturday morning, the group gathers a half hour before the 10:30 a.m. start time. They spend those 30 minutes praying for the people they will see that day.
Cory Holz stood outside the van on Saturday by the First Baptist Church. Holz welcomed people, chatting with them while they waited their turn. He also helped some up a step into the back of the vehicle.
Holz and his father Rick have volunteered with Care-A-Van in Batavia. They also attend the Albion Free Methodist Church with Burris.
Holz said some people have “preconceived ideas” about church. He welcomes the chance to bring a ministry out into the community, and not wait for people to come inside a church building.
“You’re getting out on a much more personal level,” Holz said about Hands 4 Hope.
People share about their challenges, which may include physical ailments, paying their bills, finding a reliable car and job.
“There is a ginormous need,” said Greg Stanton of Medina, one of the volunteers Saturday and the sign painter.
He went in the Albion neighborhood near First Baptist, knocking on doors and telling people about the ministry on Saturday morning. Stanton said he is one of the “fisherman” for the ministry. Burris says the volunteers are all the “hands.”
Burris feels like the effort has been blessed. The first Saturday they had 40 shares ready and went to the Lydun Drive neighborhood. They didn’t have any advertising except for the red truck. They knocked on doors and people came out. Everyone wanted a prayer. They welcomed the food.
There were exactly 40 people who came to the van for a share of food. That was how many shares of food had been prepared.
Burris isn’t sure what God has in store for Hands 4 Hope.
“We’re taking a leap of faith,” he said.
Hands 4 Hope has a Facebook page (Click here). Donations and mail can be addressed to Hands 4 Hope at P.O. Box 495, Albion NY 14411.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 February 2016 at 12:00 am
Community reading project continues for 14th year
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Many residents in Orleans, Genesee and Wyoming counties are reading the same book, Black River, as part of the 14th annual “A Tale for Three Counties.”
Hoag Library in Albion held a book discussion on Thursday evening. Some of the participants in the discussion are pictured with a poster of the book cover, including, from left: Bindings Bookstore owner Carolyn Ricker, Kim Pritt, Library Director Betty Sue Miller and Linda Weller.
The author of the book, S. M. Hulse of Spokane, Wa., will visit the three counties for book talks from March 10-12, including a 7 p.m. visit at Hoag Library on March 11.
Many libraries in the three counties are holding book discussions. Yates Community Library held its discussion on Feb. 8. Lee-Whedon Memorial Library will discuss the book at 1 p.m. on March 7, with Community Free Library in Holley discussing Black River at 7 p.m. on March 7.
The story centers on Wes Carver, a retired corrections officer who is coping with the loss of his wife to cancer. Carver also returns to the Black River community for the parole hearing of an inmate who tortured Carver during a prison riot two decades earlier. That inmate badly broke Carver’s fingers, preventing him from playing the fiddle, one of his passions.
The novel explores faith, forgiveness, fatherhood and revenge.
For more on A Tale for Three Counties, visit http://taleforthreecounties.org.
