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.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 February 2016 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
GAINES – Icicles hang from Tillman’s Village Inn at around noon today.
The National Weather Service has issued a freezing rain advisory for Friday from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. The advisory includes Orleans County and much of Western New York.
The Weather Service warns that roadways will likely be slick especially on elevated surfaces, including bridges and overpasses.
Photos courtesy of Peggy Barringer – Peggy Barringer went out looking for a Snowy Owl on Sunday. She has taken photos before of a Snowy Owl at the Genesee County Airport in Batavia. The Albion resident headed to airport Sunday afternoon and was pleased when she saw an owl perched on a fence.
More snow is on the way. The National Weather Service is warning that 8 to 15 inches of heavy snow could accumulate in Orleans County, the Niagara Frontier and Western Southern Tier from 7 p.m. today until 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
The Weather Service says 4 to 8 inches are expected this evening and tonight, with another 4 to 7 inches on Tuesday.
The visibility could be less than a quarter of a mile at times. The worst travel conditions will occur around the time of the Tuesday morning commute, the Weather Service said.
Barringer also took this photo of snow-covered berries in front of the entrance of Orchard Manor in Medina.
Provided photo, Community Action – Community Action of Orleans and Genesee was awarded a $3,200 grant from the Kelly for Kids Foundation for 2016. Bonnie Malakie, director of Children and Youth Services at Community Action, receives the check last month from Jim Kelly, the Hall of Fame quarterback for the Buffalo Bills.
The Kelly For Kids Foundation awarded 34 grants to Western New York not-for-profit 501 (c)(3) organizations to help fund their initiatives. Kelly for Kids was founded in 1987 by Jim Kelly to assist children in need in the Western New York area.
Community Action was nominated for this grant by Danielle Rotundo, of Terry Hill’s Golf Course, Restaurant and Banquet Facility.
This grant, specifically for the Batavia Head Start Program, will allow for partnering with parents to support them in being their child’s first and most important teacher. With this grant, Community Action will offer classes/workshops and materials for parents of Head Start children to assist them in working with children at home. The classes will focus on increasing children’s literacy and math skills.
The Kelly for Kids grant will also be used to conduct two Head Start family events (children, parents, and siblings) that focuses on making literacy and math fun through interactive games, stories, refreshments, and materials/resources that can be taken home for future use.
Helping parents understand that learning about literacy and mathematics can be “fun for the family” will also engage them in a meaningful way. A similar program is being funded through the Albion Rotary Club in the 2015-16 year for Head Start and Albion Central School District.
The Batavia Head Start program serves children and families age birth-5 throughout Genesee County, who meet the eligibility requirements. This is a highly regulated program with an emphasis on preparing children for school and future life experiences. Parent engagement in the education of their child is vital.
By Kristina Gabalski, Correspondent Posted 13 February 2016 at 12:00 am
Photos by Kristina Gabalski – Kim Hazel (left), Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension agriculture and horticulture senior adminsitrative assistant, and Nutrition Educator Natalie Heller sign the Nutritious Gatherings Pledge at the OCCCE offices in Knowlesville.
KNOWLSEVILLE – Hitting the drive-through to pick up donuts for sharing at the office can be a very easy thing to do, said Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension 4-H Educator Robert Batt. But it only takes a few more minutes to stop at the grocery store and select healthier choices like fruit, fresh veggies and cheese.
Extension staff in Orleans County are signing a Nutritious Gatherings Pledge – which will hang in their office at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds in Knowlesville. The Extension staff members commit themselves to have “healthy foods for staff gatherings including breaks and meetings.”
Those healthy food options include cheeses, apples, nuts, hummus, yogurts, carrots, other fresh fruits and vegetables and healthy baked goods.
Batt said staff members realized they were frequently snacking on donuts and pastries at the office with some unpleasant results. The habit was making them feel sluggish in the middle of the workday and even packed on pounds.
Horticulture Educator Katie Oakes, for example, noticed she gained weight after starting at Extension last spring, Batt said. The staff recently decided things needed to change and the idea for a nutritious eating pledge surfaced.
Nutrition information and help in making healthy choices is available from Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension Expanded Food & Nutrition Education Program.
Natalie Heller, Nutrition Educator for the Extension’s Expanded Food & Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP), says she is excited about the change. “We all want to eat healthy and feel good,” she explained.
Physical activity and movement also play a part in living a healthy lifestyle at work, Heller said.
“We take a 15-minute break every day and walk on the Fitness Trail (located on the fairgrounds),” she said. “It helps with mental clarity and gives you more energy.”
Sweet treats are not completely banned under the pledge, but limited to special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, awards, holidays, new hires and retires.
“That’s what we’re trying to teach our 4-H’ers,” Robert Batt said. “Treats are for special occasions.”
He said the Nutritious Gatherings Pledge helps staff members to be role models for 4-H’ers and also for other agency workers.
“We are challenging other agencies in Orleans County (to take the Nutritious Gatherings Pledge), to see if they are up to the challenge,” Heller said.
She noted that there are lots of possibilities for healthy snacks including salsa, pitas, whole grain chips, “options that are satisfying but healthier than having brownies,” Heller said.
A Healthy & Homemade 2016 Nutrition and Fitness Calendar is one of the many helpful sources of nutrition/healthy eating information available from the Extension.
Healthy baked goods fit under the pledge as well. The staff recently tried pumpkin muffins and also enjoyed healthy dips like fruit and peanut butter dip to go with fresh fruits and vegetables.
“You can use applesauce instead of oil in recipes and whole grain flour – or a mix of while and whole grain flour,” Heller said.
She is available to visit agencies and offices to make presentations on nutrition and healthy eating and can be contacted at 585-798-4265 ext. 24/ email: nah93@cornell.edu.
The Extension, through the Expanded Food & Nutrition Education Program, is offering a free nutrition programs at various locations around the county.
Each location will run for eight sessions:
Salvation Army – Wednesdays 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. – this session began Feb. 10;
Clarendon Town Hall – Fridays 11 a.m. to noon – starting Feb. 19;
Eastern Orleans Community Center (diabetes classes) – Mondays 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. – starting Feb. 22;
Hoag Library: Thursdays 11 a.m. to noon, starting Feb. 25;
Yates Community Library: Tuesdays 11 a.m. to noon, starting March 1;
Lee-Whedon Memorial Library: Tuesdays 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., starting March 1.
March is National Nutrition Month and Heller encourages everyone to chose nutritious food, fun and fitness. The Free Nutrition Program can provide help in making nutritious choices. The sessions will include food tastings, recipes and give-aways.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 February 2016 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Samantha Roskowski, executive director for the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce, is pictured inside the Chamber office at 102 North Main St., Suite 1. Today was the last day the office will be open full-time. It will be open 9 to 11 on weekday mornings until closing March 31.
ALBION – The organization that promotes businesses and events in Orleans County will do so without an office. The Orleans County Chamber of Commerce is closing its office on Main Street in Albion.
Today was the last full-time day for the office. It will be open 9 to 11 on weekday mornings until closing on March 31.
The Chamber will maintain an on-line presence, and its director and volunteer board members will continue to work hard promoting businesses in the county, said Samantha Roskowski, the executive director.
She will work remotely, either from home or at other locations in the county. She is the Chamber’s lone employee. Not being committed to office hours at a building will allow her to be out more in the community, working with businesses.
She said few people stopped by the Chamber office anyway. The office is next to Five Star Bank at 102 North Main St. The Chamber has many brochures spread out on tables, highlighting museums, attractions and events in Orleans County.
But Roskowski said only 30 to 40 people a year would come into the office looking for information. She instead wants to build a more robust on-line presence for the Chamber, with an easy-to-navigate directory of members in the county.
“We’re trying to adapt and stay relevant,” Roskowski said this afternoon. “We’re trying to provide the best service for our members.”
The Chamber will save on rent by going without an office. She said other Chambers have made the same decision to function without an office and redirect energy into the on-line presence and other services for members and the community.
The Chamber had considered a shared office with the County Tourism Department, but county officials opted instead to have Tourism in the Orleans County Administration Building on Route 31, the building that includes the DMV and Department of Social Services.
Roskowski said the Chamber may revisit an office again someday. If it goes that route she would prefer to share space with another organization.
The Chamber will work to clear out its materials and files by March 31, the end of its lease with Five Star. The Chamber also is planning one of its biggest events, the Home and Garden Show on April 16-17.
Roskowski said the community can expect the Chamber to be active and visible in the community, even without an office.
“We’ll be just as available as before,” she said today from the office. “I just won’t be here physically.”
The National Weather Service has issued a wind chill warning and lake effect snow warning for Orleans County.
The lake effect warning continues until 10 p.m. today when up to 7 to 13 inches could fall in Orleans and Niagara counties.
The wind chill warning is in effect from 5 a.m. Saturday until 10 a.m. Sunday.
Today will have a high of 23 degrees but temperatures will fall to 3-below tonight, according to the Weather Service. Saturday there will only be a high of 0 with temperatures falling to 7-below. Sunday is forecast for a high of 10 degrees and a low of 7.
A wind chill warning is issued when a strong wind combines with cold temperatures to create dangerously cold conditions for exposed skin. The wind will make it feel like it is 25 degrees below 0 or colder for several hours.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 February 2016 at 12:00 am
Photos courtesy of Kurt Wannenwetsch
MURRAY – There have been numerous accidents today in Orleans County due to slick roads and treacherous winter weather at times.
The top photo shows a vehicle on fire off Hindsburg Road in Murray at about 11:30 a.m. There was another vehicle on fire later in the afternoon in Clarendon on Route 31A between Manning and Hibbard roads.
Dispatchers said there weren’t any injuries in those incidents. There were accidents without serious injuries reported today on Kendrick Road in Carlton, 31A in Albion between Lewis and Culver roads, Roosevelt Road (Route 18) in Kendall, and on 31A in Barre near Eagle Harbor Road (involving two tractor trailers).
Firefighters respond to the scene of a car on fire late this morning off Hindsburg Road.
The National Weather Service says the snowfall could be up to 15 inches in Orleans, Niagara and Monroe counties from today through 4 p.m. on Thursday.
The Weather Service had issued a lake effect advisory, predicting up to 4 to 7 inches by 4 p.m. Thursday. But that has been upgraded this morning to a snow warning with 4 to 8 inches today, 2 to 4 inches overnight, and 1 to 3 inches on Thursday for 7 to 15 inches total.
Provided photo – Nyla Gaylord is the new director of development for the Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern.
ALBION – The Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern, known by many in the community as “The Agency of Last Resort,” has appointed Nyla Gaylord as director of development.
In this newly created position for GOMOC, Gaylord will focus on securing new sources of funding, recruiting volunteers, and program development.
“The Ministry of Concern, like so many small not-for-profits, is struggling to manage the impact of reductions in funding,” said Laverne Bates, executive director. “(The new position) will enable us to focus on securing funding for current operations and expand services.”
Gaylord, a resident of Clarendon, most recently worked as the director of development and community relations for Hospice of Orleans, Inc. She has worked as a grant writer and with other not-for-profit agencies.
“It is such a pleasure to work locally and see all of the great things being done in Orleans and Genesee County – yet there is so much more that can be done,” Gaylord said. “I believe that the Ministry of Concern has an important role to play in improving the lives of the poor and working poor in our communities.”
The Ministry of Concern grew out of a grass roots effort of local churches which organized in 1968 to respond to the needs of farmworkers and the poor.
Today, nearly a half century later, the agency serves residents who face crises, from shut-off notices for utilities to not having basic furniture.
GOMOC runs a program where donations of used furniture are delivered to families in need. The Just Friends, E-3 Team Youth Mentoring program provides mentors (coaches) to youths in need of positive adult connections. Emergency services are provided to help when other resources are not available. To donate or volunteer, call 589-9210 and speak with the new director of development.
GOMOC’s office is in downtown Albion at 121 North Main St. – the third floor of the Albion Visitors’ Center. Assisting people with utilities is the biggest category of need for GOMOC in Orleans County. GOMOC served 1,281 clients with utility bills in 2014.
The breakdown of other cases in Orleans includes 664 with furniture and appliances; 247 for holiday assistance; 223 for personal care items, food and baby supplies; 92 for prescriptions; 79 for school supplies; 50 for gas and transportation; 25 for emergency shelter and housing; and 136 for other.
ALBION – The United Way of Orleans County is pleased to announce three new members to its Board of Directors.
Cathy Balys of Holley and Rebecca Mannella of Medina were voted in last month. Carol D’Agostino of Kendall joined last summer.
Cathy Balys
Balys is manager of financial reporting and analysis for the Catholic Family Center in Rochester. Mannella oversees the ICU/Respiratory Therapy Department and Out-Patient Lab for Orleans Community Health. D’Agostino is principal of Kendall Junior/Senior High School.
“These women not only represent different geographic areas of our county, but they also bring a range of expertise and new ideas to our Board,” said Jessica Downey of Albion, Board President. “It’s fantastic to have them join us!”
Rebecca Mannella
Orleans United Way, which merged Eastern UW and Western UW four years ago, focuses on community improvement in three impact areas: education, health and income (jobs). A funding application process each fall helps the board select partner agencies that most effectively fulfill community needs.
Funds collected from individuals and employees at workplaces county-wide are distributed according to evidence-based results. The 2016 campaign goal is $279,104.31, coinciding with three major routes criss-crossing Orleans County.
Latest reports showed the campaign about 60 percent complete with five months remaining. This year’s campaign officially ends June 30.
Carol D’Agostino
“The local emphasis of our United Way is so important and, I think, misunderstood by some people,” said Executive Director Marsha Rivers of Albion, who serves as the organization’s lone full-time employee. A part-time financial coordinator, Tiffani Ford of Waterport, keeps the books. Volunteers – including the 14-member Board – do all the rest. “Our Board is a group of local leaders using local dollars to help local causes – we’re neighbors helping neighbors.
“Our affiliation dues to United Way Worldwide, because of our small size, are very modest – we get a ‘big bang for our buck.’ With UWW, we can identify with a widely known, well-respected brand while also taking advantage of community-building resources from all over the world, applying best practices right here at home.”
