Press Release, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Office

Governor Kathy Hochul announced new laws that will strengthen protections and support for veterans and their families.

The Governor has signed eight pieces of legislation in appreciation of Veterans Day, underscoring the administration’s commitment to supporting American service members who have risked their lives to defend the nation.

In addition, Governor Hochul issued this proclamation and directed that 17 state landmarks be illuminated green this evening as part of Operation Green Light, which began in New York State and has spread throughout the country to recognize veterans and service members from all eras of military service.

“We owe our service members so much more than gratitude, and it is our responsibility to support them and their families,” Governor Hochul said. “From waiving fees for veterans’ organizations to providing no interest loans, we are working hard to remove any obstacles in the way of our veterans’ success here in New York. I thank them for protecting our freedoms and look forward to providing continued support in the future.”

• Legislation (S.2089B/A.357A) establishes the Vietnam War Commemorative Medal and authorizes the Governor to present it to members of the armed forces or organized militia serving abroad in the Vietnam War between November 1955 and May 1975.
• Legislation (S.2091C/A1310B) amends the military law to establish the Korean War Service Medal and authorizes Governor to present it to members of the armed forces or organized militia serving abroad in the Korean War between June 1950 and January 1955.
• Legislation (S.1961B/A3913B) requires employers to display a poster containing information on veterans’ benefits and services which shall be created and distributed by the Department of Labor. The poster must be displayed in an area accessible to all employees by employers with more than 50 full-time equivalent employees.
• Legislation (S.6022B/A.5278B) adds veterans who have qualifying conditions or who were unfairly discharged because of their LGBTQ identities to certain provisions that apply to veterans who have been honorably discharged or released from military service. The law extends the Retirement and Social Security Law, in relation to providing credit for military service to members of the State public retirement systems.
• Legislation (S.2238B/A6551B) establishes a “reserved bed day” policy for persons residing in State Veterans’ Homes, including veterans, spouses and widows of veterans, Gold Star Parents, and their dependents. A “reserved bed day” is a day for which the State pays a New York State Veterans’ Home to hold the bed open for a qualified resident while he or she is temporarily hospitalized so the resident has a bed to return to in the State Veterans’ Home.
• Legislation (S.7068A/A.7728A) provides for no interest rate for certain linked loans for certified service-disabled veteran-owned business enterprises and provides support and financing necessary to carry out a procurement contract with an agency or authority or other entity of the state or federal government.
• Legislation (S.8729/A.9590) directs the Division of Veterans’ Services to develop a searchable database of veterans’ memorials located within the state that includes information regarding the location of a memorial and which veteran or battle the memorial is honoring.
• Legislation (S.8367/A.9183) authorizes Niagara County to waive by local law certain fees for veterans’ organizations, including but not limited to building permit review fees and fees associated with capital improvements to any post or hall owned by a veterans’ organization located in the county.

These 17 landmarks and bridges will be illuminated in green as part of Operation Green Light to recognize the service and commitment of veterans and service members: 1WTC, Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, Kosciuszko Bridge, The H. Carl McCall SUNY Building, State Education Building, Alfred E. Smith State Office Building, Empire State Plaza, State Fairgrounds – Main Gate & Expo Center, Niagara Falls, The “Franklin D. Roosevelt” Mid-Hudson Bridge, Grand Central Terminal – Pershing Square Viaduct, Albany International Airport Gateway, The Lake Placid Olympic Jumping Complex, The Lake Placid Olympic Center, MTA Long Island Rail Road – East End Gateway at Penn Station, Fairport Lift Bridge over the Erie Canal and Moynihan Train Hall.

Future uncertain whether Mercy or Monroe will be main provider

Photos by Tom Rivers: Mike Gugliuzza, director of medical operations for Mercy Flight EMS, said the organization expects to take over COVA on Sunday at 12:01 a.m., with nearly all of the COVA staff becoming Mercy Flight employees. Mercy will provide service in central Orleans for at least the short-term until the town officials approve a contract with an ambulance provider. The Town of Barre already has signed an agreement with Monroe Ambulance for 2023.

ALBION – Mercy Flight EMS said it expects it will take over for COVA beginning Sunday at 12:01 a.m., with nearly all of COVA’s 40-plus staff becoming Mercy Flight employees. That doesn’t include the COVA administration, who will remain with the COVA organization and work to collect unpaid bills and help with other tasks with the transition.

Mercy Flight will handle billing and other administration beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Sunday.

However, it remains unclear whether Mercy Flight will be the primary ambulance provider for the four central Orleans towns after Jan. 1.

The four towns – Barre, Albion, Gaines and Carlton – have formed a seven-town block with Clarendon, Murray and Kendall to negotiate ambulance services. Those towns have a contract proposal with Monroe Ambulance where that Rochester-based provider would keep an ambulance in Albion and Holley. The company would be paid a $200,000 subsidy from the seven towns collectively to maintain ambulance services in the seven towns. Barre was the first of the seven towns to sign the contract on Wednesday with the other towns expected to approve the agreement in the next week to 10 days.

Mercy Flight would like to be considered as the provider, said Mike Gugliuzza, director of medical operations for Mercy Flight EMS.

He attended Thursday evening’s Orleans County EMS Task Force meeting. He said Mercy Flight will provide service to central Orleans until at least Jan. 1. If the towns choose Monroe, Mercy Flight would “bow out” when Monroe is ready, Gugliuzza said.

Mercy Flight, which provide ambulance services in Genesee County out of a base in Batavia, wants to ensure there are ambulance services in central Orleans while the towns decide on the ambulance provider. Mercy Flight also wants to ensure the COVA paramedics and EMTs stay have jobs. Mercy Flight has offered the COVA workers positions with Mercy Flight at its other operations in Western New York if Monroe takes over central Orleans. Monroe already has the contract for eastern Orleans – Clarendon, Murray and Kendall.

Barre Town Supervisor Sean Pogue praised Mercy Flight for filling the gap in coverage for central Orleans and for hiring the COVA employees.

“I commend you for that,” Pogue said during the EMS Task Force. “Thank you very much.”

Sean Pogue, Barre town supervisor, speaks during an Orleans County EMS Task Force meeting on Thursday evening in the legislative chambers of the Orleans County Office Building. Pogue commended Mercy Flight EMS for filling a void with the impending closure of COVA.

Mercy Flight also would seek a subsidy from the towns but that number wasn’t available on Thursday. Gugliuzza said the organization has worked quickly to provide services for central Orleans. Mercy Flight is open to providing service in eastern Orleans as well, Gugliuzza said.

In the immediate future, Mercy Flight is planning to have two staffed ambulances out of Albion, including an overnight paid crew. That could go to three or four ambulances if Mercy Flight secures a longer-term contract.

“If we know long-term that we’ll be here, we can ramp up for additional vehicles,” he said.

Richard Remley, the Albion town supervisor, said Monroe has a plan to meet the needs of the community. The towns are looking at a one-year contract to allow the town leaders to evaluate the organization’s performance with response times and service. Monroe would start on Jan. 1 if the new contract.

John Caufield, chief operating officer for Monroe Ambulance, said the company has 27 ambulances with 18 or 19 typically in service. Monroe can draw from ambulances based in Brockport and Greece to meet higher demand in Orleans County when needed.

Monroe will evaluate data throughout the year to have more resources available during peak call times. He said he expects as the service develops Monroe will have a supervisor assigned to the seven-town block in Orleans County who would operate in a fly car with basic life support services.

Remley said he’s certain at least six of the seven towns are ready to approve the contract with Monroe. The terms of the agreement say if even one town doesn’t agree, the contract is null and void. Remley said the agreement could be re-evaluated if one of the towns doesn’t sign on.

The seven towns will need to contribute $200,000 annually to Monroe with each share based on ambulance call volume. The contract includes the following compensation from the towns: Albion, $84,400; Barre, $8,000; Carlton, $14,800; Clarendon, $18,800; Gaines, $24,600; Kendall, $18,000; and Murray, $30,600.

The towns currently don’t pay anything for ambulance services. Albion, which would have the biggest bill, meets at 5 p.m. Monday to vote on whether to approve the contract.

Jack Welch, the county’s chief administrative officer, said EMS services are going through a change, especially in rural areas across the state and the nation.

“Essentially this is about volunteerism and the volunteerism is declining,” he said. “We are transitioning to more of a paid base.”

Kendall Fire Department will cease its volunteer ambulance on Dec. 31. Kendall is the last volunteer fire department in the county running an ambulance service.

MEDINA – Crafting and Christmas are two of Shawna Baldwin’s favorite things, and she has managed to merge them into a popular hobby and business.

Shawna and her husband Chris live with her parents Bob and Mary Lou Blount on Fruit Avenue, where Shawna grew up loving crafts and Christmas. Her mom taught her to embroider when she was 7 or 8 and to quilt when she was 15.

As time went on, Shawna began to get more involved in antiques, collectibles and crafts.

“I always liked making things, especially with dried flowers, and had shows where I sold lots of things,” Shawna said.

Her first shop was Nooks and Crannies in the Baldwin Room at the former Apple Grove in 1991.  After she married Chris, they bought Jeddo Mills and restored that to an antique shop. Then they had Emma, and Shawna wanted to stay home and raise her daughter, so she started to supply gift shops with dried flowers and folk art, and they sold Jeddo Mills.

“I needed a workshop, so we built this barn,” Shawna said.

This glass of milk and cookie for Santa look real enough to eat. This is one of the many gifts in Shawna Baldwin’s Christmas barn, which opens today. Richard Monica holds one of his artificial Christmas cakes, which he sells at Shawna Baldwin’s Christmas barn on Fruit Avenue, along with many one-of-a-kind items.

Emma was growing up and Shawna went to work full time, while continuing to make hand-crafted items. She bought the Whole Nine Yards on Main Street in Medina, but when the economy soured and the price of cotton doubled, she closed the store and went to work at Lynoaken Farms, baking, packing apples and running the gift shop.

“The barn became a playhouse for Emma and her friends,” Shawna said.

About then, Shawna began supplying Julie Fenton from Between the Vines shop with crafts. When the opportunity arose to take a job in labor relations at Niagara-Orleans BOCES, she was hired.

Shawna Baldwin got an early birthday present when her husband Chris drove this restored 1954 International truck into their yard.

That gave her the perfect opportunity to sell her crafts in their annual craft show with Richard Monica, former owner of Albion Antiques and Christmas Shop. Monica, who is a retired art teacher from Spencerport, now lends his creative genius to Shawna’s Christmas barn.

In 2020, due to Covid-19, BOCES canceled its annual craft show and Shawna decided to do it safely, with limited customers wearing masks, in her barn. Customers came, and it was very successful, she said. News of her barn had spread, and customers came from as far as Oswego and Baldwinsville.

“Last year was even bigger, and we realized we were out of room,” Shawna said. “Last summer we hired Sam Barber to add on to the barn. I realize I can sell my merchandise online, but Richard and I want the personal contact with people. We want the hugs, to see their eyes light up and hear their gasps when they see what we have.”

Chris and Shawna, with the help of family and friends, finished the barn, which is now 2/3 bigger than it was.

“Our 30th wedding anniversary was this year and we were going to Scotland,” Shawna said. “But when it came down to going to Scotland or building a bigger barn, we built a bigger barn.”

“You can’t create that old-time feeling in a modern building,” Chris said.

Shawna starts planning for her Christmas inventory in February. Much of the merchandise is hand made, such as Monica’s wooden ark and animals, and his handmade (not real) Christmas cakes and puddings.

Pieces of scrap wood left from the barn construction were fashioned into little villages, churches, lanterns and ornaments by Chris. They have already bought fresh trees, from which Shawna is making wreaths and swags.

Shawna still quilts and embroiders Christmas items, makes wool penny rugs and crochets popcorn garlands, but her favorite is calligraphy, and many wall hangings are the result of her talent.

Antiques in the store include a 1700s mahogany bed frame and a 1700s cradle.

Her goal is to have tie-dying and wreath-making classes and to develop a “Santa Trail” of area holiday shops.

“This is what I want to retire to some day,” Shawna said.

Chris Baldwin made this church from scraps of wood left from the addition to their Christmas barn.

She thinks all the area craft and holiday stores complement each other.

Her barn will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 11, 12, 18, 19 and Dec. 2 and 3; and from 1 to 4 p.m. Nov. 13, 20 and Dec. 4. They are closed Thanksgiving weekend so families can spend the holiday together.

Any merchandise which is left over after Dec. 4 will be boxed up and saved for next year, but Shawna said last year they sold everything. She is already planning bigger and better things for next year.

Her barn features one-of-a-kind creations, vintage ornaments and antiques, handmade ornaments and decorations, angels, snowmen and Santas, and fresh wreaths and swags.

A special attraction was added to the décor on Wednesday morning. Shawna and Richard were carrying more decorations and merchandise into the barn, when an old antique truck came down the road and pulled onto the lawn in front of the barn.

It was Chris in a 1954 International pickup they owned, which hadn’t run in a year. Unknown to Shawna, he and a friend have been working to get it in running order, and Chris surprised Shawna with it for her Nov. 15 birthday.

“I had no idea he was doing that,” Shawna said.

The address of Shawna’s barn is 3502 Fruit Ave., just north of School No. 10 Road.

ALBION – The Village of Albion Planning Board today gave unanimous approval to the site plan for a new Taco Bell on Route 31, next to McDonalds.

Hospitality Syracuse is proposing a 2,600-square-foot Taco Bell at 118 West Ave., a site that is currently a vacant parking lot with a steel water tank in the back corner.

The water tank will be removed, and so will chain-link fences. The Village Planning Board wants solid wood fencing on the east and west sides, and the back property line.

Hospitality Syracuse proposed two sold wood fences on the east and west, but wanted a chain-link to stay on the back end. That fence is in good shape now, but planners said they wanted a consistent look for the fencing, and didn’t want a chain-link fence that could get rusty in the future.

The County Planning Board, during its Oct. 27 meeting, voiced concern about how difficult it would be for tractor-trailers to turn right from the site. But the tractor-trailers won’t be driving around the store on a lane next to the drive-through. Those big trucks will go to the back end of the property, and will have room to turn around and then drive straight through the parking lot for a manageable right turn, Hospitality officials told the Village Planning Board.

Planning Board members – Chairman Matthew Hand, Karen Conn, Michael Massaro, Christine Buongiorne and Janet Salvatore – approved the site plan.

The project needs another village approval. Hospitality is seeking variances for the number of signs, size of the signs and height of the pole for the sign.

The Zoning Board of Appeals will meet at 4 p.m. on Nov. 15 to consider whether the restaurant can have four signs, which is more than the maximum of two allowed in the village code.

The developer is proposing four signs with three on the building and one on a freestanding pole. The village code calls for a maximum of two signs.

The freestanding sign would be 79.5 square feet, which is above the 48 square foot maximum.

Hospitality Syracuse also is seeking a pole height of 25 feet, which is 5 feet higher than the limit. The total cumulative area of the signs is at 147.6 square feet, which is 44 feet over the Albion limit.

The developer is seeking the additional building signage due to the unique “tower” aspect of the building design. A sign on each side of the tower provides architectural symmetry, and a sign over the door identifies the main entrance, Hospitality stated in the application.

The configuration of the drive-through does not allow for a pylon setback greater than what has been proposed.

MEDINA – Austin Mosher, a Medina firefighter, is part of the new graduating class from the State’s Recruit Firefighter Training program at the Office of Fire Prevention and Control’s Academy of Fire Science in Montour Falls.

Austin Mosher

Mosher, 19, was hired as a career firefighter for Medina on Feb. 15, after volunteering the previous 18 months with the Ridgeway Volunteer Fire Company.

The 86th Recruit Firefighter Training class represents graduates from 18 different fire departments across the state.

The rigorous 15-week residential program provides extensive fire service training in an environment similar to a full-time fire department. Upon graduation, all recruits will begin to serve as career firefighters in their respective fire department.

“Today’s ceremony celebrates the achievements of New York’s newest career firefighters as they begin their path in public service to protect their fellow New Yorkers,” said Jackie Bray, commissioner of NYS Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services. “Following the completion of the Academy’s course, these firefighters have the necessary training and are well-equipped with the knowledge to keep our communities safe from fire danger and the many emergencies they are asked to respond to day in and day out.”

The Office of Fire Prevention and Control’s Recruit Firefighter Training Program provides basic training for recently hired career firefighters, as well as volunteer firefighters. During the 15-week program, recruits participate in more than 600 hours of training in both classroom and practical settings.

Classes focus on areas such as structural, vehicle and flammable liquid firefighting, emergency vehicle operations, hazardous material emergency incident and basic rescue technician operations. Recruits also participate in daily physical fitness training in preparation for the Candidate Physical Ability Test. Upon completion, graduates receive national certification from the National Board of Fire Service Professional Qualifications in Firefighter I, Firefighter II and Hazardous Materials Operations.

The graduates received training in areas such as operating aerial devices; traffic incident management to keep firefighters safe on roadways; health and safety; firefighter rescue; hazardous materials response, and technical rescue. During the training program, students use iPads to provide them with greater access and flexibility to testing, as well as study materials.

The cellmate of Delmus Tanner admitted he strangled the Albion native at the Greene Correctional Facility in Coxackie near Albany on Nov. 9, 2018.

Delmus Tanner

Anthony J. Paradise, 44, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder last month on the third day of jury selection of his trial.

Paradise had been serving a 1 1/3 to 4 year sentence for three-degree robbery in Washington County. Tanner was in prison on a five-year sentence on drug charges.

Paradise and Tanner, 38, were double-bunked in the Special Housing Unit of the prison. Paradise used a torn bed sheet to strangle Tanner, Greene County District Attorney Joseph Stanzione said, according to a report from the Hudson Valley 360.

Paradise allegedly choked two other incarcerated people while in jail and prison, the DA said. Tanner’s family has filed a lawsuit against the state.

Tanner died on Nov. 13, 2018, four days after he was taken to the Albany Medical Center and put on life support. He was taken there on a Friday. It wasn’t until the following Monday that his family was made aware of the seriousness of his condition, his ex-wife Ashley Farrell previously told the Orleans Hub.

Tanner, a father of three children, was a Medina High School graduate and looked forward to being a good citizen when he was released from prison, Farrell said.

Photo by Tom Rivers

BARRE – The Town of Barre will soon have new welcome signs at the main entrances of the community with two on Route 98 and two on Route 31A.

Terry’s Signs in Elba finished the first 5-foot-long sign that includes a barn and a message that Barre is “A Right-to-Farm Community.”

The current signs are looking worn out, said Town Supervisor Sean Pogue. Barre paid about $500 for each of the four new signs.

That doesn’t include the cost for new frames that will be built by the Highway Department.

The new signs are on a thin aluminum. They will be reflective at night with the letters of “BARRE.”

ALBION – A Kendall man was sentenced to 1 1/3 to 4 years in state prison on Wednesday for drunk driving while exceeding 100 miles per hour.

Lazaro Botello, 31, of Kendall pleaded guilty to felony driving while intoxicated for an incident on June 20 when he was stopped in Clarendon. He was charged with unlawful fleeing from a police officer, resisting arrest, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, speeding and DWI.

He pleaded guilty on Aug. 3 to aggravated felony drunk driving, which satisfied all other charges against him.

Orleans County Court Judge Sanford Church gave Botello the maximum sentence in the plea agreement.

In other cases on Wednesday in court, Isaiah Casanova, 22, of Medina pleaded guilty to third-degree criminal possession of a weapon and violating his probation.

He faces a maximum of 2 to 4 years in state prison when he is sentenced on Jan. 11.

Casanova admitted in court on Wednesday that he driving a vehicle in August that had a 9 mm gun in the glove compartment. As a prior convicted felon, he isn’t allowed to have a gun. He also was driving a vehicle with a suspended registration.

In another case, Darius L. Jones, 30, a former inmate at Orleans Correctional Facility pleaded guilty to having dangerous contraband in the state prison. Jones sharpened plastic into an ice pick shape. He faces up to an additional 1 1/2 to 3 years in prison when he is sentenced on Jan. 18. He is now incarcerated at the Wende Correctional Facility in Alden.

In another recent case in county court, Dale Shawver, 60, of Albion was sentenced to six months in the Orleans County Jail and 10 years of probation.

Shawver pleaded guilty to first-degree sexual abuse, a D felony, and criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree, which is a misdemeanor. He allegedly touched a 12-year-old girl in an intimate area. When he was charged, he turned in his weapons and a gun met the criteria for being an assault rifle under the state’s SAFE Act. The judge issued an order of protection for the victim.

Provided photo: Lori Condo, assistant controller at Orleans Community Health, has received the President’s Plaque and the Follmer Bronze Merit Award.

MEDINA – Orleans Community Health has announced the recognition of a dedicated employee by the Healthcare Financial Management Association.

On Oct. 21, HFMA presented the President’s Plaque and the Follmer Bronze Merit Award for Outstanding Service to Lori Condo, assistant controller at Orleans Community Health.

“I would recommend this place to anyone looking for a place to be part of a team,” said Condo, a 23-year veteran of Orleans Community Health. “This has been my second family and I am honored to work with such wonderful people.”

Condo has been active in Western New York HFMA since 2009. In 2019 she was elected secretary of the WNY chapter, which represents 150 members. In 2020, she was named president-elect, and in 2021 she became president.

“Lori is truly a dedicated member of the Orleans Community Health team, who is also active in helping to further other organizations in our region,” said Scott Robinson, director of marketing at Orleans Community Health.

Western New York Healthcare Financial Management Association, with a local office in Buffalo, is a member of the national organization which helps healthcare finance professionals meet the challenges of the modern healthcare environment.

Press Release, Royalton-Hartland Central School District

MIDDLEPORT – Next week, the Royalton-Hartland Board of Education will conclude its selection process to identify the district’s next superintendent.

The process for identifying the next superintendent commenced last month as the Board gathered to review complete application packets and identify six individuals from a field of 12 candidates submitting complete application packets.

Those six were interviewed by the Board of Education during the first week of November. Three candidates from that group have been identified to participate in the final interview process scheduled for

• Tuesday, November 15th
• Wednesday, November 16th
• Thursday, November 17th.

Each of the three candidates will spend an entire day in the district touring schools and interviewing with stakeholder groups. These focus groups will be composed of district administrators, support staff and teachers.

Each day at 5 p.m., the candidates will also interview with a community group composed of students, parents and other community stakeholders before engaging in a final interview with the Board of Education. The Board will have access to all the feedback of the stakeholder groups as part of its final deliberations to select a successful candidate.

The approach the Board will employ in this final leg of the process seeks to strike a balance between its commitment of an open, transparent search while respecting the challenges faced by the candidates participating in the final interview activities.

All community members are invited to the high school library on Nov. 15, 16 and 17 to meet the candidates and observe their participation in the community stakeholder session. Each candidate will enter the library at 4:45 p.m. and spend 15 minutes greeting and interacting with community members before beginning the actual interview with the focus group.

Community members are welcome to attend any individual interview or all three sessions.   Anyone interested is asked to enter the library by 4:45 p.m. each day. Doors will be closed to community members at 5 p.m. once the interviews begin.

The Board hopes to appoint its new superintendent in December and anticipates that person to assume his or her new duties on or about Feb. 1, 2023.

ALBION – Orleans Community Health will celebrate the 10th anniversary of its Albion Healthcare Center with an open house from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Nov. 30.

“This is an exciting time for the center,” said Alana Palone, clinic administrator at Orleans Community Health. “We’ve seen a growing number of those in the community deciding to use our walk-in services, and it’s right as we celebrate this anniversary. Beyond this event, several exciting things are in the works for the Albion Healthcare Center. We’ll be excited to share them all soon.”

The Albion Healthcare Center originally opened as an Urgent Care Center, but wasn’t utilized that way, according to Scott Robinson, director of marketing at Community Partners. OCH officials soon realized the site could better serve the community as a walk-in, healthcare center.

“Whether it’s primary care, a walk-in lab and radiology, physical therapy or the several other services, the Albion Healthcare Center is leading the way in providing for the Albion community,” said Marc Shurtz, CEO/CIO of Orleans Community Health. “We couldn’t be more proud of the team and all they’re doing for the health and wellness of the surrounding communities.”

The community is invited to join in this anniversary celebration by attending the open house Nov. 30. Light refreshments will be provided.

The Albion Healthcare Center is located on Route 31, at the corner of Butts Road, just east of the Village of Albion.

‘Veteran Connection’ scheduled for Nov. 16

Press Release, GCASA

BATAVIA – Staff members at The Recovery Station are looking to make a “connection” with veterans and their families in the GLOW region.

Two events designed to show support for former and active military personnel and their families are scheduled at the social club at 5256 Clinton St. Rd. over the next week.

The public is invited today to join employees of The Recovery Station, a program of Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, on a Mission 22 Walk starting from the Ellicott Trail at the DeWitt Recreation Area on Cedar Street.

The walk is set for 2:30 p.m.  A cookout will follow at The Recovery Station.

“This is an opportunity to shine a light on statistics that show that 22 veterans take their lives by suicide every day,” said Harry Rascoe, director of The Recovery Station.

On Nov. 16, The Recovery Station will host a “Veteran Connection” gathering from 5 to 7 p.m.

Veterans from Genesee and surrounding counties will be able to network with various veteran and local service organizations and take a tour of the facility. This is being conducted in partnership with the GOW Pathway to Hope coalitions.

For more information, call Rascoe at 585-813-6050.