By Randy LeBaron

Good morning! Grab your favorite cup. Fill it up. And let’s start this week right… TOGETHER!!!

Well friends, I was quite floored by the amount of feedback that I received from my last article where I wrote about the unseen scars of being bullied. Thanks to the many who wrote letters, sent e-mails, messaged, or simply approached me while I was out and about to let me know that it had resonated with you in some way. I was actually hesitant about submitting it, but it certainly seemed to have struck a chord, so I am glad that I did.   

More than a few of you have also asked about how the different acts of reconciliation that I mentioned came about so I thought as a follow up I would share an abbreviated version of how my broken relationship with my father was redeemed and what I have learned looking back on it. Caveat – even in the abridged form it is way too lengthy for one article – so today I will share some backstory and the events that led to our estrangement and then, in two weeks, I will share about how the healing took place.

To start with, my father’s name was Lloyd LeBaron but everybody called him “Fuzz”, and I mean everybody. Someone once sent him a letter that was simply labeled “Fuzz, Sinclairville, NY” and it made its way to our mailbox. Anyway Fuzz, or Dad as I will refer to him from here on, was born in 1931. He spent much of his childhood in the hospital which caused him to fall behind in school and eventually led to him dropping out, only completing the 4th grade.

He entered the Army when he was 17 and was stationed in Germany. After his first stint he switched to the Air Force where he would go on to run a Carpentry Shop in Paris. While he was in the service he got married and at age 19 had my oldest brother, Rick. The very next year my twin brothers, Rod & Roger, were born. The marriage didn’t last and my Dad went back overseas so my brothers ended up being raised by aunts and uncles.

Fast forward to 1967, and Dad was working as a Tool & Dye Maker at Crescent Tool and ended up marrying a much younger woman (11 years) who was also very much pregnant. My sister Roberta was born and my dad adopted her as his own. By 1974 my dad was 43 years old, already a grandfather a few times over, and did not have becoming a father again on his radar at all. This is where I entered the picture, 23 years after my brother Rick was born I made Fuzz was a father again whether he liked it or not.

In my early years I don’t think he minded so much but once I hit school age and someone made the mistake of asking if he was dropping off his grandson things started to change. Dad had quite the temper and, as an undiagnosed child with ADHD, I would often do or say something impulsively that would lead to being branded by his belt. The reality was that he was older, more easily irritated, and I think somewhat resentful because it was clear early on that I had not inherited any of his mechanical skills. To this day I am still the least handy person around, just ask my wife.

All in all things didn’t seem so bad though, I mean this was the ’80s and most of my friends’ fathers treated them the same way. It seemed normal, until my dad’s world came crashing down. I was in elementary school when my father suffered a heart attack and was taken by Mercy Flight to Buffalo General where he would undergo a quintuple bypass surgery. It was a long recovery and, to make matters worse, he was diagnosed with diabetes and after being prescribed a new experimental pill he had a reaction that nearly killed him. It caused him to lose so much weight that he looked like a skeleton.

To make matters worse he ended up losing his job because he could no longer meet the physical requirements and my older brothers had each made some poor choices that eventually led to divorce for one, drug use for another, and prison for the third. It was at this point that my dad told me in no uncertain terms that he had not wanted to be a father again in the first place and, because he figured I would just turn out like my brothers, I wasn’t worth it.

At that point he disengaged not only from me but my mother as well. He moved into his own room in the house and more or less cohabitated with us. From that point on he did not attend any school functions or go to any of my sporting events. There were even times that friends from school would ask me if my parents were divorced or if my dad was dead and I just responded yes because the truth was too humiliating.

At this point my father was not as physically overpowering as he once was but he could still wound with words. He would often give me demeaning nicknames and, because I had to go to speech therapy throughout school, he would always make fun of me and say that he could never understand a word that I said. As I shared in my last article, this compounded the bullying that I was enduring everyday at school and so even as I was feeling like a helpless victim I also began to be filled with anger and bitterness that was on the edge of boiling over.

Jump ahead now to high school where one of the most tragic moments, the sudden passing of my grandmother, led to a respite of sorts as I moved in with my grandfather to help take care of him. Eventually it was no longer safe for him to stay alone while I was at school so he ended up moving in with my parents, but I remained in his apartment by myself. Things seemed like they were headed in a better direction—some of the bullying at school had dissipated since I had started martial arts. I got involved in the church down the street from where I lived, and I even got accepted to a college in Kansas which, if nothing else, was far away from my father and all the bad memories that I had accumulated over the years.

On the day that I left for college my parents drove me to the bus station where I proceeded to get on the wrong bus. Thankfully I realized my error in time and quickly got off to find the right one. That was when my mother ran up to me and said that my dad had made an effort by coming out and that I had not even said goodbye.  She then said that she was afraid I was going to hurt his feelings. In that moment I felt every bit of anger, hate, and resentment that I had toward my father and simply replied, “Good!” as I walked up the steps of the bus without looking back.

See you in two weeks!
Pastor Randy

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – This group takes part in a Mental Health Walk and Health Fair today at Bullard park. Participants joined on the crusher-run walking trail on the perimeter of the park.

The Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern organized the event for the first time. Participating agencies at the health fair included GOMOC, UConnectCare (formerly GCASA), NYS Senior Action Council, the Orleans County mental Health Department, Fidelis and Healthy Families (serving Orleans and Niagara counties).

Participants received t-shirts with a quote, “May the Fourth be with your Mental Health.”

Jami Allport, GOMOC director, said the agency wanted a local event as part of May as mental Health Awareness Month.

Pattie Beadle brought two llamas for the event. Beadle is a therapist with the Orleans County mental Health Department. She also has been showing llamas for about 30 years. She noticed at llama shows the animals have a calming effect on visitors.

She is working to have the llamas be certified as therapy animals.

Beadle is shown with “Slick.” Her other llama “Oscar” is in back.

“When people touch a llama, a calm comes over them,” she said.

These people start the walk for mental health. There were several signs about mental health myths and facts posted along the trail.

This sign said the following:

Myth: Children don’t experience mental health problems.

Fact: Even very young children may show warning signs of mental health concerns. Early support can help a child before mental problems interfere with other developmental needs.

Myth: People with mental health problems are violent and unpredictable.

Fact: The majority of people with mental health problems are not or likely to be more violent than anyone else. In fact, many people with mental health problems are highly active and productive members of their communities.

100-plus hunt down litter; Today’s effort dedicated to Danny Cory, husband of retired Holley principal

Photos by Tom Rivers

HOLLEY – Ryan Seward, a Holley seventh-grader, snags an empty beer can from a  drainage area next to the Holley Pharmacy. He is joined by friends Mason McGuire, top left, and Logan Lane with the trash bag.

They were  among more than 100 Holley students and many other school and community volunteers who were out picking up garbage in Holley’s annual Canal Clean Sweep effort.

Holley makes the event a big effort, with students getting a tie-dyed T-shirt to mark the occasion. Students also get a sense of pride in cleaning up litter in the village and along the canal towpath in the town of Murray and Village of Holley.

Holley Mayor Mark Bower addresses the group at about 10 a.m. in the elementary school parking lot. He thanked them for helping to make the Holley community a better place.

The students split into smaller groups with two adult volunteers in each pod. Elementary students in the Rotary Early Act group picked up litter along the canal. The Early Act Club, for students in grades 4 to 6, is led by Jessica Seaward.

The junior-senior high school students dispersed into different parts of the village, as well as the canal park to hunt down trash.

Before the left, they were welcome to a Paula’s Donut. Holley Rotary Club member Craig Lane picked up 10 dozen donuts early this morning. He has made Paula’s Donuts part of the annual tradition for the canal clean sweep.

Brian Bartalo, the Holley school district superintendent, takes a photo of the large group. Many of the students are in the Holley Interact Club, which is led by advisors Samantha Zelent and Erin Dibble.

“They are very excited about this,” Dibble said about the annual cleanup. “this is our biggest event of the year.”

Dibble and Zelent thanked the students, and many teachers and parents who stepped up as volunteers.

Brian Bartalo also addressed the group before they headed out for about two hours of volunteer service.

The cleanup effort was dedicated to Danny Cory, the husband of retired Holley principal Susan Cory. Mr. Cory passed away unexpectedly on April 22 at age 61 while on a vacation with his wife in Nashville.

Mr. Cory attended numerous Holley school events while his wife was principal. Even though he was proud to be a Le Roy graduate, he became an enthusiastic Holley Hawk.

Kayla Neale, a Holley senior, designed the t-shirt for the annual cleanup day.

The students were on the hunt for trash in the village and along the canal.

New reassessments won’t take effect until 2025-26 budget

LYNDONVILLE – The Village Board has approved an overall $1,351,115 budget for 2024-25 that reduces the tax levy by 0.7 percent and cuts the tax rate from $15.94 to $15.84 per $1,000 of assessed property.

The amount of money to be collected in property taxes will decrease from $488,066 to $484,658.

The board approved the spending plan on April 11. The budget includes the following three funds:

• General fund increased from $636,918 to $642,612
• Water fund up from $464,828 to $476,814
• Sewer fund down from $237,244 to $231,689

The total for of three funds shows an increase in spending by $12,125 or 0.9 percent from $1,338,990 to $1,351,115.

The village’s tax base is down slightly from $30,605,653 to $30,597,571. The tax base should see a jump in the next village budget in 2025-26 when new assessments take effect. The Town of Yates is doing a town-wide reassessment this year, and that includes the village.

The new village budget takes effect June 1 and runs until May 31.

Provided photo: Logan Sauer has helped lead a dramatic increase in attendance and participation in programs at the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge.

BASOM – When Logan Sauer learned there was opening at the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, he jumped at the chance to apply.

Sauer, 27, who grew up in Virginia, was working as a Visitors Services Specialist for the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge in the Twin Cities and was anxious to return to the northeast.

He started his new position with the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge in January 2023, and since then has broken records for attendance and participation in programs.

Sauer’s position is to work with the public and create programs to bring people to the refuge.

“I’m essentially a ‘people person,’” he said.

Sauer has revamped a lot of programming with the refuge open to visitors every Saturday.

“As a result, we’ve seen a high uptake in visitation and public programming,” Sauer said.

In 2022, the year before Sauer arrived at Iroquois, 857 people participated in programs, but the first year Sauer was here, that number jumped to 5,470, or a 538 percent increase. Likewise, visitation rose from 1,619 in 2022 to 2,549 (a 58 percent increase) in 2023.

One of the most popular new events was a Full Moon Luminary Night Hike, in which the Headquarters’ Trail was lined with ice lanterns and hot chocolate was provided afterwards in the Welcome Center.

“Four hundred and thirty people attended that and want to do it again,” Sauer said.

A Warbler Walk at Swallow Hollow on Knowlesville Road today (Saturday), led by photographer and professor at Buffalo State, Ruth Goldman, sold out.

Sauer, who also happens to be an artist, has incorporated art into events at the refuge.

“We started painting classes, free of charge,” he said. “People come here to bird and fish, and now they can paint what they see.”

Next Saturday (May 11) is the Spring Spectacular, the biggest event of the year, Sauer said. His goal is to have 1,000 visitors, and 800 have already signed up.

“We will highlight the interaction of nature, culture and arts,” he said.

Thirty exhibitors are expected, along with raptors, food vendors and special art projects by Friends of Iroquois Wildlife Refuge, funded by GO Art!

May programming will also include a beginner nature photography course from 9 a.m. to noon May 18 at the Visitor’s Center. Pre-registration is required.

On May 25, seed ball and paper making will take place between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Participants can drop in any time and materials will be provided.

More details on programs can be found on the Refuge’s Facebook page (click here). To pre-register for programs, e-mail Sauer at logan_sauer@fws.gov or call and leave a message at (612) 759-8662.

Sauer added he didn’t know much about Western New York when he came here and didn’t think he’d like it.

“But I’m happy to be here and I don’t plan to leave any time soon,” he said.

He said he is always open to new ideas and welcomes suggestions.

Photos by Ginny Kropf: Louis Esten, who founded Plow Days 26 years ago, stands by some Farmall tractors which will take part in the event Saturday and Sunday.

ELBA – An antique tractor purchased “just for kicks” by a Medina man is expected to take part in Plow Days Saturday and Sunday at the Torrey Farm at 7411 Oak Orchard Rd., about one-half mile south of Elba.

Larry Boyle, who lived in Millville at the time, purchased a 1938 McCormick Deering Model 04 tractor for $200 in the late 1960s from a friend in Barre. The tractor ran and Boyle used it to haul wood and work up the fields on his small farm.

After moving to Medina, the tractor was stored in a barn and there it has sat for decades, until Larry’s son Terry decided to restore it.

Terry Boyle of Medina, left, and Louis Esten of Elba stand by the 1938 McCormick Deering tractor which Boyle restored and Esten trailered to the site of Plow Days on Saturday and Sunday on Torrey’s farm at 7411 Oak Orchard Rd., Elba.

Terry knew Louis Esten, having worked for him at Path Truck Lines, and knew about Esten’s passion for old tractors. It became Terry’s goal to get his father’s tractor running and take it to Plow Days, a demonstration by old tractors Esten started in 1998.

John Torrey from Torrey Farms also loves old tractors and has an impressive collection of 85 Farmalls and a large toy tractor collection of die cast and pedal tractors. He offered a large field on his farm just south of Elba for Esten to hold his Plow Days.

The day will feature 15 to 20 tractors working in the field, all of them McCormick Deering and Farmall, with the exception of one Cockshoot, a Canadian/Oliver brand.

This display of Farmall tractors is among the 85 antique tractors collected by John Torrey. He lines them up at his home south of Elba every year.

Terry said his dad’s 1938 McCormick Deering hadn’t been run in 50 years when he started working on his several months ago. The tractor is No. 24 out of only 104 built. Terry estimates he has put at least $5,000 in it. It isn’t clear how much it is worth today, but one site online lists similar models being offered for $9,000 to $20,000. Larry, however, isn’t ready to part with it.

There is no charge to attend Plow Days, which runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, rain or shine.

Esten said they have been rained out only once, and people still came to view tractors in the barn, enjoy the camaraderie and visit the vendor booths. Breakfast and lunch are available from food trucks on the grounds.

Esten said he has lots of help from his sons, grandchildren and friend Daniel Gerould in putting on Plow Days.

A lineup of assorted McCormick Deering and Farmall tractors sits ready to perform for Plow Days Saturday and Sunday at the Torrey Farm on Oak Orchard Road, just south of Elba.

Terry Boyle, second from left, sits in front of his antique McCormick Deering tractor with Michael Esten, his dad Louis Esten and Louis’ grandson Ayden.

Provided photos: Marie Delobbe-Scott is instructor of the new Judo class for teens at the Orleans County YMCA.

MEDINA – The Orleans County YMCA is piloting a new teen homeschooling program, which took effect April 30.

The program, which will continue through June 11, will run simultaneously with the current Younger Children’s Home School Extension Program from 1:30 to 4 p.m. Tuesdays, according to Noori Bibi, vice president of the YMCA board.

Teens in grades seven through 12 may still sign up for the teen program by contacting the YMCA at (585) 798-2040. Cost is $50 for members and $70 for non-members.

Katie Hill is spearheading the teen program, which was started to support homeschooling families with teens.

“This program is high quality, which is why I put my kids in it,” Bibi said. “The children love it and look forward to it every week.”

The program includes physical education, music and art.

For seven weeks, the Tuesday sessions will include one hour of instruction, provided by a seasoned personal trainer. Teens will be given the tools they need to build their own strength training program, learn how to use the weight machines at the YMCA, set personal goals, learn proper eating habits and understand the science behind the number of reps and sets performed for what they are trying to achieve physically (strength, power, flexibility, etc.), Bibi explained.

In addition to this, teens will be provided with a 45-50-minute ART/STEAM/Self expression program tailored to the interests of the teens enrolled. There will also be a 30-minute Free-Write/Free Draw Expression class, where teens can interact socially with each other to build lifelong relationships, work on personal projects or tutor each other.

“Our vision is to launch this first session and gain insight from the local homeschooled teens as to what skills and classes they desire,” Bibi said.

Marie Scott leads the Judo sessions, while Hill is the art and music instructor.

Katie Hill leads a special session for homeschooled kids at the Orleans County YMCA. A new program is geared for teens.

Photo by Ginny Kropf: Equipment is on site at the former Starlite Dry Cleaners. The state Department of Environmental Conservation’s Division of Environmental Remediation is doing remediation of the site, which burned in 2004. Work started last week and continues this week.

MEDINA – A plan for remediation of a site at 331 North Main St. has been solidified by the New York State Department of Environment’s Division of Environmental Remediation.

According to Medina Mayor Marguerite Sherman, the DEC knows where the contamination is on the site formerly occupied by Starlight Dry Cleaners. The business burned in 2004 and the building was demolished in 2016.

Information supplied to Sherman from Gail Dieter, environmental chemist with the state Department of Environmental Conservation’s Division of Environmental Remediation, states that an approximate 300-foot square area will be excavated to depths up to eight feet below ground surface.

An estimated 90 cubic yards of material will be disposed of off-site, and clean fill meeting state requirements will be brought in to replace the excavated soil.

Site cover will be maintained and may include paved surface parking areas, sidewalks or soil.

The planned remediation process has been approved by the New York State Department of Health.

Prior to the fire and demolition, the site contained a 4,332 square foot stone building constructed circa 1830 as a produce warehouse and a 3,258 square foot addition to the north built circa 1910 as a livery and hitch barn.

The building and addition were subsequently used for automobile sales and storage from about 1927 to 1948, and then as a dry cleaners from 1953 to 2004, when fire heavily damaged the building and destroyed the dry-cleaning facility.

Contaminants in the building included tetracholorethane, which was used from 1953 to the 1990s, when the business switched to petroleum-based solvent. Both a site characterization concluded in November 2009 and a remedial investigation in September 2017 identified chlorinated solvents in soil and groundwater samples from the source location likely proximate to the equipment maintenance area of the dry cleaners, according to the DEC.

Cost of the remediation is part of the state’s hazardous cleanup funding, according to Sherman.

Press Release, Arc GLOW

LYNDONVILLE – Time is running out to sign-up for the 2024 season of Camp Rainbow.

Applications and scholarships are due Wednesday, May 15, which can be found online (click here). Scholarships, which are part of the application, and covers one week of camp and transportation.

Taking place between July 8 through Aug. 9 this year, Camp Rainbow is a summer day camp available to all children between 5 to 21. The camp is located at 2272 Yates Carlton Townline Road in Lyndonville.

While Camp Rainbow was originally designed to meet the needs of children with developmental and/or physical disabilities, it was opened up to all children in 1992. Since that time, Camp Rainbow has encouraged friendships and understanding among children with and without disabilities as well as promoting integration and inclusion.

If you live in Orleans County, transportation is free due to a grant from the Fox-Knoeferl Family Fund at the Rochester Area Community Foundation. Genesee County residents can take a shuttle bus from Batavia to camp from the Arc GLOW Community Center at 38 Woodrow Road.

There will be other updates to camp this year thanks to the generosity of community organizations. The Medina Sandstone Society provided funding to replace two benches which Jonathan Doherty built over 20 years ago as part of his Eagle Scout project and a plaque to honor him.

With the help of the Curtis Foundation, Camp Rainbow was able to install a tankless hot water heater and a new roof for the athletic building. Both the Orleans County United Way and Youth Bureau also generously granted money to help with running camp.

Arc GLOW is also looking to hire lifeguards, a camp cook and counselors for Camp Rainbow. To apply, visit ArcGLOW.org/Work-For-Us.

For more information on Camp Rainbow, contact Director of Community Services Jenifer Batt at (585) 343-1123 ext. 1150 or JBatt@ArcGLOW.org.

Press Release, Governor Kathy Hochul’s Office

Governor Kathy Hochul today celebrated the historic expansion of the Tuition Assistance Program included in the FY 2025 Enacted Budget to make higher education more affordable and accessible.

The Governor also released the New York State TAP Difference Report, which highlights the significant role the New York State Tuition Assistance Program plays in broadening college access, boosting completion rates, and fostering educational equity particularly among low-income families and first-generation college students.

Hochul celebrated the TAP expansion today at Farmingdale State College where she also announced $431,000 for new, modernized air traffic control simulation technology to further the institution’s commitment to meeting the critical workforce needs of the aviation industry in New York State.

“Higher education can transform New Yorkers’ lives, helping students develop the skills they need to pursue their dreams,” Hochul said. “We are taking significant steps to ensure all New York students have access to the financial support they need to continue their education and become the next generation of leaders in our state.”

The Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) is one of the nation’s largest need-based college financial aid grant programs. Since its inception in 1974, it was provided nearly $30 billion to help more than 6 million New Yorkers attend college.

The FY 2025 Enacted Budget increases the minimum TAP award from $500 to $1,000. Additionally, the Budget increases the dependent student net taxable income (NTI) limit for TAP eligibility from $80,000 to $125,000, the independent married student NTI limit from $40,000 to $60,000, and the independent single student NTI limit from $10,000 to $30,000. These changes are estimated to benefit roughly 93,000 students in public and private colleges and universities, including 48,000 students newly eligible for TAP.

The New York State TAP Difference Report is the first study that examines the six-year outcomes for students who have benefited from TAP. Highlights of the report include:

• TAP recipients were more likely to graduate, earning a bachelor’s degree within six years, compared to students who did not receive TAP.
• TAP recipients were found to be twice as likely to begin their college education at a four-year institution, and two times more likely to complete their education at a four-year institution.
• More TAP recipients stayed at New York State schools, with the greatest difference among upward transfers from a two-year to a four-year school. TAP: 89 percent; non-TAP: 62 percent.
• TAP advanced educational equity. TAP recipients saw reductions in the gap in six-year completion rates between disadvantaged and advantaged subgroups.
• 60 percent of TAP recipients for the academic years 2013 and 2014 completed their four-year degrees in six years, as compared to 26 percent who did not receive TAP.

The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor created this bicentennial band to promote the canal's 200th anniversary in 2025. The corridor has other marketing materials available to help communities celebrate the canal’s milestone anniversary.

Press Release, Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor

The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor has released an Erie Canalway Bicentennial Marketing Toolkit to help municipalities, nonprofits, tourism agencies, and businesses along the canals prepare for the bicentennial of the Erie Canal in 2025.

Organizations are invited to sign up to receive free access to official graphics, banners, social media, and giveaways at www.eriecanalway.org/bicentennial.

The toolkit includes a new graphic mark that incorporates the canals’ blue and gold colors and lock numbers with an invitation for people to visit the many recreational, historic, and cultural treasures along the canals. New elements will be added to the toolkit in the coming months to keep content fresh.

“This is an exciting time as we prepare to commemorate the Erie Canal’s 200th birthday. Incorporating consistent graphics and messaging will bring heightened awareness, unity, and recognition for the many bicentennial activities taking place along the canals in 2025,” said Bob Radliff, Executive Director of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor.

The Bicentennial Marketing Toolkit is supported by a Market New York grant awarded to the Erie Canalway Heritage Fund from Empire State Development and I LOVE NY/New York State’s Division of Tourism through the Regional Economic Development Council initiative.

Since its grand opening in 1825, the Erie Canal has been widely recognized as an engineering marvel that put New York on the map as the Empire State. It transformed New York City into the nation’s principal seaport and served as a major “Gateway to the West” for waves of immigrants coming to America. Groundbreaking inventions and social movements took place along the canals where a spirit of entrepreneurship and progressive thinking took hold.

Today, the New York State Canal System is a National Historic Landmark that offers an unparalleled place to recreate while discovering the incredible history and beauty of America’s most famous human-made waterway.

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Orleans Hub held an awards program on Thursday evening at the Hoag Library, presenting plaques to “Outstanding Citizens” from 2023. We also presented two from 2021.

Pictured from left in front includes Susan Walders, Jenn Thom, Joe Gehl, Scott Christ and Annette Finch. In Back: Gary Kent, Brooke Kemblowski (accepting for her father Gary Derwick), Melisa and Jovannie Canales, Brett Sobrieski, Diane and Neil Valentine (parents of Evan Valentine). Missing from photo: Susan Oschmann.

Orleans Hub used to have an annual awards program to recognize our Outstanding Citizens that we pick for each year. These are people who pulled off a major community project or inspired others to take action on pressing issues.

We stopped having the awards program in 2020 due to Covid restrictions. Last night we were thrilled to have the winners back for a gathering. We also presented the awards for Annette Finch and Evan Valentine from 2021. Back then there wasn’t a bigger gathering and we wanted to give out those awards in front of other people.

Annette Finch retired in 2021 after working 44 years on the front lines of helping local people in need work through a crisis. Finch worked as director of emergency services for Community Action, a high-stress job where she managed food drives, toy drives and other events to bring in resources for people served by the agency.

Finch did a lot behind the scenes in helping people to not have utilities shut off and find emergency housing. She was a steady presence, a voice of encouragement and master problem solver for people in very challenging predicaments.

Evan Valentine of Holley pushed to finish his Eagle Scout project, despite being hospitalized with leukemia. He fought the disease for 2 ½ years and inspired the Holley community with his optimism and perseverance through it all.

Evan would pass away from leukemia on Feb. 21, 2021. His Eagle Scout project was dedicated on June 5, 2021. A team of scouts and volunteers follow his instructions and built a veterans’ wall around the war memorial in Holley by the Post Office and the American Legion. The stone wall includes a sitting area in front with an inscription, “Forever Remembered – Forever Missed.”

2023 Outstanding Citizens

• Three of the directors of the Albion Betterment Committee worked about a decade to raise money and work out the details for a new bronze statue in Albion in honor of Charles Howard, who started a school for Santas in 1937 that continued in Albion until his death in 1966. The school, which is now in Michigan, continues in Howard’s name.

Gary Derwick, Joe Gehl and Gary Kent launched an ambitious project to honor Howard with a bronze statue, which was unveiled on June 10 last year during the Strawberry Festival with many of Howard’s family members present. The Albion Betterment Committee has spent years honor Howard’s legacy, putting up “Believe” signs, convincing the state to name a portion of Route 31 in memory of Howard, and backing other projects promoting Howard, including two Santa murals in Albion.

The bronze statue was the biggest effort. They raised about $80,000 for the project and hired Brian Porter to create the statue in a likeness of Howard in his Santa suit.

• Pastor Jovannie Canales of the Oasis Church in Medina wants students to be well-stocked with supplies when the school year starts. He also wants their families to be connected to agencies and churches that can make their families stronger. For six years Canales has organized a Family Fun Day at Butts Park in Medina. The event attracted 600 people on Aug. 5. It has grown from the first one in a parking lot. Now there are musicians, many non-profit organizations, lots of free food, BMX bikers and skateboarders, many from the faith community, and numerous school supplies.

• Susan Oschmann pushed for two years to get new basketball courts at Bullard Park in ALbion, lining up fundraising and support for the project. Oschmann rallied the community, including basketball legend Roosevelt Bouie of Kendall, in getting two new courts complete. They opened on Oct. 26.

• Jenn Thom of Medina leads an organization – Operation Honor – that raises money for veterans. She has put on a 5K on Veterans’ Day on Nov. 11 since 2018 as one of the group’s biggest fundraisers.

Thom hasn’t served in the military. She runs an accounting business. Operation Honor is her way of serving veterans who she said sacrificed so much for the country. Many of those vets often find themselves in financial stress. Operation Honor is able to lighten that load whether covering utility bills, car payments, or purchasing heating pellets for veterans in need.

• Susan Walders has been determined to help senior citizens, especially those in nursing home and other care facilities, get outdoors and connect with nature. She sees bike rides as a great way to meet that goal.

Last year she was able to raise $12,000 for a new tri-shaw, a 3-wheeled bike with cushions for two passengers. She has formed a non-profit organizations, Cycling Without Age in Orleans County, with a board of directors.

The bike arrived in late August and Walders took it to The Villages of Orleans on Sept. 27 for the first bike rides, taking residents on a path behind the nursing home. She and her group of volunteers expect to be busy this year going to nursing homes and other care facilities for senior citizens and people with disabilities.

• Scott “Spanky” Christ brought back the Murray Tractor Pull last year after a four-year absence. There was a record-setting crowd of about 1,600 that watched the pulls on July 22, and raised $8,500 for the Ronald McDonald House, which provides hospitality for families with children fighting a serious illness.

Christ is part of a three-generation family that competes in tractor pulling. Christ drives “Just For Fun” in the Super Farm Class and is regularly among the points leaders in that class for the Empire State Pullers. His father Lloyd drives his Heavy Super Stock tractor, “It’s Only Money,” and Scott son’s Travis also competes in the Super Farm Class with “No Expectations.”

• Brett Sobieraski ran a marathon every day for 50 straight days, honoring the memory of Rochester police officer Anthony “Maz” Mazurkiewicz, who was killed in the line of duty on July 21, 2022.

Sobieraski, a retired Rochester police sergeant, lives in Kent. He started his “8 States for Maz” jounrey in Florida and worked his way up to Rochester, going 26.2 miles a day.

Sobieraski sought to raise $100,000 for Mazurkiewicz’s family and topped that goal. Along the way he inspired people in the eight states.

Sobieraski said he wanted the officer’s family to feel love and respect from the community, and know Maz’s life of service is deeply appreciated. The response was far more than Sobieraski could have imagined. In the last 5K of the final marathon, 850 people joined him in Rochester.

Provided photo: Kelli Dingle of Albion holds her winning design.

Press Release, Orleans/Niagara BOCES

ALBION – Congratulations to Kelli Dingle, an Albion junior in the Graphic Communications program at the Orleans Career and Technical Education Center.

She was recently informed that her submission for the 2024 Taste of Buffalo Tops Poster Art Contest not only was selected for the First Prize winner for the 13 to 17-year-old age category, but also the Overall Grand Prize winner.

She will receive $1,000 for her prize money and her artwork will be used in the creation of the official Taste of Buffalo poster!

“I am so proud of Kelli,” says her Graphic Communications teacher Karen Krull.  “She is an amazing artist, extremely talented and has so much potential. This is very exciting.”

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The Albion Rotary Club welcomed Marlene Seielstad as a new member of the club today during its meeting at the Tavern of the Ridge. Club President Doug Farley, right, is pleased to have Seielstad in Rotary.

Seielstad is an associate broker with Snell Realtors. She is a former member of the Albion Board of Education and has been involved in many community organizations, including the Albion Music Boosters and local robotics team through the Cornell Cooperative Extension.

The Rotary Club also was visited today by former exchange student Aline Lyra and her son Joaquin Caparroz, who are from Brazil. Lyra was a student at Albion in 1999-2000 and stayed with host families, Chris and Pat Haines and Nancy and Ron Good.

Lyra now works as an orthodontist. Her son has been an exchange student at Southwestern High School, staying with host families in the Jamestown area.

Lyra said her sisters were also exchange students, one in Australia and the other in New Zealand.

Lyra’s family also has hosted several students, and she strongly supported her son spending this school year in Western New York.

“The Rotary exchange has been such a great part of our lives,” she said.