Announcements

Genesee Community College's Men's Soccer Team alumni are preparing for an exciting, first-ever alumni soccer match scheduled at 3 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 24.

They will play on the new all-weather soccer field at the Batavia Campus.

Organized by Men's Soccer assistant coach Jim Cody, players will be arranged into two teams according to graduating years. Odd-graduating years will play even-graduating years.

During the game, cider and doughnut refreshments will be provided by Genesee's Alumni Office. Tee shirts will also be provided to those participating in the match. Prior to the alumni game, the current Men's Soccer team will play Cayuga Community College at 1 o'clock.

"We hope to make this an annual event," Cody said. "We already have alumni signed up that graduated over 25 years ago! We really want to get young and old players back to campus to celebrate the new field and hopefully in the future expand this event to include the women's teams."

Following the alumni game, players as well as friends, families and spectators are welcomed to a gathering at O'Lacy's Irish Pub in Batavia to celebrate, meet old friends and reminisce.

This event is free, and the general public is invited to participate as spectators. For more information, please contact Jim Cody at 585-343-0055 ext. 6670.

Military troops serving overseas continue to spend some of their free time reading paperback books sent to them by people in Genesee County.

Thanks to the efforts of the local community and Genesee Community College's Student Activities staff, Operation Paperback -- the used book drive at Genesee -- has had more than 5,000 books donated. That amounted to 200 boxes' worth.

Operation Paperback is part of a national intitiative which collects gently used paperback books and sends them to American troops deployed overseas. Since 1999, Americans have shipped over 950,000 books to locations around the globe.

Volunteer groups to provide Operation Paperback with addresses of military groups overseas. Every week they receives thanks from troops who are glad to be appreciated and remembered.

The local Books for Troops initiative was originally the idea of Genesee student Tom Maniace, who used it as a required project for his Resident Assistant position at College Village. The response from the college and the local community was so overwhelming, that the Student Activities staff stepped in and lent a hand in sorting, packaging and sending out the boxes paperbacks.

Cliff Scutella, director of Student Activities at Genesee said: "The community was just so responsive. It was really a wonderful and heartwarming experience. People embraced this project and were enthusiastic about it. I had no idea the extent of generosity this community has."

The book drive took an immense amount of logistical planning. There were many steps required to ensure the boxes of books reached the hands of the troops. They needed to be sorted according to genre, labeled with an Operation Paperback label and a letter was inserted in each box. From there, the efforts of the mail room at Genesee and the local Post Office were appreciated since 20 boxes were mailed at a time.

Genesee is taking up another book drive this academic year. It will be offered in conjunction with Genesee's Fifth Annual Eco-Fest on April 17. Community members will be able to bring in their used paperback books during a one day drop-off at Eco-Fest. Scutella noted that Books for Troops is a perfect fit for Eco-Fest.

"Community members now have an outlet for donating their used books. It will go hand-in-hand with the other recycling initiatives available at Eco-Fest, such as the E-Scrap drive and the sneaker recycling program," Scutella said.

For more information, visit www.operationpaperback.org <http://www.operationpaperback.org> .

For further information, please contact Student Activities at 585-343-0055 x6261.

Ronald Jacobs, director of the Respiratory Care Program at Genesee Community College, accepted a proclamation for National Respiratory Care Week at the Genesee County Legislature meeting Oct.14.

National Respiratory Care week is Oct. 25-31.

It celebrates the work and accomplishments of the over 135,000 respiratory therapists nationwide. There are over 6,500 licensed respiratory therapists and technicians in New York. It is also used to bring more awareness of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), its causes and treatment.

A few years ago, Congress established a bipartisan COPD Caucus. COPD is the fourth leading cause of death due to chronic illness in the country. It is anticipated that it will become the third leading cause of death within the next 10 years, making it the only chronic disease where the mortality rate is increasing, not decreasing.

GCC began its Respiratory Care Program in 1995 and it is fully accredited by CoARC, the Committee for Accreditation of Respiratory Care. The program occupies its own floor of the Batavia Campus and has a state-of-the-art laboratory modeled after a hospital room, with piped in oxygen and compressed air. The equipment is up-to-date, with educational grants and donations continuing to bring in modern equipment.

Genesee students also have access to over 20 different clinical sites, acquiring almost 900 hours of clinical experience during their education, assuring a comprehensive clinical education in the field.

Letter to the Editor from Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,I,C-Batavia):

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those who
participated or were involved in making our recent trip to Washington,
D.C. a great success. More than 150 local veterans and their family
members joined me for “Patriot Trip II,” which was made possible
through the tremendous support we received from Western New York
veterans, local businesses, staff and volunteers.

Our local veterans groups were especially helpful in encouraging World
War II, Vietnam War, and Korean War veterans to attend. The 7th
District VFW, W.J. Gallagher Veterans Club, Butts-Clark Post 204
American Legion, Orleans Veterans Club, VFW Lincoln Post 1483, and the
Batavia American Legion all played a key role.

Without the generous contributions of local businesses the trip would
not have able to occur. Dunkin Doughnuts, Kirby Farms, Tops Market,
Oliver’s Candies, Tim Horton’s, as well as OTB and Batavia Downs all
donated significant resources.

The trip was coordinated through the efforts of my staff as well as
local volunteers. Eileen Banker, Laura Manley and Rachael Millspaugh
from my office, worked alongside selfless volunteers like Dale Banker,
Adam Tabelski, Jim Freas, Sharon White, Dick DeCarlo, Gregg Torrey
and Dennis Kirby.

The Crossroads Hotel on the Quantico Marine Base provided generous
accommodations for our group, while our Trailways’ bus drivers – Mike,
Del, and Steve – cheerfully escorted us to memorials and monuments.
In addition, Rikki Cason from the Medina Journal Register and Dan
Fisher from WBTA 1490 offered our tour tremendous press coverage.
Finally, our Congressman, Chris Lee, helped plan the trip and granted
us an invaluable tour of the Capitol Building.

Because of everyone’s efforts, the trip was a tremendous success and
we are all looking forward to next year’s “Patriot Trip III.”

Steve Hawley
Batavia, NY

We had a great time face painting at the Haunted hayride in LeRoy at Pully's Market on the 16 and 17th from 7:30 pm to 10:00 pm    

We hope to see you next weekend on Friday or Saturday.  October 23 and 24

We changed our facepainting choices each night.    Choose anyone of the days choices for $1.00 each.     Check us out before or after your hayride.    Come on in to the store and check out the corn kernel sand box........what a great way to celebrate the harvest season.    

www.StuffnFluffwithCuddlez.com

www.WayneTheBoogieMan.com

www.WintergreenAcresHauntedHayride.com

Tonette

Party Leader

Just a friendly reminder that Genesee County Habitat for Humanity's ReStore will open for the first time Saturday, 10-17-09 from 8AM-1PM. Come, shop, and be surprised at what we have. We will also be accepting (tax deductable) new or good condition used articals to be donated to the store. For information, e-mail   info@geneseehabitat.com  or visit our web page   www.geneseehabitat.com   or call 585-345-1656.

As part of his ongoing constituent outreach events, Assemblyman Steve Hawley
(R, I, C - Batavia) invites you to join him at a series of Town Hall meetings on Saturday, Oct. 24 throughout Genesee County.

"Serving as your state representative is one of the most rewarding experiences of my life and I am proud and honored to serve you," Hawley said in a press release.

"In order to ensure your voice is heard in Albany, I am hosting this series of Town Hall meetings and I hope you will come to share your thoughts and concerns with me."

Town of Alabama -- 10 a.m.
Alabama Town Hall
2218 Judge Road

Village of Oakfield -- 11:30 a.m.
Oakfield Village Hall
37 Main St.

Village of Bergen -- 2 p.m.
The Tulley Building
11 N. Lake Ave.

For more information regarding this series of Town Hall meetings or for more information on future meetings, please call Hawley's district office at (585) 589-5780.

This program is supported by the NYS Office of Children and Family Services through the Genesee County Youth Bureau There are many ways in which individuals can become more active in their community, and one of the most satisfying ways is to find an organization you care about and volunteer your time.  Genesee County CASA for Children is a non-profit organization that advocates for abused and neglected children in our community.  By becoming a volunteer advocate, you would be giving a child a powerful voice during what can be daunting court proceedings in Family Court. 

A CASA advocate monitors court orders, maintains a relationship with the child or children invovled, makes reports and reccomendations to the court about safe, permanent placement of the child or chidlren, attends court proceedings, and gathers all case information to be reported back the the family court.

On average, after training, an advocate spends between 8 and 10 hours a month on their assigned case.  It has been shown that chidlren who have a CASA are more likely to be in safe, permanent homes, and have better opportunities for success later in life.  If you think CASA might be the organization that you would fit into, please don't hesitate.  Their are hundreds of children right here in Genesee County that are in need of a CASA.

Please contact Tara Pariso at (585) 344-2550 x 2331 or tpariso@co.genesee.ny.us for more information and application.

This program is supported by the NYS Office of Children and Family Services through the Genesee County Youth Bureau

Local artist Victor Corey brings his talents to Genesee Community College's Lobby Art Gallery with "Watercolor Landscapes." The exhibit will run Oct. 15 through Dec. 1 and feature large-scale watercolor paintings that capture nature and the outdoors in beautiful detail. 

An artist's reception is scheduled from 1 to 2 p.m. when the exhibit opens next Thursday.

Corey is a Batavia native and has worked in the arts his entire life. He previously worked as a technical illustrator and has taken up painting as a hobby over the last few years. His exhibit in the Lobby Art Gallery is his first public showing and will consist of approximately 16 pieces.

His works depict landscapes, various sportsmen-themed panoramas, including fishing and hunting, as well as travel-themed pieces from his travels throughout Germany.

"We're pleased to have Victor's inaugural showing at the Lobby Art Gallery," said Heather Jones, instructor of Fine Arts. "Genesee Community College is a wonderful outlet for our community members to showcase their creative talents. Whether it's a first-time exhibitor, or a seasoned artist, Genesee welcomes an assortment of exhibitors to the gallery."

The Watercolor Landscapes Exhibit is free and open to the public. The Lobby Art Gallery is housed inside the Stuart Steiner Theatre at the Batavia Campus and is open during normal academic hours.

For further information, please contact instructor Jones at 585-343-0055 x6448, or at hsjones@genesee.edu.

Milton the guide-dog will be among the presenters at this year’s St. Joseph School Career Day on Oct. 16.

Milton is a guide dog for Dorothy Bodekor, who will help relate his perspective as a working animal to the students.

From his puppyhood at the “Guiding Eyes for the Blind” facility, to his time spent with his puppy-raisers, to his return to the Guiding Eyes facility for intense guide-training, Milton’s focus has been on becoming the eyes for a visually impaired master.
 
He is Bodekor’s third guide dog. She will explain to students how Milton serves as her guide as well as very close companion.
 
Other presenters at Career Day will include: a dentist, a cancer researcher, a commissioner of jurors, a photojournalist, a firefighter, and a professional soccer team coach/manager.
 
For more information or to schedule a visit to the school please contact Principal Karen Green at 343-6154.