Press release:
On Tuesday, Nov. 22, the Genesee County STOP-DWI Advisory Board sponsored its premiere STOP-DWI Awards Luncheon at Terry Hills Restaurant & Banquet Facility.
Seven young people from districts in the county were honored for their commitment to the community for entering the Board’s STOP-DWI Poster Contest. There were First- through Third-place winners in two grade categories, 6-8 and 9-12, as well as a Grand Prize Winner. Additionally, the luncheon recognized two Top Cop Awards and a Coordinator’s Award.
The following young people were recognized for their STOP DWI poster submissions: 6-8th grade winners; Jessica Andrade, Isabella Biviano, Taylor Hutton and Grace Shepard. The 9th-12th grade winners are Isabella Riner and Morgan Harrington. The Grand Prize Winner whose artwork will appear on two billboards in Genesee County throughout the month of December is Kallie Totten, an eighth-grader from Elba Central School.
Batavia Police Officer Matthew J. Wojtaszczyk and Genesee County Sheriff Deputy Rich Schildwaster received the Top Cop Award for going above and beyond with DWI arrests during a twelve month time period. They were also honored for their dedication to keeping our community safe. Genesee County Sheriff Gary Maha received the Coordinator’s Award for his outstanding commitment to our community for the last 49 years.
The law enforcement honorees each received a challenge coin. STOP-DWI coordinator Matt Landers explained that there have been only 50 such coins made, each is sequentially numbers and they will be given out to honorees in the coming years. Genesee County Sheriff Gary Maha, who is retiring at the end of this year, received coin #1.
