webster on the web

Here’s a nice story for you today, about how taking the time to offer a simple kindness can potentially come back around to brighten your own life.

Last week I posted a blog titled “We all have a story. This is mine.”  It told about my participation in a portrait/story project created by my friend and teaching colleague Linda Hayes.

In my story, I recalled something my high school English teacher said to me one day, four simple words that changed my life. When I shared that blog on Facebook, my brother Jim took notice and encouraged me to try to get in touch with the teacher and let her know the positive influence her words had.

Linda Yanchus

My high school self

Her name was Linda Yanchus, my junior-year English teacher at Owego Free Academy. I graduated from OFA more than 40 years ago, so I didn’t hold out much hope that I’d be able to track her down. Still, I decided to give it a shot.

Thanks to the wonders of Facebook, I very quickly connected with Linda’s ex-husband’s younger brother’s wife.  She was happy to pass along my phone number.

Early last week, I got a phone call from my former teacher.

She said that she actually remembered me and my writing and the fun way I would put things. We had a very nice conversation, but I didn’t tell her exactly what she had said to me. I wanted her to read the story for herself. I told her about my blog and invited her to read it there.

A few days later I got this note from her:

That IS quite a story and you ARE a good writer! Thank you so much for reaching out to me and sharing what is now an important moment for both of us. I am gratified to learn that I had a positive influence on you and wish you the very best with your writing, your work with elementary readers and your eventual retirement.

I guess the moral of this story is that you never know how something seemingly insignificant can have a life-long effect on someone.

Words mean a lot.

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Twitter and Instagram

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This little nugget is especially for runners and walkers who are trying to keep in shape during this no-races-spring. It was sent to me by my friend and former Webster teaching colleague Mary Heveron-Smith, who is helping organize the event.

It’s the 4th annual ROC Juneteenth 5K Run/Walk, which this year will be held virtually.

The race is a fundraiser for the Rochester Civil Rights Heritage Site, and is taking place in the aftermath of a shooting that killed an unarmed black man, Ahmaud Arbery, who was jogging Feb. 23 in a suburban neighborhood in Georgia, not far from his home. All funds raised will go toward funding construction of Rochester’s Civil Rights Heritage Park at Baden Park in downtown Rochester, which will honor local civil rights leaders throughout history.

Given the coronavirus pandemic, this year’s race is virtual. Participants can run or walk the 5K from home or from anywhere. It can be completed in one day or over several days. All running/walking should be completed by midnight on June 19, 2020.  The date marks an anniversary — June 19, 1865 — the day that 250 years of slavery finally ended in America.

Registration is only $10. Click here to sign up.  Every registrant will receive a commemorative poster honoring Harriet Tubman created by Rochester artist Amber Stokes.

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Twitter and Instagram

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Follow Me” link on the right side of this page.

Happy Memorial Day!

Some friends from my old street, Anytrell Drive off of Hatch Rd., came up with a fun way to help all of their neighbors celebrate the weekend.

It’s a street-long chalk art project, organized by Jessica and Tim Ellsworth, my former across-the-street neighbors. Last Friday, Jessica and her three daughters trundled up and down the street with their wagon and delivered packages of chalk to 48 of their neighbors — pretty much every house on the street. Each package had instructions encouraging the residents to get out on Sunday and decorate their driveways.

Jessica said she came up with the idea as a way to encourage community during these difficult times. She wrote,

I just wanted to unify the neighborhood a little bit since we are so spread out. It would be a bonus to inspire other people in other neighborhoods to do something similar. We all need to be kind and support each other especially in a time like this.

By Sunday evening, almost 20 driveways had been decorated with flowers, rainbows, smiley faces and inspirational messages. Chances are, by the end of day today, several others will have joined them. Check out this slideshow to see them all:

What a great way to bring people together!

email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Twitter and Instagram

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Follow Me” link on the right side of this page.

My regular blog readers may remember a post I wrote in November about a wonderful exhibition created by my friend, teaching colleague and exceptional portrait photographer Linda Hayes of Hayes Photography.

It was called We All Have a Story: The Stories Continue. It was a follow-up to Hayes’ first We All Have a Story exhibit in spring of 2018.

You may have seen the exhibit when it was on display in December at the Webster Public Library. It took a closer look at the lives and stories of several Webster Central School District staff members to help illuminate the people inside the classrooms and offices who work with our children every day.

I was honored to be a part of the exhibit, and proud to be among a dozen other heartfelt and touching stories written by WCSD colleagues.

Linda is now posting those stories, and the beautiful portraits she took to accompany them, to her website and Facebook page. (You should go there and read the other stories!) At her suggestion, I shared my story recently on my personal Facebook page. It has received so many positive comments that I thought I should also post it to my blog. After all, it is all about how I became a writer, so this platform is rather appropriate.

The power of words

I was a junior in high school when my English teacher said four words that changed my life.

She told me, “You’re a good writer.”

I still remember exactly where I was standing after class that day, and how proud those simple words made me feel. But I didn’t realize then how powerful they were, how much they would shape my future. Because from that day forward, I knew what I wanted to do with my life: I wanted to write.

After graduating high school, I pursued that dream, studying communications at Cornell University and landing jobs in radio and public relations. Even as a stay-at-home mom, I wrote newsletters for my karate school, My Moms Club, and the Rochester Irish community.

Then, in 2008, my writing reached a new level when the Democrat and Chronicle invited me to write a Webster community blog, followed several years later by the weekly East Extra community column. I had finally found a place where my written words could reach a larger audience, giving them even greater meaning and purpose.

As a blogger and columnist for the D&C, I visit new businesses, post stories about community events, and spread positive news about our east-side Rochester towns, villages and residents.

My words have helped launch new businesses and shined a spotlight on inspirational people. They’ve helped our community through times of unbelievable tragedy and mourning. They’ve spread good news about good people in a time when positive stories are few and far between. They’ve prompted tears and laughter, helped old friends reconnect and new friends meet.

I am a busy, multi-faceted person. I’m a wife and a mother, and a full-time teaching assistant in two elementary schools. I’m a martial artist, a volunteer, a community activist. I enjoy sharing a pint with friends.

But writing defines my life. It’s my hobby, my outlet. Writing fills the empty corners of my day.

Four simple words. “You’re a good writer.” They transformed a talent into a passion, and now my words enrich others’ lives every day.

And as long as people keep reading, I will keep writing

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Twitter and Instagram

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Follow Me” link on the right side of this page.

Three Webster friends have come up with a great way to help recognize our Webster High School seniors.

It’s a Facebook group called Adopt a Webster Senior, and it’s dedicated to bringing a bit of celebration back to the Class of 2020.

The group’s organizers — Shanna LaDelfa, Jenn Birdsong-Ng and Janice Richardson — are all Webster residents with students of their own at several Webster schools. Although none of their kids are seniors, they understand what a huge disappointment it’s been for the class of 2020 to lose out on the last three and half months of their high school career.

They explain on their page,

This year has been very challenging for everyone, especially our graduating class. They have missed out on many traditional high school experiences such as sporting events, spending time with friends with whom they will soon be leaving behind when they go off into the world, senior ball, walking the stage at graduation, and sadly, graduation parties that have not yet been celebrated.

The Adopt a Webster Senior group hopes to help soften the blow.

The idea is to “adopt” a senior and surprise him or her with a care package or some other memorable gift. There really are no guidelines, no minimum or maximums and no mandatory purchase items. It’s all about having fun and bringing a smile to a senior’s face.

Shanna, Jenn and Janice originally began their effort after hearing about similar groups being organized in Greece and East Irondequoit, where two of the friends are teachers. They started small-scale, first surprising some of their Webster friends. Once they got it going, however, word spread and “it became a hit,” Janice said.

“We literally went from 20 members to almost 300 in two days,” Jenn added.

It has been extremely rewarding to see all the proud and hopeful parents sharing their children with us. Not to mention how emotionally comforting and encouraging it has been during these challenging times for families and communities. The teachers and retired teachers who have so graciously jumped in to help is heart warming.

It’s easy to join the effort. Simply go to the Adopt a Webster Senior Facebook page and leave a note that you’d like to help. You can also go there to nominate your own senior to get adopted.

Webster Schroeder senior Maggie Nagar with the surprise basket she received.

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Twitter and Instagram

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Follow Me” link on the right side of this page.

… and another one bites the dust.

It is certainly no surprise, but this morning the Webster Volunteer Fire Department announced that this year’s parade and Fireman’s Carnival will not happen.

Here is the official announcement:

This must have been a very difficult decision, as the carnival is the department’s biggest fundraiser. When their fund-raising campaign kicks in a bit later this year and donation envelopes start appearing in our mailboxes, we need to remember all that they do for us, and all the birthday parades they’ve participated in lately, brightening people’s lives.

For more information, visit the Webster Volunteer Fire Department Facebook page.