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How to help feed our neighbors in need

25 Nov

During this Thanksgiving season, we need to all remember that not everyone in our community was able to sit down to a plentiful dinner on Thursday. Even here in Webster, many families simply do not have enough to eat, and children are going hungry.

Two local agencies are working hard to help out as much as they can, during the holidays AND all year ’round. Read on for some information about Webster HOPE and the Webster Community Chest and how you can help them help our community.

Webster HOPE

The mission of Webster HOPE is to serve the needs of residents in the 14580 zip code, providing food, clothing, household goods and furniture. Financial assistance, with the emphasis on preventing homelessness, is also available.

Webster HOPE is located at 1450 Ridge Rd., adjacent to Holy Trinity church. They gladly accept donations of nonperishable food, hygiene products, gently used clothing, and monetary donations. (You can even click here to donate through their PayPal site.)

They’d also love to have more volunteers to help stock the food pantry, work in the garden, organize the clothing closet or work with the clients. Email websternyhope@gmail.com to find out how you can help.

Here are a couple of other easy ways to help out in the next several days:

  • Tuesday Nov. 29 is ROC the Day. Webster HOPE is participating for the first time and hoping to raise $5,000 to cover food costs for a whole month. Log onto www.ROCtheDay.org to donate.
  • Shop with Amazon Smile. Designate Webster NY Hope as your charity of choice and every time you shop on Amazon a donation will be made.
  • Look for the Webster HOPE donation table set up in front of Village Hall on Saturday Dec. 3 during Webster’s Winter Wonderland. Click on the flyer below for a wish list of food and clothing items.

To read more about Webster HOPE, check out their website and Facebook page.

Webster Community Chest

For almost 75 years, the Webster Community Chest (WCC) has provided information and referrals, emergency financial assistance, food assistance, summer camp scholarships, high school senior awards for community service, and financial aid to organizations whose programs benefit Webster residents. Like Wester HOPE, the agency serves the 14580 zip code area.

This year alone, the Webster Community Chest provided

  • 878 meals to the elderly through Meals on Wheels
  • 475 meals to families
  • six high school scholarships
  • four vanloads of food to Webster HOPE
  • summer camperships
  • therapeutic services for disabled children

plus they helped 49 families avoid being evicted from their homes.

The Webster Community Chest’s annual fund drive is underway right now. To find out more about the agency and how you can help, visit their website here.

Bonnie Reynolds from WCC also just told me about a great event the agency is sponsoring next week at the Webster Public Library. She wrote,

Girl Scouts Reis Arnold and Ainsley Smith of Troop 60415 spearheaded a food drive for our Food Giveaway to be held at the Public Library on Monday Nov. 28 from 5 to 7 p.m.

People can come in and grab a bag which has ingredients for three meals, plus a recipe card. Some of the meals are themed and include Pizza Night and Italian Night. Other meals are Shepherds Pie, Taco Chicken and BBQ Chicken. The girls will be there to help distribute the bags. 

Webster Community Chest Webster Community Chest does not have a permanent home for their food pantry right now. But they do have a storage room and will be hosting pop-up food give-aways for now. We are also searching for places to put food donation boxes and for people to organize these food collections, so if you know anyone who can help …..?

Little Free Pantries

Have you heard about “Little Free Food Pantries”? They’re a great twist on Little Free Libraries. These are small, stand-alone pantries filled with non-perishable food items, where the concept is “take what you need, leave what you can.”

There are six pantries in the Webster area. Five are hosted by church congregations and can be found in the church parking lots. They’re at the Webster Baptist Church on South Ave, Immanuel Lutheran Church on West Main St., the United Church of Christ on Klem Rd., St. Martin’s Lutheran Church on Bay Rd. and Bethlehem Lutheran Church on Plank Rd. The sixth can be found at Phillips Village.

Donations can be made at any time; just drive up, open the pantry and put in your donations. So maybe next time you head to Wegmans, consider picking an extra half dozen cans of veggies, a few boxes of cereal, maybe some spaghetti, and swing by one of these pantries on the way home.

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

(posted 11/25/2022)

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Local Nurse Corps veteran recognized

20 Nov

In this month of November, when we make a point to recognize and thank our nation’s veterans, here’s a nice story about one of Webster’s own.

On Friday Nov. 11, Town of Webster Deputy Supervisor Patti Cataldi and Cherie Wood, from the Daughters of the American Revolution, Canandaigua Chapter, attended the Veteran’s Day ceremony held at the Maplewood nursing home. They made the trip especially to present a Certificate of Appreciation to Maplewood resident Marie Gyles.

Marie had been invited to a Thank You Celebration held on July 30 at Webster Union Ceremony to recognize first responders, veterans and the military. But due to COVID restrictions, she was unable to attend. So Cataldi and Wood brought the certificate to her.

Marie Gyles was a member of the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps during World War II. In her remarks at the presentation, Cataldi explained,

The U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps was the nation’s first integrated uniformed U.S. service corps. It fulfilled an urgent need for nurses during World War II. During that time many nurses were called to military service to care for soldiers overseas, creating vacancies of approximately 17,000 nursing positions in civilian hospitals in the United States. Many hospitals were on the verge of collapse. In 1943 President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Nurse Training Act to provide accelerated nursing training. The federal government covered the cost of tuition, room and board, a monthly stipend and the Cadet Corps uniforms. By 1945, Cadet Nurses were providing 80% of the nursing care in the hospitals in the United States. The Corps celebrated the 75th Anniversary of their creation in 2018.

Marie began her training and was admitted to the United States Cadet Nurse Corps in August 1944 at just 18 years old. She began working as a registered nurse at a tuberculosis hospital in Auburn. She later worked in maternity and pediatric care at Wilson Hospital, where she had trained for the Cadet Corps.

Cataldi also pointed out that the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps remains the only uniformed corps members not to be recognized as veterans. An amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act is pending approval, so hopefully that will soon change.

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

(posted 11/20/2022)


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My first Nutcracker will not be my last

20 Nov

I know that many will find this hard to believe, but in all my 60-plus years, I had never seen a complete version of the Nutcracker ballet. That changed a few nights ago when my friend Denise Baller of Dancing With Denise hooked me up with some excellent tickets to Friday night’s production of Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet at the Auditorium Theater, so I could sit right in the middle of the auditorium to experience this magical performance for the first time.

Any of you who have had the pleasure of seeing Nutcracker know that I don’t use the word “magical” lightly. From the bright Christmas-Eve-celebration colors, costumes and staging in the first act, to the sparkling wintry scenes in Act II, I sat enraptured through the whole show.

The dancing was magnificent, of course, presented by an international cast at the top of their game. But the stars of the show? That would be the 40 local children who played the parts of mice, party kids, snowflakes and several other characters. Those little dancers included 35 Dancing With Denise students, including two with special needs.

I had to feel a little sorry for the professional dancers when the kids were performing. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one, for example, paying more attention to the little rats scurrying around the stage than the pitched battle taking place between the Rat King and the Nutcracker.

Adding to my wonderful experience, Denise was kind enough to take me to the backstage dressing rooms, where she introduced me to her young cast. I took some great photos of the kids, which you can see below.

It’s safe to say I’m already looking forward to attending this glorious production again next year.

Miss Denise with the Snow Maidens
Snowflakes
Mice
Party kids
Taking a bow
Miss Denise’s able helpers

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

(posted 11/20/2022)

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Mrs. Claus has reached her goal!

19 Nov

Thanks in part to the generosity of my wonderful readers, Florence “Mrs. Claus” Kinney has reached her incredible goal of collecting and donating 100,000 Christmas gifts for children.

If you don’t know her story, here it is in a nutshell:

Florence Kinney is the driving force behind a grassroots ministry which she calls “Santa’s Workshop,” dedicated to bringing presents to children who might not get many gifts, or anything, for Christmas. It began in 2003, with the purchase of just two toy trucks for two brothers who would be spending Christmas in the hospital. In the 33 years since, it has grown to the point where Santa’s Workshop has delivered more than 97,500 gifts. This year she was hoping to put that number over 100,000. (Click here to read more about the Florience and how she got started.)

On my my recent visit a few days ago, Florence told me that a donation she’d received on Tuesday night had put her over her goal, just in time for her volunteer “elves” to swoop in and start packing the toys and clothing items for delivery to agencies all over the Rochester area.

I cannot thank you all enough for helping Florence fulfill what she considers her divine mission. Several of my readers went out and bought brand new toys, socks and winter wear. Others donated new toys and books they had around the house (some which were dropped on my porch anonymously), and more than a few actually sat down and knitted or crocheted dozens of pairs of mittens, hats and scarves.

The Webster Central School District also helped out. When Superintendent Brian Neenan heard that Florence and her elves were going to be short on boxes for their deliveries, he was happy to let me bring her dozens of boxes that were being emptied at the Schlegel Elementary School library.

Here are some more photos of some of Florence’s elves:

MacKenzie Lee from Mohawk Global
Jeff and Mary Ann, Chief Elf and his assistant
John, one of several volunteers from Mohawk Global, with Florence

“Santa’s Workshop” officially ramped up operations on Monday, when Florence’s elves gathered to start the packing and delivering. When I stopped by to check out the operation, Florence reiterated how grateful she is for all of your help. She considers it a miracle.

As for me, this experience has confirmed my sincere belief that there are a lot of good people out there, and when someone is in need, those good people come out of the woodwork. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for helping make Florence’s dream a reality.

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

(posted 11/19/2022)

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Remembering Pat Copeland

2 Nov

I heard some sad news the other day. Pat Copeland, one of the Village of Webster’s bright spots, has passed away.

I didn’t know Pat very well, but I did get to meet her a few years ago when her daughter Molly organized a surprise car and truck parade for her 90th birthday. I heard about it on Facebook and made very sure I was there for the festivities.

Precisely at noon on April 28, 2020, dozens of cars, truck and jeeps covered in banners and balloons, led by emergency vehicles all sounding their sirens and air horns, streamed past Pat’s East Main St. home as she watched with a huge grin on her face. The parade even included a drum majorette, Webster’s own Denise Baller of Dancing With Denise.

Denise still remembers the day well.

I met (Pat) after seeing a post from Molly saying she wanted to have a parade for her mom for her birthday, and wanted to have a majorette in the parade. Well, my days at Bishop Kearney were filled with high kicking as a majorette in the BK Marching Kings, so I located an old uniform and boots and coordinated with Molly to be part of the parade!

As my mom had just passed away, I knew how important it was to fulfill the desires of her elderly mom. So I was so happy to be a part of such a special day and create such a nice memory for both of them.

Another very special moment that day, Molly remembers, is when an opera singer, who had once sung the National Anthem at a Florida Marlins game, sang it and “God Bless America” for Pat. Molly wrote, “Finding such a needle in a haystack was the Lord at work giving me a hand in creating such a day!”

The community came out in droves to drive by, honk their horns and lean out their windows yelling “happy birthday!” Many others stood along the sidewalk to watch the festivities. (Click here for the blog I wrote that day.)

Pat was rather blown away by it all. In a television interview she sat for after the parade was over, she told the reporter, “I don’t know where they all came from. (Molly) certainly went out of her way to create a birthday I will remember forever.”

“I’m overwhelmed. I just couldn’t breathe,” she added. “It’s a wonderful gift, a marvelous gift.”

Pat passed away on Saturday Oct. 15, at the age of 92. Her daughter Molly writes that she was not afraid to pass, that she was looking forward to seeing her brother, sisters, husband and friends.

Molly wrote, “The entire family, immediate and extended, will miss her dearly as she never left anyone with anything less than a smile.” It’s fitting, then, that in her later days, the Village of Webster community was able to bring a smile to her face.

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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.

(posted 11/2/2022)

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Photos from the Trick-or-Treat Trail

30 Oct

What a spectacular day it was yesterday for the Village of Webster’s annual Trick-or-Treat Trail! So many children and their adults came to town for the event that I do believe business owners were a bit overwhelmed, some of them running out of candy pretty early.

I tried to make three or four rounds of the streets and take pictures of many of the outstanding costumes. Sorry if I didn’t see you and your kids, but please feel free to send along your photos and I can add them to the gallery.

Email them to me at missyblog@gmail.com.

I’ve posted a few photos here, but click here to see my whole gallery.

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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.

(posted 10/30/2022)

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When is a house just half a house?

22 Oct
71 Corning Park
76 Corning Park

You might have noticed the recent “Bit of Webster History” feature I wrote for the Webster Museum when it was published in the Webster Herald and the weekly Town newsletter. It told the story of two houses, which now sit across from one another on Corning Park in the Village of Webster, and how they used to be one house.

I heard the story from my friend Karen a few years ago and it has fascinated me ever since. I knew it was going to be one of my first History Bit features when I took over the reins a few months ago.

The story reads:

Anyone who’s ever walked or driven down Corning Park in the Village of Webster probably hasn’t noticed anything unusual about the houses on that peaceful little street. However, two of those houses, which stand across the street from one another, do have a curious history: in the early 1900s, they used to be one house. 

Around 1859, a spacious boarding house was built at 71 Corning Park, to serve students from the adjacent Webster Academy. The Academy and boarding house were discontinued in 1876 when the Union Free School was established, and for the next 50 years, 71 Corning Park remained a two-family dwelling. In 1928 it was purchased by Gordon Witmer and Amos Taylor, who divided it into two units. The larger portion remained at 71 Corning Park, and the smaller north wing was moved across the street to 76 Corning Park. 

Unfortunately, no photos of the original boarding house have ever been found, but the two, now separate residences, still stand across the street from each other on Corning Park. Additions and renovations have changed their appearance significantly from when they were one house in the early 1900s. But if you look carefully and use your imagination, maybe you can picture what they looked like together. 

For the sake of newsprint space, I try to keep these bits fairly short. But it was story that so intrigued me that I wanted to dive deeper into it for my blog. So several days ago sat down for coffee with Dave and Kathy Whitlock, longtime owners of 76 Corning Park, the smaller, former north wing of the house. They provided some interesting details I hadn’t come across in my earlier research.

Kathy first gave me a quick tour, explaining the many renovations and additions completed since they bought the home in 1965. I learned about the huge, 7-inch beam holding up the living room which still has bark on it, and how some of the original beams are charred, perhaps from a fire at the adjacent boarding house before the wing was moved. A few hand-wrought nails, found during a renovation, are displayed in a small shadowbox.

Dave and Kathy think they know why it was divided. When the two-family home was bought in 1928 by Gordon Witmer and Amos Taylor, Witmer — who was getting married — wanted a separate house for himself and his bride. So he divided it, moving the north wing directly across the street, so that the back of the house became the front, and the front the back. (Too bad no photos of that move have been found.) Witmer was going to move into that half, but as it turned out, the new, smaller, house sold first, so they moved into the larger half.

There’s a woman buried in the back yard of 76 Corning. The Williams family, who lived there decades ago, had a relative who would visit from England. At the time, the land was a huge apple orchard (The Corning Farm). The woman used to love sitting under an apple tree in the back yard and drinking beer, and asked to be buried there. The apple tree is gone, but her ashes are still there.

Dave also tells the story about how the man from whom they bought the house in 1965, a Mr. Jenkins, emphatically denied that it had once been connected to the house across the street. I would have thought that’d be a unique selling point for the property, but apparently he didn’t think so.

On a side note, I mentioned earlier that I heard about this story from my friend Karen. She remembers learning about the houses during a village tour her fourth grade class took decades ago. That tour has long been dropped from the elementary school curriculum, but maybe that decision should be reconsidered. After all, look at how much that little piece of Webster history interested that young person, and then me, and now you.

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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.

(posted 10/22/2022)

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Welcome to the newest trees in town

20 Oct

Many thanks to all of the community members who helped out last weekend at the Friends of Webster Trails ReTree planting event at the Whiting Road and Michael A. Johnson nature preserves.

The workday was in support of ReTree Webster, a Friends initiative, which seeks to preserve our open space forests by removing invasive species and planting native trees. 

Two dozen enthusiastic folks showed up to do the planting, including several families with young children. Everyone pitched in to help clear areas, dig holes, clean dirt of debris, transport and place the bagged trees in holes, backfill and provide fencing to the protect the trees from deer. Thanks to the large and dedicated workforce, the job was completed in a little over two hours. 

Two sites were chosen for the plantings, the new Michael A. Johnson Nature Preserve (adjacent to the Hojack Trail between Van Alstyne and Drumm Road), and another near the smokehouse on the Blue Trail of the Whiting Road Nature Preserve. The team planted 20 trees, including White Pine, Red Maple, American Elm, Bitternut Hickory, Swamp White Oak and Pagoda Dogwood. 

The Friends were blown away by how many community members answered the call. Many thanks to you all for your hard work, and also to Glenn Morrell and his Webster Parks and Rec crew, who moved the trees from the nursery to the two planting sites.

Consider taking a hike during this beautiful autumn to check out the new trees at Whiting Road and Michael A. Johnson nature preserves. If you’d like to participate in or donate to the ReTree Webster effort, contact the Friends of Webster Trails by clicking here.

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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.

(posted 10/20/2022)

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It’s beginning to look a lot like Halloween

18 Oct

A few readers have responded to my call to let me know about especially nice Halloween and autumn decorations, and I’ve snapped a few photos of my own as I’ve walked through the village neighborhoods. I’d love to highlight many more displays in the next week or so, but here’s a sampling of what I’ve gotten so far.

The beautiful autumnal display above and the scene below can be seen on Dunning Ave. in the Village of Webster. As I mentioned in an earlier blog, the folks on Dunning always do a spectacular job with decorations.

This next one, on London Rd. in the village, is probably my favorite so far. Like many other displays, it’s a graveyard scene, and it’s busy, with a lot of elements to look at. But clearly much thought was put into the placement of the gravestones and other unique features. I would have stopped longer on my walk to get a closer look at all the pieces, but it was beginning to rain.

These following one are also from the village.

This last photo is from Hatch Rd., suggested to me by a reader.

I still have a few more to capture “on film,” and hope to drive around some evening soon to capture some nice lights. If you know of any I should check out, please email me at missyblog@gmail.com. Or take a photo for me and save me the trip!

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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.

(posted 10/18/2022)

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A quick Mrs. Claus update

16 Oct

I had the opportunity to check in with Florence Kinney several days ago. You know her from my blog as “Mrs. Claus,” who every year purchases thousands of gifts (mostly with her own money) to deliver to children all over the Rochester area. After 32 years of doing this, she’s nearing the incredible goal of 100,000 gifts given.

When I spoke with her recently, however, she seemed a bit worried. She had just returned from a trip to visit family down South, hoping that down there she’d be able to purchase most of the 400 or so gifts she still needed to reach her goal — since she was having trouble getting what she needed up here. But she kept hitting roadblocks at the stores, because they couldn’t get the products themselves, or didn’t have enough people to stock the shelves.

So she only was able to purchase about half of what she’d hoped, and is still about 200 gifts short.

Several generous readers have already reached out with donations, and I’ve already delivered a bunch to her (she was unbelievably grateful). But she could use a bunch more. So if there are any more kind readers out there who need a great cause this holiday season, I encourage you to help Florence reach her amazing goal.

Some of the items she’d especially appreciate include winter wear for children ages infant to 18 (like hats, gloves, scarves, lots and lots of socks); toy trucks, Little Peeples, Barnies, baby dolls or any toys without small parts; and storybooks. Bottom line, though, if you’d like to donate any kind of new toy or winter wear, she’ll find a child who will greatly appreciate it.

Click here to read my most recent blog for more information about Florence’s divinely-inspired mission. If you’d like to donate something, drop me an email at missyblog@gmail.com and we’ll chat about how we can get your gifts to her.

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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.

(posted 10/16/2022)

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