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Marty Parzynski, of Bella’s Bumbas, honored with Heart of Service Award

9 May

Anyone who has been reading my blog for a while knows all about Bella’s Bumbas. You’ve read how Marty Parzynski and Rebecca Orr, the driving force behind this Webster-based grass-roots organization, have dedicated their lives to providing the gift of mobility to children all over the world who have disabilities, by building miniature wheelchairs.

For years now, Marty and Rebecca have operated mostly under the radar. But recently, Marty got some very well deserved recognition when it was announced that he was one of the five recipients of the 2025 ESL Heart of Service Award.

The annual award is sponsored by the ESL Federal Credit Union and News 10 NBC, its purpose to “seek out and recognize outstanding volunteers in our community … Men, women, and children who give their time and efforts to help make our community better.”

The award’s website gives a short explanation of why Marty was recognized, saying,

When Martin’s great niece was born with spina bifida, he and his wife, Rebecca were inspired to find a way to help her become more independently mobile and set out to design a wheelchair just her size. From there, Martin began designing additional designs for wheelchairs that help children with over 70 mobility challenging disabilities and enlisting a team of volunteers to construct them, sending them to kids across the globe, free of charge (recipients only pay for shipping).

Today, there are over 3000 Bella’s Bumbas helping to provide mobility for children in over 68 countries.

Congratulations to Marty for this well deserved recognition!

Thank you, also, by the way to everyone who attended the spaghetti dinner fundraiser held last Friday at the Webster Masonic Lodge. Rebecca reports that through donations, raffles and food sales, Bella’s Bumbas was able to raise more than $3,800 to help with construction costs for the new barn they’re building for much-needed space. The amount raised broke the record for Masonic Lodge spaghetti dinners.

Stay tuned for announcements of future fundraisers, and how you can help Marty and Rebecca and Bella’s Bumbas continue their amazing work.

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

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Subscribe” link on the right side of this page (or all the way at the bottom of the page if you’re on your phone).

(posted 5/9/2025)

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Beverly Voos wins Retiree of the Year Award

6 May

Congratulations to retired Spry Middle School teacher Beverly Voos for receiving the Retiree of the Year award at the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) annual statewide Representative Assembly in Rochester last weekend.

Bev was recognized in large part because she is active in various capacities with NYSUT. Closer to home, is also president of the Webster Retired Educators Association.

Here’s a little bit about Bev from the NYSUT Awards booklet:

After a more than 20-year career working in computer science, Beverly Voos decided to begin a second career as a teacher. She earned her master’s degree in Math, Science and Technology, and started teaching middle school students in the Webster Central School District.

The Webster TA member retired in 2013 and got to work advocating with NYSUT’s daytime army in Retiree Council 6. Voos because co-chair of NYSUT’s Retiree Advisory Committee where she fights not only for issues that are important to retirees, but also to in-service educators, including NYSUT’s campaign to fix Tier 6.

Voos also spends her retirement servicing as an instructor for NYSUT’s Education & Learning Trust, a role in which she provides professional learning opportunities to other educators. Voos has served on a variety of NYSUT committees, has participated in NYSUT’s annual Committee of 100 lobby day in Albany, and is also a social justice instructor. When she’s not doing the work of the union, Voos enjoys spending time with family, especially her grandchildren, and traveling.

Below, Bev is pictured with the NYSUT officers after receiving the award,captured from the Jumbotron by Jeanne Coonan.

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

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Subscribe” link on the right side of this page (or all the way at the bottom of the page if you’re on your phone).

(posted 5/6/2025)

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Blue Star Mothers honored military families with baby shower

5 May

For a few hours on Sunday April 27, 15 military families (including a set of twins) were showered with gifts, sweet treats, fruit, chips and sandwiches when the Blue Star Mothers Rochester Chapter NY8 (BSM NY8) held their Baby Shower for Military.

The annual event, held at the Cottreal-Warner American Legion Post, is designed to recognize and provide for young mothers and expectant mothers in local military families. The event was open to active duty, veterans and military spouses of active duty service members, who were expecting or have children up to six months old. For many of these mothers, this may be the only baby shower they get, since they’re usually stationed far away from their close relatives. And since they relocate frequently, they may not have all of the baby supplies and equipment they collected for their older children.

This is the 8th year the Blue Star Mothers have held this shower. They work hard all year long, shopping for new baby clothes, diapers, high chairs, Pack and Plays, toys, books and many other gifts. This event also gets huge support from the local businesses and community members, who donate gifts or money for gifts, hand-craft hats and booties, and provide pampering services during the shower. Each family left with their car filled to the brim with wonderful gifts.

Blue Star Mothers are mothers, stepmothers, grandmothers, foster mothers and female legal guardians who have children serving in the military, guard or reserves, or children who are veterans. The Baby Shower for Military is one of the most important service projects of the Blue Star Mothers Rochester Chapter. It’s just one small way to say thank you and give back to those who have served our country, and given so much to us.

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

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Subscribe” link on the right side of this page (or all the way at the bottom of the page if you’re on your phone).

(posted 5/5/2025)

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New book, “Life Will Teach You,” is a grieving father’s letter to his daughters

5 Apr

In June 2017, Brian Bohannon’s life turned upside down. Over a period of just four days, his wife Christine passed away from cancer, leaving him to raise their then 4-year old and 7-year old daughters by himself. Christine was just 39 years old.

As he worked through his grief and started to build his new life, Brian was saddened by the fact that his wife would not be around to guide their daughters through the ups and downs of life, would not be there to answer their questions, or give them a shoulder to cry on. Determined not to lose whatever chance he had to do that for them, he wrote Life Will Teach You: Lessons for Teens and Their Parents on Life, Death, Health, Love, and Loss. 

“My initial goal,” Brian said, “was to pass this down to my daughters with everything their mother would have taught if she lived to tell them. I also wanted to give this to them before I die and lose the chance.” His original plan was for it to be a memoir and letter to his daughters. But as it developed, he realized it might be something that could benefit a lot of people.

Brian calls Life Will Teach You “a handbook for life. … There is a lot on grief and loss, life and death, but also lessons from my high school health class.”

In the Amazon.com listing he writes,     

This is a love story … a life or death story … a story of overcoming grief and loss, but ultimately, a be all you can be story. It’s a story for teens and their parents on how to pursue mental, physical, spiritual, and financial health. It is everything I think young people need to know about life, full of lessons from my 30 years of teaching high school health.

The book is a “Road Less Traveled” for teens, young adults, high school and college graduates, and their parents. Everything your parents should have taught you. Everything you didn’t have a chance to ask your parents. Everything you should have learned in school. Life, death, love, loss, health, and everything in between. My version of “everything, everywhere, all at once,” in one book.

He kinds of sums it in a second subtitle he’s attached to the book: “Confessions of a High School Health Teacher, Widower, and Girl Dad on Everything Young People Need to Know About Life.”

Life Will Teach You: Lessons for Teens and Their Parents on Life, Death, Health, Love, and Loss was published in November 2024, and is available on Amazon for Kindle, in paperback and hardcover, starting at $15.95.

Brian Bohannon grew up in Webster and graduated from Webster Thomas High School. He now lives in Williamson with his daughters.

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

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Subscribe” link on the right side of this page (or all the way at the bottom of the page if you’re on your phone).

(posted 4/5/2025)

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Five years of neighborliness

27 Mar

An every-evening tradition that has brought an entire neighborhood together is still going strong — without a break — even after five years.

Every evening for the last five years (and I mean EVERY evening), the residents of the Brooksboro neighborhood on Webster’s north side have been gathering at the end of Jack Turan’s driveway for a kind of happy hour, sharing a beverage, conversation and a few laughs.

The tradition began in March 2020, just as the pandemic was shutting the world down. You remember those awful days; we were resigning ourselves to putting our lives, and relationships with our friends and family members on hold for the foreseeable future.

That idea didn’t sit well with Jack Turan. He’d heard about how, in small towns all across Italy, residents were opening their shutters, sitting in their windows with their glasses of wine, and singing. The story gave him an idea: how about meeting up with his neighbors, outdoors, to enjoy a beverage and socially-distanced conversation?

That was the evening of March 22, 2020, and the beginning of a tradition that has continued ever since. Every night, Jack stands out at the end of his driveway with a beverage, welcoming anyone to stop by for a chat. And he does so regardless of the weather or the temperature. Remember those really cold days in January? Jack was out there. No way was he going to be the one to break the tradition.

“There has to be at least two people” to make it official, Jack said. “That’s the rule.” The frigid temperatures did, however, prompt Jack to (at least temporarily) reduce the required time spent outside from 15 minutes to 10 minutes.

Last Saturday, five years to the day it all began, the weather cooperated. Skies were sunny, the temperatures were tolerable, and Jack had a lot of company at the end of his driveway. Almost two dozen neighbors, with their kids and dogs, gathered that evening to commemorate their long-running neighborhood tradition. There were beverages, of course, but also a nice selection of hors d’oeuvres and sweet treats, supplemented by ice cream from Bruster’s and mac & cheese from M.O. Pasta. Jack grilled hot dogs, and emcee Alex Scialdone played dance tunes.

The neighbors hold these anniversary gatherings every year, and even had one to mark the 1,000-day mark (I blogged about that event here). The celebrations are pretty much the same every year, just another opportunity to enjoy a nice evening outside with friends. The children get bigger and there’s usually a new dog or two. But there always seems to be a fun new twist every year.

This time, emcee Alex had upgraded the previous year’s paper plate awards to shiny statuettes, personalized for each attendee with whimsical award designations, like “Secretly a Fish,” “Best Drinking ‘Buddy’,” and “Harder to Track Down Than Someone in Witness Protection.” Also new this year was a “What the heck is this?” game. Neighbors were invited to bring an unusual item from home, and everyone tried to guess what each of the almost 20 items was. 

Each “regular” got a personalized statuette
Alex Scialdone with a statuette
This year’s brand new game

In the short time I spent there Saturday night, I heard some discussion about how much longer these daily gatherings should continue. I got the sense, though, that no one really wanted to think about that.

Even if it does eventually run its course, Jack Turan can rest easy knowing that his little social experiment accomplished exactly what it was designed to do: bring people together.

Garrett Wagner from Webster NOW was there making a video about the event. You can check that out here.

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

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Subscribe” link on the right side of this page (or all the way at the bottom of the page if you’re on your phone).

(posted 3/27/2025)

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Monroe County to honor Jamieson Ritter

15 Mar

Of the many email lists I’ve signed up for to get blog ideas, the most persistent is the one from the office of Monroe County Executive Adam Bello. The great majority of the press releases they send out get directed immediately to my digital trash bin because they have nothing to do with Webster. But the one I got a few days ago piqued my interest and warmed my heart.

The release announced that Lakefront Lodge in Webster Park (that’s the beautiful new one just north of Holt Rd.) will be officially renamed to honor fallen police officer — and Webster native — Jamieson Ritter.

While serving as a police officer in Cleveland, Ritter was tragically killed on July 4, 2024 as officers attempted to serve a warrant. He was just 27 years old. His funeral was held several days later at Falvo Funeral Home in Penfield. The Webster community came out in force to honor him as his funeral procession wound its way through the village towards Falvo.

Ritter was a 2015 graduate of McQuaid Jesuit High School. He graduated from Syracuse University in 2019 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant. As a member of the Ohio Army National Guard, he deployed to Syria in 2022 and returned to continue his service as a police officer with the City of Cleveland. 

At the Monroe County Legislature meeting when the announcement was made earlier this month, Ritter’s family said,

It is a profound honor that Jamieson’s  ultimate sacrifice is being recognized and remembered by his hometown community. Jamieson was moving home to continue his service to the citizens of Monroe County and was excited to serve and protect the community he loved.

We are deeply moved by the  overwhelming support given to our family through this tragedy. Jamieson’s story is a testament to his  unwavering commitment to service and his deep love for his community. We hope his legacy will  inspire and encourage others to serve their community, as our family has done for generations  through military service, law enforcement, and community service. The community’s recognition  and remembrance of Jamieson’s sacrifice means the world to us and we are touched by the collective  support. 

The Monroe County Legislature will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony in May to officially rename the Lakefront Lodge to the “Jamieson Ritter Memorial Lodge.”

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

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Subscribe” link on the right side of this page (or all the way at the bottom of the page if you’re on your phone).

(posted 3/15/2025)

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Neighbors helping neighbors

19 Feb

Here’s a quick note about how one local business has — once again — shown what it means to be part of a community.

Recently the Webster Community Chest needed a sign to post at their Phillips Village Food Pantry. They reached out to McAllister Sign, Inc. on Ridge Rd. to do the job.

Chris and Mark McAllister not only did a terrific job designing and creating the sign, but also donated their talent, time, and of course the sign itself, to the Community Chest.

The Webster Community Chest is grateful to the McAllisters for their generous donation, and the entire Webster community thanks them for being an outstanding example of community support.

They are truly neighbors helping neighbors.

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

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Subscribe” link on the right side of this page (or all the way at the bottom of the page if you’re on your phone).

(posted 2/19/2025)

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Dogsledding in the village?

3 Feb

I heard on the radio the other day that it snowed at least a little bit EVERY DAY IN JANUARY. And February is starting out pretty much the same way. It’s been a long time since we’ve had a winter with this much snow. Everyone is grumbling about it.

That is, everyone except Village of Webster resident Devin Englerth.

Devin has a hobby that helps her glide through winter (literally) with a smile. Devin is a dogsledder, and when there’s this much snow, it means there are a lot more opportunities to take her dogsled, seven huskies and big black shepherd out for a run. And every once in a while, when the conditions are right, she doesn’t bother going very far to do so.

A few weeks ago, the conditions were perfect, so instead of packing up her dogs and heading to her usual sledding spot far on the west side of town, she hooked them all up and took them out on the streets of the village.

Perhaps you saw them that day. A lot of people did, and photos popped up all over Facebook from village residents surprised and delighted to see an actual dogsled speeding down their street. ‘Cause that’s not something you see every day.

I sat down the other day with Devin (and her dogs) to find out more about her history with the sport, both in the village and elsewhere.

Devin has been dogsledding since 2011, ever since she got her first husky. Not long afterwards, she joined the Seneca Siberian Husky Club, and tries to get out and run the dogs at least a couple times of year. That’s been difficult in recent years when lack of snow has made for poor conditions.

“You have to have a frozen base and the snow on top of it,” she explained. “If you go before it freezes my sled would sink in the slush.”

But not running makes for unhappy huskies.

“(Running) is all they want to do,” Devin said. Even when she goes out to fire up the snow blower they start getting excited, thinking they’re going to get out and go. And when she is able to finally hook them up out in a wide open space, they might be out there for two and a half hours.

The day she decided to run them in the village, “they were going crazy,” she said. They hadn’t been sledding in a long time, and the conditions were good, so “we went all over the east side of the village.”

It proved to be rather challenging. People were coming out to take photos, the dogs kept stopping to say hi to the neighbors, even deciding to go up a driveway or two. So they got tangled up a lot. But despite the distractions, they were out on the streets for more than an hour.

It wasn’t the first time Devin has dogsledded through the village, and it probably won’t be the last. Because sled dogs live to run.

(Thank you to Jessica Cataldi for this great blog idea, and to Stretch Sabin for these videos!)

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

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Subscribe” link on the right side of this page (or all the way at the bottom of the page if you’re on your phone).

(posted 2/3/2025)

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“Letters From Home” initiative needs our help

18 Jan

There’s a great new initiative in the works to bring some joy to our local service members stationed abroad. It’s called “Mail Call — Letters From Home,” and its goal is ambitious: to collect 1,000 cards and letters from Webster community members to be sent to our local service members deployed overseas.

The program’s details are still being sketched out, but the general idea will involve placing “mail boxes” in businesses and agencies throughout the community, where people can deposit cards, letters and notes for the troops. Plans are to collect the letters in April, and then include them in care packages the Blue Star Mothers will be sending overseas in June.

But before all that can happen, the program’s organizers need our help. To make it easier for people to participate, organizers would like to place blank cards and note paper near the mail boxes at different locations throughout town. So, if you have a moment, check in your basement or attic or junk drawers to see if you have any cards or paper you could donate for the cause. Generic cards and note pads that are not too flowery, and don’t have specific messages like “happy birthday” would be best. And NO ENVELOPES ARE NEEDED. They just add bulk and weight to the care packages.

The care packages prepared by the Blue Star Mothers have all sorts of goodies in them, from candy and cookies to hot chocolate and socks. But more than anything else in those packages, the service members love the cards and letters. It’s a simple thing, but it goes a long way to assure these brave men and women that we are thinking about them.

More to come about this great project. But in the meantime, if you have any cards or blank note paper you can donate (remember, no envelopes), drop me an email at missyblog@gmail.com and we’ll make arrangements to pick them up.

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

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Subscribe” link on the right side of this page (or all the way at the bottom of the page if you’re on your phone).

(posted 1/18/2025)

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Generous community members give First Responders Park an upgrade

7 Jan

I’d like to take a break today from the wintry weather and frigid temperatures outside to share a story from last summer’s warmer months.

It comes from the Webster Recreation Center, and specifically the First Responders Spray Park, the very popular summertime splash area just to the west of the Rec on Chiyoda Dr. Earlier this summer, some of the water elements struggled a bit to turn on. I noticed that once when I was over there, but there wasn’t much I could do about it but notify the folks at the Rec Center’s front desk.

But turns out, John Link COULD do something about it.

Here’s the story, pulled straight from the Webster Recreation Center’s December newsletter.

First Responders Playground gets an upgrade thanks to some giving citizens in our Webster Community!

It was sometime this past August when temperatures were high, and families were looking to cool off. John Link happened to be at First Responders Spray Park with his grandchildren. He noticed some water features were not operational and notified the department. In his email, he shared that he had knowledge of control systems and if we needed a hand, he would be happy to help out. Soon after receiving his note, the aging spray park control system went completely inoperable with an extremely expensive fix needed. It seemed only appropriate to reach out to John (and his friend Ed) who were happy to take on the project…pro bono!!!

John Link spent 40 years working at the Wegmans distribution centers and was the manager of the automation group. John spent 30 years as an adjunct professor in the Rochester Institute of Technology Electrical Engineering Technology program.

Ed Ellingsworth was the technician group supervisor and a software engineer at Wegmans and came from Kraft Foods, where he was responsible for the packaging and distribution systems. Ed also served in the Air Force and was supervisor for maintenance on jet aircraft electrical systems including F4 Phantoms.

Together, they were able to design and build a control panel and create software to work with our new irrigation controller. Alongside Scott Todd of Innovative Irrigation, they were able to combine their expertise and provide a new system for the First Responders Spray Park. This collaborative effort saved the Town several thousands of dollars and created a system that is not only functional but also improves the overall efficiency of the system! THANK YOU to everyone involved!

By the way, if you haven’t started receiving the Webster Recreation Center newsletter yet, here’s where you can see past editions and sign up. There’s lots of great information in there even if you aren’t a member.

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

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Subscribe” link on the right side of this page (or all the way at the bottom of the page if you’re on your phone).

(posted 1/7/2025)

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