Miracle Field has a new newsletter, new website

14 Apr

One of my favorite local organizations came across my email several days ago with some wonderful news.

The folks at Rochester Challenger Miracle Field have just introduced their very first newsletter. Now, I already know a lot about Miracle Field, the great opportunities it provides and the fundraising events that support its mission. But I felt compelled to scroll through the newsletter anyway, drawn in by a dozen colorful photos of widely-grinning athletes and volunteers.

I’m glad I did take the time, because I learned a few things I DIDN’T yet know. Like how the organization’s sports offerings have expanded since the field was opened eight years ago. And about plans for Heroes’ Day 2022 and a brand new Oktoberfest.

The newsletter also reported that Rochester Challenger Miracle Field has a new website. I checked that out as well and it’s beautiful. It nicely depicts all the life-changing experiences this organization brings to our young people.

If you STILL don’t know much about Miracle Field, allow me to quote directly from the newsletter:

Eight years ago, what started as an idea became a reality; to bring a fully inclusive sports facility to the greater Rochester area. Initially designed for athletes to play baseball, the Miracle Field morphed into something more significant. We also included an all-purpose rubberized rectangular turf field to play various sports on. It allows anyone a chance to play regardless of their physical or cognitive challenge.  We are also excited to have had the opportunity to bring a new inclusive, barrier-free playground to complement the park.

On-site programs now include baseball, flag football, soccer, and kickball. And it’s always good to mention that there’s “No Experience Necessary” to play at Miracle Field. Or, as we like to say, “No Boundaries, Only Possibilities.”  A place where no one judges and the only focus is performing to the best of your ability and having FUN.

Rochester Challenger Miracle Field is located in Ridge Park behind Town Hall on Ridge Rd. Webster is fortunate to have this beautiful facility right in our back yard. I encourage everyone to check out the newsletter (there should be a link on the website soon), put some fundraisers on your calendar, and support this great organization as much as you can.

* * *

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

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.

Tags:

Host family desperately needed for Webster exchange student

13 Apr

The Association for Teen-age Diplomats (ATAD) is looking for a Webster family to host a high school-aged exchange student from Spain for the next school year, and time is running out.

ATAD was created after World War II by a group of Kodak employees. They wanted to come up with some way to foster world peace and thought that if the world’s young people got to know each other, there would be less war. They started bringing exchange students to Rochester in the 1950s.

Most years, ATAD will host five to ten students hailing from France, Italy, Germany, Russia, Peru, Poland, Spain and Turkey. Only three are coming this year. Laura, from Marratxi Spain (a small village near Mallorca) is one of them, and she still doesn’t have a host family.

Laura is 15 years old, and is interested in English, math, volleyball, playing piano and ukulele, singing and drawing. According to her bio on the ATAD website, she’s great with younger children, and loves to laugh and go on vacations. She’s been studying English for 12 years, but would like to get even better at it when she’s here.

Thanks to all of the paperwork involved — including procuring a visa — time is getting short to place Laura before the next school year begins. It would be great to see someone here in Webster step up and help this young lady get the experience of a lifetime.

Becoming a host family is easy, and really requires very little more than providing room, board and love. The visiting student doesn’t even need a private bedroom or any spending money.

You can find answers to many questions on the ATAD website, but here’s some helpful info:

  • students bring their own spending money and have their own insurance
  • families generally include the visiting student on family trips, and the students sometimes have their own money to pay for it
  • ATAD hosts a few social gatherings during the school year so host families can meet other families
  • each student has a program chair assigned to manage any problems — large or small — which come up. The ATAD volunteer network is ready to step in and help with any issues that arise.
  • host families do not have to have any other children
  • all visiting students know English well
  • families are not provided a stipend for hosting a student
  • students do not pay room and board

For more information, visit the ATAD website or email Suzanne Isgrigg, Vice President for Host Families, at froggymom@aol.com.

Let’s find this young lady a host home, Webster peeps! When I was chatting with Suzanne at Community Arts Day, she told me, “Webster has always been my best go-to place for my host families.” Let’s show her that she can rely on us to come through again.

* * *

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

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.

Gentlemen (and ladies), start your ducks!

12 Apr

You’re gonna want to get your ducks in a row for this fun family event coming up in next month, to benefit Webster Comfort Care Home.

Webster Comfort Care Home’s second annual Duck Derby will take place Saturday May 21 at Webster Park.

The idea is simple: participants purchase rubber duckies for $5 each, and each has a number on it. At the appointed time, the ducks are dumped into Mill Creek, where they leisurely float down towards the lake. The “owners” of the first three ducks to cross the finish line win cash prizes.

Since the ducks like to take their time, activities and refreshments are available while you wait. But you don’t have to be present to win, so you don’t have to hang around if you don’t want to.

At last year’s event, participants floated 526 ducks, raising almost $3,500 — pretty good for its first year. For this second annual derby, organizers hope to raise twice that, and would love to see more than 800 ducks floating down the creek. Proceeds go directly back to Webster Comfort Care to support their mission to provide provide end-of-life care to residents of Webster and the surrounding communities.

The race will begin at the Webster Park Beeches Pavilion at 10 a.m. on Saturday May 21. There’s plenty of parking. Ducks can be purchased online here, by calling 585-872-5290, emailing Director@webstercomfortcare.org, or by stopping by the Webster Comfort Care Home at the corner of Holt and Klem. Payment is accepted by cash, check or credit card, and PayPal online. Tickets are available now.

* * *

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

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.

Tags: , , ,

Penfield’s Good Neighbor Day returns in May

11 Apr

As many of you know, when I started writing this blog (and until a few years ago, actually), I was a Penfield resident. So this annual event from our friends to the south has always been on my radar.

It’s the 8th annual Terry Rothfuss Memorial Good Neighbor Day, scheduled this year for Saturday May 7 from 8:30 a.m. to noon. The event gathers volunteers to help Penfield seniors, veterans and those who are disabled do light yard work and spring cleaning.

Projects require no more than a three-hour commitment, and volunteers of all ages are encouraged to sign up, so it’s a great family activity.

Volunteers meet at the Rothfuss Farm the morning of the event for refreshments and to receive assignments, and then spread out around the town to complete their projects.

The event honors the memory of Terry Rothfuss, who was a farmer in East Penfield and a friend to all. He was always ready and willing to help anyone at any time. His passing in 2014 left a huge hole in the community. His friends and family wanted to carry on Terry’s legacy of friendship by continuing to help their community and inspire others to do the same.

To sign up to help or receive help, please call Sabrina at 585-340-8651, or email srenner@penfield.org.

* * *

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

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.

Tags: , , ,

Webster Quilt Guild’s annual show coming soon

10 Apr

The Webster Quilt Guild invites community members to “Envision the Possibilities” at their 2022 Quilt Show, scheduled this year for Saturday and Sunday April 23 and 24 at Holy Trinity Church.

The show will showcase approximately 250 quilts, plus special displays of quilts crafted for the Breast Cancer Coalition, Quilts of Valor, Bivona Child Advocacy Center, Asbury Storehouse, and Meals on Wheels. So even if you’re not a quilter, it’s worth coming just to see these beautiful creations.

In addition to the quilts, the show will include vendors, a boutique table, and a book and pattern sale. There will also be dozens of “wee” quilts for purchase, miniature 10″ by 10″ quilts that make great gifts and are perfect for things like wall hangings, hot pads, mug mats, plant mats and more. About 60 of these were recently on display at the Webster Public Library (pictured below).

PLUS, you can take a chance on the beautiful “Quilter’s Patch” quilt created by Guild members, which will be raffled at the end of the two-day show. (That quilt is pictured at the beginning of the blog.)

The “wee” quilts

The guild will also be collecting non-perishable food items in support of the Webster Backpack Food program. 

The “Envision the Possibilities” quilt show will be held Saturday April 23 from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Sunday April 24 from noon to 4 p.m. at Holy Trinity Church, 146 Ridge Road, Webster. Admission tickets are $5 and will be available at the door.

The Webster Quilt Guild’s mission is to share quilt-making experiences, encourage friendships, promote the history, art and skill of quilt making, and support community services.  The guild has 80 members and is celebrating its 47th year. The organization creates hundreds of donations each year for agencies in the Rochester area.

The photo below shows last year’s Quilt Show award winners:

* * *

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

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.

Tags: , , ,

Welcome back, Community Arts Day!

9 Apr

I always love walking through the halls of Webster Schroeder High School at Community Arts Day. I see dozens of my friends from the community, get some great blog ideas and admire hundreds of incredible pieces of art made by our schoolchildren.

But Saturday, as I made my way ’round the displays, I realized this Community Arts Day was one like no other. This Community Arts Day was nothing less than Webster’s coming-out party.

Our town, like everywhere else in the world, has been in a cocoon much of the last two years. Clubs couldn’t hold meetings, dance and martial arts studios had to suspend their classes. Our schools were even shuttered for several months. And we certainly couldn’t hold community celebrations like this one.

But yesterday I saw the Webster community coming back to life, boasting to all in attendance about the events, organizations, people and talent that make our town a great place to live. Community groups hosted informational displays, dance schools were back on stage, musical soloists and ensembles entertained all day. And I reconnected with friends and colleagues, some whom I haven’t seen in years.

As usual, I tried to capture the festivities by taking a lot of photos. I couldn’t get everything (there was SO much going on at once!) but I tried to get as much as I could.

Click here to see a Facebook gallery of all of the people and art that make Community Arts Day one of my favorite days of the year.

And may I be the first to say, WELCOME BACK!

* * *

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

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.

Tags: , ,

Village merchants host Easter egg hunt

7 Apr

You may not have noticed, but there aren’t a whole lot of organizations out there hosting Easter egg hunts this year. But have no fear, parents, the Webster Business Improvement District (BID) has got your back.

A Webster BID Easter Egg Hunt is scheduled for Saturday April 16, at 10 a.m. at Webster Firemen’s Field, West Main St. in the village.

Thousands of eggs donated by local businesses will be hidden all around Firemen’s Field, filled with candy, prizes, fun activities and merchant coupons. Three different search areas will be staked out for children ages 0 to 2, 3 to 5, and 6 to 10. And in each group, one egg will contain a special golden ticket, which can be redeemed for a large prize basket.

A huge thank you to the Webster Volunteer Fire Department for all their support for this event.

The Easter Egg Hunt will take place rain or shine … so let’s hope for shine. For more information, click here to see the Facebook event page. Then make sure to get this one on your calendar, get your Easter baskets out of the attic and get the kids ready.

* * *

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

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.

Tags: , ,

The “lost” memory album is going home!

6 Apr

Another “lost” cause has ended happily.

Several weeks ago, I posted a blog about a memory album filled with mementos and photos which a friend of mine had found at a local Goodwill.

The album itself was nothing special; your basic sticky-paged photo album we’ve all used for years for our family photos. Its 19 pages were filled with photos dating back to the early 1900s, picturing relatives and special events. Several more pages were filled with cards and letters, many of them apparently made by children and grandchildren.

My friend turned sleuth and was able to determine the album was probably owned by a woman named Caroline Kolupski, who used live in North Greece. He reached out to me for help in locating Caroline’s family so it could be returned. Perhaps, he thought, if I wrote a blog about the album, someone might recognize the photos or names.

My readers came through.

Within just a few days of posting the blog, I was contacted by not just one, but two of Caroline’s relatives who still live in the area and who were excited about the prospect of getting the album back. After that, it was just a matter of arranging a time for the hand-off.

That happened earlier this week when my friend and I met Marilyn Kolupski Kraitsik and Sandy LaDonna Kolupski for breakfast at The Original Steve’s Diner in Penfield. Marilyn is one of Caroline’s daughters, Sandy a niece by marriage.

We had a delightful time, getting to know each other and revisiting the details of the photo album’s journey from Goodwill to breakfast table. The album lying between them on the table, Marilyn and Sandy paged through it, pointing out Caroline and all the aunts, uncles and grandparents pictured in the old, fading photos. We were introduced to so many people and so many wonderful memories.

It was especially delightful to learn more about Caroline, who passed away in 2000, and the Kolupski clan.

Caroline had nine brothers and sisters, and her husband Lou had ten siblings. They raised four children of their own, three girls and a boy. A strikingly beautiful woman, Sandy remembers that her Aunt Caroline, “one of our sweet aunts,” was “as beautiful inside as well as outside.”

The ladies were also able to fill in some blanks. For starters, I’d theorized that the album had been assembled for Caroline because she was going into a nursing home or was in the hospital. Instead, Marilyn believes it was one of many photo albums her mother had put together, and the cards and letters tucked in the back had been added later, perhaps as part of a group Christmas gift.

As for how it ended up at Goodwill? Marilyn thinks when her sister was clearing out some of their mom’s old things, the album got mixed into the bags and boxes and not noticed.

When breakfast was over, Marilyn tucked the album under her arm and both she and Sandy thanked us — again — for finding and returning it. They were clearly thrilled to have it back, and we were equally pleased to have followed the story to its happy ending.

In hindsight, we shouldn’t have worried that we wouldn’t be able to find the photo album’s owner. There are still a LOT of Kolupskis in the Rochester area, and they’re all related. So it was really only a matter of time before “Grama” Kolupski’s album would find its way back home.

Thank you to everyone who shared the blog and have followed the story. (Click here to read the original blog I posted about the album.)

* * *

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

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.

Town of Webster will rename North Ponds Park

4 Apr

On Friday, April 22, the Town of Webster will officially rename North Ponds Park to the Charles E. Sexton Memorial Park, in honor of the former director of Webster Parks and Recreation.

Sexton was hired in 1962 as Webster’s first Recreation Director, and served in that capacity until his retirement in 1996. He was also the first African American Recreation Director in New York State. He passed away in June 2021.

During his tenure, Sexton introduced the town’s first programs for senior citizens and launched the recreation department’s first summer youth camps. Many programs which began under his direction are still operating today. It is this legacy which led to the town’s decision to rename one of Webster’s best-known parks in his honor.

Current Webster Parks and Recreation Commissioner Chris Bilow said,

North Ponds Park is one of the most utilized parks in all of Webster. Whether it’s people walking, running,  enjoying the water or attending one of the many events in the park, I am confident that Mr. Sexton envisioned this type of use when the park was being built. More importantly, Sexton loved North Ponds Park, a facility which he saw come together to be owned and managed by the Town of Webster.  (from press release)

The official renaming ceremony will take place at North Ponds Park (soon to be known as the Charles E. Sexton Memorial Park) at 4 p.m. Friday, April 22. There will be brief remarks and a sign unveiling.

The park is located between Holt Rd. and Rt. 250.  

* * *

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

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.

Tags: , , , ,

Community Arts Day returns!

3 Apr

As soon as I saw the news that Community Arts Day is returning this coming weekend, I knew that life is finally getting back to normal. This year’s event is going to be especially sweet since it’s the first one we’ve had in three years.

This year’s event will take place on Saturday, April 9 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Webster Schroeder High School, 875 Ridge Rd. This very family-friendly festival, which is marking its 45th year, showcases the musical and artistic talents of Webster School District K-12 students, and involves the entire community in a day to celebrate the arts. It was created as a collaborative effort to raise money to encourage and enhance fine arts programs throughout the district. (Below are a few examples of the artwork from previous years. Click here for a full gallery from 2019.)

Dozens of activities are planned throughout the day, including art displays, carnival games, crafts, community group exhibits and more. Webster student groups will present musical performances throughout the day, and the Webster’s Got Talent talent show will feature aspiring student singers, musicians, and dancers from 12 to 1 pm. Community performing groups will fill out the schedule of events, and all the performances are free.

Admission to Community Arts Day is free. Proceeds from concessions, craft, and carnival booth sales will benefit cultural arts programs within the Webster Central School District.  

A whole schedule of events and map of exhibitors have already been posted to the Community Arts Day Facebook page. Check it out to keep tabs on the latest updates!

* * *

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

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.

Tags: , , , ,

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →