AutismUp: New name, same commitment to caring

10 Apr

April is Autism Awareness Month.

Wait! Don’t stop reading there. Don’t be tempted to think, “That doesn’t affect me. On to the sports section!” Because chances are very good that autism DOES affect you.

Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the U.S, affecting one in every 88 children. Think about that. That’s an amazingly high percentage. That means that in your daily life, you have most definitely come in contact with people affected by autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and probably even know some personally.

So this issue is not something our society can push under the rug, and the more people who understand that, the better.

So let me tell you about an incredible local organization dedicated to spreading the word, and about an event they’re holding later this month where you can help.

The organization is called AutismUp. You may already know it by its former name, UNYFEAT, which stood for Upstate New York Families for Effective Autism Treatment. The new name reflects the evolving and expanding role of the organization as the autism incidence rate continues to grow.

This local organization was founded in 2004 by a small group of parents of children with ASD, and has since grown to more than 1,000 members. Its mission is to support individuals with ASD and their families by expanding and enhancing opportunities to improve quality of life.

But to do that, they need funds. And here’s where you can help.

On Friday, April 26, AutismUp will host their seventh annual Seeds of Hope Growing and Giving Gala from 6:30 to 11 pm at the Memorial Art Gallery, 500 University  Avenue. They’re calling it the “gala at the gallery,” and it will feature, according to the press release,  “fabulous food from MAX Rochester, a variety of music and entertainment, a live and silent auction, and opportunities to learn more about AutismUp programs and services.”

Several Webster businesses are among those who have generously donated raffle prizes, including Prime Steakhouse, Hanks, Kid’s Hair Zone, Armstrong Adirondacks, Bella Vita, Flahertys, Bayview YMCA, Yolickity, Kittleberger, Hegedorns Bakery, Pontillos and Webster Interiors. Plus, Casciani Builders has donated a private helicopter experience for the live auction. Pretty cool.

Tickets are $100 in advance, or $125 at the door. Presale tickets can be ordered online by April 20 at www.AutismUp.org or by calling (585) 248-9011.

Can’t make the gala? Then show your support this Friday by wearing something blue. I know at least one school in the district is encouraging all their staff and students to wear blue, and I hope more get on board.

You can count me in. I’ve had the pleasure of working with some of these kids, and despite their communication and behavioral issues, they’ve all been cheerful and funny and pleasant. The way they take joy in life and take pride in new achievements just fills my heart with smiles.

This is definitely a cause you can believe in.

Village business news

9 Apr

I received the following photo from Mayor Cahill a few days ago, showing some work being done on a West Main Street building owned by Bob Lindsley, which houses Performance Hobbies and two other storefronts.

“We’re very excited to see the finished product,” Cahill said, and added, “Thanks to Bob.”

I also did some asking around the other day about what’s going to be going into the old Webster Gourmet storefront on the opposite side of West Main. They’ve been working hard on that place for a while now.  Word is that it’s gong to be an art gallery. Or a photo studio. Or something else. No one seemed to know for sure.

How ’bout it, folks…someone out there can fill us in. Who can tell us what’s going in there?

 

 

Outgoing village board members vote to cut salaries

9 Apr

There was a very interesting story in this morning’s Democrat and Chronicle about Village Board shenanigans.  Apparently, as one of their last orders of business, the outgoing Village Board members voted to reduce the salaries of the mayor and village trustees.  I had heard the rumor that such a thing had happened, but had never confirmed it, and hoped it was just a rumor. So it was with great interest that I read this morning’s article.

According to the article, the rationale for the vote was this: since 25% of the board members’ salaries is for their service as commissioners of the village water department, and the new board members have pledged to eliminate the village water department, so that part of the salary should also be eliminated.

Well, it didn’t last long. Five days later the newly constituted board board met for the first time and reinstated the salaries in the preliminary budget.

But you can read the whole story yourself here.

 

Duct tape to the rescue

7 Apr

Remember that blog I posted a little more than a week go about how two lawn care companies were littering our neighborhood with their marketing literature?  You’ll recall that White Lawn Care Company (WLCC) and Green Lawn Care Company (GLCC) were vying for the title of “Most Prolific Neighborhood Litterer of the Spring.”  For the record, GLCC won the very tight race, with a total of 19 fliers scattered on lawns and gutters within a two-mile radius.  WLCC came in a very close second with 18.

Well, a few days ago my friend Kristen posted the following photo and caption on my Facebook page which I needed to share with you:

She wrote, “Apparently one landscaping company read your blog! They taped their flier in my mailbox!”

I found this quite funny. Whether BPM Landscaping decided to use duct tape because of my blog, or because they’re just a more responsible company, I’d be much more inclined to use their services this summer than those of GLCC or WLCC.

Never Say Never needs volunteers

6 Apr

If you love horses and you’re looking for a great local volunteer opportunity, Never Say Never Stables’ Horses Healing Hearts program wants you.

Never Say Never Stables, located on at 906 Maple Drive in West Webster, is a therapeutic horse riding organization which seeks to provide “life-enriching, horse related activities to children and teens living with cancer or other life challenges.” The operation is run entirely by volunteers and in recent years has experienced some huge growth. So they’ve sent out a call for help.

A few days ago I received the following email from the folks there:

The number of riders desiring equine-assisted activities is climbing. Children facing all sorts of challenges love to spend time with the horses in a loving, caring environment. It is such a joy to watch the kids grow as they spend time on the farm.  With growth comes the need for more staffing.

We need more volunteer horse handlers and side walkers (for the Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday programs). We also need ‘greeters’ on Saturdays to welcome families and check in riders. Since we operate on an alternating/every other week basis from May to November, there are only 15 weeks of programming.   We also have a once a month group for autistic children (Friday from 5-6 pm) and a summer camp program that runs Monday-Thursday for five weekly sessions during July and August.

Never Say Never has volunteer opportunities to fit every schedule. You can volunteer every day in the camp programs, bi-weekly in the equine-assisted therapy program, or once a month with the autism program. Volunteers have earned community service hours, created Webster Senior projects, and built Eagle Scout projects.

Volunteers can be high school students, business people, retirees, moms, dads or entire families.  Get more information at  http://www.nsnstables.org/Volunteering.html

Notes form the Town

1 Apr

There’s all sorts of interesting notices coming from the Town Hall folks these days, and I would be remiss not to pass them along.

The first announcement is one that Webster gardeners anxiously await every spring: the leaf mulch pile has arrived!

It’s back at its usual location behind Webster Town Hall, and the 100% pure leaf mulch is free to Webster residents (no contractors or landscapers please). And no machinery or other equipment is allowed to load the mulch, so grab your shovels and your kids and get on down there while the supply lasts. Which is usually not very long.

Webster Has the Yellow Dot Program

Haven’t ever heard of the “Yellow Dot” program? Neither had I until about a month ago when Supervisor Nesbitt wrote about it in his weekly column. It seemed really interesting, so I tucked the information away…until now.

The program is sponsored by the New York State’s Sheriff’s Association, and it helps emergency responders provide prompt care in the event of a car accident.

The idea is to place a Yellow Dot on the rear driver’s side window, alerting emergency responders to look in the glove compartment, where you’ve placed important medical information. The Yellow Dot can also be used to alert those who respond to emergencies in your home. Simply place the decal on or beside your front door, and place a completed information card in the freezer part of your refrigerator.

If you’re interested in participating in the Yellow Dot program, stop by the Webster Town Hall at 1000 Ridge Road for more information.

Household Hazardous Waste Collection

The Monroe County Department of Environmental Services (DES) and the Town of Webster, Town of Penfield and the Village of Webster have joined forces to hold an appointment-only Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) collection on Saturday, April 20.  This collection will take place at the Webster Highway Garage, 1005 Picture Parkway from 7:45 am to noon.

To ensure safety and reduce waiting times, appointments are required at all HHW collections.  Appointments for this HHW collection will be accepted until April 19. To schedule an appointment, Webster residents should call 872-1443, Penfield residents can call 340-8710 (Monday thru Thursday, 7 am–4:30 pm), or go online to http://www.monroecounty.gov/hhw to schedule your appointment.

Oh, and by the way, in case we forgot to mention it, APPOINTMENTS ARE REQUIRED!

This Household Hazardous Waste collection is open to all Monroe County residents.

Pharmaceutical Collection

The Sewer Department will be having a Pharmaceutical Collection on Saturday, April 27 from 10 am to 2 pm at 226 Phillips Road. They will only accept unused, unwanted, or expired medication.  No mercury or hazardous material will be accepted.

I did this last year, just drove up and dropped off a bag filled with medications we no longer needed. It was quick and easy and painless, and I would recommend it to everyone. Please don’t flush old meds down the toilet. And don’t use them if they’re expired, and especially don’t if they were prescribed for someone else. That’s just dangerous.

For more information call 265-0505.

 

Webster Thomas grad performs during March Madness

1 Apr

Rmani Crawford, at the far left, prepares to lead Won by One in song. Click on the photo to watch the video.

If you watched any of the Elite 8 basketball games on Sunday, you might have caught a singing performance by a Webster Thomas grad.

Rmani Crawford (’10) led the Pepperdine University a cappella group Won by One in singing the National Anthem before one of the Elite 8 games  played at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. I’m not sure the TV stations actually broadcast the performance, but someone did post a video to YouTube, which you can see by clicking here or on the photo to the right.

Rmani is a junior at Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA, majoring in rhetoric and leadership. He sings baritone for Won by One, who call themselves “A group of six unlikely friends who travel in a big white van, recruit students to come to Pepperdine and practice beat boxing daily.”

Thank you to my friend Holly for bringing my attention to this link. I’m always pleased to see our Webster students making a difference in the world.

You can find out more about Won by One by checking out their website here or their Facebook page here.

 

Let the litter games begin!

31 Mar

My regular readers might remember a blog I posted around this time last year about a certain driveway seal-coating company and its marketing literature.  Specifically, it was about how their marketing literature was strewn all over our neighborhood. In one two-day period last April, my husband Jack and I picked up almost 30 of the fliers along our regular two-mile walking route through the neighborhood. They had fluttered out of the newspaper boxes where they had been carelessly stuffed, extracted by the strong spring winds.

Since then, I have always considered this particular company to be King of the Litterers. I thought their neighborhood trashing  record would stand forever.

But on Friday, it was in real danger.

On Friday afternoon, Jack and I were on that very same two-mile walk when we noticed a glossy white flier at the side of the road. We thought at first our seal-coating friends had gotten an early start on their littering in defense of their title. But we were surprised to see it was an entirely new contender in the litter derby — a lawn care company.  A little farther down the road we found a second. Then a third. We began to think that maybe, just maybe, this company was going to mount a serious challenge for the title.

All of a sudden we became much more vigilant as we walked, carefully inspecting lawns and bushes.  At one point we split up along two conjoined side streets to cover more ground. Sure enough, by the time we met back up at the far end, we had both collected a handful of glossy white flyers.  But we also had collected a handful of glossy green fliers.

Yes, ANOTHER lawn care company had joined the contest.

Game on.

Things got serious. We started keeping score. White Lawn Care Company (WLCC) had the early lead by virtue of all the fliers from the early part of the walk. But Green Lawn Care Company (GLCC) quickly made up the deficit.  Before long the score was neck-and-neck.  There were several lead changes.  By the time we got home we had lost count, and we were honestly excited to see if WLCC had been able to pull it out in the end.

But it wasn’t to be.  The final tally was 18 WLCC fliers, 19 GLCC fliers.

So our heartiest congratulations to Green Lawn Care Company. Their total was far short of  Driveway Seal-Coating Company’s record-setting 29 fliers, but they CAN claim the title of “Most Prolific Neighborhood Litterer of the Spring” so far. Enjoy that winning feeling, GLCC, for it will be fleeting. Driveway Seal-Coating Company — King of the Litterers — should be rejoining the game in a week or two.

Stay tuned.

I really should know better by now

29 Mar

WHY do I keep doing this to myself?

Why do I wait until two days before Easter to go out and get what I need to celebrate the holiday?  Yesterday morning my husband and I went to Wegmans to stock up on stuff we needed for Easter dinner.  Jack would have preferred to go Thursday night, and said so then.  “It’s going to be a zoo” if we waited until Good Friday, he said. “Pfshaw,” I responded. “There’s no way it could be worse than when I go on Sunday afternoon.”

So, I was wrong. Fortunately, for much of the shopping trip we were able to split up, creating two smaller targets, therefore making it easier to get through the aisles without being rear-ended.  But even then it was a physical and emotional challenge to get through the entire store. Finally I came to a point where I just gave up. We had everything we needed for dinner; I could return on Monday for everything else. With any luck, by then Wegmans will have installed traffic lights and one-way aisles.

Having arrived home safely from Wegmans, I still had to go out to the Dollar Store and K-Mart to get goodies for my kids’ Easter baskets.  (Yes, I know my youngest child just turned 19. And only one of the three still lives at home. But don’t judge me. My kids still like to get Easter baskets and I’m pretty sure they all still believe in the Easter Bunny.)  The crowds weren’t so bad, but the selection was a bit picked over. I hope the kids don’t mind getting jars of gherkins in their baskets this year.

OK, so I’ve learned my lesson. I’ll get an early start on Christmas this year, I promise. Good thing the Christmas decorations will be hitting the stores next week.

Sharing the gift of music

27 Mar

At the Schroeder concert, the percussion section has fun with plungers.

Two events this week at the Webster high schools helped spread the gift of music.

All of Webster School District’s fifth graders were recently treated to a sample of the kind of music they can create when they progress through the elementary instrumental music program into high school.

Last week, Webster Schroeder High School welcomed students from Plank Road North, Plank Road South and State Road elementary schools to watch a concert performed by the high school wind ensemble. The same event occurred at Webster Thomas yesterday, where the Thomas Wind Ensemble hosted students from Klem Road North, Klem Road South, DeWitt Road and Schlegel Road elementary schools.

At Schroeder, conductor Amanda Tierson fields questions from the fifth graders.

The musical experience was made even more meaningful by lessons the elementary students were presented before the concerts.  The elementary music teachers prepared their students by introducing the pieces that would be performed, encouraging discussion of instrumentation, musical themes, concert etiquette and characteristics of the music they would hear.

For many of the kids, it was their first experience hearing a “real live” concert. And for any of them just starting to learn an instrument, it was a great display of what they could accomplish with continued dedication and hard work.

Fifth graders fill the auditorium at Thomas.

Conductor Eric Piazza leads the Thomas Wind Ensemble.

A saxophone quartet highlighted the Thomas concert. From left, Terese Ciaizza, Karthik Sekharan, Nick Bartusek and Juliana Baratta.

Webster Thomas grade Evan Sundquist was a featured performer when the Fredonia Jazz Ensemble made a stop at Thomas High School on Tuesday, as part of their spring break educational tour through Upstate New York.  Sundquist was spotlighted on the trumpet and vocally during the hour-long performance. The purpose of the group’s tour is to illustrate to current high school students that there are opportunities to participate in music after high school, whether or not they choose to major in music.

Thomas grad Evan Sundquist (back, at left) played trumpet and sang during the concert at his alma mater.

The Fredonia Jazz Ensemble on stage.

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