Greece News April/May 2024

We have expanded and built an all new service building to better serve the automotive needs of our community and fellow car enthusiasts.

Greece Chamber Names Joe Robach as New President and CEO

The Greece Regional Chamber of Commerce announced that Joe Robach has been named the organization’s new President and CEO. The selection was made by the Greece Chamber’s Board of Directors after a local and regional search was conducted.

Former Senator Robach served as the New York State Senate representative for the 56th Senatorial District which encompasses the Towns of Brighton, Clarkson, Gates, Greece, Hamlin, Parma, and parts of the City of Rochester, including Charlotte, Historic Maplewood and the University of Rochester.

Before his election to the Senate, Robach served as an Assemblyman for 11 years. During his tenure in the Senate, he secured an unprecedented amount of resources for the Rochester area which funded the expansion of the emergency departments for Highland and Unity Hospitals, and provided funding for hundreds of local charities and all the school districts in the 56th District. He sits on several boards and is a political consultant working for the Monroe County GOP committee. Throughout his tenure, he earned a reputation for being an accessible, community-oriented legislator.

President and CEO of the Greece Chamber include, continuing the Chamber’s role as a promoter of Greece business and providing opportunities to network and market businesses to the community. He will continue the Chamber’s signature events such as First Friday Networking, Home Health Expo, Small Business Awards and Youth Hall of Fame. “I enthusiastically encourage anyone interested in promoting their business, and our community, to reach out to me directly. I am very committed to being open and accessible. I will be in the Chamber office from 9AM to 4PM, on most days. That is what we are all about. We have Chamber members representing every size business and community groups that provide valuable insight and ideas to enrich the community connections. Reach out to me directly at the Chamber office at 585-227-7272, or email joe@greecechamber.org.”

The Greece Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit 501(c)6 that focuses on enhancing the business and economic vitality of Greece, New York, the largest suburb in Monroe County, and the surrounding region. The Chamber has been serving the business community since 1984.

Robach brings to the Greece Regional Chamber of Commerce an exceptional record of community and civic involvement. He has been recognized by many organizations, police departments, healthcare facilities, businesses, and not-for-profits both locally and statewide. He offers definitive and distinguished leadership skills, experience in economic development, and building and enhancing business and community relationships.

Joe Robach was a graduate of Aquinas Institute and the State University of New York College at Brockport, where he received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Public Administration degrees. He has been a lifelong resident of Greece.

“I was honored and pleased to be chosen to lead the Greece Chamber of Commerce,” said Robach. “This will allow me to continue my life’s work on promoting businesses, public safety, and our great community of Greece.” Robach’s plans for his tenure as

From the office of The Supervisor, Bill Reilich

Thankfully warmer weather seems to be making its way to Greece! We are now officially in the planning stages for all our Spring and Summer events.

Chamber services and member benefits include networking, marketing and promotion, education, business services, advocacy, visibility, recognition, advertising opportunities, committee participation, health, dental and vision insurance, travel packages, and numerous monthly and signature events throughout the year. The Chamber membership includes for-profit and nonprofit corporations, government, education, and individuals from throughout Monroe County and the greater Rochester region in New York State.

The Greece Chamber Charitable Foundation (GCCF) was created in 2002, and is led by a board of directors comprised of community volunteers. The Foundation’s mission is to support programs that prepare young people for success in education and business so as to develop a viable workforce that leads to Greece economic prosperity and community development.

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I hope you enjoyed the solar eclipse! How incredible that our community (along with thousands from across the nation) was able to experience the moon passing between the sun and earth that momentarily darkened the daytime sky.

I would like to remind high school students that there is still time to submit applications for the Jerry J. Helfer Youth Engagement Scholarship. This scholarship provides the Greece community with the opportunity to recognize a student that regularly upholds exemplary moral values, devotes time and energy into helping serve the Greece community, and consistently displays

outstanding leadership skills. Scholarship applications can be found on the Town of Greece website: https://greeceny.gov/residents/jerry-j-helfer-youth/. The scholarship deadline is Friday, May 24, 2024.

Two upcoming events that we would love to have you join us for is our Memorial Day Parade and Remembrance Ceremony and the Jerry J. Helfer Memorial Food Truck Rodeo and Summer Concert. The Memorial Day Parade will take place on Monday, May 27, 2024. The Jerry J. Helfer Food Truck Rodeo and Summer Concert will take place Tuesday, June 4, 2024 from 5:30-8:30 at the Greece Town Hall Campus. Join us for this free event featuring Zac Brown Tribute Band and enjoy a delicious meal from one of the food trucks participating.

As always, I enjoy hearing feedback from residents about programming and other Town-related matters. If you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to contact my office or visit our website.

Joe Robach

Jayden Bunch named as a 2024 Gold Award Girl Scout

“First Steps Towards Freedom” Project

Jayden explained, “My project was conducted in collaboration with Redeeming Love, an outreach that serves women who are hurting, addicted and/or trafficked on the streets of Rochester, New York. I contacted individual and business donors to collect nearly $2,000 worth of hygiene products, personal care items, and clothing. I worked with volunteers to assemble these items into care packages. My Redeeming Love team and I ventured out in the outreach’s van to seek out these women and offer them a care package as a way to initiate a first connection with them. Through weekly mobile outreach, we nurture an ongoing relationship with the women and help connect them with community resources providing support with issues such as homelessness, addiction, domestic violence, and sexual exploitation. Tackling this issue is important to me because it offers marginalized women assistance in reaching their full potential to live a

safe, healthy, and productive life. Through the Redeeming Love outreach, our local community increases awareness of and empathy towards these vulnerable women and reminds us that our smallest actions can lead to a lifelong impact on those in need.”

Jayden added, “Being in Girl Scouts has exposed me to a wide range of people and experiences that I might not have otherwise encountered. The skills I developed in Girl Scouts have prepared me for roles of leadership in my volunteer work, my church and school communities, and my future as an Occupational Therapist.”

Jayden will receive her Gold Award at the Gold Award Ceremony on June 1, 2024. The Girl Scout Gold Award is the most prestigious award in the world for young women. Only 5.4% of eligible Girl Scouts earn the Gold Award.

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PTNY’s “I Love My Park Day” hosted by the Friends of Hamlin Beach State Park

The 13th annual I Love My Park Day will be held on Saturday May 4th from 9 am-noon at Hamlin Beach State Park. Enjoy a day volunteering to enhance and help prepare our park for the upcoming spring and summer seasons.

Visit http://www.ptny.org/events/i-love-my-park-day to sign up to volunteer.

Follow the FOHBSP on facebook.com/FOHBSP/

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

The publication you are reading - Westside Newsis now available to purchase. For the right person the opportunity is for a six-figure weekly salary. If you want to be your own boss you should check out this opportunity to purchase the awardwinning Westside News.

For information please email keith.ryan@westsidenewsny.com

Greece Athena Middle School presents Annie

Greece Performing Arts Center

April 19 & 20 and April 26 & 27

Greece Athena Middle School (GAMS) will present their Spring production of Annie. Annie is a musical based on the 1924 comic strip Little Orphan Annie by Harold Gray. The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years, setting attendance records along the way.

This year the artistic director for Annie is Courtney Larkin. Larkin is very familiar with the play, she grew up in the theatre program at GAMS. She said, “I participated in the play as an orphan tap dancer in 2004, and again in 2012 as a coordinator, and now this year as director. Many of the team working on this year’s production have also worked together on previous productions of Annie. I have learned a lot from the people I worked with previously on Annie. We all bring a positive energy and experience.

The team comes together beautifully, working with a very large cast,” Larkin says.

The cast of Annie will feature over 100 kids. “There are lots of roles, allowing this production to be all inclusive. We want to encourage all of our students to participate in theatre. They learn about all facets of theatre work, on and off the stage, and also many valuable life lessons, even if they aren’t looking to make theatre a career. Theatre also gives students a chance to explore, and show off, their talents. Our students are beyond talented. Our goal is for them to have as much fun on stage as those watching from the seats,” Larkin said.

For more information on Annie and to purchase tickets visit www.showtix4u.com or email gamstickets.com. Tickets will also be available at the door.

May 8, 2024 • 7:00PM

Lakeview Community Church, 30 Long Pond Rd., Rochester, 14612.

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Monroe County, Master Gardener Bob Beabout, talks on Rochester Olmstead parks with an introduction to the life and accomplishments of Frederick Law Olmsted, the pioneer of the modern urban park. Presentation includes the history of urban parks and some of the early life of Frederick Law Olmsted, leading to the creation of Central Park, the major projects of Olmsted and the Olmsted firm after Central Park. And finally, the Rochester, now Monroe County, Park System, partially designed by Olmsted.

To attend contact Darlene Markham at dmarkham@ rochester.rr.com

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“21 Stories For Scouts” Celebrates 15th Year Rappelling Down Iconic Kodak Tower

Over 60 Volunteers will Rappel 240 Feet Off Kodak Tower on May 17th

It’s an event that has become synonymous with adventure, courage, and community spirit. “21 Stories For Scouts” proudly announces its 15th annual rappelling event down the iconic Ko dak Tower in Rochester, NY. This year’s event marks not only a milestone anniversary but also bids a fond farewell as it will be the last year participants will descend from the towering heights of the Kodak Tower.

What began as a daring challenge for thrill-seekers has trans formed into a cherished tradition, raising essential funds for Sen eca Waterways Council (local Scouts BSA Chapter) and promot ing outdoor adventure and leadership development.

The Seneca Waterways Council partnered with Over the Edge, a company that conducts extreme rappelling events all over North America. “We’re incredibly proud to have reached this sig nificant milestone,” says Stephen Hoitt, Scout Executive/CEO of Seneca Waterways Council. ”The experience, trepidation and ex citement that a Scout feels atop a 30-foot climbing wall at summer camp is very similar to what these volunteers felt when they leaned back over the balcony, 240 feet above the ground.”

The Seneca Waterways Council extends its thanks to Kodak for the use of the building, for their incredible volunteers who helped participants cycle through the event, and for sponsoring teams of participants. Thanks also go to the following local companies who sponsored teams to rappel: Harris Beach LLC, Hoselton Auto Mall, and Taylor the Builder. “Thanks to the generosity of some incredible donors in our community, we were able to have Scouts rappel this year” Hoitt says.

For more information on Scouting or to donate to this event, visit www.21storiesforscouts.org or call (585) 244-4210.

21 Stories for Scouts does not have a date or new location for 2025.

About Seneca Waterways Council - Seneca Waterways Council of the Boy Scouts of America serves nearly 6,000 young people in Monroe, Ontario, Wayne, Seneca, and Yates Counties. The Council provides an educational program for youth to build character, to train in the responsibilities of participating citizenship, and to develop personal fitness. More information about Seneca Waterways Council is available at www.senecawaterways.org.

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Sabrina Bhalla (left) and Ruby Callari (right) rappelling photo from 2021, both scouts have earned Eagle Scout rank in 2023.

Health & Home Expo Connects

People and Businesses

On Saturday, March 23, 2024, the Greece Regional Chamber of Commerce held a Health & Home Expo at The Mall at Greece Ridge. The event was free to the public and featured a broad array of exhibitors and vendors, showcasing products and services related to health and better living. This year’s event included giveaways from all the exhibitors, raffles from Equitable Advisors’ Mike Tornatore and West End Pediatric Urgent Care, onsite visual acuity tests from Whelpley & Paul, a visit from the Amerk’s Moose (courtesy of Greenlight Networks), and pet adoption from Greece Residents Assisting Stray Pets (GRASP).

Drawing residents from throughout the region, the event was supported by Greece Regional Chamber member businesses, including Aetna Medicare Solutions, Bryant & Stratton College, ESL Federal Credit Union, Family First Credit Union, Fidelis Care, Gavia LifeCare Center, Greece Residents Assisting Stray Pets, Greenlight Networks, Home Instead of NY Monroe County, M&T Bank, County Legislator Virginia McIntyre, Equitable Advisors’ Mike Tornatore, Planet Fitness, Roc Mid-Term Rentals, St. Ann’s Adult Cay Care Center, West End Pediatric Urgent Care, and Whelpley & Paul.

This year’s Gold Sponsor was Bryant & Stratton College and Silvers Sponsor ESL Federal Credit Union and The Victor’s Gymnastics. The event also received key support from Venue Sponsor The Mall at Greece Ridge and photographer BRL Entertainment Solutions.

“The Greece Regional Chamber has partnered with a great group of area businesses and nonprofits that play a role in supporting both health and home and inspire us to enhance and improve various aspects of our personal lives. The link between our society’s better health and economic development is a strong one,” said Greece Regional Chamber President and CEO Joe Robach. “Healthy families with a strong, positive experience of day-to-day living build strong, viable communities. Ultimately, our ability to develop and sustain happy and healthy households will be the foundation of our regional growth and prosperity. We are extremely grateful to all our generous sponsors and especially to The Mall at Greece Ridge, a perfect venue partner for this event,” said Robach. “We’re all about the community, you, your business, building a stronger Greece, and helping to connect consumers to businesses and services that matter in their lives.”

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A Letter from the Publisher

To our many advertisers, readers, various supporters, and the community-at-large, the time has come for me to announce that I am retiring from Westside News. I do this with a heavy heart. For more than 52 years, I have been associated with the business that eventually became Westside News – beginning with addressing newspapers for delivery by the post office and delivering papers to drop locations, to ad and page design, to sales representative, to company manager and finally, as publisher.

I am enormously proud of my association with Westside News and its predecessors. I was provided an opportunity, and with enthusiasm, desire, hard work, fortitude, and dedication, I was able to build a publishing company that produced weekly publications as well as monthly magazines. It was a great challenge and gave me great joy. And, it still does today. I love serving the west side communities and having the opportunity to come to know such a loyal readership.

I am proud of my staff, which to this day is second to none in its desire to provide the best possible service to our communities, and the many businesses that have supported those efforts over the years. The many awards that Westside News has received from our state association are all due to the efforts of those individuals that comprise our staff.

I am proud of the quality of our print products, and the service they provided to our communities. And, I am also proud of our

growth in website design, and social media platforms, which have enabled us to remain flexible, and communicate with various constituents in the way they want, and when they want it. Only a well-trained, and dedicated staff can maintain that level of commitment and quality.

As in all things in life, the season has come for me to move on, and to provide the opportunity for someone who has that same burning desire, as I did so many years ago, to take Westside

The Westside News staff, Christmas 2001. Many of these people remain on staff today.

Keith Ryan working on ad design in 1974.

Westside News Publisher Keith Ryan

continued from page 16

News to a higher level of communication. Therefore, I am placing Westside News up for sale.

This is not for the faint of heart. The work is demanding, the hours long, the need great, but the rewards are manifold. Print publication is still the heart of our business. But we have maintained the flexibility and the commitment to deliver news in the modern world of social media and other platforms. The challenge now is to find the right person, who has the wherewithal and the gumption to meld the two forms of communication and take them both to a higher plane. This is a business opportunity that typically comes along only once in decades. It will require someone who doesn’t mind working seven days a week to return to the profitable status Westside News once enjoyed before the Great Recession of 2008 and Covid-19.

It is important to note that if anyone thinks that print is dead, he or she must think again. The number of people in our market that look forward to receiving our publications is greater than 60 percent. According to a 20-something staff member from the MARION Integrated Marketing Agency:

• Printed ads are often more trusted than digital ads. With an increased volume of scams on the internet, print media marketing creates a sense of trust and credibility that digital marketing alone cannot provide.

• Reading print works better for retention. Studies show that

a screen. This achieves higher retention rates compared to digital.

• Print materials are tangible and memorable. In a world of endless scrolling and popup ads, print collateral makes it easier for people to remember and recall when making purchasing decisions.

It is difficult to say goodbye to something that has been a part of my life for over 52 years, but I know the time is right. I thank all of you – my staff, businesses, advertisers, the community-atlarge, and my family for all your support during these years. I am a lucky person in so many ways. I could not have asked for a better way to make a living. I am grateful to have served our communities, and I am appreciative of your sustaining loyalty, as well as the kindness all of you have exhibited during these five plus decades. My life has been enriched by serving you all. My hope is that there is someone who will feel the passion I have had, to continue the work of Westside News, and further develop its role in the community. If interested, please contact me at keith.ryan@ westsidenewsny.com.

Sincerely, and with gratitude