HOPE585’s reimagine initiative co-designs a community-driven response that moves youth and their families from systemic trauma to a place of power and belonging.

For the past two-plus decades, the Leo Club has participated in this annual charity basketball game that brings students, family, friends, and the community together in support of a different cause each year.

The Churchville-Chili LEO Club is comprised of students in grades 7–12 in the Churchville-Chili School District. The group is proudly sponsored by the Churchville Lions Club and is engaged in a wide variety of community service activities. For information, contact LEO Club Advisor Janelle Hernandez at JHernandez@cccsd.org.

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A Brockport native, Wilson continues to earn rave reviews internationally for his vocally driven songwriting and passionate live performances. His career took him to Los Angeles for an MTV show called The Cut. He became one of only 10 artists to advance to the finals from a field of 160 competitors and over 10,000 hopefuls from around the world. Chris went on to win MTV’s “Viewer’s Choice Award” for his performance in the finals. He has received honors across the globe, including winning “Best Male Vocalist” and “Best Overall Performance” at the World Championships of the Performing Arts in Los Angeles, California. 

“His powerful vocals set him apart from anyone in his genre today. His songwriting serves his voice perfectly, with a blend of power and simplicity. Chris’s music is, simply put, honest and emotional, and St Luke’s is the perfect venue for hearing him,” said Serenades Chair Jacquie Davis.

Ample parking is available on the street and in the lot immediately behind St. Luke’s. The church, on the corner of Main and State Streets, has a ramp and stairs leading to the bright red door at the front entrance.

As with all Winter Serenades, a simple reception follows, with an opportunity to meet the artists and visit with friends. The free series is made possible with generous donations from many local music lovers and the volunteer committee members who believe that live music in a welcoming setting is important for everyone. The series was initially titled Cabin Fever for good reason: after many days of snow, ice, and sunless skies, it’s exciting to be able to get out again for live music.

Appropriate for all ages, Serenades are also available for home viewing during the performance and later. See www.stlukesbrockport.org for the streaming link or go directly to YouTube later.  

For more information, contact the Village of Brockport at 585-637-5300 or visit www.brockportny.gov. Sign up on the “Get Notifications” tab for up-to-date announcements, especially important if bad weather necessitates the cancellation of any performance.

The Winter Serenades series will conclude with a lively St. Patrick’s Day (a few days late) celebration with traditional Irish music at 3 p.m. on March 22.

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Looking for a way to connect with your family this summer and disconnect from everyday distractions? Family Camp at Camp Koinonia near Penn Yan, NY, offers all the fun of summer camp, plus an enriching, Catholic faith-based five-day family retreat. Staff at Family Camp make it easy for parents and families to relax and have fun. They provide three meals a day, lodging, family-centered mass, as well as age-appropriate activities such as arts and crafts, pool time, sports, campfires, dance parties, and more.

High school through college age volunteer counselors are also needed to staff camp. Counselors have a great opportunity to bond and serve the Lord with those who embrace their faith and are excited to share and celebrate it. Volunteering at Family Camp can be used to meet school service hours or sacramental preparation hours.

Visit www.campkoinoniany.org for more information and to register. Those interested in volunteering as a counselor can register at the same site by hovering over Family Camp and selecting Counselors.

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Genesee Country Village & Museum in Mumford invites visitors to welcome the changing season with programs and events that highlight maple season, historic foodways, and outdoor exploration. From maple sugaring traditions and seasonal workshops to Scout programs and historic meals, GCV&M offers opportunities to explore history, art, and nature throughout the month. For more information and tickets, visit https://www.gcv.org/events.

First Aid Scout Merit Badge Class: Saturday, March 7, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Scouts are invited to earn their First Aid Merit Badge during this hands-on class. Led by a certified Merit Badge Counselor, the program covers essential first aid skills, including CPR and AED awareness, assembling and using a first-aid kit, and treating common injuries and illnesses. Participants will apply what they learn through scenario-based activities designed to reinforce practical skills. All requirements for the First Aid Merit Badge will be completed during this class. Tickets must be purchased online in advance by Wednesday, March 4.

March Workshop

Museum experts guide participants in exploring new hobbies and skills and give a taste of life in the 19th century. The Butter, Biscuits, & Bites Workshop will be held on Saturday, March 14, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Learn traditional foodways by churning butter, making soft cheeses, and baking in a 19th-century woodstove.

Maple Festival Homeschool Day: March 20, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Homeschool families are invited to spend the day exploring maple sugaring traditions during Maple Festival Homeschool Day. Through hands-on experiences and guided learning, participants will learn how Upstate New Yorkers, including Indigenous communities, made maple sugar in the 19th century and the science behind the process.

Families can explore the Historic Village and Nature Center, take part in maple-themed activities and tastings, and enjoy Indigenous storytelling with Perry Ground. A special guided “All Things Maple” tour, designed specifically for homeschool families, offers a deeper look at the Sugar House Historic Sugar Camp and the Maple History & Science Trail. Advance registration is required for the guided tour.

Maple Sugar Festival: March 20–22 and March 27– 29, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Visitors are invited to explore the history, science, and traditions of maple sugaring through hands-on demonstrations, seasonal tastings, live music, storytelling, and family-friendly activities across the Museum. Festival highlights include maple sugaring demonstrations at the Nature Center and Sugar Camp, sugar-on-snow tastings, tree tapping, historic maple cooking and receipts in the Historic Village, Indigenous storytelling with Hodinöhsö:ni’ partners, live music under the festival tent on Saturdays and Sundays, and a market featuring local food vendors and artisans. Dining options will be available throughout the day, including the Maple Breakfast Buffet on Saturdays and Sundays, as well as offerings from the Depot Restaurant, Freight House Pub, and Meeting Center Café.

Tickets are available online and at the door; advance online purchase is recommended. Please note that Maple Sugar Festival admission and Maple Breakfast Buffet tickets must be purchased separately. The Maple Sugar Festival is supported through a Market New York grant awarded by Empire State Development, and I LOVE NY, New York State’s Division of Tourism.

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Hilton Apple Fest is looking for a special logo to commemorate its 2026 apple harvest celebration, and this is your chance to design it.

Festival organizer Jeff Hand suggests using this opportunity as a fun way to connect with the history of the Hilton community – apples, orchards, harvests, and lake life are all meaningful concepts to get you thinking about a great design.

This year’s chosen logo will embellish hoodies, sweatshirts, t-shirts, and other fun festival merch available at the festival on Saturday, October 3, and Sunday, October 4. The lucky winner will also receive a $100 reward and a complimentary sweatshirt featuring their winning design.

“If you’ve been to the Apple Fest, I encourage you to tap into your own Apple Fest memories, check out our past logos online, and think up something fun and original that shows your hometown pride,” Hand says. “The theme is up to you – there’s no need to be excessively detailed. Just send in something fun, and you might just win!”

A panel of community members will be joined by last year’s logo contest winner, Daniela Lincoln, in judging this year’s entries, and the selected logo design will be announced this summer.

You can submit your new logo design to: Hilton Apple Fest Logo Contest, PO Box 1, Hilton, NY 14468, or e-mail to info@hiltonapplefest.org no later than Friday, March 20, 2026. Multiple entries are encouraged, but must be original creations and cannot be protected by any previous copyright. Please avoid using clip art.

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SUNY Brockport will host its 41st annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Lecture Series on Thursday, February 26, from 6 to 7 p.m. in the Seymour Union Ballroom. The event is free and open to the public, with an RSVP requested at https://tinyurl.com/372js5n8. Students, faculty, staff, and community members are encouraged to attend.

This year’s keynote speaker is Dr. Brittney Cooper, Professor of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Africana Studies at Rutgers University, and Principal Investigator and Founding Director of the Race and Gender Equity (RAGE) Lab. Her keynote address is titled “The Beloved Community.” A book signing with Dr. Cooper will follow the lecture.

Dr. Cooper is an award-winning scholar, author, and public intellectual whose work centers on Black feminist thought, race, gender, and social justice. She is the author of several influential books, including Beyond Respectability: The Intellectual Thought of Race Women; Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower; and Feminist AF: A Guide to Crushing Girlhood. Her scholarship and commentary have appeared in national outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, Time, Essence, and Ebony, and she is a frequent commentator on MSNOW and NPR.

The event is sponsored by SUNY Brockport’s Department of African and African-American Studies, Brockport Student Government, and the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.

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As part of its 2026 Northeast tour celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States, the U.S. Navy Band will present a family-friendly concert designed to connect each community with its Navy. The program features a broad selection of musical works, from American classics to contemporary pieces. Selections include works by John Williams, Joseph Turrin, Alberto Ginastera, John Philip Sousa, and Aaron Copland. 

The concert is free, but tickets can be reserved by visiting the band’s website: 

https://www.navyband.navy.mil/events/2026-feb-23-greece-performing-arts-center.

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Registration is now open for SUNY Brockport’s Spring 2026 “Mornings with the Professors,” a Tuesday-morning lecture series for senior Golden Eagles and community members led by faculty and staff.

The eight-session series is held on Tuesdays from 9:30 to 11 am in Eagle’s Lookout in Tuttle North on the SUNY Brockport campus, and includes breakfast pastries, fruit, and coffee.

• Dates: March 3, March 10, March 17, March 24, March 31, April 7, April 14, and April 21.
• Cost: $55 per person for all sessions, or $12 per individual session.
• Registration: Registration is underway and will remain open throughout the semester.

Highlights this spring include a March 3 session with Steven Jurek, associate professor and chair of the Department of Political Science and International Studies, and an April 21 session with SUNY Brockport President Heidi Macpherson. More session details will be added to the registration page as they’re finalized.

Register for a session and learn more at https://www.brockport.edu/alumni/lifelong-learning/course-auditing-program/mornings-with-the-professors/.

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Senator Helming sponsored the legislation in 2019 to ensure New York State could more accurately track and understand veteran suicide. The bill was signed into law in 2021 and requires coroners and medical examiners to report suspected veteran suicides to the State Division of Veterans’ Services. The division is then tasked with analyzing trends and publishing regular reports to inform prevention strategies.

But despite the law being on the books, a critical piece was missing.

The reporting form required by the law had never been created or distributed, leaving counties unable to report consistently and preventing the state from producing the data needed to identify warning signs, regional trends, and opportunities for early intervention.

“That failure was unacceptable,” Senator Helming said. “When it comes to veteran suicide, delays cost lives.”

After the issue was raised by the Finger Lakes Veterans Advocacy Council, Senator Helming took action. She sent multiple letters to the Governor, met with senior administration officials, and pressed relentlessly for implementation. That sustained advocacy has now paid off.

The Department of Health has finalized the required reporting form and begun distributing it statewide, finally activating the law’s lifesaving intent.

About 17 U.S. veterans die by suicide each day, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. Behind every number is a family shattered, a community grieving, and a promise broken to someone who once wore the uniform in service to our country.

“This is about honoring our veterans not just with words, but with action,” Senator Helming said. “Accurate data saves lives. It helps spot trends sooner, intervene earlier, and connect veterans to the help they need before it’s too late.”

Senator Helming extended special thanks to Wayne Thompson and the Finger Lakes

Veterans Advocacy Council, Livingston County Veterans Service Director David Terry, and

Robert Waltman, President of the NYS Association of County Coroners and Medical Examiners, for their instrumental work and unwavering partnership. Their advocacy helped ensure that this law moved from paper to practice.

Veteran organizations say the implementation of the reporting form will strengthen coordination among state agencies, county veteran service officers, and community-based groups working on the front lines of outreach and prevention. It will also support critical resources like the Veterans Crisis Line and local VA services.

“The Finger Lakes Veterans Advocacy Council and Veterans across New York State appreciate the creation of this important means of collecting, analyzing, and trending veteran suicide data in a timely manner in the Finger Lakes region and across the state. This is critical for the development and direction of a successful suicide-prevention plan,” said Wayne Thompson, Finger Lakes Veterans Advocacy Council. “This will hopefully turn out to be a model for other states to use.”

For veterans or family members in crisis, help is available 24/7 through the Veterans Crisis Line at 1-800-273-8255 (Press 1) or by texting 838255.

“This is not the end of the work,” Senator Helming added. “But it is a powerful step forward and a reminder that when we listen to our veterans and act with urgency, we can make a real difference.”

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Hilton resident Chad Williams is no stranger to doing hard things. He was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at age two and has gone through years of physical therapy, a surgical procedure in his youth, and daily perseverance just to manage routine tasks.

In 2022, he decided to challenge himself through running. He started with a 5K that included obstacles along the course and found himself just as capable as other runners. Spurred on by a supportive community, he ran a race every month that year, eventually taking on the Boilermaker 15K in Utica.

To demonstrate that physical limitations need not define one’s potential, Williams founded the Doing Hard Things My Way brand and organized a virtual 5K under the brand last summer to benefit the nonprofit Cerebral Palsy Strong.

“Through this award, I hope to create opportunity, visibility, and encouragement for students who embody the spirit of doing hard things their own way,” Williams said. “My goal is not only to provide financial support, but to remind applicants that their journey, identity, and perseverance matter and that their future is worth investing in.”

For more information or to apply, visit https://bold.org/scholarships/doing-hard-things-my-way-adaptive-athlete-scholarship/.