Kids First Day will kick-off
National Child Abuse Awareness Month
I’ve shared with you a couple of months ago that we are holding a Kids First Day from noon to
3 p.m. on Sunday, March 30, at St. Bonaventure University’s Reilly Center. The university’s
athletic department is coordinating sports challenges for students in kindergarten through
eighth grade.
The highlight of the event is the Chef’s Challenge. Area chefs were invited to create healthy
alternative recipes for schools to use for their lunch programs and the following restaurants
accepted the challenge: Angee’s, Applebee’s, Bistro 188, Cadillac Jack’s and Bread Stix Cafe.
A unique twist to the challenge is that Ellicottville Central School’s seventh grade home
economics class will also be offering their own recipe.
Registered Dietitian Mary Fay from Olean General Hospital has chosen USDA-approved
ingredients from participating schools for the restaurants to use in their recipes. Allegany-
Limestone Central School, Cuba-Rushford Central School, Hinsdale Central School, Olean
City Schools, Portville Central School and Salamanca City Schools allowed the local nutritionist
to review their ingredients to be selected for the challenge. We’re supplying the ingredients
that were selected.
On Kids First Day, the chefs will offer samples of the dish they created and students will vote
for their favorite. The recipes will be given to local schools for their use. The challenge was an
idea from our former CEO John Bartimole and I’m happy we are able to put his idea into a
reality.
Kids First Day will kick-off our National Child Abuse Awareness Month events. During the
month of April we will conduct various child abuse prevention outreach and educational
activities. We will also educate the communities about the services available through the
Southern Tier Child Advocacy Center.
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Dr. Lyle F. Renodin Foundation
I attended the Dr. Lyle F. Renodin Foundation Grant Recipient Breakfast on Thursday. We
received $2,500 from the foundation for a case tracking system for the child advocacy center.
Since the foundation is affiliated with the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany, the breakfast was at
the St. Elizabeth Motherhouse. We were one of almost 40 grant recipients and I was happy to
see some of our members received grants from the foundation including HomeCare & Hospice
and Olean General Hospital. Some of the grantees were invited to speak and speakers
included Anne Kivari of the City of Olean Housing Authority, Pastor Joe Smith of Heritage
Aflame, Julie Wolf of Interfaith Caregivers, Dana Hollis, OSF, of Olean General Hospital’s
Pastoral Care Department and Sandy Brundage of the Salamanca Youth Center. I want to
thank the foundation’s board of directors for awarding us funding especially Linda Pepperdine,
chair; Gail Sweitzer, president; and Laura Whitford, vice chair.
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Dress Down Day
As part of National Child Abuse Awareness Month in April, the Southern Tier Child Advocacy
Center is coordinating a Dress Down Day on April 4. We’re asking local businesses and
organizations to support the Southern Tier Child Advocacy Center’s child abuse prevention
efforts and show that the community is united against child abuse by allowing their employees
to dress down on that day if they wear an “I Support Kids First” T-shirt. Community members
can purchase the T-shirts for $10.
I’m excited to share with you that Five Star Bank is purchasing T-shirts for employees at all of
their branches in Allegany and Cattaraugus counties. I’m hoping many of you will join us on
Dress Down Day. Anyone interested in an order form for their employees can contact our
office at (716) 372-0614. All T-shirts must be ordered by March 20.
CEO Update March 7th
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