Genesee Valley Chapter
Adirondack Mountain Club

Volunteer of the Month

Updated April 6, 2010 ET

May  

May 2010

Dave Harrison, Chapter Chair

Volunteer of the Month. Sometimes it's the most obvious things that are overlooked. One of those obvious things is our newsletter, the Geneseean. For several months since taking over as Geneseean editor, Grace Fuller has applied her considerable talent as a desktop publisher to the production of the newsletter. Doing the layout work for a monthly publication such as the Geneseean is a very time-consuming task. It requires the editor to assemble articles submitted by many different people, some of whom don't send in their submissions until very close to the deadline. (Sorry about that, Grace.) The entire job has to be completed every month in sufficient time to assure that the issue makes it to the printer in time to have close to 2,000 copies ready to be labeled and mailed to chapter members on schedule. (And by the way, if you don't receive your Geneseean on time, trust us, it's the Post Office's fault, not Grace's.) Grace has been able to do this without fail, while at the same time creating a very attractive and readable publication. Not bad, considering that she had no experience with this newsletter prior to assuming the editor's role last year. So it's with great pleasure and much gratitude that I say, "Hats off to Grace Fuller," our volunteer of the Month.

April  

April 2010

February's highly successful Loj trip didn't happen by itself. It was the result of a lot of hard work that was begun many months ago by two volunteers, Shae Hanford and Sylvia Harrison. This was their first time planning and coordinating this major chapter event. Their predecessor, Judy Immesoete, retired from the job after several years of organizing and coordinating the trip.

Following some initial training with Judy, Shae and Sylvia went to work. Shae took charge of all of the reservations, including keeping track of room assignment requests, collection of Loj fees, correspondence with prospective participants, and numerous contacts with the ADK Loj staff. Sylvia took charge of supplies, including refreshments, paper goods, platters, and numerous other items that had to be brought to the Loj, set out at the right time, and stored each evening. Shae and Sylvia's tasks not only required a considerable amount of work on their part but also required a lot of attention to detail. Both of them got the details right, and their efforts paid off in a fun-filled trip for everyone who attended. Many thanks to Shae and Sylvia, our Volunteers of the Month.

Dave Harrison, Chapter Chair

March  

March 2010

One of my favorite ADK-GVC activities is the Sunday hike. These hikes are great exercise, a great way of enjoying the outdoors, and a terrific way of getting to know other chapter members. As a matter of fact, I often suggest to new ADK members who want to become active in the chapter but don't know where to start that they (a) come to the monthly chapter meetings and (b) come on the Sunday (or Saturday) hikes.

But these weekend hikes don't happen by themselves. It takes a lot of time and effort to schedule them, find trip leaders, and publicize the hikes on the chapter hotline. Last fall, Larry Telle and Larry Reister volunteered to take over the job of coordinating our Sunday hike program after long-time Sunday hike coordinator Dick Spade retired from that role. Since then, Larry and Larry have worked tirelessly to provide a full Sunday hike schedule every weekend. They have led some of the hikes themselves, and have recruited leaders for others. Some of the trips have been at local parks, while others have been away hikes. Through the efforts of these two chapter members, our Sunday hike program has continued to flourish. So here's a special thanks to the two Larrys, our Volunteers of the Month, for their great contribution to the life of the chapter.

Dave Harrison, Chapter Chair

February  

February 2010

Few ADK-GVC members have done so much for Genesee Valley ADK as Bob Krenzer, this month's Volunteer of the Month. Bob is serving his second term as our chapter treasurer. However, his treasurer's duties represent only one aspect of his work on behalf of ADK-GVC. Bob has led many chapter outings, including Saturday and Sunday hikes, Younger Members hikes and bike rides, and away camping trips. An Outdoor Expo volunteer, Bob also helped edit the new edition of the GVC-ADK Leader Training Workshop Resource Guide. Recently, he suggested and spearheaded a project to help highlight for our members the ways in which the main club and the chapter use members' dues. (The end product of that project can be seen in the poster that is on display at Chapter meetings.) Bob's enthusiasm, his sound judgment as a member of the chapter's executive committee, and his dedication to ADK-GVC have made him a major asset to our club. It's a pleasure to recognize his many contributions.

Dave Harrison, Chapter Chair

January  

January 2010

This month, I'd like to recognize the volunteer efforts of one of our chapter's most enthusiastic members, Tom Dinse. In addition to participating in and leading chapter hikes, Tom recently volunteered to serve as hospitality chair at our monthly chapter meetings. In addition, he has been spearheading an upcoming chapter project (about which ADK-GVC members will be hearing more in the coming months) to assist the Monroe County Parks Department in refurbishing broken picnic benches at Mendon Ponds. An organization as large as Genesee Valley ADK depends upon the willingness of its members to step forward and volunteer their time and energy to make the club work. We are fortunate to have someone like Tom, who has demonstrated that willingness.

Dave Harrison, Chapter Chair

December  

November-December 2009

It's my pleasure as chair to revive a tradition that the chapter followed in former years, namely, that of recognizing the special contribution that one (or sometimes more than one) of our members has made to the life of the chapter in recent months. This month's Volunteers of the Month are two people who have played a major role in ADK-GVC's waterways program, Rebecca Ledwin and Peg Jacobs. Rebecca is the founder of our highly successful Monday morning "Daytrippers" paddle group. The group meets every Monday morning (weather permitting) at a different location for about two hours of paddling. Peg joined with Rebecca to lead the Monday morning paddles, and on those Mondays when Rebecca wasn't able make it, Peg was there to lead the group. Thank you, Rebecca and Peg, for taking the lead in establishing and running these enjoyable Monday outings. You are part of what makes our chapter work.

Dave Harrison, Chapter Chair