... To the Conservation Alliance of New York Venison Donation Program of Otsego and Delaware counties for raising $18,000 earlier this month to aid families in need.
Each year, the not-for-profit organization donates venison and ground beef to food banks in the two counties.
About 230 people attended the fundraising banquet at the Holiday Inn in Oneonta on Oct. 3.
The money raised will enable the organization to provide more than 31,000 meals next year for needy families in the area, organizers said.
The group works with local butchers to process venison donated by area hunters. The remaining money is spent on ground beef.
Since it started in 2000, the organization has donated more than 32,000 pounds of meat to the food banks in Delaware and Otsego counties and provided more than 128,000 meals for the needy in the two counties.
We applaud the generosity of the organizers of the event and all those who donated to the cause.
... To Margery Secrest for earning the DCMO BOCES Marshman-Hall Commitment to Education Award.
Secrest, 82, has been involved with the school system for more than 55 years. She was a teacher at Afton Central School from 1952 until 1960. She has served on the Afton school board since 1985, serving as vice president or president most of that time. In 2001, she also became a board member of the Delaware-Chenango-Madison-Otsego Board of Cooperative Educational Services, where she still serves.
The award is given annually to an individual who exemplifies the ideals of former BOCES board members Dan Marshman and Bob Hall, which include commitment to what is in the best interest of students, service to the community and a focus on the continuous improvement of the educational enterprise.
"It's very important to serve your community," Secrest said, and being on a school board is one way to do that.
We thank her for more than half a century of dedication to the education of area children.
o ... To Empire State Development for the New York State Directory of Small Business Programs.
The directory, posted online at www.nylovessmallbiz.com, is a "great resource," said Otsego County Chamber President and Chief Executive Officer Rob Robinson. It provides a range of resources for those looking to start a small business or to grow an existing one.
Small businesses are the lifeblood of our economy. New York is often perceived _ and rightly so _ as not being small-business friendly. While this directory won't solve many of the hardships facing businesses, it is a step in the right direction.
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