The Greenville Pioneer 2023, July 14

By Melanie Lekocevic

Capital Region Independent Media

With so many eminently qualified nominees, it was a tough job to choose, but the winners of the second annual Top 5ive Changemakers awards have been announced.

The Top 5ive Changemakers awards are hosted by Capital Region Independent Media, which publishes the Greenville Pioneer, the Ravena News-Herald and The Columbia Paper.

Winners were selected from all three counties in our coverage area: southern Albany, Columbia and Greene counties.

“There were so many great candidates from all walks of life and it was difficult to choose the winners,” said Warren Dews Jr., publisher and vice president of Capital Region Independent Media. “This program was created to shine a light on people and businesses in the communities we serve who are making great things happen. They truly make their communities better places in which to live.”

This was the second year of the awards — in 2023, the inaugural round of awards were handed out to some of our communities’ most involved and deserving recipients.

There were four categories in which our readers could nominate — business/non-profit organization, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color), women and youth.

With so many qualified candidates, it was no easy task, but the following winners were chosen and will be honored at a ceremony and dinner on Friday, April 26, from 6-9 p.m. at The Wire, located at 60 River St. in Coxsackie.

AND THE WINNERS ARE…

This year’s business category was expanded to also include not-for-profit organizations. The top 5 selected to be honored this year are Carver Companies of Coeymans, Helping Harvest Hope Full Life Center in Ravena, High and Mighty Riding and Driving Center of Ghent, Innovation Station of Ravena, and Mueller’s Automotive of Ravena.

The top 5 awards for the BIPOC category will go to the Rev. Antonio Booth of Coeymans, the Rev. Dr. Roxanne Jones Booth of Coeymans, Shanatia Bygrave of Columbia County, Ruben Lindo of Greene County and Dewayne A. Powell of Columbia County.

The top 5 women are Caitlin Appleby of Ravena, Lisa DeGroff of Westerlo, Pat Larsen of Greenville, Rosemary Luppino McHugh of Coeymans, and Dawn Steward of Ghent.

The following young people were selected as this year’s top 5 youth: Shea Landversicht of Greenville, Lucas Long of Ravena, Evan Schieren of Valatie, Michael Sorrell of Coeymans and Courtney Taibi of Greenville.

This year’s Top 5ive Changemakers awards would not have been possible without its sponsors. This year, the program was supported by TCI of New York, Shop ‘n’ Save , Holcim, The Wire at James Newbury Hotel, New Scotland Spirits, Greylock Federal Credit Union, Carver Companies and C.A. Albright & Sons.

Each of the winners will be honored and recognized at a dinner and awards ceremony in their honor, and the whole community is invited to participate. Held at The Wire in Coxsackie on Friday, April 26, from 6-9 p.m., the evening will be filled with celebration, inspiration and recognition of the honorees’ contributions to their community.

The ceremony will include a dinner crafted by The Firehouse Café & Bistro of Adams, Massachusetts, including a cash bar, and live music provided by Bronte Roman Entertainment’s Diamondz Band.

Tickets to attend the lavish evening will be $75 and can be purchased at https://thetop5ive.ticketmambo.com

By Melanie Lekocevic

Capital Region Independent Media

WESTERLO — A week before Veterans Day, the town of Westerlo held its closing ceremony for its seventh annual Hometown Heroes program on Saturday.

The program places banners around the community to honor military veterans and first responders.

The closing ceremony, held at First Baptist Church of Westerlo on Saturday afternoon, distributed the banners to the honorees and celebrated their service to the nation and to the community.

Vietnam veteran Tony Falese, who served in the Navy from 1963-68, spoke about the many reasons service members join the military, from wanting to learn a trade or experience a life of discipline to earning citizenship, earning benefits to pay for college or seeking adventure.

“I joined the military because I wanted to serve with honor,” Falese said. “I needed to do the right thing.”

Featured speaker Richard Stark is also a Navy veteran who served in the Vietnam War from 1963 to 1967. His passion was learning to work on airplanes, which he did both during his service and professionally after the war. The community of Westerlo has meant a great deal to him, he said.

“When I look back at Westerlo — what has it done for me? A lot,” Stark said. “It’s a great place to raise a family, it’s been good. So not only did I get to choose my Navy career, but I also got to live in a great place to raise a family.”

The closing ceremony offered something new this year. For the first time, an honorary Westerlo Hometown Hero was named — Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple. The honorary title is bestowed to an individual who has contributed substantially to the Westerlo community, whether they have ever lived in Westerlo or not, Hometown Heroes Committee Member Lisa DeGroff said.

“This year, our very first Honorary Westerlo Hometown Hero goes to Sheriff Craig Apple,” DeGroff announced. “He has supported us from the very beginning. He helped advocate for this program and helped us get it started and off the ground.”

Apple, a graduate of the RCS school system, has worked with the sheriff’s office since 1987 and was elected sheriff in 2011, overseeing 748 employees. During his years with the department, he has implemented numerous programs benefiting the community, such as a mental health crisis response unit and a new 911 center, among others, and served on various executive boards. Earlier this year, he was named Sheriff of the Year by the National Sheriff’s Association.

Apple said that while many focus on urban issues, there are plenty of needs in smaller rural communities that need to be addressed as well.

“The Hilltowns are near and dear to me,” Apple said. “Everybody, when they talk about homelessness and hunger and all the things that afflict a community, they always focus on the really dense populated areas, but I always try to remind people that there are poor people, there are hungry people, there are those afflicted with mental illness, there are those afflicted with addiction in the sparsely populated areas, too, so I always try to be an advocate for the Hilltowns.”

The Hometown Heroes banners were posted around the community throughout the summer and early fall, and with the closure of the 2024 program, were distributed to the honorees. They can choose to keep them or have them posted again next year.

This year’s Hometown Heroes veterans included several from wars fought many years ago — some dating back to the Revolutionary War and other long-ago battles, paid for by community donors. Andrew Hannay and Isaac Lobdell served in the Revolutionary War, and Benjamin Stanton and Walter Huyck served in the War of 1812.

Veteran honorees also included Carolyn Caldwell, Randall Coon, William Haller, James Hilton, David Jennings, Evelyn Jennings, A. Thomas Keppler, Richard Loetterle, Warren “Skip” Lovegrove, Robert Mangold, Edward James Newell Sr., Edward James Newell Jr., Leland Palmer, Charles Schampier, Douglas Scoons, Gerald Scoons, Doyle Shaver, Richard VanIderstine St. and Harry Winne.

First responders who were honored included Art Allen, Christine Allen, Kevin Slingerland, James Dutton, Drew Joslin, June Sherman, Don Filkins, William O’Connor, Aiden O’Connor and Steve Savino.