Ellicottville Medical Loan Center supplying community needs one year later
The Bob McCarthy Foundation, in partnership with Interfaith Caregivers Inc., began operating
the Medical Loan Center at 17 Mill St. in March 2024. Just over one year later, officials report the center has
been a success, having a positive impact on those in need of medical equipment and supplies.
“The partnership has exceeded
our expectations,” said Jon Falk, loan center manager.
An exceptional volunteer group is in place to staff the facility, and
June Fun Facts About
June marks the official start of summer in the northern hemisphere, and it’s the month when summer vacation begins for millions of schoolchildren. Those two things make the month of June especially popular in many households. But June is about more than summer and the end of the school year. The following are five fun facts about the beloved month of June that anyone can use as a great ice breaker at backyard barbecues this summer.
1. June is named after Juno, the Roman goddess of childbirth and fertility.
2. The day with the potentially longest hours of sunlight of any day all year is in June. When the sun is out on the summer solstice, which marks the official start of summer and in 2023 is celebrated on Wednesday, June 21, people in the northern hemisphere can anticipate more hours of sunlight than any other day during the calendar year.
3. According to the American Gem Society, June is one of only two months that is associated with three birthstones: alexandrite, moonstone and pearl. Pearls are especially unique among gemstones, as they are the only ones made by living creatures.
4. In both common and leap years, no other month begins on the same day of the week as June.
5. New York Yankee Lou Gehrig began his streak of playing in 2,130 consecutive games on June 1, 1925. The streak ended on April 20, 1939. Gehrig held the record for consecutive games played until Baltimore Orioles legend Cal Ripken, Jr., surpassed the man known as “The Iron Horse” on September 6, 1995.
Father’s Day is a celebration of dads near and far.
Falling on the third Sunday of June each year, Father’s Day presents an opportunity for families to come together and put the spotlight on fathers who work tirelessly for their children and provide them with love and support.
with the expertise of Interfaith Caregivers, which provides these services in Allegany, Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties, the Ellicottville Medical Loan Center became operational quickly.
Julie Hall, executive director of Interfaith Caregivers, said that servicing this wide area through a single location in Olean was not optimal, but this expansion now provides better service to northern and western Cattaraugus County residents.
Earlier in May, the Bob McCarthy Foundation received a grant of $250 from the Connie and Sandy Wolfinger Fund, a donor-advised fund established by Harold “Sandy” and Connie Wolfinger at the Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation.
Always looking to increase support in the community, this grant was used to purchase five new knee scooters for the Medical Loan Center. Volunteers at the Medical Loan Center noticed that knee scooters had a larger demand than they could supply, either from Ellicottville or Olean.
Thanks to this grant and funding from other donors this year, that gap can now be bridged. All services offered through the McCarthy Foundation and Interfaith Caregivers’ loan centers are free of charge, thanks to the generous contributions from our donors. The organizations do not rely on any government funding.
Falk and Jennette Kent, a volunteer registered nurse, have been visiting medical offices, county agencies and other facilities to spread the word about the loan centers, which officials report is
driving the increase in clients.
“The word is getting out there,” Falk said as the loan centers partner with various community service agencies to ensure they provide for those in need. Loan center posters are hanging in many establishments, and now agencies like Meals on Wheels and county nurses are informing their clients of the services.
The Ellicottville Loan Center location has a variety of equipment and supplies, ranging from hospital beds, Hoyer lifts and wheelchairs to walkers, rollators, crutches, canes, shower chairs and bedside commodes — all medical durables loaned through the centers. However, many medical supplies like urinary and ostomy supplies, bed pads, bandages, adult diapers and many more are also provided at no cost due to generous donors. The Ellicottville center is open Thursdays from 9 a.m. to noon or by appointment by calling 716-860-2532 for any medical equipment needs. All donations of equipment are inspected to ensure good working condition and are sanitized before being loaned back out. Loan center staff can also provide vision and hearing loss services for those in need. To donate or volunteer to help, contact the Bob McCarthy Foundation lead Jon Falk or any McCarthy board member — Anne Northrup, Kathleen Moriarty Fleming, Katy Arena and Greg Cappelli. Visit bobmccarthyfoundation. com for more information.
CelebrateFather’sDayinuniqueways
Father’s Day also is a chance to honor the men who serve as father figures or play special roles in people’s lives.
It’s easy for families to fall into a routine when it comes to celebrating Father’s Day. Certainly dinner and gift-giving is traditional, but there are additional ways to provide Dad with the day he deserves. Explore these creative options.
Set up a scavenger hunt Drag out the suspense of Dad getting his Father’s Day gift by hiding it and requiring him to go through a series of clues
to find it. When writing up the clue cards, spouses and children can reference particularly happy moments or things around the house that are representative of Dad’s love. For example, a clue may read, “Here’s where we like to snuggle together to watch our favorite show.”
Take it outdoors June weather tends to be pleasant, and that means Father’s Day celebrations can be held outside. Everyone can select a spot that Dad loves to visit, whether it’s a hiking trail or a local park, and then plan activities around the chosen location.
Go on an adventure Father’s Day can be spent engaging in something the family has never tried before that may be exciting for Dad. Maybe he’s always wanted to go off-roading on quads or try his skills at hatchet-throwing? The family can get together and choose an activity Dad will find engaging and that everyone can enjoy.
Make it a beach day Dad might just want a break from the hectic pace of life on Father’s Day. This is the perfect
opportunity to head oceanside. For those who don’t live by the coast, a river or lakefront spot can be an ideal alternative. Frequently these are touristy areas, so it could
be relatively easy to find an eatery where everyone can make a reservation for lunch or dinner after enjoying a relaxing day with waves lapping the shore.
These are just a few clever ways to celebrate Father’s Day. Families can choose activities that honor fathers and ensure he is feeling all the love.
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JJ’s Barbershop opens in downtown Randolph
Kumfer
have teamed up to open JJ’s Barbershop at 153 Main St., in downtown Randolph, bringing classic barbering with a modern touch to the area.
The barbershop, which opened May 6, aims to blend classic barbering techniques with a contemporary atmosphere, offering a wide range of services including precision cuts, fades, shaves and design work, including a Buffalo Bills logo or images and more. They hope to add more services, including facials, in the future.
Bush said they offer straight razor shaves with hot towels, which he said a lot of barbershops don’t do anymore.
He said they also shave heads, if that’s what the client requests.
“We can also cut women’s hair, if it’s short, but we don’t do layers,” he said. “ We do short, simple cuts for women but no chemical (coloring) services.”
The duo first worked together at The Barber Shop Soli Deo Gloria in Springville, where they got their experience in the barber trade from owner James Nabozny, who mentored them. Bush said working together in Springville gave them the experience to learn what a barbershop makes and what it costs to run one. He said it made sense for them to strike out on their own and give it a shot. Their fairly recent training and knowledge of the latest trends in barbering techniques are a huge asset for the new barbers.
“In an industry like this, people may think we lack experience because we are
JESUS SAID, “I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE. NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH ME.” (JOHN 14:6)
young, but we pay attention to trends,” Kumfer said. “The energy is different in this shop because Josh and I are friends and we have a good chemistry.”
A RANDOLPH native, Bush is a 2022 graduate of Randolph Central School. He got his preliminary training while attending the Cosmetology program at the Career & Technical Education Center (CA BOCES) in Ellicottville. Ellicottville barber Jonathan Barlow gave him his first barber chair, which he used at home for a bit.
“I’ve been cutting hair for over four years now. I started messing around with hair in 10th grade — haircuts on my friends and trying to figure it out. Then I went to BOCES and started doing more,” he said.
His mother, Janelle Bush, is a hairstylist who owns and operates a hair salon in Jamestown. He said watching his mother do hair influenced him 100 percent.
“I knew it was something I could do to make a good living, without more schooling, while making people feel good about themselves with a good haircut,” he said.
program offered at Potter Career & Technical Education Center in West Seneca.
Several childhood events influenced Kumfer’s career choice. Perhaps his first experience was when he “butchered” his own hair in eighth grade and tried to figure out how to fix it.
“I chopped my hair and JP fixed it,” he said of how he first met Nabozny. “I knew at that moment that I wanted to be a barber.” Kumfer was also influenced by his godmother, Courtney, who was a hairstylist and his mother’s best friend. Growing up, he went to her house for haircuts.
“I always thought it was supercool that she worked from home. The walls in her hair cutting room were splatter painted and, with everything hung up everywhere, it had a cool vibe,” he said. “I thought there are worse ways to make money in the world, and how nice it would be to work in an air-conditioned room, talking to the customers and cutting hair.”
other communities lacking in barbershops. He said there is one in Salamanca and one in Ellicottville, but as far as he knows, there are none in Little Valley or Cattaraugus.
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Originally from Fort Wayne, Ind., Kumfer graduated from Pioneer Central School in 2019. Because his high school didn’t offer barbering, he decided to graduate a year early so he could attend the BOCES
BUSH AND KUMFER named their barbershop “JJ’s” to honor their fathers, Jay and John. Several members of the Bush family helped get the barbershop up and running, especially Bush’s father and girlfriend, Jadessa Olofson.
Not only is Randolph Bush’s hometown, but it’s also a good, central location between
3 great reasons to replace aging windows
Windows in a home are easy to take for granted. Unless windows are showing signs of wear and tear or so dirty that it’s hard to see through them, it’s easy for them to go unnoticed. However, replacement windows can add value to a home and even save homeowners a substantial amount of money.
Much of the savings that can be attributed to new windows is related to energy efficiency.
The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy estimates that as much as 30 percent of heating and cooling energy can be lost through heat gain or heat loss, and aging, inefficient windows contribute to such losses.
Replacing those windows can save homeowners substantial amounts of money, with one expert at Angi estimating that installation of energy efficient windows can help trim energy bills by as much as 12 percent.
Cost savings are often noted when firms promote replacement windows, but homeowners should know that replacement windows also provide numerous additional benefits. In fact, the following are three great reasons for homeowners to consider
upgrading their windows today.
1. New windows help reduce carbon footprint. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports that replacing single-pane windows with ENERGY STAR® certified windows can help to reduce CO2 emissions by a significant margin. The EPA reports that such windows can save the equivalent of as much as 6,200 pounds of CO2 emissions thanks to reduced energy consumption associated with the new windows.
2. New windows can brighten a home. Natural light brightens a room and can make it appear larger. Homeowners who have grown accustomed to old windows may
not realize how little light such windows let into their homes. Aging windows can become foggy over time and prevent natural light from getting into a home. That can create a gloomy feel and force homeowners to turn up the thermostat on cold days. New windows brighten the home and the natural light that pours in on a cold day can help heat the home at the same time.
3. New windows cut down on noise. Window manufacturers are always on the lookout for ways to produce windows that make homes more comfortable. Noise reduction is one way to accomplish that goal, and Consumer Reports notes that triple-glazed windows
can help to dramatically reduce outside noise.
Homeowners who currently have singlepane windows may be astonished by the difference in outside noise levels when upgrading to triple-glazed windows, which contain a third layer of glass. That third layer of glass significantly reduces noise levels, making triple-glaze windows ideal for homes on busy streets or those in urban areas with lots of foot traffic.
Replacement windows pay numerous dividends. Homeowners can reap these rewards and others by replacing aging windows.
“I decided to set up this shop in Randolph because I had an OK clientele here already, and I figured I’d get downtown where people would see me,” he said. Bush and Kumfer are still working on completing their sports-themed decor. They will be getting their logo in the window soon, and plan to possibly add a dirt bike and other
Photo by Deb Everts
JJ’s Barbershop opened May 6 at 153 Main St. in the heart of Randolph. Owners Mark Kumfer (left) and Joshua Bush offer classic barbering with a modern touch in a contemporary atmosphere.
BY KELLEN M. QUIGLEY
ELLICOTTVILLE
Cattaraugus County’s two ski resorts are planning capital projects with a combined
$6.13 million in spending to improve their respective facilities during the off-season.
The county Industrial Development Agency (IDA) board on May 20 approved an application submitted by Win Sum Ski Corp. seeking New York state sales tax abatement to purchase equipment to improve the efficiency of the resort, as well as general renovations of the building interiors at 6557 Holiday Valley Road.
A public hearing on the $5.1 million project was held May 15 at the IDA office.
At April’s meeting, David Trathen, CFO of Win Sum, said the project includes purchasing two groomers at about $1.2 million and over $1 million for snowmaking operations, purchasing a couple of fan guns.
“Most of our system is air/water and the fan gun is basically an electric fan that blows the air and water out and spans it out so it gives us more coverage,” he explained.
Trathen said the project also includes laying new pipe to
replace those that have been in the ground for 30 years and need to be replaced. The resort is also looking to purchase a shuttle bus and a backhoe as well as make renovations to the Inn at Holiday Valley.
“A lot of equipment is aging out and we will be purchasing computer equipment as the old won’t be supported by Microsoft,” he said. “If any of you ski at the resort, we use a scanner for ticket lifts, and we are going to put in a couple of gates where we could utilize the scanner.”
On the golf course, Holiday Valley plans on purchasing a new ven-trac mower, some golf carts as well as a lot of other medium projects.
IDA Executive Director Corey Wiktor said they realize not all projects are “all glitz and glamour,” but include behindthe-scenes improvements. He said they value Holiday Valley’s commitment to tourism and all it provides as a destination not only across the region by the world.
“The street credit in our backyard is a jewel that brings not just the sales tax but the bed tax and employment, which is a full gamut that these projects bring,” Wiktor said. “It is nice how you are now utilizing a lot of that year-round labor
in-house, and we see that more and more every year on the application, so you’re keeping these people on versus more traditional seasonal or part-time jobs, and that is a tremendous testament to you guys and the board of what you do.”
MEANWHILE, HoliMont general manager Ed Youmans and CFO John Drake presented Tuesday on the ski resort’s submitted application to the IDA seeking state sales tax abatement only for a $1,025,500 project.
The proposed project includes replacing piping, making facility repairs, purchasing equipment such as a piston snowcat, replacing electrical systems and outdated computer equipment, adding 12 additional bike carriers, additions to the bike
trail and replacing rental skis.
“It’s wonderful to see a really sizable project for HoliMont and a lot of capital and related equipment and other amenities that they are doing for the ski resort,” Wiktor said.
Youmans said the 2024-25 season was great for HoliMont, noting that guest revenues alone were up 38%. He said they were able to keep operating expenses below budget and snowmaking conditions were ideal and kept at a minimum thanks to all the natural snow.
“It turns out when it snows, people want to go skiing,” he said. “The key to snowmaking going forward is always getting the maximum amount of snow on the ground in the minimal amount of time.”
During the warmer months,
Youmans said HoliMont continues to grow its bike park with summer operations contributing handily to the resort’s profit margin, such as wedding bookings, corporate meetings and other events.
Wiktor said both HoliMont and Holiday Valley represent a major tourism drive in the county, even with the artificial snowmaking during less-thanideal weather in the winter. He said the success of both resorts means not only people driving to the county but shopping, eating and staying overnight in
the local communities — and in the case of Ellicottville, buying second homes.
“Typically in the ski business, the greatest barrier to entry is buying a season pass,” Youmans said. “Being able to deliver a reliable skiing product even when the weather doesn’t cooperate is critical to staying afloat.”
Tipstoconservefuelonroadtrips
Road trips remind drivers of just how thrilling the open road can be. For millions of individuals, nothing provides a sense of escapism as effectively as the open road. Though road trips can be liberating, they do not allow a complete escape from reality, something drivers realize when the time comes to fill up the gas tank. Gas prices fell considerably by mid-December 2023, dipping to an average of $3.12 per gallon of regular by the middle of that month according to data from AAA. That marked a significant decline from just a month earlier, when prices for a gallon of regular gas averaged $3.36. But drivers know prices can spike just as quickly as they drop, so it pays dividends to recognize strategies to conserve fuel. Such strategies can be especially beneficial for drivers about to embark on a road trip.
• Slow down. Pushing the pedal to the medal might be a romantic, if unsafe, notion of how to drive on a road trip. But that approach can be costly at the pump.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, every five miles per hour motorists drive over 50 miles per hour is the equivalent of paying $0.30 more per gallon of gas. That estimate is based on a gallon of gas costing $4.32, but drivers can still conserve a considerable amount of fuel by slowing down.
• Steer clear of city driving. The stop-and-go traffic that is a hallmark of city driving can compromise fuel efficiency. The Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy notes that rapid acceleration and braking, which is hard to avoid when driving through cities with lots of stoplights and pedestrians, can lower gas mileage by as much as 40 percent.
• Avoid rooftop cargo. Rooftop cargo boxes might be a necessity when a car is packed with passengers. But these luxuries come at a steep cost. A study from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory found that rooftop cargo boxes can reduce fuel efficiency by as much as
17 percent on the highway and as much as 25 percent on interstates where drivers drive at speeds between 65 and 75 miles per hour. The DOE reports that rearmount cargo boxes are much more efficient, so drivers looking to conserve fuel may want to pack light and/ or opt for rear-mount cargo boxes instead of rooftop boxes.
• Utilize cruise control. The auto manufacturer Kia estimates that utilizing the cruise control function on a vehicle can save drivers as much as 14 percent on fuel. Cruise control is not advisable when driving in cities or on roads with stoplights. However, when driving on interstates, driving at the same continuous speed helps drivers avoid constant accelerations and decelerations, which compromise fuel efficiency.
When the open road beckons, drivers can make their road trips more affordable by implementing various strategies to conserve fuel.
