Jamestown, NY – The Chautauqua Regional Youth Symphony (CRYS) has received a grant from the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation for a spring enrichment experience for its musicians.

The grant will help cover the expenses for a trip to hear the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra perform “Star Wars and More: The Best of John Williams.” The trip will include supper at Dinosaur Bar-B-Que and a “backstage” get-together with some of the orchestra members.

“We are so grateful for this support from the Community Foundation,” said CRYS board president Katie Derrenbacher, “and this will be such a wonderful opportunity for our students!”

The award comes from the Karl Peterson Field of Interest Fund.

Last spring, a generous landowner donated a beautiful eight-acre forest on a bluff overlooking Lake Erie in Derby to the Western New York Land Conservancy. The Land Conservancy is a non-profit land trust that protects forests, farms and scenic vistas forever, including places like the Stella Niagara Preserve in Lewiston and The Owens Falls Sanctuary in Aurora.  

The Lakeshore Forest is the Land Conservancy’s first preserve directly on Lake Erie. There is very little natural land like this left along the shoreline. The forest has trees that are more than 100 years old. Many birds find food and shelter in these trees during their long spring and fall migrations. Scattered wetlands provide habitat for frogs, toads and salamanders. 

Imagine having only $6.36 a day to spend on food, living in a house that only heated up to 60 degrees, not having reliable transportation, or not owning a winter coat or boots. For more than 200,000 Western New Yorkers, this is daily life.  

The Rural Outreach Center (ROC), which serves the southern communities of Western New York, is raising awareness about the challenges of living in poverty through a new community-wide campaign during the month of January 2017 called “ROC Resolutions.” During each week of the month, the spotlight will shine on a different obstacle often encountered by those living in poverty. Week one (Jan. 2-8) will focus on food, while week two (Jan. 9-15) will focus on utilities, week three (Jan. 16-22) on transportation, and week four (Jan. 23-30) on clothing.