16 SCOTIA GLENVILLE 08.pdf - Pirate CNY

SG
Page 18 April 17, 2008 Spotlight
More than 350 parents and teens crammed the halls of Center City on Wednesday, April 9, in hopes of landing
a summer job as part of a county youth initiative.
Ross Marvin/Spotlight
■ Teens
(From Page 1)
Many parents in the crowd
said they got their children out
of school early to stand in line.
Schenectady City School children,
whom Edward Kosiur,
special assistant to the commissioner
of social services, youth
development, said were the
program’s targeted teens, were
bused to event.
Others walked from school
to apply for a job, some of them
unaware that the line started in
the back of Center City.
Those entering the front
took an elevator up to the
fourth fl oor, only to fi nd that
they needed to return down to
the street level and walk around
to the back of the building.
Paul Kingra, came to Center
City at 2 p.m. on behalf of his
daughter, a Niskayuna High
School student. Unfortunately
for Kingra, he entered the front
of the building and was met
with hostility by other parents,
who claimed he was cutting in
line.
After waiting for nearly an
hour, Kingra was told he needed
to go to the end of the line.
“I asked if I could drop my paperwork
off, but they wouldn’t
let me,” said Kingra, who eventually
left because he was afraid
he would fi nd his car ticketed
when he returned to the street.
Despite the commotion, the
workers at SJTA served everyone
who waited in line, 350 in
all. Some of the confusion may
have stemmed from busing so
many teens into Center City at
one time. Many of the program’s
past participants said that in
previous years, SJTA took applications
over the course of a
full day, rather than in a single
two-hour block.
Funding for the Summer
Youth Employment Cooperative
comes from both public
and private sources. Workforce
Investment funds, Temporary
Assistance for Needy Families
Summer funds, private
fundraising dollars, and contributions
from municipalities,
which include the city of Schenectady,
Duanesburg and the
Schenectady City Weed and
Seed Program.
The program gives preference
to those who come from
a disadvantaged background.
Fourteen- and 15-year-olds
work 20 hours a week for a salary
of $6.55 an hour, and those
16 and older work 30 hours per
week for $7.15 and hour.
All youths who participate
in the program are required to
visit Schenectady County Community
College once during the
summer and attend workshops
to receive training to improve
their skills such as resume
writing, banking and budgeting,
fi nancing, college exploration
and other basic academic
enrichment to prepare them for
the work force.
“This has been a very successful
program in the past, and
we are excited about its popularity
with both the employees
and the employers,” said Edward
Kosiur, special assistant
to the commissioner of social
service, youth development.
He said he was pleased with
the turnout on Wednesday.
“To help accommodate the
large number of applicants, we
have been working to recruit
more employers and fi nd creative
ways to increase the number
of positions without increasing
the cost of the program
to the county,” said Kosiur.
Kosiur said the county has
partnered with more than
100 businesses, including the
Hampton Inn, the Glen Sanders
Mansion and Ellis Hospital.
While working indoors may
suit some summer job seekers,
Kiara Shelley, 15, who returned
to the program for the second
straight year, hoped to get a job
as a summer camp counselor.
“I’m an outdoor person,” she
said, as she left Center City
and stepped back into the early
spring day.
Placing a strong emphasis on
scholastic achievement in an
atmosphere that encourages
personal and social growth.
Openings for Fall 2008
In-School Open House
April 29th • 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.
for Nursery & Pre-K
Call for reservations
370-0366
Nursery through 8th Grade
150 Corlaer Ave. • Schenectady, N.Y.
www.brownschool.org
Forum focuses
on autism
Offi cials gather to hear
from families dealing
with the disability
By ASHLEY LUCAS
Spotlight Newspapers
lucasa@spotlightnews.com
With the number of people
being diagnosed with autism
on the rise, awareness of the
disease is growing throughout
the Capital District, where an
Assembly GOP Autism Awareness
Forum was held.
“Education and awareness
are vital to helping people
understand the unique characteristics
of autism,” said Assemblyman
George Amedore,
R-Rotterdam, who co-hosted
the event with Assemblyman
Roy McDonald, R-Wilton.
State and county offi cials, as
well as experts from around the
region, gathered Saturday, April,
5, at Saratoga Bridges in Malta
to discuss the affects of autism
and provide resources to families
and community members
dealing with autistic individuals.
“Autism, which seems to
be a growing epidemic, really
hits home for so many families
across Saratoga County
and the Capital Region,” said
McDonald, whose two grandchildren
are autistic. “I am
hosting this autism awareness
forum to listen to families,
friends and caregivers
of those living with autism to
gather information about how
the state Legislature can best
provide New Yorkers a measure
of relief.”
One in 150 children are afflicted
by autism, according
to the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control (CDC).
Autism is a developmental
disability characterized by signifi
cant social interaction and
communication impairments. Individuals
suffering from autism
also typically present unusual
behaviors and interests and can
vary in capabilities from gifted
to severely challenged, according
to the CDC.
While autism can affect a
person from any racial, socio-economic,
or ethnic background,
it is four times more
likely to occur in boys than
girls, the CDC reported.
■ Chief
(From Page 1)
sociation Ken Almy said when
the union fi rst learned of the possibility
of Kasko’s position being
eliminated to cut costs, he felt as
though the board was not thinking
of the welfare of the community.
“This is a matter of safety. You
need this position to run the department.
From training to code
enforcement -- it’s necessary,”
said Almy.
The fi re department budget
has long been under scrutiny by
“Our ultimate goal is to
take the information we
learn at these forums and
use it to craft legislation that
helps families provide their
loved ones with autism the
support and care they need,”
Amedore said.
Executive Director of
Saratoga Bridges Valerie
Muratori said the forum
was a chance to hear what
families dealing with autism
were saying.
“It gave me an opportunity
to hear many of the parents’
and families’ concerns,” she
said.
Muratori said she has
seen an increase in the prevalence
of autism in her organization.
She explained that
many families have more
than one child dealing with
autism.
Saratoga Bridges was recently
awarded a grant to
“Our ultimate goal is to
take the information we
learn at these forums
and use it to craft
legislation that helps
families provide their
loved ones with autism
the support and care
they need.” George Amedore
provide clinical services to
families working with autistic
children.
“We’d love to see these
kind of grants expanded,”
Muratori said.
She also said Saratoga
Bridges also has a respite
program to give parents of
autistic children a break.
Through the program, parents
are given the freedom to
work independently of their
child with the help of respite
staff, who will come to the
family’s home and stay with
the autistic individual.
With the help of McDonald,
Saratoga County created
an autism council to promote
the development and resources
for individuals with
autistic behavior.
the village for its use of sick time
and overtime pay. Most recently,
the department was also under
a microscope over its three-man
shift model.
Mayor Kris Kastberg has said
that the village is actually just
looking to eliminate funding for
the position, not eliminate the
position itself.
Almy called this a “mixed
message.”
“I think by saying you are not
funding a position, you are saying
the position is not essential.
It feels like a game,” said Almy.
The board went into an executive
session, where they voted to
eliminate the lieutenant fi re chief
position, which is currently not
fi lled.
The board will meet again on
Tuesday, April 22, to continue
to discuss proposed $5.7 million
budget for 2008-2009.