Nominations Sought for Second Annual Orleans County Heritage Heroes Awards

Winners to be Recognized at Civil War Encampment in Medina

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Left to right are Bill Lattin, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award, Matthew Ballard, Chris Busch, Robert Waters and Melissa Ierlan receiving the award for Erin Anheier.

BATAVIA, NY (12/05/2014)(readMedia)-- Organizers of the annual Civil War Encampment at Genesee Community College's Medina Campus Center seek to once again recognize the efforts of dedicated Orleans County citizens who work hard to preserve the county's history. Nominations are being accepted through February 15, 2015 for the second annual Heritage Heroes Awards.

Nominees for Heritage Heroes Awards can be any age but posthumous nominations will not be accepted. History professionals and GCC employees are also not eligible for the award, nor are those who serve on the awards selection committees. All nominees must be individual Orleans County residents, and cannot be nominated as a group.

Five winners were honored last year including Medina Sandstone Society founder Robert Waters, co-director of the Cobblestone Society Museum Matthew Ballard, Medina Historical Society vice president Craig Lacy, Medina village planning board member Chris Busch, Clarendon preservationist Erin Anheier and Bill Lattin received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Because nominations are not retained for future consideration, nominees not selected to receive awards last year are encouraged to submit nominations again.

"Residents of Orleans County take great pride in their heritage," said Jim Simon, Associate Dean of GCC's Orleans County Campus Centers in Medina and Albion. "We want to recognize the time and investment of individuals who are tireless advocates for local history."

To nominate someone for the Heritage Heroes Awards, write up a statement describing the person's contributions, projects and community affiliations. Include his/her name (anonymous nominations will not be accepted), address, phone number and email address. The more in-depth the detail provided in the nomination, the stronger the submission. Submit the nomination to:

Genesee Community College

ATTENTION: Heritage Heroes Committee

11470 Maple Ridge Rd.

Medina, NY 14103-9675

Nominations may also be emailed to Jim Simon at jsimon@genesee.edu. Please write Heritage Heroes Nomination in the subject line.

A screening committee made up of community members, history professionals and GCC students will review the nominations and select finalists. From those finalists, a committee including GCC Associate Dean Jim Simon, Assistant Professor and Encampment Coordinator Derek Maxfield and Orleans Hub Editor Tom Rivers will choose the Heritage Heroes. "We are very pleased to recognize those whose efforts often go unnoticed," said Maxfield. "They make many personal sacrifices in order to preserve history for future generations."

The Heritage Heroes will be recognized during a ceremony at the annual Civil War Encampment at Genesee Community College in Medina in April 2015.

For more information, contact Marketing Communications Associate Director Donna Rae Sutherland at (585) 343-0055 ext. 6616, or via email: dsutherland@genesee.edu.

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Editor's Note:

A photo of the 2014 Orleans Heritage Heroes award winners is available here:

http://marketing.genesee.edu/images/OrleansHeritageHeroes2014.jpg

Left to right are Bill Lattin, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award, Matthew Ballard, Chris Busch, Robert Waters and Melissa Ierlan receiving the award for Erin Anheier.