Hometown Heroes

For Halfmoon resident Caitlin D'Alessandro, fighting fires is a family affair. D'Alessandro followed in the footsteps of her father and brother and became an interior firefighter last year. Her passion for others came through when she started a group, Firefighters for a Cause, which raises money to donate to people in need, including a West Crescent firefighter who was recently hit by a tow truck.

Emily Keefner, of Canaan, NY, was born with a cleft lip and palate. At just 18 years old, she has undergone more than 30 surgeries. Emily has been fundraising for the last two years for UMass Medical Centers Cranial Facial Unit so the hospital can upgrade its database system and offer better care to patients...

Eleven-Year-Old Olivia Pedrick, of Windham, loves animals so much, she wants more than to adore them. She wants to help them. Pedrick sells paintings through a Facebook page she started, Olivia's Art for Animals, to fundraise for animal rights...

Veterans Day is Monday, November 11.  Many of you have the day off from work or school.  Banks are closed as is the US Postal Service, and most government buildings.   What you may or may not realize is that it is just fortunate that the 11th happens to fall close to a weekend to give you the long weekend ...

When Kathy Buckley, of Melrose, started sending care packages to her two sons, both in the Army and deployed overseas, she realized how many soldiers miss out on some of the luxuries of home. So 11 years ago, she took action and founded Military Mom in Action, an organization that collects items and donations to send packages to troops internationally...

Jay Ham, a firefighter and EMT from Johnsonville, is this week’s “Hometown Hero.” When he's not volunteering to help others, Jay works to spread awareness of Autism. As part of the “Hometown Heroes” series, we’ve partnered with County Waste and Latham Ford to celebrate local unsung heroes for their good deeds and honorable work...

Ellen Moser, a kindergarten teacher from South Kortright, is this week's "Hometown Hero." "Anytime a parent wants to talk with her, she will give up her family time to speak with them," the person who nominated Ellen said. "It is teachers like her that make a difference in this world...