Democrat and Chronicle from Rochester, New York • Page 115

EVENT OF THE WEEK "'SSIC' Bert Bauscb Including: Corn Hill 19th Ward and other city neighborhoods our i(D IB w. What: Fish fry of fresh haddock, french fries, cole slaw, bread and coffee, or a chicken fingers dinner, co-sponsored by the Ladies Auxiliary. Where: Chili CHILI Amateur Sports Pari Rmnk RH WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2000 DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE 12 mile i Memorial Post 412, 412 Ballantyne Road, Chili. When: 4 to 7 p.m. Friday.

Admission: $6.50 for the fish fry and $5.50 for chicken fingers. If you want to submit information about an event, please send it two weeks before publication to Our Towns, Event of the Week, 55 Exchange Rochester, NY 14614, or fax to 258-2237. Shop haven for book lovers i i i Franlee Frank, owner of Greenwood Books, opened her East Avenue bookstore a little more than two years ago. The shop specializes in used books because, according to Frank, "Selling new books, your choices are limited to what's just been published." FULL COVERAGE, 2F 7. -s- it h.

AROUND THE TOWNS J' MAX SCHULTE staff photographer Fred Sarkis, still wearing part of his clown garb, talks with youngsters at a Salvation Army drop-in program in Canandaigua. Motivational 0 0 Real-estate developer Fred Sarkis now helps children build their lives with inspiring talks. 1 Fred Sarkis if' yzi HENRIETTA High school computer lab, library open later Beginning next week, the Rush-Henrietta Senior High School library and computer lab will be open from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday. A computer teaching assistant and a library clerk will be available to assist students, their families and community members with accessing books and using computers.

Young children must be accompanied by adults. Use of the library and computers is on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, call 359-7805. CHILI Harvest festival scheduled Saturday Chili Historical Society will hold its harvest festival from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Saturday at Streeter's Inn, 4145 Union St. Antiques, crafts, produce and a garage sale are among the offerings. For more information call 594-4015. CHURCHVILLE Churchville youngster shows talent at State Fair Ashley Harrington, a seventh-grader at Churchville-Chili Junior High School, won the top spot in the Junior Talent Contest at the New York State Fair. Singing the song Memories, from the musical Cats, the 12-year-old competed in five competitions against 150 acts to win the title and a $500 cash prize.

Ashley represented Monroe County at the State Fair after competing and winning the Junior Division at the Monroe County Fair Talent Show in August. Only the top winners from county fairs across the state are allowed to compete at the State Fair level. Ashley is a member of the Eastman School of Music Bach Children's Chorus, and has sung for the Chamber of Commerce and in a number of church musicals. 1 US BY STAFF WRITER MICHELE LOCASTRO RIVOLI red Sarkis knows what it's like to struggle and he knows what it's like to survive. The self-made millionaire has en Personal background: Age 74.

Married for 44 years to the former Helen Margaret O'Hara. They have five children and 11 grandchildren. Where they live: They split time between a Bristol Harbour condominium and a home in Florida. Career: Sarkis worked with his father selling produce as a child, graduated from business school at 16 and later attended the University of Rochester. At age 24, he opened a coffee vending business.

He was a multimillionaire by the age of 34. He later developed Bristol Mountain Ski Resort and Bristol Har- bour golf course, marina and condominium complex. Current activities: Now retired, Sarkis does motivational speaking for free. To arrange a talk: Call 396-2046. dured everything from 100-hour work weeks as a child during the Great Depression to cancer and bankruptcy.

And at 74, the coffee vendor-turned-developer of Bristol Mountain Ski Resort and Bristol Harbour golf course, marina and condominiums, has a new goal. Sarkis wants to reach 100,000 children with a message. "I want them to know they have it within themselves to overcome whatever adversities or obstacles life may send their way," he said. "And I want them to know that, regardless of the circumstances they find themselves in, they have the power to achieve any goal they set." He's getting his message out in a variety of ways. Sarkis is now offering his services free as a motivational speaker.

He talks to children dressed as a clown and to teens in regular street clothes. Regardless of the presentation, the message is the same. He talks about positive self-image, taking responsibility for their actions, setting realis- minim-. ih a i tic goals and following through one step at a time. Jason Brown, 18, of Palmyra, heard Sarkis speak at Palmyra-Macedon High School earlier this month, and was impressed with what he heard.

"He's a captivating speaker," said Brown. "I don't think I took my eyes off him once when he was speaking, and I was in awe of what he said for four or five hours after he was done." A.J. St. Cyr hugs Fred Sarkis after a motivational talk by the retired businessman in Canandaigua. Sarkis encourages youngsters to search within themselves for determination to overcome obstacles in their lives.

MILLIONAIRE, PAGE 5F Scottsville firefighter works on prevention Glenn Sickles is Legion's Fireman 7" i. j. i.i. ui uie lear lur cuuiuy, uisinci, siate and surrounding counties. He was nominated by 45-year post member Jerry Gallo.

Sickles is not a mem- BYSTAFFWRITER He won on the county level MAKING A DIFFERENCE Jason Wergin and Mike Ferrante Ages: Jason is 15 and Mike is 13. Schools: Jason attends Churchville-Chili Senior High School. Mike attends Caledonia Mumford High School. Where they live: Jason lives in Churchville and Mike lives in Caledonia. How they make a difference: One day last May, the boys rescued an elderly neighbor who had become pinned under some furniture in his house.

Jason and Mike became concerned when they noticed the man was not in his usual spot near his porch window, so they looked in the bedroom window, and that's where they found him. The boys alerted nearby adults, who helped get the furniture off the man and called an ambulance. As it turned out, the man had been trapped for 18 hours and he had to be admitted to the hospital for a week to recover. 1 To nominate someone for Making a Difference, mail the information to Our Towns, Making a Difference, 55 Exchange Rochester, NY 14614, or fax to 258-2237. We encourage submission of photos, but prefer photos that do not have to be returned.

all of this technology in this country. We're still losing way too many people to something that could be prevented," he said. He has traveled throughout upstate New York teaching fire prevention to young children. "This year, I think that I've worked with 1,500 kids one-on-one." Sickle also uses two 3-foot high robot fire trucks. The trucks have big eyes, red lights and cassette tapes that deliver messages about fire safety.

He broadens his safety seminar to include discussion of riding helmets, and swimming pool and bicycle safety. He teaches older kids about the dangers of drunken driving. Sickles, a plastic molding technician at Eastman Kodak Elmgrove plant for 27 years, averages four fire prevention programs a month- He spends the rest of his time working or raising funds for the fire prevention program. "Scottsville is a small town. I have to find my own funding," Sickles said.

To keep the program going, Sickles with the help of De-bra, his wife of 27 years, and his son Matthew, 17 sells donated items at flea markets in Caledonia, Le Roy and Henrietta. Cars, cameras, glasses and old sleighs are among the more unusual items donated, he said. "Being honored as firefighter of the year for giving a program instead of for pulling out a body shows that the industry is thinking differently," said Sickles. "We feel very good about it because after he received the award, he didn't go away," said Walters. "He's very dedicated to his program." at the American Legion convention in early June.

He won the Legion's Seventh District Fireman of the Year award a week later at a convention in Shortsville. And in July, he won the state award at the Legion's convention in Niagara Falls. "The Legion boys have been something else," said Sickles. "It was really nice that they were thinking of the firefighters." Sickles has been a volunteer firefighter with the Scottsville Fire Department for 26 years. Scottsville's Smith-Warren American Legion Post 367 nominated Sickles for the award based on his 17 years of teaching fire prevention techniques to children in Monroe GARY McLENDON SCOTTSVILLE In 1982, while recovering from a hand injury in Strong Memorial Hospital, Glenn Sickles heard something that would change his life.

He heard a scream from a little girl who was burned over 80 percent of her body. Sickles ached from the sound and he vowed to try to use education to prevent more children from suffering in house fires. After years of conducting fire-prevention education classes, Sickles has received the American Legion's Fireman of the Year honors at the Monroe County, district and New York state levels. Glenn ber of the Le- Sickles gion, but Post 367 Commander Don Walters said the Legion traditionally honors local residents who have worked to make their communities better. "The posts go out and look for people that have donated their free time to support the public," said Walters.

"This is what Glenn does, and he does it very well." Sickles travels in a white 1979 ambulance towing a trailer. "It looks like a rolling billboard," Sickles said. "The worst part is we have.