Golfers tee off for a cause

Local golfers are set to test their skills at the 25th annual Joe “Ditty” Joseph Golf Outing   Sunday, June 11.

All proceeds from the golf session are used for the Joe “Ditty” Joseph Award, which is presented annually to a Lansing High School graduating senior who exhibits outstanding volunteerism and is planning to pursue higher education in fire, medical or rescue service. 

This year’s outing will take place at the Stonehedges Golf Course in Groton, starting at 7 a.m. Prospective entrants can register for a fee of $85 per player or $320 per team of four. 

This event has supported more than 35 high school seniors and has raised more than  $33,000 throughout its existence, according to a press release issued by the Lansing Fire Department.

Frank Towner, who works at Cayuga Medical Center and who has been a volunteer with the Lansing Fire Department for 27 years, said the outing was borne out of members’ love for community service and golf. 

“We put together the outing and (Joseph) was such an outstanding person, firefighter and community guy that we named it after him,” Towner said.

Towner encouraged golf enthusiasts and other town residents to pledge their support for the event and Lansing students. Below is a list of sponsorship tiers for the event:

• Platinum Dinner Sponsor — $1,000 (open only to one sponsor)
• Gold Cart Sponsor — $750 (open only to one sponsor)
• Silver Sponsor — $500
• Green Sponsor — $100

Interested parties may contact Towner for more information at crossroad@twcny.rr.com or (607) 339-3209.
Towner said he feels the award is important because it can help reward students who want to serve their communities.

“There are a multitude of scholarships given out at the Lansing High School graduation,” Towner said. “For many different reasons, we feel there is a challenge now in health, fire and emergency medical services support. People are not going in that direction.”
Towner noted both volunteer services and private medical care practices are struggling to find a deep pool of applicants. For instance, the New York State Department of Health projects that by 2030, there will be a projected shortage of more than 39,000 registered nurses in New York. Nurses provide 90 percent of all care to patients in hospitals, the health department notes.

“We think it’s important to Lansing, to see our youth go forward in these areas — wherever they choose,” Towner said. “It might be totally out of state, but it’s exciting for us to see somebody go forward in these fields.”

The event and scholarship are also both good ways to give back to the community, Towner added.

“We as firefighters receive so much from everyone,” he said. “It’s the community dollars that support the fire department and the training that we do. We in turn, not only fight fires, but want to do something in addition to that.”

“It’s a tight group of people,” he said. “When you’re working in those extreme situations, you create relationships that are very meaningful. It is not for everybody, but the ones who stick around see a lot of things happen. The training is also always exciting.”

Staffing at Lansing Fire Department and tax exemption proposal

The town of Lansing recently proposed a measure to provide a 10 percent property tax exemption to local volunteer first responders, including those members of the volunteer fire department. The exemption is meant to reward volunteers for their service, as well as to incentivize recruitment. The town will host a public hearing on the proposal at its town board meeting scheduled for June 21.

To qualify, volunteers must have been a member of a volunteer fire department or ambulance service for two years. Volunteers who have accumulated more than 20 years of service are eligible for a lifetime exemption. 

The measure also includes some provisions to provide the tax exemption to the spouses of deceased volunteers. 

A spouse of a deceased volunteer who lost their life in the line of duty who has not remarried would continue to receive the 10 percent exemption if the deceased volunteer had been a member of the fire department or ambulance service for the previous five years. That tenure requirement would change to 20 years for spouses of deceased volunteers who did not lose their life in the line of duty.

If approved, the measure would be reflected on 2023’s taxable period.Towner praised the town’s proposal. 

“We’re not paid for the tremendous amount of time we put in,” he said. “The tax base obviously is growing, whether our homes are increasing in value or not, so this is a great benefit to be able to offer to folks that commit that kind of time to serve the community.”

Regarding whether the fire department has maintained steady membership, Towner said their numbers are “stable, but not prolific.”

“We just had a recruitment day last month and that brought in some new members,” he noted. 

“That was very helpful. We’re trying every way we can to encourage volunteer membership. The challenge is that it takes more than just showing up.”

Lansing at Large appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com. Contact Eddie Velazquez at edvel37@gmail.com or on Twitter @ezvelazquez.

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Summer Dream’n Artisan Festival at Myers ParkUpstate craft vendors and artists are set to showcase their work at Summer Dream’n Artisan Festival being held  at Myers Park on Saturday, June 10. The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The festival’s organizers say they plan to have food trucks and entertainment for the entire  family. Artists interested in showcasing their work can find more details at: https://www.upstateartisanevents.com/home/summer-dreamn-2023/summer-vendor-application