Lions honor 3 Islanders

Grand Island Dispatch, April 27, 2007
Story and photo by Ray Pauley
Public Information Officer
Grand Island Fire Company

Lions Club honorees from Grand Island display their special awards. They are, from left, Grand Island Fire Chief Greg Butcher, Western New York Youth of the Year Jill Endres and Senior Citizen of the Year Frank Brusino, chairman of the Citizens Corps Program.

Grand Island Fire Chief Greg Butcher, college student Jill Endres and Citizen Corps Chairman Frank Brusino are among 36 Western New Yorkers honored as community heroes by the Lions Club last Sunday.

The honorees have risen from “ordinary to extraordinary,” according to Lions keynote speaker George Barrus during a special awards luncheon at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Buffalo.

In addition, state senators Dale Volker and Mary Lou Rath presented special Liberty Awards to Lancaster Fire Chief Scott M. Kuhlmey for his outstanding career in firefighting and lifesaving, and to Buffalo Police Officer Carl Andolina, for his heroic actions in subduing a violent offender who had seriously wounded him and his partner, officer Patty Parete.

Grand Island Supervisor Peter McMahon, Councilmen Dick Crawford and Gary Roesch, along with 32 Grand Island firefighters and their spouses watched as Butcher was singled out as one of six Firefighters of the Year for 2007. Butcher is serving his fifth term as fire chief, with 15 years of total service.

He is a state-certified animal control officer, deputy coordinator of Disaster Emergency Services and a part-time reserve deputy sheriff for the Erie County Sheriff’s Marine Division. He also serves as a member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, National Protective Association, New York State Association of Fire Chiefs and the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York. He is a member of the Erie County Fire Chiefs and an executive board member of the Tonawanda Fire Chiefs. He also belongs to the Erie County Fire Police Association, the Fraternal Order of Police, and the American Legion. He is treasurer of the Erie County Sheriff’s Marine Division and is a member of the Western New York Animal Control Officer Association.

Butcher shared the spotlight with two other Islanders.

•Frank Brusino is Senior Citizen of the Year. As chairman of the Citizens Corps, he and his group established a local Citizens Emergency Response Team.

•Jill Endres, Western New York Youth of the Year, has dedicated herself to helping others through multiple community service activities.

Lions Club District Director Kimberly Stribing and club presidents from four Western New York counties, voiced their heartfelt appreciations for the distinguished public service accomplishments of these “champions of our society” and noted that their leadership is “our real hope for the future.”