Business digest

SUNY Orange offers GED prep classes beginning Jan. 24 NEWBURGH — SUNY Orange’s Continuing Education staff will offer its next round of non-credit English General Education Development (GED) classes, beginning on Monday, Jan. 24, at the college’s Newburgh campus. Classes will meet from 9 a.m. to noon on Monday, Wednesday and Friday in Room 112 of Kaplan Hall, located at the intersection of Grand and First streets in Newburgh. The class, designed to prepare students aged 19 and older to take and pass the newly revised High School Equivalency Exam, will run through April 15. The cost is $10 per student. The college will offer a second GED course in Newburgh on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, from 6 to 9 p.m., beginning Mar. 1. That class will meet in the Center of Hope, at 280 Broadway, and continue until June 28. The cost for that course is also $10. To register for either of the classes, or to get more information, call Lou DeFeo at 341-9532. Seminar to focus on certification as minority or woman business Montgomery — Several experts will discuss “Why It Is Important to Be Certified as a Woman or Minority Business” on Thursday, Feb. 3, from 8:30 to 11 a.m. in the Larkin Room at the Orange County Chamber of Commerce Business Center, at 30 Scott’s Corners Drive, Montgomery. The seminar will be hosted by the chamber’s Minority and Women Business Committee. Speakers will include: Kevin Wells, of the NYNJ Minority Supply and Diversity Council; Marsha Firestone, of the Women President and Education Organization; and two certified business owners: Susan Hamlin of Hamlin Construction and Sharon Warantz, president of Jellybean Promotions. Certification forms will be distributed and from 10:30 to 11 a.m., technical assistance will be provided and informal discussions will take place. There is no charge for the seminar, but space is limited and reservations should be made by calling Roseann at 457-9700, e-mailing roseannb@orangeny.com or visiting www.orangeny.com. Realtor news Monroe — Paul and Patty Christman, owners/brokers of Christman Real Estate, have joined the Monroe Office of ARC Realty. The mulit-generational Christman family have sold real estate in Greenwood Lake/ Warwick/ Tuxedo areas in the past 70 years, licensed in New Jersey, as well as New York. They will continue to specialize in the Greenwood Lake area. Weichert Realtors’ Monroe office also was recognized for outstanding performance in December. It led the region for resales and resale revenue units. The region consists of offices serving Dutchess, Greene, Orange, Putnam, Rockland Ulster and Westchester counties. Former NASA commander to speak to local Tuskegee airmen group NEWBURGH — Former NASA Shuttle Commander Fredrick D. Gregory will be the guest speaker at the 13th annual Major General Irene Trowell-Harris Chapter, Tuskegee Airmen Inc., tuition assistance dinner on Saturday, Feb. 5, at 6:30 p.m. Anthony’s Pier 9,in New Windsor. The chapter annually hosts this event in support of tuition assistance for Hudson Valley college-bound freshmen. Over the past 12 years, the chapter has awarded over $115,000 in grants to 110 students. In addition to serving on three shuttle missions, two of which he commanded, Gregory served as a research test pilot at Langley Air Force Base until selected for the NASA astronaut program in January 1978. Gregory has logged more than 6,976 hours of, flying time in over 50 types of aircraft — including 550 combat missions in Vietnam. Services available through Catholic Charities Goshen — Needy area residents — Catholic and non-Catholic alike — can get assistance from Catholic Charities and its local Orange County affiliate. Catholic Charities Community Services of Orange County provides chemical dependency programs, a pre-school learning center, employee assistance services, a housing resource center, bilingual social services, immigration services and maternity and adoption services. Administrative offices are at 224 Main St. in Goshen, with programs and services are located throughout the county. For more than 90 years, the organization has provided social services for families facing homelessness or job loss, hungry and lonely seniors, neglected children, the physically or emotionally challenged and frightened newcomers. For more information, call 646-761-1664.