Business news digest

Allstate Insurance presents Mental Health Association with community grant Central Valley — Jiri Ireifej, agent of Allstate Insurance Company located at 287 Route 32, Central Valley, presented the Mental Health Association in Orange County with a check for $1,000. This grant was provided by Allstate Foundation Agency Hands in the Community. Jiri Ireifej stated that Allstate Foundation is proud to have the privilege to help the Orange County community. Jiri Ireifej has been serving on MHA Board of Directors since 1997, and currently holds the position of vice president. Local soldier promoted Highland Mills — Frank Minieri, of Highland Mills, serving with the 727th Military Police Detachment, Law And Order, has been promoted to the rank of specialist. Army National Guard promotions are based on overall performance, attitude, leadership ability, and development potential. These promotions additionally recognize the best qualified soldiers. Schedule for Civil Service Examinations Goshen — In order to take a civil service exam, you must complete an Orange County Application for Examination/Employment (available for download at www.orangecountygov.com/content/124/1360/1556/default.aspx) and file within the announced filing period. Refer to the individual exam announcements listed below regarding minimum qualifications, filing periods and application fees. Below is a list of current Civil Service Examinations. All applications must be postmarked by March 23. All written exams will be held on Saturday, May 14. Scheduled open-competitive exams: School Lunch Manager Billing Control Clerk Contract Coordinator Assistant School Lunch Manager Senior Public Health Educator Public Works Supervisor This list may not always be complete. Check with the Department of Human Resources at 255-275 Main St., Goshen or call 291-2707, option 2, for a complete list of all open competitive examinations. Training for hospice volunteers Newburgh — Hospice of Orange and Sullivan Counties, Inc. will conduct two five-week training sessions this spring, one in Middletown and the other in Port Jervis. The hospice volunteer is an important member of the hospice team providing at least three hours per week of patient and family support, or bereavement support after the death of a Hospice patient. Hours are flexible and conveniently arranged to fit the volunteer and patient/caregiver schedules and needs. Training classes are conducted by professional staff members of hospice and by professionals from the community. There will be a maximum of 25 volunteers per session. Volunteer training sites: April 6 - May 4, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Town of Wallkill Government Center 99 Tower Drive, Building A, Middletown May 11 - June 8, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Drew United Methodist Church 49 Sussex St., Port Jervis If interested call Hospice Volunteer Coordinator Debra Epstein at 565-4849. O&R offers customers two free Orange Home Show tickets PEARL RIVER - Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc. (O&R) is offering its customers free admission for two to the 27th Annual Orange County Spring Home Show at Orange County Community College in Middletown on March 25 to 27. The event - held in cooperation with SUNY Orange Foundation - will set up at a new location this year in the Orange County Community College Physical Education Building, 115 South St., at the corner of East Conklin Avenue. The show hours are Friday, 4 to 9 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The event features 150 booths with over 100 exhibitors representing the home building and home improvement fields. The latest products and services on display include energy-efficiency technology. Visit the O&R exhibit at Booths 122 and 124 for the latest tips on how to save energy and money. The free tickets - a $12 retail value made available to O&R customers though a promotional partnership with the Spring Home Show - are included in O&R customers’ March statements as a bill insert. If you missed seeing the tickets with your monthly statement, or pay your bill electronically through either a pre-arranged electronic fund transfer or e-Bill, go to O&R’s Web site home page at www.oru.com. There, click on the Free Tickets icon and then the Bill Insert tab. Select the Spring Home Show tickets and print them out. If you do not have access to a computer, call O&R Customer Service at 1- 877-4234-4100, and ask that the bill insert be sent to you by mail. Adult tickets are $6 each. Children 10 to 15 years will be charged a $2 dollar admission fee, and children under 10 years of age are admitted to the show free of charge. Parking is also free. Habitat for Humanity of Greater Newburgh’s Walk for Housing Newburgh — On April 3, hundreds of people will gather outside Habitat Newburgh’s headquarters on Washington Street to begin a 5K walk through the City of Newburgh, to raise awareness, and to take a stand against poverty and housing. The funds raised through their 12th Annual Walk for Housing will be used by Habitat Newburgh to continue building homes in partnership with local families in need. Habitat Newburgh is seeking sponsors and walkers - as individuals or teams - for the event. Visit www.HabitatNewburgh.org for more information and to get involved. SUNY Orange series features discussions with business leaders Newburgh - SUNY Orange’s Continuing Education department and the Orange County Chamber of Commerce will sponsor topics in leadership at the Newburgh campus. The workshops will run from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on these Tuesdays: March 29, April 5, April 26, May 3, May 10, and May 18, in Room 201 of Kaplan Hall, located at the intersection of Grand and First streets. Presenters will include Vinnie Cozzolino of the Solar Energy Consortium, Hank DiMarco of IBM, Diannae Ehler of Port Authority of New York and New Jersey at Stewart International Airport, Jim Lawler of Crystal Run Village Inc., Carl Meyer of the Solar Energy Consortium, and Hanna Wollocko of Oxyvita. Presenters will discuss what leadership means to them, share examples of leadership they have witnessed, offer advice, and answer questions. The cost is $120 per person. For more information, contact Linda Gramm Ferris at 341-4380 or at linda.grammferris@sunyorange.edu.