Senator Greg Ball, NY District 40

Faith Ann Butcher

Senator Greg Ball (R, C – Patterson) was honored by the members of the Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH) with a Special Recognition Award at their yearly convention recently at the Ramada Hotel in Newburgh.

The Special Recognition Award is given each year to a leader who best demonstrates inspirational leadership and distinguished service to veterans. MORH presented this year’s award to State Senator Greg Ball, the chairman of Chairman of Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs.

“As an Air Force Academy graduate, a former Air Force Officer and the Chairman of Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs this is a great honor and I am very grateful to have been selected. I would like to thank Willy Nazario, Eugene Parrotta, the Montrose Action Committee and everyone else that is involved in the Military Order of the Purple Heart,” said Ball. “I am honored to serve as the State Senator to so many veterans that have all chosen a path of courage, honor, integrity and bravery; a path that helped shape America as we know it, protecting our way of life and liberty.”

Ball has been an active supporter for all of the veterans across the state’s  40^th Senate District. He has created a Veterans Hall of Fame, held a thanksgiving thank you dinner for over 800 veterans, passed legislation to protect Military Funeral’s from protest, secured $500,000 for a New York State Veterans Cemetery and fought to save Montrose Campus of the VA Hudson Valley Health Care System.

“It was an honor for me to present the award to Senator Ball for all he has done for veterans and the Military Order of the Purple Heart,” said MORPH Service Officer, Eugene Parrotta. “Senator Ball has done a lot to make veterans’ lives easier in this state. I wish we had more people like him and I am sure he will always be there for us.”

Ball is now currently working to secure a state preference for veteran owned businesses, protections for veterans ailing from a traumatic brain injury.  The New York State Senate today passed legislation (S.2423), sponsored by Ball that would give greater access to state contracts to veterans who were disabled during their service.

The bill would codify for New York an identical and highly successful program adopted for federal contracting.  Given the increase in the number of veterans and disabled veterans due to recent overseas conflicts, this bill would provide a small measure of recognition that this group of selfless men and women deserve.

“We must strengthen opportunities in state contracting for service-disabled veteran owned small businesses,” said Ball, who currently chairs the  state Senate Committee on Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs. “The extraordinary service rendered to our nation by veterans returning with injuries incurred or aggravated in the line of duty during active service with the armed services is worthy of providing a contract preference to all service-disabled veteran businesses. With the number of returning veterans suffering with ailments like traumatic brain injury, this bill would provide a small measure of recognition and support that these heroes so fully deserve.”

“Servicemen and women who are injured during their service deserve our full support once they return to our communities,” said Majority Leader Dean Skelos.  “Disabled veterans deserve an opportunity to participate in obtaining contracts with state agencies for their small businesses.  This legislation has been effective on the federal level and I am happy that we are making similar initiatives on behalf of disabled veterans in New York State.”

The legislation would require that state agencies provide the opportunity for service-disabled veterans’ businesses to obtain state contracts.  It would establish a goal of having small businesses owned by service-disabled veterans to comprise a minimum of 3 percent of the agency’s contracts.  The bill also details the implementation and reporting standards to help state agencies comply with the requirement, and task various commissioners, deputy commissioners, and the Attorney General with supporting the implementation of this preference.

The bill has been sent to the Assembly.

Ball is also planning a barbeque on July 7^th for “America’s Bravest.” (ARTICLE)

by Rick Pezzullo

YORKTOWN, N.Y. – Students in the Yorktown and Lakeland school districts were the real winners of the second annual Health Yorktown Health & Fitness 5K Run/Walk Saturday morning at Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park.

All the proceeds from the event, which attracted about 300 runners and walkers, will be donated to the Foundation for Excellence in Yorktown Education and the Lakeland Education Foundation.

In addition, state Sen. Greg Ball (R-Patterson) announced before the race that each school district would receive $25,000 in state funds for medical carts.

“Wow, what an awesome day,” said Lakeland Education Foundation President Denise Kness. “Both foundations are very lucky to be here today. Schools require things for health and fitness, and with donations like we received today, we can give them those things. It means a lot. Hats off to everybody.”

About 45 volunteers helped Dr. Fenn Esser, a sports and fitness chiropractor, smoothly run the event, which was sponsored by the Yorktown Chamber of Commerce and Hudson Valley Hospital Center, among other entities.

“This is a great event recognizing a healthy Yorktown,” Esser said. “This year is even bigger than our first one.”

Joe, 68, and Mariann Brown, 60, who had four children graduate from Yorktown schools, were proud to give back to the school system that helped educate their children.

“Next year we’ll bring them,” Mariann quipped. (ARTICLE)

***MEDIA ADVISORY***
***Sunday, May 20^th at 2:30 p.m.***

Grand Ribbon Cutting Ceremony with Senator Ball, County Executive Astorino and Assemblyman Castelli

Brewster, N.Y. – (5/16/2012) On Sunday, May 20 Senator Greg Ball (R, C – Patterson) The Chairman of Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs will be announcing his honoree for the 2012 New York State Veterans’ Hall of fame.

Senator Ball will be making his announcement with, Westchester County Executive Robert Astorino and Assemblyman Robert Castelli during a grand ribbon cutting ceremony of Senator Ball’s traveling Veterans’ Wall of Fame at the Mt. Kisco American Legion.

Created and hosted by Senator Ball, the Veterans’ Wall of Fame was designed to honor outstanding veterans from throughout the 40th Senate District. Each city, town and village within the Senator’s district was asked to nominate a veteran to be honored on the wall. Senator Ball will now select one of the 27 Veterans to represent the 40^th Senate District at a statewide ceremony which will be held on May 22^nd in Albany, N.Y.

The announcement and grand ribbon cutting ceremony in Mt. Kisco will be followed by a free BBQ hosted by Senator Greg Ball and the Mt. Kisco American Legion.

“This wall tells a larger story of courage, of honor, and of integrity,” Senator Ball said. “The rights and privileges we enjoy are protected because of the service of others, and I am proud to present them and their stories by this small gesture of appreciation.”

For a full list of the Veterans that were honored in the 40^th district hall of fame please click here.

“With Memorial Day just around the corner, our thoughts and prayers are focused on those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country. But veterans deserve our thanks all year long, not just around one or two holidays,” County Executive Robert Astorino said. “The Veterans’ Wall of Fame is one small way to show our appreciation and honor the service of our brave men and women.”

“I applaud Senator Ball and County Executive Astorino for their recognition of the distinguished service of our nation’s veterans,” Assemblyman Robert Castelli said. “It is indeed an honor, as a fellow veteran of the Vietnam War, to see those members from all our services, and all our past wars honored for their service and their sacrifice. While we are a nation at peace, it must be remembered that we still have a military at war, and unlike during the Vietnam era, our society today recognizes the need to honor those veterans, and to protect them on their return and reintegration into society. I my salute my colleagues and join with them in giving all our veterans the recognition they so richly deserve.”

Who:   Senator Greg Ball

Veterans from the 40^th Senate District Hall of Fame

Westchester County Executive Robert Astorino

Assemblyman Robert Castelli

What:     Veterans’ Hall of Fame Grand Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and BBQ

When:     Sunday, May 20 at 2:30 p.m.

Where:    Mt. Kisco American Legion, 1 Brookside Avenue, Mt. Kisco, NY 10549

For more information or to speak with Senator Ball, please contact Joe Bachmeier: (845) 200-9716.

###  

Brewster, N.Y. – (5/14/12) Senator Greg Ball (Patterson – R.C), along with Northern Westchester Hospital will be hosting a “Senior Health and Wellness Expo” on Friday, May 18^th from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM.

“I am so happy to partner up with Northern Westchester Hospital to offer these great services to our senior citizens. I love the opportunity to spend time with the seniors in my community! I always have so much fun and learn so much,” said Senator Ball. “I am working to secure needed funding for senior programs throughout the district, I’m also fighting to freeze school taxes for seniors and constantly working to support the concerns of individual constituents throughout my district.”

Seniors will be able to receive valuable information as well as blood pressure screenings, cholesterol screenings, heart health information, nutritional counseling, senior living accommodations, weight loss counseling, wound care counseling and more!

“At Northern Westchester Hospital, our mission is to provide access to the highest quality healthcare for our community,” said President and CEO of Northern Westchester Hospital Joel Seligman.  “By organizing public health screening and education events, we provide an important way for community members to access preventative healthcare.  We appreciate the efforts provided by Greg Ball and his staff in helping to support this event,”

Who:       Senator Greg Ball

Northern Westchester Hospital

What:     Senior Health and Wellness Expo

When:     May 18^th 2012, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Where:    Northern Westchester Boys and Girls Club, 351 Main Street, Mt. Kisco, New York , 10549

For more information or to speak with Senator Ball, please contact Krista Gobins: (845) 200-9716.

###

Watch Full Video of Hearing Here

Albany, N.Y. – (5/15/12), Today, the New York State Senate passed Senator Greg Ball’s        (R, C – Patterson) bill, S2423, which would give service disabled veterans preference on state contracts.

The US Department of Labor released a report in October of 2011, that stated the unemployment rate for veterans who served from 2001-present is around 12.1%, much higher than the nation’s unemployment rate. Senator Ball has been leading the effort on the state level to create quality jobs for returning veterans. Senator Ball’s legislation, S2423 will add service-disabled veterans to the list of groups receiving the state preference in contracting, which includes women and minorities.

“We must strengthen opportunities in state contracting for service-disabled veteran owned small businesses,” said Senator Greg Ball who currently Chairs the Senate Committee on Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs.“The extraordinary service rendered to our nation by veterans returning with injuries incurred or aggravated in the line of duty during active service with the armed services is worthy of providing a contract preference to all service-disabled veteran businesses. With the number of returning veterans suffering with ailments like traumatic brain injury, this bill would provide a small measure of recognition and support that these heroes so fully deserve.”

Senator Ball has hosted two hearings on the need for state preference in contracting for service disabled veterans, the first in Albany, NY on March 6, 2012 and the second in Mt. Kisco, NY on April 27, 2012. Service-disabled veterans from Summit Security, John Fernandez Associates Inc., and Drexel Hamilton, the sponsor of the Wall Street Warfighters Training Program addressed the Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs Committee to express the need for more quality employment opportunities that match the skills and experience service- disabled veterans have.

“Disabled Veterans do not want to be anyone’s charity. That is something that is engrained in them by their service. After they have served their county and when they hit the civilian market, that doesn’t change,” said Cauldon Quinn, a retired Lieutenant from the US Navy and Service Disabled Veteran. “This bill is so important because it provides opportunity for Veterans to demonstrate that they are capable of not just competence but excellence”

Jerald Majetich, a Retired Staff Sergeant from the US Army gave testimony on his horrific experience overseas in October of 2005. An explosive device struck Majetich’s vehicle, he managed to escape the vehicle but was then shot three times in a firefight. He spent the next twenty-two months in the hospital and to date has undergone 62 surgeries.

“Veterans as a whole do not want to sit at home. I am 42 years old, I am entirely too young to retire and sit on the couch for the rest of my life and receive a paycheck from the government,” said Majetich. “I wanted to prove to my children that it doesn’t matter what happens in your life, you can get back up and make a meaningful difference to not only your family but to your community”

“Currently there’s a plethora of good will out there when it comes to Veterans. However, there is not a plethora of even opportunities to perform”, said Staff Sergeant Ben Downing. Downing is currently a member of the Drexel Hamilton Wall Street Warfighters, a program sponsored by the finance firm that teaches service-disabled veterans the ropes of the finance industry.

Senator Ball’s legislation S2423 is being carried by Assemblyman Felix Ortiz and is currently in the Assembly Governmental Operations Committee.

Senator Ball is hosting a joint Veterans, Homeland Security & Military Affairs Committee meeting on May 22, 2012 at 1:00 PM in Room 124 in the Capitol to urge the Assembly to take action on this imperative legislation.

For more information or to speak with Senator Ball, please contact Krista Gobins: (845) 200-9716.

###

Yorktown Heights, N.Y. – (5/12/12) –Senator Greg Ball (R, C – Patterson) presented Richard Hoover of Mahopac with a New York State Senate Proclamation for achieving the rank of Eagle Scout at Grace Lutheran Church in Yorktown.

Eagle Scout is the highest possible rank in the Boy Scouts of America. The Eagle Scout is an honor that is held for life and is said “once an Eagle, always an Eagle.”

“It is a pleasure to be here today with Rich. There are only a small percent of scouts that ever make it to this ranking and I would like to congratulate Rich for all his hard work to achieve this great honor,” said Senator Greg Ball. “Rich is a great leader that we can all be proud of. I look forward to great things from him in the future.”

Richard is a senior at Mahopac High School and is a member of Boy Scout Troop 271, Mahopac Falls, New York.

“It feels great. This is a really big honor and it is awesome to be able to do something that large in your life,” said Rich. “It is a great honor to be an eagle scout.”

For his Eagle Scout project Richard restored the attic of Grace Lutheran Church in Yorktown Heights; he added mass storage units, reorganized and cleaned what was once a fire hazard.

In the fall Richard plans to attend Hartford University where he will study communications.

For more information or to speak with Senator Ball, please contact Joe Bachmeier: (845) 200-9716.

###

Cortlandt Manor, N.Y. – (5/12/12) –This past Saturday, Senator Greg Ball (R, C – Patterson) hosted a free Mothers Day Brunch to honor over 150 moms throughout the Hudson Valley and to specifically honor Gold Star Mother’s at the Muriel H. Morabito Community Center in Cortlandt Manor.

“Mother’s Day is a special holiday to pay tribute to the wonderful women we cherish and love,” said Senator Greg Ball. “Today we are paying our respects to these mothers who will not be able to celebrate Mother’s Day with their lost son or daughter, because their family has made the ultimate sacrifice to keep our country safe and free.”

A Gold Star Mother is a Mother who has lost a son or daughter in war. The name came from the custom of families of servicemen hanging a banner called a Service Flag in the window of their homes. The Service Flag had a star for each family member in the United States Armed Forces. Living servicemen were represented by a blue star, and those who had lost their lives were represented by a gold star.

Among the Gold Star Mothers that were honored, were, Renate DeAngelis, Vivian Allen, Mary Crusie, Hazel Martinez, Marie Ladouceur, Michele McNaughton and Chrystyna Kestler.

McNaughton, who lost her son who served in the U.S. Army on August 2^nd, 2005 in Iraq, said Mother’s Day has never been the same.

“This means so much that Gold Star Mothers are honored,” said Michele. “It means a lot that we were invited today, that Senator Ball wants to include the Gold Star Mothers and that he remembers our sons and daughters.”

Senator Ball’s Lewisboro Women of Distinction, Joann Vasi also attended Senator Ball’s brunch with her husband of 42 years, Sal Vasi.

“I think it’s fantastic, it really is,” said Joann Vasi. “I think Senator Ball is a fantastic person to honor all of us. I feel honored to be a part of all these ladies of distinction.”

“It is certainly a distinct honor and privilege to not only be here but to have the Senator recognize all that mother’s do as the bedrock of the family,” said Jeannette Phillips, Peekskill resident. “To be able to be here and be honored is a certainly a pleasure this morning.”

For more information or to speak with Senator Ball, please contact Joe Bachmeier: (845) 200-9716.

###

Brewster, N.Y. – (5/14/12) –Senator Greg Ball (R, C – Patterson) has announced that he has chosen Erin Bentivegna, a 7^th grade student from Mahopac Middle School, and a survivor, for the statewide Women of Distinction Ceremony.

“I am honored to announce that my 2012 New York State Women of Distinction nominee will be Erin Bentivegna from Mahopac. Little Erin is an incredibly brave young lady and is someone who we can all look up to,” said Senator Greg Ball. “Erin will travel up to Albany this week to be honored alongside other women of distinction from throughout New York State.”

Erin Bentivegna was only 4 years old when she was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor. After surgery to remove it and a year and a half of treatment, she was once again well. In November 2006, doctors told Erin that she had a cancerous kidney tumor. After her kidney was removed, Erin faced six months of chemotherapy. Again in July of last year, Erin was told she had another tumor on her brain that entailed surgery and then months of treatment that meant she was not able to go to school. Having fought and defeated cancer three times in her young life, Erin is now back at school.

Erin enjoys eating tacos and pizza, watching the movies “The Smurfs” and “Gnomeo and Juliet,” and dancing along with the television show “Shake It Up.”

In 2011, Community Cares honored Eric with the Light of Hope Award.

“I think it is wonderful. I would like to thank Senator Ball for this, said Erin’s mom, Margret. “She has been through a lot and she is shining like a bright star.”

For more information or to speak with Senator Ball, please contact Joe Bachmeier: (845) 200-9716.

##

***MEDIA ADVISORY***
***Saturday, May 12^th 2012 ***

Yorktown, N.Y. – (5/11/12)  Senator Greg Ball (R, C – Patterson), successfully secured $50,000 for the Yorktown Central School District, which will be used to pay for Athletic Medical and Safety Equipment.

“I am proud to have been able to deliver this grant for Yorktown! It is so critical that we do not pass this type of expense onto local property taxpayers,” said Senator Ball. “I also know that the lessons learned on the athletic field are just as important as those learned in the classroom. I support the investment of keeping our students safe, and will continue pushing for projects that make our communities strong.”

Senator Ball will present Yorktown School Superintendent Dr. Ralph Napolitano with a $50,000 check on May 12, 2012 at 8:30 AM, before the Health Yorktown 5K race, which is taking place at the Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park.

“We are delighted to receive this phenomenal gift from Senator Ball,” said Superintendent Napolitano. “Our students’ safety is our number one priority.  The Senator’s generous contribution will help to provide our injured students with immediate medical attention that will benefit them.”

Who:      Senator Greg Ball

Superintendent Dr. Ralph Napolitano

What:     $50,000 Check Presentation to the Yorktown Central School District

When:     Saturday, May 12, 2012, 8:30 AM

Where:    F.D.R Park, 2957 Crompond Road, Yorktown Heights, NY

For more information or to speak with Senator Ball, please contact Krista Gobins: (845) 200-9716.

###

Thanks to their commitment to ethics and leadership, two John Jay High School juniors were invited to join state Sen. Greg Ball’s Student Advisory Council.

Daniel Fulop and Sydney Glenn were recently asked to participate on the council, which meets once a month to discuss various school programs, according to the Katonah-Lewisboro School District.

The council includes about a dozen students from around the state who meet at Sen. Ball’s office in Brewster to share ideas and help with the implementation of school programs.

Daniel and Sydney submitted Outstanding Student Youth Award applications to apply for the positions on the council, and they had to write essays about ethics and leadership. One to two students were chosen from participating high schools. Daniel and Sydney gave credit to their guidance counselor, Joann Travis, for giving them the application.

Daniel is the vice speaker of Campus Congress at John Jay, of which he has been a member since last year, and is a member of the Lewisboro Volunteer Ambulance Corps.

He is also the only student member of Spirit Builders, an organization that builds ramps and other structures for people who are in need, and recently built a 90-foot-long wheelchair ramp over a stream. Daniel also participates in the Appalachia Service Project during the summer, providing community service to people in that region.

A member of John Jay’s swimming and tennis teams, Daniel plans on entering a pre-med program in college.

Sydney is a member of John Jay’s basketball and volleyball teams, and she coaches youth basketball teams. She participates in the Young Scholars Architectural Program and plans on studying architecture or engineering in college. (ARTICLE)