Posted: Aug 05, 2022

Community Heroes Night Rescheduled for August 12

TROY, NY - The Tri-City ValleyCats announced that the American National Insurance Company's Community Heroes ceremony was rescheduled for Thursday, August 12. Rain on August 4th forced the postponement of the special on-field ceremony that recognizes nine heroes within the Capital Region community.

The "Home Run Community Heroes Starting Nine" was chosen through an online fan nomination process. The 'Cats and American National Insurance Company encourage fans to nominate hospital staff, health care workers, military personnel, law enforcement, firefighter/EMS agencies, non-profit organizations, as well as teachers, volunteers, children and everyday people that have helped make a positive impact within the Capital Region.

Meet the 2022 "Home Run Community Heroes Starting Nine" below.

Cody Alessi, 7th Grade Student

Cody Alessi may only be 12 years old, but over the past few years, has devoted so much of his time to raising money for childhood cancer research and awareness. In between Cody's many hobbies and sports, he has found many ways to be involved. Cody is a part of Tap Cancer Out, a charity run Jiu Jitsu tournament, where he raised $7,000 for cancer charities to compete. The next year, Cody set a goal of raising at least $10,000, which started with his first fundraiser being his birthday. He asked friends and family not to bring gifts, but to bring a donation instead. He built awareness for this cause by going to community events at local breweries, car shows, and going live on social media. Cody exceeded his goal by raising $20,000 to bring to Tap Cancer Out before his fight! Another way he has helped was when Cody's school friend was diagnosed with bone cancer. Cody helped organize a T-Shirt fundraiser to raise money for his friend's medical bills. He also raised over $2,000 by shaving his mullet off when his friend started chemo and lost his hair.

Lindsey Bedell, Teacher, Corinth Elementary School

Lindsey Bedell is a teacher and a community member of Corinth. She works hard every day to create a positive and rigorous learning environment for her students. As a community member, she also works hard to keep the community of Corinth a healthy and kind place to raise a family. She is often seen as giving out kindness like confetti. You will never meet another teacher that thinks of her students in and out of the building like Lindsey does.

Jason Chevrier, Superintendent, Schodack Central School District

Jason Chevrier has done an amazing job leading the Schodack Central School District and community through a tough couple of years as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr. Chevrier has brought school and community groups together to do what is best for everyone. His leadership during these difficult times has been reassuring.

Chris DelVecchio, Communications Officer, Rensselaer County Public Safety

Over the years, Chris Delvecchio has become a well-rounded, exceptional dispatcher. His attitude and work ethic towards public safety makes him a top-notch co-worker and public servant. Chris has always put forth 110% into his work. No matter how busy the 9-1-1 center gets, Chris is always there and willing to help co-workers and keep the operation moving forward. Over his 14 years of service, Chris has answered thousands of calls for help, but there is one evening in particular that Chris showed true poise and perseverance during an extremely chaotic night. With a multiple alarm fire, a water rescue on the Hudson River, and an assault going on basically all at the same time, Chris improvised, adapted, and overcame the trying time, and worked through the events without hesitation. On top of it all, in his spare time, Chris is a volunteer firefighter with the Johnsonville Fire Department.

Heather McKenna, Physical Therapist, Sunnyview Rehabilitation Hospital

Heather McKenna has been a physical therapist for 27 years. Her last four years have been at Sunnyview Rehabilitation Hospital. She treats patients with many diagnoses including orthopedic, cardiac, pulmonary, and neurologic diagnoses. Since the onset of COVID-19, Heather has spent most of her time working with patients recovering from COVID in the inpatient rehabilitation setting on the cardiopulmonary unit. Heather has helped countless patients regain strength, endurance, and mobility to allow them to return home. Throughout her career, she has volunteered her time to assist children and adults with disabilities to be able to participate in adaptive sporting activities. Heather's positive attitude, enthusiasm for her job, and her willingness to go above and beyond for all of her patients make her a community hero.

Jamie Panichi, Investigations Sergeant, Rensselaer County Sheriff's Office

Jamie Panichi is a kind, caring person who is always willing to help out in any situation. She works in the Rensselaer County Sheriff's Office. She has spent the last eight years in investigations, the last six being as Sergeant. Jamie is the glue that holds the department together, the person who everyone goes to for advice - both personal and work related. She has gone the extra mile on countless cases for hundreds of victims throughout Rensselaer County and beyond. She gives 110% every day for our community, and is extremely deserving of this award. She does all of this while also being a small business owner of an esthetics lounge in Wynantskill, and is a mother to six wonderful children.

Casey Rowland, Teacher, Sand Creek Middle School

Casey Rowland is a fifth grade teacher at Sand Creek Middle School. She goes above and beyond to make sure her students feel important. She has an amazing rapport with her students and encourages them to always be the best they can be. Students greet her every morning with a "good morning Ms. Rowland '' and leave the day with a high five and a huge smile. Casey also helps coach the youth softball players and gives lessons to aspiring pitchers. She is a pitching coach at HVCC as well.

John Soychak, Paramedic, North Greenbush Ambulance

John Soychak has been involved in EMS for many years. Over the years, he has dedicated his life to working as hard as possible for the many different EMS agencies in the community. He currently works three jobs, in three different towns, usually pulling in well over 90 hours a week. John will always help his coworkers anytime they need a shift covered. John is a great outdoorsman that wears his heart on his sleeve. He is the glue that holds agencies together. He is always a kind soul to patients, and a very great medic. He always has the protection and safety of his community put first.

Trevor Taylor, Teacher, School 12, Troy City School District

Trevor Taylor is extremely caring and patient with all of the students he teaches. As a high school history/social studies teacher, Trevor has a way of making history extremely interesting to his students. School 12 is an Alternate Learning Program. Every year, Trevor organizes an end of the year trip for his students by doing a great deal of fundraising on his own. Over the years, he has taken his students on adventures outside of the Troy area, like Lake George, Washington DC, Boston, NYC, and Philadelphia. The trips are designed to be educational and fun! Trevor also organizes the collection of foods from various community organizations and businesses. His students look forward to these boxes of donated food products every Monday! He also teaches a class in College and Careers for 11th grade students to build a resume, conduct mock interviews, listen to guest speakers, and visit potential job opportunities. Trevor created the Student Council Club at School 12 which gives students a voice and various responsibilities. Trevor is extremely humble and works hard at assisting his students in growing both academically and socially. He is not an ordinary teacher, he is a role model and is always going above and beyond his teaching responsibilities.

The on-field ceremony is slated to begin at 6:30 pm. Get your tickets by calling (518) 629-2287, going online, or stopping by the box office.

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Community Heroes Night Rescheduled for August 12