Early this year, Friendly’s Restaurants LLC launched its 31st annual Cones for Kids campaign to benefit Easter Seals and those living with disabilities and special needs. And, 2012 proved be an unprecedented year for the campaign. It raised a record-breaking total of $171,614 to benefit Easter Seals New York’s programs in Western New York.

Since 1981, Friendly’s employees and customers have joined together to raise funds for children and adults living with autism and other special needs. Over the past decade alone, Upstate New York Friendly’s guests have donated more than $1.3 million to Easter Seals New York.

The Cones for Kids campaign ran from January 16 through February 26 at Kessler Family Friendly’s Restaurants in Upstate New York. Each restaurant guest who made a $5 donation to Easter Seals New York received a coupon book.

Two men who lost their lives to cancer will be honored this weekend at the 11th Annual Hike for Life, sponsored Christopher’s Challenge and Strong’s Blood and Marrow Transplant Program on Sunday, March 25. The Hike for Life will be held in memory of Gene Martello, from Seneca Falls, and Tony Canali, from Canandaigua. Both men were in need of bone marrow transplants, and were dedicated supporters of Christopher's Challenge and believed in the mission of getting more people typed to be potential bone marrow donors.

Tony Canali, a guidance counselor and rugby and indoor track coach for McQuaid Jesuit, lost his battle with AML Leukemia in 2009 on his 60th birthday. Gene Martello passed away in 2006 after a brave fight with multiple myeloma. Gene’s son, Mark Martello, became a bone marrow donor last year after taking part in a bone marrow drive at a Christopher’s Challenge Hike for Life the previous year. He is hoping to meet his recipient soon.

A truck from a Farmington company was due to arrive at the Fairport home of two area teachers this afternoon to pick up 59 boxes of donations, collected in just the past week, for tornado victims in Kentucky.

Patty Welch, a music teacher in the West Irondequoit Central School District, spearheaded the collection with a simple email, sent to fellow teachers, March 4.

"If you have been watching any of coverage of the devastation left by the tornadoes over the weekend," Welch wrote, "you'll see that when they are covering Kentucky, they are likely broadcasting from West Liberty. I have friends and extended family there working hard to rebuild. I will be helping them collect donations of new or gently used toys, books and any other "comfort" items for many of the children in town that have lost everything."