Back row, from left, are Robert Mead Colegrove, Brocton Central School board president; David Hazelton, school board member; Matthew Brady, school board member; Stewart Thompson, school board member; and Gracy Perry, Brocton Central School student board member. Front for, from left, are Jason Delcamp, Brocton district superintendent; Melissa Seavy, school board member; Judy Wroda of SILC, Kurt Gustafson, New York State School Boards Association ambassador; and Rosanne Chesbro, school board member.

BROCTON – Brocton Central School and Southwestern Independent Living Center were recently honored as “Champions of Change” for 2025 by the State School Board Association.

The award recognizes the collaboration between Brocton Central School and SILC for this year’s symposium, “Together We Can!” and Rural Mobile Medical Unit Health and Wellness Initiative which was attended by 369 people. The event brought together medical resources from The Chautauqua Center ( Dental and Primary Care), Roswell Cancer Center, Oishei Children’s Hospital, UPMC Chautauqua, Westfield Memorial Hospital, Alleghany Health Network, Western New York Urology, Highmark Health, Erie Retinal Research, and Brooks Hospital.

The Symposium was held on March 14, 2025, and offered services and resources to the more rural areas and schools of Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Erie counties of New York as well as Erie County, Pa.

There were also 88 service providers representing 94 programs on site for the day. Services include elder abuse issues, trafficking, cancer care, diabetes, WIC and SNAP, addiction issues, as well as veterans services. Schools that attended included the Seneca Nations as well as all districts of Chautauqua County, some districts in Cattaraugus and Erie counties and Warren County, Pa., schools.

Brocton was nominated for the award by Ashley Means. Jason Delcamp, Brocton superintendent, has been an advocate of the symposium and has encouraged other school districts to participate to better support their students and families with the most up to date resources the agencies in our area are able to offer.

Judy Wroda of SILC developed the symposium over seven years ago and continues to work on the project each year by inviting agencies to come and spend a day advocating for, and assisting, families and students. The next event is to be held on March 13, 2026, at Brocton Central School.