OGDENSBURG – Three high school seniors who are looking to enter the health care field were recently honored by United Helpers with the presentation of our annual Helen S. Randles Scholarships.

The $750 scholarships presented by the Society of the United Helpers, are funded through an endowment created by the late Ms. Randles, who established the scholarship more than 45 years ago.

This year’s winners included students from Madrid, Canton, and Ogdensburg.

Rylee McCallus of Ogdensburg, will be attending SUNY Canton, where she is enrolled in the school’s nursing program. She is one day hoping to become a nurse practitioner working in labor and delivery. She is the daughter of Danielle McCallus.

Kayla Booth of Lisbon, will be attending SUNY Canton and entering the school’s nursing program. Ms. Booth said she is one day hoping to become a specialty nurse, however she has yet to choose a specific field. She is the daughter of Shane Booth and Kelli Brislan.

Both Ms. McCallus and Ms. Booth are current United Helpers employees, who work as Direct Support Professionals.

Angelie Bush of Madrid, will be attending Nazareth University and enrolling in the school’s Occupational Therapy program. She is planning to become an Occupational Therapist. She is the daughter of Brian and Tina Bush.

Society of United Helpers Vice President Patti Wood chaired this year’s scholarship committee and praised the recipients at the presentation, even reading from one of their essays.

“I think this is the first time we’ve done this,” she said before reading an excerpt of Ms. Bush’s essay. “Typically, we will talk a little bit about Ms. Randles, but this year one of our recipients wrote about her in their essay.”

“It is impressive how Ms. Randles served the United Helpers organization for over 45 years as a Board Member, as President of the Society of the United Helpers, and in many other capacities during her tenure with the organization,” Ms. Bush wrote. “If I can achieve just a portion of what she did, I will consider myself successful.”

Ms. Wood said the path to success is one that all three students are already headed down, a point echoed by United Helpers Chief Operating Officer Stacey Cannizzo.

"The people we are honoring here today are the future of United Helpers,” she said.

The Helen S. Randles Scholarship is awarded each year to three students from St. Lawrence County, who are furthering their education and planning to enter the health care field. Ms. Randles’s hope in creating the scholarship endowment was that the recipients would one day return to become United Helpers employees. 

The winners of this year’s Helen S. Randles Scholarships came from Ogdensburg Free Academy, Canton Central School, and Madrid-Waddington Central School. Three $750 scholarships are presented by the Society of the United Helpers each year from funds generated by an endowment created by the late Ms. Randles. Seated, from left, Rylee McCallus from Ogdensburg Free Academy, Angelie Bush from Madrid-Waddington Central School, and Kayla Booth from Canton Central School; second row, from left, Scholarship Committee members Darlene Liscum, Dr. Edward Gordon, Committee Chair Patti Wood, Molly Pressey, and Yvonne Lewandowski.

CANTON - United Helpers Independent Senior Living will hold an open house on Friday, June 24th from 1-3 pm. 

If you or a loved one is thinking about retirement living, you owe it to yourself to call United Helpers Independent Senior Living today to schedule your tour time. Staff will be on hand to provide scheduled tours and free refreshments will be served.

Retirement living means something different to everyone. Whatever your definition, the best place to retire remains the same. 

At United Helpers Independent Senior Living, members enjoy the luxury of a private home while nestled within a safe community. Your freedom is all your own. We’re just here to lend a hand.

For more information, or to schedule a private tour, please call 315-379-1428 or visit United Helpers Independent Senior Living virtually online at www.unitedhelpers.org.  

CANTON – Charlie Owens remembers when United Helpers Independent Senior Living (ISL) was nothing more than a set of blue prints laid out on a table before the Management Company Board of Directors.

The facility, originally known as Partridge Knoll, was built in 1999 and to this day remains St. Lawrence County’s only retirement home for seniors. Mr. Owens, who has resided at ISL since 2019, was on the board of directors during the project’s planning stages. 

Charlie Owens

“We wanted to fill a need in the community for quality senior housing in a setting where seniors could feel both safe and comfortable while enjoying their golden years,” he said.

While Mr. Owens was supportive of the project, at that time he never quite envisioned himself living there. “I’ve lived in Gouverneur most of my life, and my wife and I had a beautiful camp on the St. Lawrence River. To be honest, I never really gave it much thought,” he said.

However in 2019 his wife Hi passed away, and his children suggested that he sell his home and find a place where could live without being by himself most of the time.

“They really pushed me to not stay alone,” he said. “So I made the decision to sell the house and our camp. I knew a number of people who were living there, so that helped quite a bit with the transition.”

Mr. Owens said he enjoys his independence, while also having the opportunity to dine with friends each night.

“It’s a very relaxed atmosphere. We’re free during the day to pretty much to what we please. Then at night we all gather together for dinner,” he said. “The people are nice and the food is great.”

In addition to dining together each night, Mr. Owens said many of building’s members also get together for coffee each morning. “This really is a pretty unique place. I don’t know of any other operation quite like it,” he said. “It’s like living in an apartment building full of your friends.”

United Helpers Independent Senior Living offers a variety of apartment styles, with both one and two bedroom units available. To take a virtual tour of the building, please visit unitedhelpers.org and click on the link for virtual tours.

An in-person tour may also be arranged by calling (315) 379-1428.