CAZENOVIA — On Saturday, March 2, the Cazenovia Area Volunteer Ambulance Corps (CAVAC) celebrated 50 years of service to the community during an anniversary banquet at the Hampton Inn & Suites Cazenovia.
Established in 1974 and currently based at 106 Nelson St., the local ambulance service relies on volunteer drivers, crew coordinators, emergency medical technicians (EMTs), and general members, as well as paid professional paramedics. A high school student corps also supports its operations.
In addition to providing emergency medical services (EMS) to Cazenovia and surrounding communities, CAVAC offers short-term loans of medical equipment, such as crutches, walkers, and wheelchairs, and has a New York State-certified child/baby car seat installer.
The organization is led by the CAVAC Executive Committee, which currently consists of Kerstin McKay, president; Ron Scott, vice president and student corps advisor; Niki Ammann, secretary; Dennis Goldmann, treasurer; Rick Macheda, chief of operations; Chris Marconi, ombudsman; John McCabe, medical director; and Sara Mitchell, immediate past president.
“Tonight is dedicated to celebrating all of you — those who have paved the way before us and those who continue to support CAVAC in various ways,” said McKay when welcoming the banquet attendees. “CAVAC responded to 958 calls in 2023. That’s an average of more than two and a half calls per day. Making sure our community is covered 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year takes commitment and dedication from so many people — our paramedics, EMTs, and drivers who respond to our neighbors in need; our crew coordinators and operational members who keep us running, organized, and on track; our intrepid student corps who bravely tackle the challenge of learning about EMS; and all the family members who encourage us. All are required for CAVAC to be successful.”
In addition to acknowledging all the current and past CAVAC members in attendance and the people who have supported them, McKay thanked the local government, law enforcement, and fire and rescue department representatives at the banquet, as well as the neighboring rescue squads, fire departments, and ambulance services that assist on calls.
Special recognition was given to CAVAC’s founding members, including active charter members Tom Davies, 1974-1995, 2022-present; Peter Diefendorf, 1974-2001, 2012-present; Bryan Ramsay, 1974-1995, 1997-present; and John Stephenson, 1974-1982, 1996-present.
“It is with profound gratitude and deep respect that we acknowledge the visionaries who laid the foundation of our organization half a century ago,” said McKay.
After dinner, Jenna Illingworth, Madison County’s director of emergency medical services, read aloud a proclamation from the Madison County Board of Supervisors thanking CAVAC for providing 50 years of dedicated and professional EMS to the Town of Cazenovia, the Town of Fenner, the Town of Nelson, the Village of Cazenovia, and the surrounding areas of Madison County.
Next, members of the CAVAC Executive Committee announced the organization’s newest members and presented service awards to the following individuals: Barry Blanchard, Jenn Grosskopf, Colleen Maika, Bill Robinson, and Colleen Robinson for five years of service; Tim Ahern, Carol Gravelding, and Scott for ten years; Mike Phillips for 25 years; Carol Coufal for 30 years; Dave Ammann and Diefendorf for 40 years; and Mitchell for 45 years.
Appreciation certificates were presented to Blanchard, Eric Byers, Matt Smith, and Dave Miller for their contributions over the past year.
CAVAC Student Corps President Grace Probe received an achievement award for her outstanding service last summer on an especially difficult call in Delphi Falls.
In a pamphlet distributed to the banquet attendees, Probe described her experience serving in the student corps as “rare” and “wonderful.”
“[High] school students get exposure to the medical field, giving them an idea of patient care, bedside manners, and teamwork,” she wrote. “There are so many great things about being a part of the student corps; we get to learn, educate, and work with great paramedics and EMTs. We assist on calls by taking important vitals (blood pressures, respirations, pulse, and oxygen level), filling out the patient’s information, getting equipment, and after a call, restocking the ambulance. All the skills that we use on calls we practice at our meetings. We also get important training [in] CPR, first aid, and bloodborne pathogens. Those joining the student corps tend to be interested in the medical field, and with all we do, those who decide to go into the field have the advantage of being more prepared than others.”
The event pamphlets also included an abbreviated history of CAVAC.
“It’s quite the saga of how the local undertaker, whose hearse was the ambulance, announced his retirement and 232 local residents came together to create CAVAC,” said Mitchell.
Recognition was also given to Cindy Underriner, a past CAVAC president who also served as the organization’s administrator for 12 years.
“[As administrator], she often worked above and beyond what she was compensated for, but she did it because of her love for CAVAC,” said Mitchell. “In 2023, she announced that she was stepping away from that position, but she continues to serve [CAVAC] faithfully in multiple capacities.”
The CAVAC Life Member Award was presented to Gene Smith, a past president who was instrumental in the formation of the ambulance tax district for CAVAC. He also played a key role in designing the current CAVAC headquarters and acquiring the land the building sits on.
“[This is] someone to whom we all owe a huge debt of gratitude,” said Mitchell. “This member stopped by CAVAC years ago to get his blood pressure checked, and he walked away with an application. He became a driver, then an EMT, then he served on the executive committee as president, past president, and ombudsman. Without this member, we would not have our wonderful building on Nelson Street.”
Mitchell added that Smith continued to volunteer with CAVAC as an ambulance driver into his late 80s and as a dispatcher into his 90s.
“It’s been one of the pleasures of my life to work with CAVAC and the people that volunteer for it,” said Smith. “I’ve never worked with a group of people who were so dedicated to what they were doing. . . . Everybody was so enthusiastic about doing the job, cooperative, and helpful. And so, for that, I want to thank everybody. . . . I will continue to support CAVAC for as long as I’m alive.”
A final award, the President’s Award, was presented to Bill Robinson for his unselfish dedication to CAVAC and the community over the past year.
According to McKay, who presented the award, Robinson signed up for and worked 179 six-hour shifts in 2023, not counting the numerous back-up shifts he did.
“This individual’s efforts — while they have not often been outwardly recognized or applauded — have gone far in making all our lives at CAVAC more harmonious and enjoyable,” McKay said.
At the end of the event, every CAVAC and student corps member was given a gift of appreciation donated by local businesses and artisans.
Attendees were also gifted commemorative fleece blankets.
“Tonight, we’ve had the opportunity to reflect on the impact of our collective efforts over the past 50 years,” said McKay in closing. “As we look to the future, let us carry forward the spirit of camaraderie and service that brought us together 50 years ago. Let us continue to support and uplift one another, knowing that together we can overcome any challenge, as we have so many times before, and continue to make a difference in the lives of those we serve. Let us also remember the fun and the laughter we had being in one another’s company tonight and bring that back to base with us the next time we are there. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the success of CAVAC, past and present. Your commitment is truly inspiring, and I am honored to be a part of this incredible organization. Here’s to another 50 years of service, growth, and community impact.”
To learn more about CAVAC and about becoming a volunteer, visit cavacambulance.org.
