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help for Jaxon Fenner family raises funds for infant’s stem cell transplant
By Kate Hill Staff Writer Fenner resident Kayla Goodfellow, 19, recently launched a fundraising campaign to help pay for the medical treatment of her baby brother, Jaxon Wormuth, who has a rare genetic disorder called Hurler Syndrome. Wormuth was born on April 18, 2023, to Amanda and Justin Wormuth of Fenner. Hurler Syndrome, which affects an estimated 1 in every 100,000 newborns, is a disease in which the body is missing or does not produce enough of an enzyme needed to break down certain long chains of sugar molecules. Over time, the molecules build up in different parts of the body, resulting in various health problems. “Symptoms can be physical deformities, cognitive delays, enlarged organs, blindness, among other things,” said Goodfellow. “Untreated, the average lifespan is 10 to 20 years old. A stem cell transplant will give him a chance to produce this enzyme on his own and live a relatively normal life.” Wormuth’s treatment and surgery will be at New York City’s Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital. “Memorial Sloan Kettering is the best hospital for Jaxon because it is the only hospital nearby with the most experience with this rare genetic disorder,” said Goodfellow. According to Goodfellow, who graduated from Cazenovia High School in 2022 and just finished her first year at SUNY Oneonta, her mom, stepdad, and two-year-old half-sister will be staying in New York City with Jaxon for a minimum of two months. “During these times, we are in need of financial help with our typical bills as well as Jaxon’s medical bills,” she said. To help raise funds for her brother’s cause, Goodfellow has created a GoFundMe page, organized a volleyball tournament fundraiser, and coordinated a can and bottle drive. The family is hoping to raise a total of $40,000 by July 7, the date Wormuth’s treatment begins. “Between GoFundMe and cash donations, we are already halfway there,” Goodfellow said on June 8. The volleyball tournament event, which also featured cornhole, a bake sale, a cookout, a 50/50, raffles, and music, was held on Sunday, June 11 at Lakeside Park. That day, Goodfellow reported that the event raised just un-
During the June 12 Cazenovia Town Board meeting, Supervisor Bill Zupan briefly addressed a May 19 emergency order issued by the chairman of the Madison County Board of Supervisors amid a surge of arrivals of migrants and asylum seekers in New York City. According to a May 19 press release from the county, the order blocks the transportation of migrants or asylum seekers to locations in the county, or housing of persons at locations in the county for a length of time without permission from John M. Becker, chair of the board of supervisors. “I hereby find and determine that the orderly and humane treatment of migrants and asylum seekers is necessary for the public safety, welfare and health of the residents of Madison County and migrants and asylum seekers alike and that the plan of the City of New York and/or other municipalities to bus migrants and asylum seekers to other counties without regard to available resources, community impacts, funding and capacity to humanely care and provide for migrants and asylum seekers necessitates the issuance of this
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Meet the candidates: Village of Cazenovia Election to be held June 20
Kurt Wheeler
Submitted photos
Recent Cazenovia High School graduate Kayla Goodfellow is fundraising for her baby brother’s medical expenses. Jaxon Wormuth, born April 18, 2023, has a rare genetic disorder and requires surgery and treatment in New York City. der $2,500. Through June 17, community members can drop off their cans and bottles at Caz Cans at 2451 Route 20 East and say, “for Jaxon,” to donate their deposits to the family. Caz Cans is open Tuesday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. To contribute to the GoFundMe campaign, search for “Jaxon’s expenses for a stem cell transplant” on the GoFundMe website.
Emergency Order,” Becker states in the emergency order. According to the county, the emergency order received nearly unanimous support with 18 out of 19 supervisors in favor. The topic was raised at the June 12 Cazenovia Town Board meeting by Rebecca Garden, a representative of the Anti-Racism Coalition of Cazenovia. Garden invited the board to make a statement regarding the emergency order and to consider the message the ban might send about the Cazenovia community and its willingness to welcome people seeking refuge. “If we don’t accept people in crisis, then who will?” she said. In response, Zupan stated that he voted in favor of the order not because the people in question are migrants, but because they are being sent upstate without adequate support and without the ability to immediately work to help support themselves. The supervisor said it is his understanding that they cannot work until their first court date. He added that the county was told the soonest court date is in January. “The biggest problem, in my mind, is the federal government doesn’t have a
sports: Caz girls track second in 4x100 relay at state meet.
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Thomas Tait
program to allow these people to work,” Zupan said. “And they are needed. If they would let the people work in order to support themselves, then it wouldn’t be a problem, but who supports them for six months? It wasn’t New York City. All they were doing was offering so much a day to hotels for housing.” Garden thanked Zupan for his insight into the rationale behind the county’s decision and suggested that the town board work to get that information out to the local community so people can use it to lobby for the needed support. Zupan concluded by stating that he believes everyone on the board is sensitive to the plight of migrants and asylum seekers. He also encouraged Garden and other community members to get in touch with their federal representatives. “It’s a federal problem because they haven’t had a good immigration policy in decades,” Zupan said. The Madison County State of Emergency Declaration, the Madison County Emergency Order, and the county’s May 16 Statement on Migrant Relocation are available at madisoncounty. ny.gov.
In the Village of Cazenovia, two seats on the board of trustees and the office of the mayor are up for election on June 20, 2023. The positions are currently held by Trustees Cynthia Bell and Justin Fuchs and Mayor Kurt Wheeler. Fuchs has decided to step down from his position, while Bell and Wheeler are both seeking re-election. Former trustee Thomas Tait is also on the ballot for trustee. All three candidates are running unopposed for two-year terms. Voting will be held from 12 to 9 p.m. at the American Legion Post 88, 26 Chenango St., Cazenovia. Each of the candidates responded to the same questions from the Cazenovia Republican. Their responses (500-word limit) are printed below.
Kurt Wheeler Candidate for Mayor, Community Party
Occupation Teacher How will your experience serve you in government? There has been a wonderful synergy between teaching History and Government in the classroom and serving in local government. Understanding how government should work based on our Constitutional principles is often helpful in real-world decision-making and there are many historical examples of how government serves the people best when leaders apply principles like mutual respect, collaboration and compromise. What do you think are the biggest challenges in your community? It goes without saying that the biggest challenge facing Cazenovia today is guiding the successful transition to a postCazenovia College use for the campus that is at the heart of our village. We have an amazing team of people who are working cooperatively to plan and shape that transition, but considerable effort remains. Philosophically, the biggest challenge is helping citizens to understand that local government is not the same as the disfunction they see in Washington. There is a lot of cynicism today, but local public servants’ only goal is to represent and guide the community to the best of their ability. What are your ideas for addressing these challenges? I will continue to work collaboratively each day not only with my colleagues on the Village Board but with our partners in the Town, the College, CACDA, CPF, CLA and many others to meet these challenges as a team.
Cynthia Bell Candidate for Trustee, Democratic/Strong Community
Occupation Maintenance Engineer for the New York State Canal Corporation How will your experience serve you in government? I have worked in the public sector for over 20 years and have been a Trustee on the Village Board for the past two years. I also served on the School Board in Cazenovia. With all of the positions I have held, it has given me a very good understanding of how to work effectively in all types of public service. In my time on the Village Board I have learned a lot regarding how a local municipality is run. My experience in both my public service personally and as a Village representative has given me a good foundation to grow upon for the next two years if I am re-elected. What do you think are the biggest challenges in your community? Some of the challenges that are facing our community, and the Village specifically, include the aging working population of the village employees and their impending retirements, the closing of Cazenovia College, and the challenges of providing a balanced budget for the Village Candidates l Page 15
Volume 214, Number 24 The Cazenovia Republican is published weekly by Eagle News. Office of Publication: 35 Albany St., Second Floor, Cazenovia, NY 13035. Periodical Postage Paid at Cazenovia, NY 13035, USPS 095-260. POSTMASTER: Send change of address to Cazenovia Republican, 2501 James St., Suite 100, Syracuse, NY 13206.
Cindy Bell Tobey By Kate Hill Staff Writer
Town supervisor addresses county’s stance on migrant relocation By Kate Hill Staff Writer
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Library news: Summer reading program highlights.
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