In Rochester, certain faces once felt like part of the family. Don Alhart. Doug Emblidge. Ginny Ryan. Jennifer Johnson. Norma Holland. For decades, they entered homes daily, trusted neighbors delivering the news. Yet, for each of them, serving the community was not limited to stories they reported on air. It was, and remains, a personal investment in the place they call home.
For these broadcasters, journalism itself was an act of service. As Doug Emblidge says, “Delivering the news, covering the community—it’s a community service itself.” Broadcasters dove into the community they covered and became invested. So, when their career involvement ended, their responsibility and connection did not. Emceeing fundraisers, serving on boards, advocating for nonprofits, and showing up where and when help is needed became a natural extension of who they are.
Investing to Connect
For nearly six decades, Rochester welcomed Don Alhart into their homes as a trusted voice in local news. Sharing news, raising concern, spreading joy, rallying support for causes and initiatives, he became known across the area for his service in the community. When he retired in June 2024 after 58 years at 13WHAM, his service did not stop, and he jokes that he’s busier than ever, simply with causes and activities he chooses himself.
Alhart describes himself as “the connector,” bringing together people who need help with those who can provide it. “If my only purpose in life was to connect people, then I’ve lived a good life,” he says.
Born and raised in Rochester, he learned community responsibility early from his hardware-store-owning father and business-owning extended family, fondly remembering helping raise awareness to restore and preserve a nearby historic cobblestone building, igniting the spark of what people can accomplish when they work together.
That mindset carried through decades on air, and he became known for modeling deep involvement with community organizations beyond what might be required for his profession. He speaks most avidly about his involvement with Rochester Rotary Club, which he’s been a member of since 1976 and served as president for a time.
Beyond Rotary, Alhart remains active with The Arc of Monroe, Al Sigl Community of Agencies, Jordan Health Center, Lifespan, and frequently emcees events for organizations like HUGS and Advent House. Connections he made through his career continue to give him purpose in retirement and he couldn’t be happier.
“It gives me joy to help others,” he says—a philosophy that has shaped his life as much as his career. Alhart recalls his father’s advice: “If someone asks you to go a mile, go two,” and throughout life, Alhart prides himself on helping every chance he gets.
Investing to Illuminate Need
Doug Emblidge, one of many newscasters inspired by Alhart’s example, considers service to the community he covered a “natural muscle I learned a long time ago.” Early in his career, he saw how engagement built trust with the community, and once that began, “it all snowballs.” Yet he’s quick to deflect attention, emphasizing that much of his service has been on boards and as spokesman, besides his “boots on the ground” work with Rochester Hope, he says the most credit belongs to those doing the hands-on work at each organization.
His service often grows from personal connections, including longtime involvement with Pluta Cancer Center, hands-on work at Rochester Hope, and supporting the HUGS Foundation after he reported on their medical missions and was utterly amazed at the life-changing surgeries. He’s excited to serve the newly forming Saunders Finger Lakes Museum (opening in 2027), sharing his passion for the Finger Lakes region’s natural and cultural history.
Volunteerism brings both purpose and perspective. “It’s very easy to become stuck in your own circle of friends, doing the same things … Community service gets you out and forces you to expand your horizons,” he says. “There’s so much we can’t control in the world, but we can exercise some control over the community we live in and the small part of the world we can affect.”
The Power of Showing Up
For Ginny Ryan, community service begins with presence. During her 35-year career in broadcasting, attending events and emceeing fundraisers gave her firsthand insight into the essential role community organizations play in supporting the community’s health and well-being. It was in the newsroom that “the seeds for my connections to community organizations were sown,” she says. That experience now informs her role as director of community engagement at Canandaigua National Bank (CNB), where she helps guide how the bank supports the region.
Showing up is at the heart of her philosophy. “Maybe you can’t write a big check, but your time and interest are tremendously valuable.” Sharing personal stories and speaking authentically creates connection and helps others understand the urgency of a cause, she adds.
Ryan is particularly drawn to organizations that support women and children, a commitment shaped by her own life. After losing her father at a young age and watching her mother raise three children on her own, Ryan witnessed the challenges single-parent families face, as well as the long-term impact of support for them. “By helping a mother, you also help her children and grandchildren,” she says. “The support ripples for years to come.”
In a time when nonprofits increasingly fill gaps left by reduced government funding, Ryan believes their work “may never have been more important.” When organizations ask for her support, she sees it as “a responsibility and an honor.” And the exchange is mutual: “I get much more from showing my support than I give.”
Investing with Love and Compassion
For Jennifer Johnson, service is deeply personal. As a child, she watched her father respond to emergencies as a volunteer ambulance worker, learning early both the importance of showing up and how essential services often rely on limited resources.
During her 17-year career in journalism, Johnson gained a close view of the nonprofit organizations she calls “the glue that hold our community together.” That understanding deepened when her second daughter, Grace, was treated at UR Medicine Golisano Children’s Hospital for a severe congenital diaphragmatic hernia—an experience that reshaped her relationship to service and advocacy.
Today, as director of family and community outreach at Golisano Children’s Hospital, Johnson leads the Family Connection Program, which partners families with lived experience alongside hospital staff to improve care and support current patients. Creating “opportunities and spaces for collaboration is making a difference in patient care,” she says, particularly for medically complex children.
Johnson serves on boards that advocate for families of children with medical complexity. She says support systems outside the hospital setting are still evolving and she feels grateful to help other families navigate similar challenges.
For Johnson, community service ultimately comes down to presence and commitment. “Showing up for others—whether sharing your time, your talents, or your money—community service is love and compassion in action,” she says. When organizations receive that support, she believes, it can make “the impossible possible” for those doing vital work in the community.
Helping Others is Valuable Investment
After 25 years in journalism, Norma Holland frames service as leadership. During her time at 13WHAM, there was an “unspoken expectation” to give back, she says. For Holland, emceeing was a “privilege,” offering “a window on the world [she] wouldn’t have otherwise had,” meeting countless people and learning more about incredible organizations in the Rochester area.
Holland’s philosophy is that time spent elevating others is a valuable investment. “If I can help bring attention to something that helps elevate others, I count that as time and money well spent.”
Now director of public relations and community engagement for the University of Rochester’s Office of Equity and Inclusion, Holland serves on the boards of the Alzheimer’s Association, Huther Doyle, and Bishop Kearney, with each commitment reflecting aspects of her life and values.
As a mother, she’s also thinking ahead. “I want to raise the next generation of helpers because none of us goes through life without needing some help.” Service to the community isn’t about recognition or her past as a newscaster, she says, adding, “I’m here to make a difference.”
A Commitment That Continues
Across different paths and passions, these former newscasters share a common aim: to be part of the solution. To give back, not for recognition, but because it’s the right thing to do.
Their careers in television drew them into the community. Relationships grew into long-term commitments. The broadcasts may have ended, but the service has not. For Alhart, Emblidge, Ryan, Johnson, and Holland, investing in the community isn’t a side project—it’s a crucial component of life.
"If my only purpose in life was to connect people, then I’ve lived a good life.”
“I want to raise the next generation of helpers because none of us goes through life without needing some help.”