Education

Beyond Lemonade Stands

Rochester Youth Are Learning the Business of Entrepreneurship Article by Marie Gillette | Photography by Submitted A lemonade stand, often a first taste of entrepreneurship, is simple, hands-on, and full of early lessons in pricing, customers, and profit. Across the Rochester area, youth explore business ownership on a much larger scale through programs that teach leadership, financial literacy, product development, marketing, and real-world business skills. For more than two decades, Young...

Life + Culture

Screens, Smartphones, Parenting

Balancing Safety, Connection, and Screen Time Article by Colleen Farrell Raising kids has never come with an instruction manual, but for today's parents, the challenge comes with an added twist: navigating a world of smartphones, social media, and screens that didn't exist when they themselves were growing up. For local families like the Arnolds of Irondequoit and the Kowalskis of Hamlin, that means constantly weighing safety and convenience against worries about what their kids are really...

Arts + Culture

A Perfect Picture Dog

Jen Semmler Captures Dogs at Their Most Joyful—and Most Themselves Article by Katrina M. Randall | Photography by Jen Semmler Step into Jen Semmler’s photography studio and you might be greeted by a curious chorus of squawks and squeaks. Over the course of the three years she’s focused solely on dogs, a methodology has formed that she’s dubbed “tricks and treats.” Those squeakers and squawkers allow her to get her subject’s attention so she can get the picture she wants. “It’s all done very...

Health + Wellness

Doing Good Quietly

10 Lesser-Known Nonprofits Making a Real Difference for Kids and Animals in Our Region Article by Katrina M. Randall Each month, the team at ROC City Lifestyle strives to highlight a lesser-known nonprofit in our region. Rochester and the Finger Lakes are home to so many organizations working to make our communities better, more equitable places to live, learn, and grow. There were so many, in fact, that for our August issue, themed Kids & Pets, it was hard to pick just one. The stories...