
JULY 2025
Upcoming Events
7/9 12:00 p.m. - WHEN Monthly Coalition meeting - Everyone is welcome to join us in person or online. See details/register. Catch up by reading June meeting minutes.
7/23 6:00-8:00 p.m. - Enjoy an outdoor concert with Allegro on the front lawn of the Webster United Church of Christ at 570 Klem Road, with an optional free will collection benefiting Webster Health & Education Network! Concessions open at 6:00, music from 6:30 - 8:00. See their flyer for more information. Sign up here to help out at the WHEN table.
8/13 12:00 p.m. - The August WHEN Coalition meeting will be online only. Please mark your calendar and register here for the link.
Webster Headlines
Happy July birthdays to these WHEN members:
Ashley, Audra, Brian, Robin, George and Katie!
The spring/summer issue of Vanguard, a publication of the School Administrators Association of New York State (SAANYS) is packed with fascinating information, including a great article titled “Navigating the Digital Landscape: Fostering Wellness in the Age of Anxiety” by our own Joe Montemaro! Joe is Director of Educational Technology and Information for Webster Central Schools Technical Services and a regular WHEN collaborator. His article shares some of our recent joint efforts. Check out the digital download version of the issue and find Joe’s article on page 35(print) and 39(digital).
A DWI Mock Crash was held at Webster Schroeder HS on June 4. Thank you to WCSD and all who made it possible! WHEN volunteers including Donna, Wendy, Jules, Dustin, Penny and Kate, handed out cards at the event, urging teens to use caution throughout prom, ball, and graduation season. Thank you Jen Calus, for sharing these photos.
Photo credit: Jen Calus, WCSD
WHEN volunteers recently visited Webster businesses offering them this information about access to free training for staff on the use of Narcan/naloxone to save the life of an overdose patient.
Lunchtime Legends was a blast at Spry! We plan to continue this effort to engage directly with middle schoolers, so watch for more opportunities coming this fall. Speak with any of these fabulous volunteers to learn more about Lunchtime Legends; Dustin, Emma, Chris, Tim and Wendy. Thank you all for sharing your time with Webster youth!
Spotlight
We'd like to thank the Webster Chamber of Commerce for allowing WHEN to use their conference room for our monthly coalition meetings! The Chamber has been very supportive of our efforts to empower Webster youth to grow up strong and substance-free. Our partnership has helped us make local connections and share event information.
Many thanks!
Bring on the Boredom!
“Protective factors are conditions or attributes in individuals, families, and communities that promote the health and well-being of children and families.” - ChildWelfare.gov
By WHEN member Dana Buccieri, MEd
If the title for this portion of our July newsletter sounds like it should be a parental theme song for you during the dreaded days of summer (when you are feeling like the CEO of entertainment in your household!), then this is for you.
Believe it or not, less can be more! Often, we view the free days of summer as a major dilemma that needs to be solved. The feeling of responsibility it invokes comes up immediately for me when I think back to my kids' younger years when they woke up each summer morning and said, “What are we going to do today, mom?” Making the days structured, special, eventful and busy made me feel like a camp counselor in my own home. Little did I know about the benefits of boredom.

When children engage in play that is undirected and unmanufactured, the creative part of their brain is stimulated. They can develop creative skills that stay with them for life. More: Calm

When children are being creative they are directing their own destiny for that moment; they are being intentional in what they are doing and actually managing themselves. As parents, we are always looking for how we can foster self-esteem and have our children be self-reliant. If we are constantly structuring our children’s lives for them, we are actually taking away opportunities for them to develop independence and agency over their own happiness.
In fact, boredom helps kids develop valuable skills, says clinical psychologist Stephanie Lee, PsyD. For starters, it helps kids build tolerance of less-than-ideal experiences. “Boredom might not be super distressing,” she explains, “but it’s not fun. Life requires us to manage our frustrations and regulate our emotions when things aren’t going our way, and boredom is a great way to teach that skill.” - Child Mind Institute writer Gia Miller, The Benefits of Boredom
We have developed into a society that leans too much on immediate gratification versus tolerance. Our parenting mindsets have been about our kids suffering less by meeting their needs in quick, superheroic fashion. However, we need to prepare our children for the unknowns of tomorrow, to be resilient in falling, and learn from life’s challenges. Who knew it could be as simple as allowing them to be bored.
Creativity, confidence, problem solving, and self-reliance are universal character traits we all strive for in developing our children. To prepare for the pressure you may feel in helping them embrace the boredom, set aside some time with your children to create a list of activities that they enjoy. Ideally, this list would involve input from both of you, things that have always sparked their passions, along with new things they are interested in learning. Then they can refer to the list when boredom begins, versus always coming to you.

And remember, it is perfectly fine to help them begin to be ok with boredom. We all can use some hand holding especially when we might be trying something that is new. The goal here would be to wean them off of leaning on you as their entertainer and always needing your undivided attention. If you help them respond to boredom as an exciting opportunity, it will benefit you and your children; it will give you a break, allow for them to gain skills and eventually they will become the boss of their boredom!
Upcoming Meetings
Next Coalition meeting is
Wednesday, July 9 at noon.
Click here for details and to register.
Typically, we meet in person AND online via Google Meet the second Wednesday of each month at noon. Many of us join during our lunch break. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to participate. In fact, our goal is to have representation from all walks of life, to better meet the needs of the whole community.
Read the June Coalition Meeting Minutes.
Reminders
Check out Let Grow to "build independence and promote free play in your own family and neighborhood". Their Independence Kit includes lists of activities your kids can get started on today!