JUNE 2023
Upcoming Events
June 13 & 20 at 3:00 PM: National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare’s (NCSACW) free webinar, “Dialogue with Experts” Series: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder - Bending the Trajectory. Register for free here.
June 14, 12:00 PM: WHEN Coalition’s Monthly Meeting: Our upcoming summer coalition meetings will include a live three-part series on sustainability. Our June, July, and August meetings will each include a 20-minute presentation by Joe Seaver about how we can maintain our coalition beyond our grant funding (yes, it’s already time to plan for the next phase). This three-part series will help us plan now for the future of WHEN so that we may continue serving Webster families even after our grant funding has expired. Register for our June meeting to receive a reminder email. To participate in planning for sustainability, sign up here.
June 14 at 6:30 - 7:30 PM: WHEN presents a free, in-person Narcan/naloxone training session for those who live or work in Webster. You will receive a free naloxone kit upon completing the brief, in-person training session at the Webster Public Library. Register here for free.
June 24 from 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM: WHEN is hosting a Drug Take Back event in partnership with the Town of Webster, the Webster Police Department and Assemblyman Brian Manktelow at the Wastewater Treatment Plant, 226 Phillips Rd. See details and register to get a free reminder a day before the event.
Webster Headlines
Members - Thanks for the Feedback
Member feedback via survey and at our last coalition meeting has informed a shift in how we plan to reach out to new members to share information. One aspect of these changes includes forming a Welcome Wagon to reach out to newcomers, answer their questions, and make sure they feel comfortable. Please consider joining this team or contact Jen DeGrace for more information.
We have also updated our Get Involved webpage to give more specific information about current volunteer opportunities for both members and nonmembers. Check it out and let us know what you think. Please continue to share any ideas you may have to help us grow our membership and increase member engagement. We'll be sharing additional updates soon.
May Recap
We've had a LOT going on! Catch up by reading last month’s coalition meeting notes.
PSA: URMC is offering Nicotine Dependence Treatment for all ages. In-person appointments, telehealth, and free Commit to Quit group sessions are all available. This is an amazing resource for our community and has the potential to help so many struggling with nicotine addiction. It's particularly beneficial to our youth population who have seen an increase in nicotine dependence, but have had few resources to help them quit.
Healthy Families
Protective Factors: Attachment and bonding to family, social skills, opportunities for prosocial involvement in family, emotional control
By WHEN member, Judi Swanson, LCSW~R
“Home is where your story begins.” - Unknown
There are all sorts of family combinations, ranging from families with two parents of the same or opposite sex, single-parent families, adoptive families, foster families, families with multigenerational family members, and children who are being raised by grandparents or other relatives. A family models how people should treat each other, communication, bonding, social skills, how to express emotions, and how to interact with the world.
“Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.” - Lilo & Stitch
Building strong, resilient, and healthy families involves ongoing effort. Dedication to working on these skills is worthwhile for each family member. An article in Great Start Collaborative.org says, “Teaching your child to effectively communicate and interact builds positive relationships and makes your family strong. Working on skills with your children such as encouraging your child to problem solve, empathizing with your child, and identifying and discussing feelings impact a child’s overall well-being and the family as well.”
“We must take care of our families wherever we find them.”
- Elizabeth Gilbert
Families provide a place and a space for people to love, be there for each other, to learn and to grow. Sharing experiences from the day, weekly family nights, respecting and valuing each individual for what they contribute to the family, working through challenges with open, and healthy communication that involves active listening and exchanging of ideas makes a more resilient family. Multiple research studies have shown family meals, which can be breakfast, lunch, or dinner, help to strengthen family functioning and support the healthy emotional development of children and teenagers. Adding in a healthy dose of laughter, fun, and helping others establishes a strong foundation for a happy, healthy, and resilient family.
Spotlight
We’d like to thank and publicly acknowledge the Webster businesses who passed their compliance checks (did not serve an underage mystery shopper) for helping to keep Webster kids safe:
Allocco
Cloud Factory Vape Shop
Joe's Quick Marts
7-Eleven (Ridge Rd and North Ave locations)
Hegedorns grocery
Quicklees
Speedy's Convenience
Village Vape
Burkes
Valero
Upcoming Meetings
We meet in person AND online via Google Meet the second Wednesday of each month at noon. Everyone is welcome - we seek input from all sectors of the Webster community.
Register for the June 14 Coalition Meeting.
Reminders
Check out our revised Get Involved webpage and, you know… get involved! We’re doing good work in Webster and we need you to be a part of it.
Graduation season is here. If someone you love will be heading out to grad parties, please consider sharing our safety tips with them long before the event and use the opportunity to discuss your expectations, consequences, and most of all, support.