APRIL 2024
Upcoming Events
4/13 - 10:00-4:00 PM - Community Arts Day is almost here! Stop by our table for a fun kids’ craft that reinforces protective factors as well as tons of WHEN swag. Just look for our huge undersea-themed banner to find us! Learn more about Community Arts Day. Enjoy some photos from last year's event below. We always have a blast!
4/27 10:00-2:00 PM - WHEN, the Town of Webster, and the Webster Police Department are hosting a DEA National Drug Take Back event at the Webster Town Court. Clear out your medicine cabinet to help to keep Webster safe. This will be a drive-through event so you don't even have to get out of your car! See details or register to get a reminder the day before the event.
5/22 6:30-7:45 PM - Save the Date for WHEN's World Cafe-style parent dialog. We are inviting Webster parents of elementary and middle school-aged kids to join together to discuss a few of today's parenting challenges and share solutions. It will be brief, fun, and interactive – a chance to chat with other parents, enjoy a snack and cup of coffee, and walk out with a few new ideas for keeping our kids safe, healthy, and thriving. It will be held at Webster Parks and Recreation. Watch for more details coming soon!
Webster Headlines
Happy birthday to these WHEN members celebrating in April:
Bronwen G, Kaitlyn V, Amanda T, Pamela G, Babette B, Michelle B
Mark’s Pizzeria has joined the fun and will be putting our protective factor stickers on their pizza boxes along with Guida’s! Each sticker has a QR code, and those that subscribe to our newsletter from that page are added to a drawing for a FREE pizza! Thank you Mark’s! (Click on an image for a link to store details).
WHEN has created a fun new craft for kids to do at Community Arts Day, designed to raise awareness of protective factors. We need a few adult & teen volunteers to help out at the event on 4/13 between 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM. Sign up here to help for an hour or two. You’ll see a ton of neighbors and friends and have a blast with the kids!
WHEN has started planning a “World Cafe”-style parent forum for this spring. Our goal is to bring parents together to share their perspectives on topics important to their developing kids. While we will bring data and resources to share and fuel discussion, this will be an opportunity for parents to bond over relatable challenges and share what works for them. We encourage parents to attend with a friend or the parent of one of their kid’s friends. We are forming a planning team for this event and we could use your input! Please sign up here to participate in planning.
Volunteers are needed for the spring Drug Take Back event on Saturday, April 27 from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. You may sign up here to help out for an hour or two. Your participation is appreciated! If you can't be there, please help by spreading the word. You can forward this newsletter to your friends and neighbors or share our social media posts in the coming days. Thanks!
Incremental Change
“Protective factors are conditions or attributes in individuals, families, and communities that promote the health and well-being of children and families.” - ChildWelfare.gov
Small steps toward healthy habits encourage these protective factors: recognition of prosocial involvement, social skills, emotional control, interaction with prosocial peers, and opportunities for prosocial involvement in the family and school.
By WHEN member, Judi Swanson, LCSW~R
Lao Tzu said, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one small step.”
As human beings we want to be healthy and happy. Sometimes our actions and habits create barriers to being our healthiest and happiest selves. The great news is there are small steps and small actions that can have huge life impacts. James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, defines habits as “the small decisions you make and actions you perform every day. He also states, “Your life today is essentially the sum of your habits.”
“I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish many small tasks as if they were great and noble.” - Helen Keller
Sometimes when we make changes in our habits and the results are not immediate it can feel like we are doing something wrong. If we are not consistent we can feel like a failure and give up. In a Psychology Today article, psychologist B.J. Fogg states “that when we’re unable to implement new behaviors consistently, it’s not always about a lack of motivation or willpower; we’re just taking the wrong approach. Fogg recommends “making small, gradual behavioral changes instead of immediately jumping into significant changes. These small changes in behavior should increase little by little over time until you have achieved your desired change.”
“The path to greatness begins with your willingness to take small steps.” - Kathy McClary
If you want more movement and exercise, begin with taking a walk around the block every other day, go to the Webster Parks and Recreation Center or a gym three times a week. If you park farther away from the entrance of a store you will be taking more steps. Walking 5,000 steps a day is almost 37 marathons a year; small steps equal giant accomplishments! Maybe you want to eat healthier, so pick one meal a week that is plant-based or have a delicious salad for a meal three times a week. Perhaps you want to change your sleep habits; try moving up your bedtime by 15 minutes and read a book in bed instead of a screen. If you want to drink more water every hour, take a couple of sips of cool, refreshing H2O. The more you incorporate these healthier habits, the healthier you will be. The healthier you are, the happier you are. As James Clear also says, “When you learn to transform your habits, you can transform your life.”
WHEN celebrates the Webster community and the steps we are taking together to empower Webster kids to grow up strong and resilient by increasing protective factors and raising awareness to reduce early drug and alcohol exposure.
Spotlight
Behind the scenes, a small but mighty team of WHEN members has been working diligently on our grant application! If we are awarded the grant, it will fund another 5 years of our work here in Webster, so it’s critically important to our mission. The effort has been led by our executive director, Janine Sanger, and Steve Guadioso has analyzed community data and packaged it to meet the specific needs and requirements of the application. Krista Grose, George Hebert, Judi Swanson, and Jules Denning have been hard at work for weeks responding to the questions and crafting our narrative. Many thanks to all of you for your enormous contribution, helping WHEN to continue empowering Webster kids to grow up strong and substance free!
Upcoming Meetings
Our next meeting is Wednesday, April 10 at noon. Register here to receive details for both in-person and online options.
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. If you missed the last meeting, view it via the link below. We try to post the most recent meeting on our website.
Read last month's Coalition Meeting Minutes.
Reminders
Prom and Ball season is right around the corner. If someone you love will be participating in these events, please consider sharing our safety tips with them long before the event and use the opportunity to discuss your expectations, consequences, and support.
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.