FEBRUARY 2026
Upcoming Events
Wednesday, Feb 11 at noon - WHEN monthly coalition meeting in person at the Webster Chamber of Commerce. If you can’t attend in person, please consider joining online. PLEASE NOTE THESE ITEMS ARE ON THE MEETING AGENDA TO BE VOTED ON:
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At the February meeting we will be voting to change our by-laws to move the election of directors to the Board of Directors to November each year instead of March. The terms will start on January 1st of each year and will continue to be three-year terms. This will allow us to have a full Board in place when the new year begins and helps to prepare for our Annual Meeting (held in March).
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At the Annual Meeting on March 11, we will be electing two directors to three-year terms beginning on 01/01/2026. Those directors whose terms expired on 12/31/2025 (but have been extended by the Board until the election) are Jen Swab-DeGrace and Barry Howard. Both have agreed to run for a new term.
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CALL FOR CANDIDATES NOTICE: WHEN members in good standing may submit their name as a candidate to fill one of the two (2) director seats on the WHEN Board of Directors. The term is for three years. Please submit your interest to Janine by 2/15 via email to be considered and to learn more about the role. Election will take place at the March 11 Annual Meeting.
Thursday, March, 12 6:30 p.m. WHEN Family Game Night with free Candy Bar BINGO at Plank North. Plank North families can register here. Sign up to help out here.
Wednesday, March, 18 6:30 p.m. WHEN Family Game Night with free Candy Bar BINGO at Plank South. Plank South families can register here. Sign up to help out here.
Webster Headlines
Happy birthday to these WHEN members celebrating in February:
Chris B., Jennifer S., Shannon F., Katie W., Victoria B., and Kate L..
WHEN & Webster Central PTSA’s Family Game Nights continue to draw large crowds, providing a free night of family fun and community. We expect two more in March before wrapping up for this school year. This year, we revamped the event to include more information about WHEN, and we distribute our Dinnertime Dilemmas handout to parents, encouraging the development of protective factors. It’s also been gratifying that so many parents who attend complete our survey, and some even join WHEN. It continues to be a great way to engage with our community!
Family Game Night at State Rd Elementary.
WHEN visited Webster middle schools again the last week of January with our Lunchtime Legends program. Students got to play games and create Valentines Day cards for local nursing home residents. The kids are eager to participate and our volunteers truly have so much fun with them. Consider signing up to help out at our next Lunchtime Legends: 3/19 at Spry and 3/20 at Willink.
Photo credits: Jen Calus, WCSD & Janine Sanger
Dry January as a Gateway to Healthier Choices
“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
While January has come and gone and a new month is already upon us, I recently spent time researching Dry January and the origins of this increasingly popular trend to give up alcohol for the start of the new year. It began with a woman named Emily Robinson who had signed up to run a marathon in February 2011. In an attempt to help ease her training process, she decided to give up alcohol the month before the marathon.
“She loses weight, sleeps better, and feels like she has more energy to do the run. But something else happens… Everyone wants to talk to her about what it’s like to give up drinking a bit.”
-Alcohol Change UK 2026 The Dry January Story
What started with one person’s desire to feel better turned into an international campaign that still exists today with millions of individuals participating. Stopping drinking for a month alters liver fat, cholesterol, blood sugar, and helps people lose weight.
“If someone had a health product that did all that in one month, they would be raking it in,” says Professor Kevin Moore, a consultant at Liver Health Services, University College London Medical Centre.
Will power is a muscle that needs exercising and what people have learned about most challenges in life, it is easier to not go it alone. The timing of this growing phenomenon follows an indulgent month during the holidays when people are desperate to feel better and reduce their consumption.
According to Gallup's 90-year trend, the overall percentage of Americans who report that they drink alcohol has fallen to an all time low of 54%, which coincides with recent research indicating that any level of alcohol consumption may negatively affect health. This has been a major change from the previous recommendations that moderate drinking could offer some protective benefits. Americans’ drinking habits are shifting as Gallup’s research suggests that more Americans believe that “no amount of alcohol is safe”. The most recent Gallup statistics from August 2025 indicate that the average amount of drinks consumed per week is now 2.8, down from a high of 5.1 drinks per week.
Campaigns like Dry January allow those who participate to experiment with how it feels to change a behavior that can only benefit one’s health. Because of the addictive nature of alcohol, it is not an easy challenge! However, if the benefits of abstaining from alcohol outweigh the effects of consumption, maybe it will empower us to make choices that benefit us long after Dry January.
"We think of it sometimes like a fire break, like you have a gap between the trees in a forest in order that the fire can't spread, it stops your alcohol [use] getting worse and worse over time."
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Spotlight
Many, many thanks to the Young Life high school volunteers who have been helping with our Family Game Night events! You all bring so much fun and energy to the evening, elevating the experience for all who attend and bringing joy to our team as well.
Thank you, all!
Upcoming Meetings
Our next meeting is Wednesday, February 11 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.
Read last month's Coalition Meeting Minutes.
Quick Resources
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Wondering if you should be worried about how much you drink? Take this screening quiz to find out.
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Here are some simple tips for cutting down on alcohol consumption.
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Check out these mocktail recipes and enjoy the fun of a special drink without the negative health consequences of alcohol. (Don't be fooled by marketing campaigns - THC/cannabis-infused beverages are not a healthy alternative and simply introduce another unhealthy habit.)