NOVEMBER 2024
Upcoming Events
Saturday, Nov 2, 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. - WHEN will have a table at the Family Scavenger Hunt taking place at Webster Parks and Recreation. Bring the kids and come out for a day of family fun! Be sure to stop by our table for a free snack. Volunteers are still needed. Please consider coming out for a bit, we promise you will have fun! Sign up here to help.
Thursday, Nov 21, 6:30 p.m. - WHEN Family Game Night at Schlegel Rd Elementary. This will be our first of the school year and will be followed by several more in January and February at each elementary school. Each is exclusively for students of the school with their families, and is a fun opportunity to bond with both family and community. Schlegel Road families can register here for this very popular, free event! If you would like to volunteer to help out that evening, we promise you will have a blast! In case you want to save the date for Family Game Night at your school:
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Klem North: Thurs. Jan 9, 6:15 p.m.
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Plank South: Thurs. Jan 16, 6:30 p.m.
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DeWitt: Thurs. Jan 30, 6:30 p.m.
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Plank North: Thurs. Feb 6, 6:30 p.m.
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Best Buddies at Spry: Feb 11, 3:15 p.m.
SAVE THE DATE - Tuesday, Jan 21, 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. - From Worries to Wellness - supporting kids with anxiety and building resilience to help all youth better cope with stress. This parent forum is part of our Navigating the Tween Years series and is built on the World Cafe format. Learn more and register here.
Webster Headlines
A very happy November birthday to WHEN member Jennivyn!
We welcomed more than 500 unique visitors to our online Red Ribbon Week kit this year, and are pleased to provide these free resources on-demand, to our community and beyond.
Webster’s DEA Drug Take-Back event on October 26 collected 175 pounds of unused prescription medication and 16 pounds of sharps from Webster area households. Thank you to all who participated. We apologize that the event was complicated by early voting in the same location, but we are thrilled so many still participated. The next national Take-Back day is in April. In the meantime, you can visit the eco park website for information about the pharmaceuticals they accept, including sharps.
Feedback from WHEN’s Social Media & Your Kid parent forum on October 16, was amazing! Attendees uniformly gave us exceptionally high marks for content, format, and overall satisfaction. We are planning to offer the program again, so more families can benefit. Please register for our next event in the Navigating the Tween Years series, From Worries to Wellness, and be sure to tell your friends about it. The series was highlighted in the NCAAD - RA Fall Newsletter on page 7.
Did you know that there are now many publicly available NaloxBoxes in Webster? Learn more about naloxone and where you can find it locally here.
Creating Ripples of Kindness
“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, Judi Swanson, LCSW~R
A wise person said, “Kindness - it costs nothing and means everything.” World Kindness Day is November 13, offering us the opportunity to celebrate acts of kindness in our communities, to promote the importance of kindness in our life and the lives of other people all around the world. A Fast Company article says this about kindness: “Even the smallest acts of kindness make us happier and healthier. Kindness is also contagious and science backs that up.”
“You may not always see the results of your kindness, but every bit of positive energy you contribute to the world makes it a better place for all of us.” Lisa Currie
Researchers Amit Kumar and Nicholas Epley studied the impact of kindness. An article in Scientific American states, “Across our investigations, several robust patterns emerged. For one, both performers and recipients of the acts of kindness were in more positive moods than normal after these exchanges. For another, it was clear that performers undervalued their impact: recipients felt significantly better than the kind actors expected.” When you are kind, a boost of positivity happens to your body. Your mood, confidence, and well-being improves. Your blood pressure decreases. For anyone witnessing or hearing about an act of kindness, it motivates them to be kind and they also experience a wealth of positives to their well-being. Kindness has a special quality of making everyone feel good.
“To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you lived. That is to have succeeded.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
Each day provides us the opportunity to show kindness to others and it does not have to cost anything. A smile to a stranger, helping your neighbors rake up leaves, writing a thank you note to anyone in your life, complimenting someone, holding the door for the person behind you, returning another person’s grocery cart, being a listening ear for someone, choosing words that reflect empathy and compassion, picking up trash when you go for a walk, and checking in on someone are some of the many ways to be kind. WHEN has experienced much kindness and support from the community, for which we are very grateful.
Spotlight
This month, we'd like to shine a light on our Webster Police Department for their dedication to our community and great collaboration with WHEN. From supporting our schools, collaborating on Drug Take Back events, attending WHEN meetings and sharing their efforts, we are very grateful for their partnership in our mission to prevent substance use among Webster youth.
Upcoming Meetings
Our next meeting is Wednesday, November 13 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.
Reminders
November is Lung Cancer Awareness month. Here are some tips for talking to kids about vaping. It’s important for kids to know that particulates and chemicals from these products harm lung health. It may be helpful to remind them that lung health is critical to achieving their goals, especially for athletes.
For those wanting to quit, URMC is offering Nicotine Dependence Treatment for all ages. In-person appointments, telehealth, and free Commit to Quit group sessions are all available. Visit our Vaping page for more info and additional sessation resources.