Saturday, February 25, 2017 • Page 1D
Chamber Chow Down
Spiced Memory Village of Heights fights dementia with paint By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com
Thousands are once again expected to attend this year’s festival, which begins with a parade at 10:30 a.m.
Annual crawfish festival is March 4 By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com Crawfish season may have already begun here in Houston, but there can’t be such a thing as too much crawfish; and the local chamber of commerce is proud to once again present their annual community celebration— and of course more crawfish. On Saturday, March 4, thousands will descend upon the Heights for the Greater Heights Chamber of Commerce Crawfish Festival, an event which saw at least 10,000 attendees and more than 8,000 pounds of crawfish sold in 2016. “It’s just a fantastic community event a lot of local people can just walk to and have a good time,” Chamber President Jacob Millwee said of the event’s trifecta, which includes a parade, the festival itself and the finals of the Idol of the Heights contest. Numerous merchants along 19th Street are also setting up watch parties (beginning around 10 a.m.) for residents to relax and enjoy the parade (kicking off at 10:30 a.m.) comfortably. Standing watch over the proceedings as grand marshal will be H-E-B Houston Division President Scott McClelland, an invitation extension Millwee said
was a ‘welcome to the neighborhood’ gesture as opposed to any real desire to honor or call out the man behind H-E-B’s new presence in the Heights. “In this case, we felt as though extending an invitation to him would cover all of the requirements. He’s new to the area, and we thought the residents might want an opportunity to see him face to face, see him participate and get a feel for their intentions and presence moving forward,” he explained. “I think the fact that they’re willing to come into the area and engage with the community indicates a willingness to be a part of the Heights in a way some of the other larger chains have not.” “H-E-B is thrilled to join our soon-to-be neighbors in celebrating our community,” McClelland said in a release. “H-E-B’s commitment to the Heights is
truly unique and we look forward to making a meaningful difference.” Crowds will then flock to the main event, which Millwee expects will draw thousands more. “We’ve done this for well over a decade in various forms — last year we saw the event grow into something amazing, and we have every expectation it will continue to grow,” he said of the Chamber’s efforts in 2016. The Crawfish Festival will begin around 11 a.m., with everything from (of course) crawfish to hot dogs and Papa Murphy’s pizza on the menu. Karbach and St. Arnold’s will be among the beers served. Capping off festivities later that afternoon will be the Idol of the Heights finals, as those who have survived the grueling semifinals reach the pinnacle and showcase their talent for the opportunity to walk away with $1,500. Monday’s 2nd place winner will take home $750, while the 3rd place winner goes home with $300 as a result of Chamber efforts to invest in their young generation. “We have an opportunity to shape our future by supporting the kids who are going to come back one day—we believe in that,” Millwee said.
With each passing year, the memories for some grow fainter and fainter; but one local care facility is taking every step to attempt slowing down the effect of dementia in their residents. Last week, Village of the Heights senior living facility rolled out the inaugural test of Spice Painting, an activity aimed at delaying the effects of dementia in older patients via the combination of spices with water color paints to invoke possible longlost memories “This alone is beneficial because it utilizes their senses – their hand-eye coordination with the painting and spices in the paint brought back some memories. It works the mind and touches some of the senses,” Village of the Heights Memory Care Program Coordinator Christian Salazar said.
The study was originally conducted by Dr. Christine Tisone, professor of health education at Texas A&M as part of a student project. Oddly enough, one Village of the Heights’ resident’s granddaughter currently studies in College Station — a fortunate connection for all involved according to Executive Director Anthony Ormsbee. “One of the focuses for our community this year is revitalizing our program calendar, and in memory care that’s essential,” he said. “We must keep those individuals with dementia constantly engaged to manage some of the behavior they might have. This is one of those great programs where they can utilize the senses, and it’s a great way to learn more about that individual that we might not have known.” Shortly after coming across the study over the summer of 2016, Ormsbee delved See Village P. 2D
Academy gives special needs students tools that put them into the workforce By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com For parents with special needs students, scoping out a comfortable learning environment which is conducive to their success can be difficult; and that realization spurred Gateway Academy Head of School and founder Michele Joseph Gateway Academy helps to take it prepare students for jobs. upon herself to ensure those students receive the same tools for life as any other student. “There just weren’t a lot of places for the
kids who need the instruction and steps, small classes and attention our kids need to be successful,” Joseph said. “These students were getting lost in other schools, where there are thousands of kids. Our students can’t operate under those conditions for the attention they need.” Joseph’s staff at Gateway puts a focus on physical education as a way for students to monitor their own bodies, feel the anxiety they have and subsequently use physical exercise as a release and outlet for the anxiety — a practice Joseph says has effects far surpassing just the immediate relief. “It’s a form of managing their learning and their bodies,” she said. “About 75 percent of our kids are diagnosed with issues that require medication, but if they use exercise to manage a lot of their anxiety and education, they won’t need that mediSee Gateway P. 2D