North Cheektowaga Courier/ Friday, December 19, 2014
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Holy Family Senior Center is home and more By Catherine Miller COURIER CORRESPONDENT
Ann McMahon felt right at home when she stepped in to the Holy Family Senior Apartments when it first opened at the corner of S Park and Tifft three years ago. And why shouldn’t she? “I went to grade school in this building,” reminisced McMahon, about the building that was once the Holy Family Catholic School, “I was married to my husband Thomas in the church next door and I raised nine children with him just a few blocks away.” So when the time came to find a senior living place that would allow her to maintain her active lifestyle and enjoy the social interaction she was accustomed to, the Holy Family Apartments seemed perfect. The wide halls and warm ambiance with its well-known layout, amidst a familiar neighborhood and
conversion of the building to a senior living center, the halls of the structure were renovated with a bit of the “grade school” feel to its décor, using the classroom chalkboards intermittently throughout the halls as message boards and displaying art work from years past to capture the school-like feel. Walking outside her apartment door shortly after moving in Ann McMahon looked up and saw a familiar name signed to the bottom of a painting that was completed over 60 years earlier. “James Hinman, Grade 7” had completed a depiction of Jesus with his mother, Mary. The young artist, James Hinman, was Ann McMahon [front] is joined by friends Sharon Godwin, Yvonne Ann’s youngest brother had passed away years Kelso, and Annette Byrnes [left to right] for a Buffalo Bills game at the who earlier. She was shocked Holy Family Senior Apartments and delighted. After a bit of investigating McMahon found that the picture was It wasn’t until after made another discovery part of a school art project friendly residents seemed moving in that McMahon about the center. During the that was completed on the like an ideal new home.
Learn to snowshoe this winter
ByDebra Kelly
COURIER CORRESPONDENT
There's no denying it – this winter has been a brutal one. There's one simple thing that might make getting out to shovel the driveway or hike to the mailbox a little bit easier, though, and it's something we tend not to think about a lot here – snowshoes. Today's snowshoes aren't like the ones you're probably
thinking of, the ones that are made of wood and even look like they'd be difficult to walk in. Many modern brands are incredibly lightweight, made of aluminum and plastic, and the educational center at Reinstein Woods rents them out so you can give them a go first before picking up your own pair. “Modern snowshoes like the ones we rent at Reinstein Woods are extremely easy to use,” says Meaghan Boice-
Green, center director of Reinstein Woods. “You simply strap the snowshoes on over your boots and walk normally. The only advice we give people is not to try to walk backwards.” There are a number of snowshoe walks coming up at Reinstein Woods, and they won't just be giving visitors the chance to walk through the woods on snowshoes, they'll be teaching everyone a little something while you're
at it. At 10:30 a.m. on Monday, December 22, they'll be hosting a Family Snowshoe Walk suitable for all ages. At 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, December 30, guides will be taking visitors on a Winter Wildlife Snowshoe Walk around the preserve, pointing out the signs left behind by Western New York's winter wildlife. And at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, January 3, they'll be holding a Snowshoeing 101
class where guides will be giving visitors the basics on snowshoes before setting off on a guided walk. For those that don't have their own snowshoes, snowshoe rental is $5 per person and $2 per person for the Friends of Reinstein Woods. The programs – and the snowshoes – are appropriate not only for adults but for kids as well. In fact, it's teaching the kids how to snowshoe and showing them how much
gym floor of the school in the mid 1950’s by a select group of artistic young students. The paintings were found during the renovation and it was decided that they would be used to decorate a few hallways – with the painting of a 12 yr. old James Hinman making its way strangely just a feet away from the outer door of his older sister’s new home over six decades later. Now with her brother’s painting always in view, Ann McMahon has called the Holy Family Senior Apartments her home for over three years and according to her “if they want me out they are going to have to throw me out.” There is no place she would rather be. “We all get along and we are here for each other,” stated McMahon’s friends
“See Holy Family, Page 2”
fun just hiking through the woods can be that's one of their favorite parts of the job over at the preserve. “The best part of teaching kids to snowshoe is watching them explore the woods at a different time of year,” says Boice-Green. “The snowshoes enable them to go farther along the trail system without getting tired Those interested in attending classes should register in advance by calling 683-5959.