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The West Seneca & Elma Sun / Saturday, December 06, 2014
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WEEKEND FORECAST FRI SAT SUN 39o/33o 40o/32o 40o/34o Partly cloudy
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EAST LINEMAN HAS BIG SEASON
‘PAWS AND CLAUS’ TO BENEFIT ANIMALS
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West Seneca board meeting discusses storm, social media By Kimberly Snickles WEST SENECA SUN EDITOR
After Winter Storm Knife hit West Seneca fast and furiously, the town is looking into various social media outlets to keep the public aware of driving bans, emergency phone numbers, and more. “We will have a Twitter account for the Town of West Seneca and we will be able to start tweeting,” said Town Supervisor Sheila Meegan. The Twitter account will be linked to the town’s new CodeRed activation system, an emergency notification service that allows town officials to notify residents by phone or email to emergency situations. To sign up for CodeRed, visit https:// public.coderedweb.com/ CNE/BF1407564551 “I would strongly recommend that if you have a cell phone and a landline, I would make sure that both of them have CodeRed,” said Councilman Gene Hart. Disaster Coordinator John Gullo also recommends that every person in the family have access to CodeRed as well. The system was put to use on Tuesday when the storm hit and Gullo was
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The members of West Seneca’s Y.E.S. (Youth Engaged in Service) program of West Seneca will present a breakfast with Santa Claus from 9 to 11 a.m., Sunday, Dec. 14, at the West Seneca Senior Center, 4620 Seneca Street. The event is sure to be a festive one for children of all ages. Helping to organize and host this event are the youth volunteers of the Y.E.S. program. About 100 members of Y.E.S. will be there to offer help in getting this holiday event underway. This is a mandatory community day for them. It teaches the importance of team work, effort and cooperation for a great holiday party. Lauren Masset, recreation supervisor for the Y.E.S. program, is taking the lead for this event. This is her first time putting together a breakfast with Santa. She is very excited. “So far, organizing has gone smoothly. We are looking
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West Seneca residents had a little fun creating this ‘Snowvember Man.’ happy to report that the notification worked well. “We only had good responses and a couple of tweaks of the message will go out next time, but it’s out there and you may hear from us again,” he said. For those who use social media as their prime source for local updates, the West Seneca Office of Disaster Preparedness has its own Facebook page that residents
can ‘Like’ to find out the latest information on local emergencies and offers tips in case one occurs. The West Seneca Police Department also has a Facebook page and a WSPD App called MyPD that allows residents to see when a state of emergency occurs, phone numbers to call for help, and police department news. Gullo reported that more than 215 houses were dam-
aged from the storm. He estimates that the damages total $1.8 million with more in the works as some residents have yet to report. He encourages homeowners that received damage to their homes or businesses to call the code enforcement office at 558-3238, so that they may be assisted in the process. The next town board meeting will be held 7 p.m., Monday, Dec. 15.
forward to the excitement this will bring the families in the community,” she said. The breakfast with Santa Claus morning festivities will begin promptly with a hot morning meal served to all guests. There will be arts and crafts set up, a sing-a-long of different Christmas carols, and Mrs. Claus herself will tell stories to the younger children. All guests will have the opportunity to sit on St. Nick’s lap and visit with him. A spotlight performance of the morning will be the Singing Youth Theater and their holiday songs. A special song rendition of “Let It Go” from Disney’s Frozen will be performed. If there’s one special song of 2014, it’s that one, and children know it. It’s sure to be a hit. The Y.E.S. program is made up of young volunteers between the ages of 12 to 18 years old. It provides young people and teenagers with the chance to give back to the community in which they live. They have helped host fun events for children, senior citizens and those with
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These two Y.ES. volunteers had a great time at last year’s ‘Breakfast with Santa’ event. physical challenges. Y.E.S. also serves as a support group to agencies and organizations that sign up with them. These young people learn the value of giving back and doing what you can to help the greater good. They teach good life lessons to all who sign up. “The young people of Y.E.S. can also use their time here towards school credit hours. Every student must have community service hours in, and Y.E.S. counts towards participation in government,
as well,” explained Masset. Tickets to breakfast with Santa can be purchased at the Kiwanis Youth Center at 50 Legion Parkway. The cost is $10 per person. Children two years old and under are free. Seating is limited to 240 max and there are no tickets sold at the door. Call Lauren Masset for more details at 674-6086 or stop in to buy your tickets and reserve your seats. All proceeds will benefit the Y.E.S. program of West Seneca.
The serious health epidemic of diabetes is a scary one; more Americans than ever are diagnosed with the disease. At The YMCA, the National Diabetes Prevention Program aims to educate, reverse and stop diabetes right in its tracks. Type 2 diabetes is a serious disease that can cause a heart attack, stroke, blindness, kidney failure, or loss of extremities. Prediabetes is when your blood sugar is higher than normal, but you are not officially considered diabetic. However, you would be considered borderline. Mary Ann Drake of the Southtowns Family YMCA in West Seneca mentors a 16-week program focused on diabetes prevention. She is passionate about living a healthy lifestyle and sharing this program with many others. In explaining how type 2 diabetes works, she remarked: “It’s a window of time. It’s a time to make a difference in your health. It’s one of the rare diseases that you actually can turn it around. That’s the group we try to target. Diabetes is such an epidemic now. Approximately 79 million people are pre-diabetic and many don’t even know it.” Drake explains that at the YMCA, whether you’re a member or not, you can sign up for this educational and preventative program. The next round of classes are starting Jan 13 - April 28. People are encouraged to sign up now and can register as late as opening day of the first lesson. It is at the Southtowns Family YMCA on Tuesday nights from 7 to 8 p.m. “It’s a 16-week program that is designed for anyone who is pre-diabetic or was just diagnosed as a diabetic. We have a small group setting and support team for people,” said Drake. In addition to the education that occurs at these meetings, participants are able to use the YMCA to get in their exercise. “In the beginning, the focus is on health and whole foods. We teach about the nutritious value of food and why it’s important to eat a balanced diet. We help people understand the portions they should be eating. Then the focus shifts to exercise and cardio. We promote about 150 minutes of cardio a week, however these people want to achieve it,” said Drake. The program has been going strong for several years, and this is Drake’s fourth year mentoring the participants. She is passionate and knowledgeable and has helped many people turn their lives around right as they stand at the precipice of diabetes. “Over half the people we work with, meet their goal weight or exceed their goals. At least three people in the last program we did lost over 20 pounds. They have been able to get off medication. Being overweight causes several other health problems. And we help them adjust their lifestyle and handle the changes that come with being healthy and more active,” explained Drake. The National Diabetes Prevention Program is offered for non-members of the YMCA as well as members. A referral from your physician is preferred and you do not need to be a member to participate. Fees are covered in full for those with Blue Cross Blue Shield of WNY. Independent Health members pay a $50 registration fee. The self-pay cost of a non-member without insurance is $320 for the entire 16 weeks.
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
EDITORIAL ............................................... SECT. A PAGE 4
OPEN MIC NIGHT .................................... SECT. A PAGE 8
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ......................... SECT. A PAGE 5
THIEF SOUGHT ........................................ SECT. A PAGE 8
OFFICE HOURS: Monday - Thursday 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Friday 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
FUNDRAISER TO HELP TEEN.................... SECT. A PAGE 5
SPORTS............................................... SECT. B PAGES 1 – 4
POLICE BLOTTER ..................................... SECT. A PAGE 6
CLASSIFIEDS ..................................... SECT. B PAGES 5 – 7
www.westsenecasun.com editorial@westsenecasun.com
GIVING BACK ........................................... SECT. A PAGE 7
TREE LIGHTING ....................................... SECT. B PAGE 8
HAMBURG VILLAGE SQUARE PLAZA 141 BUFFALO ST., HAMBURG, NY 14075
Diabetes Prevention Program takes off in January By Angela Rupp
Youth Engaged in Service presents ‘Breakfast with Santa’ By Angela Rupp
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 06, 2014
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