WORD OF MOUTH

WORDMouthof

YOUR CHILD’S FIRST DENTIST VISIT

The Canadian Dental Association recommends your child visit the dentist every 6 months, with their first assessment being 6 months after their first tooth appears or by one year of age. The goal is to visit the dentist before there is a problem; regular checkups allow small problems to be caught early. Here are 3 reasons to take your child for dental exams: • You can find out if the cleaning you do at home is working • Your dentist can find problems right away and fix them • You child can learn that going to the dentist prevents problems To prevent cavities in children’s molars once they come in, your dentist may suggest sealing them. The sealant is a kind of plastic applied to the surface of the molars. This makes it less likely for food and germs to be trapped in the crevices of the tooth. If your child develops a cavity in one of their primary teeth, you may wonder if it is still necessary to get a filling since the tooth will eventually fall out. Tooth decay can spread from one tooth to the next. It is important to catch a cavity as soon as possible in order to stop that spread. The alignment of your child’s teeth is another issue that your dentist will want to keep an eye on. Crowded or crooked teeth at a young age can often correct itself as the jaw grows and allows for the teeth to spread out. Crooked teeth can affect your child’s bite, leading to issues with eating and teeth cleaning. As well, crooked teeth may make your child feel self-conscious. If they do not straighten, your dentist may refer you to an orthodontist.

PACIFIERS AND DENTISTRY

NUTRITION FOR CHILDREN

Babies often feel the need to suck in order to relax. This is perfectly normal. By the time they reach the age of two or three, they usually feel less of a need to do so. If your child still does like to suck, encourage them to use a pacifier instead of their thumb. In this way, you control how and when your child uses a soother -- you cannot control when they put their thumb into their mouth. Never coat the soother in sugar, honey, or corn syrup as this will cause tooth decay. It is recommended that your child stops sucking before any permanent teeth come in which is usually around the age of 5. Continued sucking can lead to tooth and jaw problems.

Children love to snack throughout the day but having continual access to sugary treats can have negative effects on their teeth and enamel. The sugars in their mouth along with the bacteria mix to form a mild acid that attacks the hard outer layer of their teeth, the enamel. With weakened enamel, teeth are more susceptible to form a cavity. Limiting what and when your child snacks can make a large difference in the health of their teeth. Even healthy snacks like fruit, crackers, and milk have sugar. When your child is eating a sugary snack, try to make sure they have some water to wash it away afterward. Snacks like carrot sticks or cheese cubes are a good alternative.

PRESENTED BY

Beauty Citywithin the

What is it that makes a community an inviting place to live or visit? I’m sure if you asked five different people you’d certainly get a handful of diverse answers. Available jobs and housing, recreational activities and entertainment, access to nature, appealing architecture and culture, and the list would go on. Winkler mayor Martin Harder states that “a healthy city is more than bricks and mortar. It’s about balance”. Parks and green spaces have played a crucial role in attaining that balance and have become more of a focal point for Winkler in recent years. This includes the completion of the beautiful Parkview Gardens along Grandeur Avenue, Bethel Heritage Park, the Butterfly Gardens, and the current construction of a Jumpstart Accessible Playground. Bethel Heritage Park in downtown Winkler was one of Harder’s first projects after being elected as mayor in 2006. The grounds which were previously the sight of Bethel Hospital have been transformed into a relaxing park setting, with well kept gardens, shelters for picnics, an amphitheatre, and a beautiful white-marble fountain as a focal point. It serves as a perfect place to read a book, take an educational walk, and is a hub for taking pictures. The park intentionally celebrates the formation and history of Winkler through commemorative plaques placed around the park, allowing a glimpse into the community’s formative years. The park is also home to events such as the annual Canada Day Carnival, Winkler’s Culture Fest and concerts in the summer would be a consistent occurrence under normal circumstances. “This project had no shortage of challenges” said Harder, who strongly believed in the need for a gathering spot in the core of the City, as well as a place to display the history of the community. Two important pieces of history that are on display is the veterans Cenotaph and the Conscientious Objectors plaque. The first piece being a historical monument remembering Winkler soldiers who had fallen in the two World Wars, while the second remembered the group of men and women who served their country through means of alternative service while their country was at war. Harder believed it was important to have both the Cenotaph, as well as the plaque on the same property, as they represented the two differing philosophies connected to the wars. These two views had been a point of division in the community for some time, with hurt feelings on both sides. The newly elected mayor saw that with the construction of the park, there was an opportunity to bring healing and reconciliation between the two sides. It

would however take multiple appeals to Veterans Affairs who did not initially appreciate the idea of a Veterans Cenotaph and a commemorative Conscientious Objectors plaque on the same property. The replica Bethesda Fountain is set in between the two monuments as a s ymbol of healing. The park has been an incredible success, and has brought new life into Winkler’s downtown area. The Jumpstart accessible playground is the most recent project, with construction underway in the Winkler Park beside the pool. The fully accessible playground was created by Jumpstart, which is a branch off of Canadian Tire. The playground is accessible for everyone, including those in wheelchairs, and kids who have physical, sensory or cognitive disabilities. The playground will be open in the fall and will be the first of its kind in a smaller community. Winkler is proud to be known for its many green spaces which offer ample activities for all ages, interests and abilities.

Photo by Terrance Klassen Photography

Photo by Alejandro Penner

Discovery Nature Sanctuary Winkler, Manitoba

Tucked away in the north-east corner of Winkler lies the Discovery Nature Sanctuary, a thriving eco-system teeming with all kinds of creatures. A creek snakes through the mostly untouched 32 acre landscape that is home to many species of birds, trees, plants, shrubs and grasses. Walk the winding paths that take you to every corner of the sanctuary and climb the hill to get the best view of the picturesque prairie sunsets. Daily events in the sanctuary consist of mother ducks leading their ducklings, a show of jumping bullheads in the pond and hearing the chorus of different birds sing harmonizing parts of the same song.

The idea for this project all started when Margaret Penner –the head of the Horticultural Society of Winkler- and Margaret Klassen were looking to start a bird sanctuary together, originally looking at the creek behind Winkler Cemetery as a potential starting place. After submitting the idea to city council, they were shown an even better location that had everything they were looking for; a natural habitat they were surprised to find was in the city this whole time. The search was on for people who shared their passion for nature to help move the project along. Current and past members of the committee include Erna Giesbrecht, Art Wiebe, Robert Loeppky, Jamie Fox, Paul Goossen, Margaret Klassen, Marvin Dyck, Mary Wall, Terry Fehr, Peter Froese, Cliff Greenfield and Bob Giesbrecht. Approval from the City to move forward came in June of 2017. From there, progress slowly developed, and the vision for the sanctuary started to fall into place. The first order of business was getting paths made throughout the area. Some paths were simply mowed while others were finished with wood chips, an accessibility trail was also completed, giving access to the sanctuary for those with mobility issues. The following spring saw two bridges donated by local businesses to complete the walking paths, one by Schnell Industries and another by Essen Transport. Large financial donations from the City of Winkler and the Spenst Brothers store also made a significant push in adding to the development of the area. Access Credit Union donated the funds to build a dock that looks out over the pond. The project has proven to be a collective community effort, one that many have seen the value of and have been willing to get behind. The community wide benefits of having the sanctuary have already been noticed, as many field trips have taken place and kids have been educated through observing the natural habitat. During a Water Festival in 2019, kids had the opportunity to explore, dip nets into the water, and visit stations set up around the sanctuary. “The City is already benefiting tremendously from this” said Mayor Martin Harder. To further steward an educational environment, construction has started on an outdoor classroom, which will be complete with picnic tables. A large pollinator garden is being worked on which will promote the growth of necessary pollinating species such as bees and butterflies, who are drawn to the numerous host plants which will be present such as milkweed and goldenrod. “It’s a very peaceful and serene area” said Klassen, who serves as the treasurer of the DNS committee. “It’s a place to release stress, sit on the dock and look out over the water.” This type of setting can really change a person, if you allow it, as it serves as an invitation for you to check in with yourself. You might even call it an emotional checkup. “You can go there and it’s another world” said Harder. More and more people are discovering this undisturbed, urban oasis, and families have started to incorporate a visit into their weekly routine.

DISCOVERY NATURE SANCTUARY

Photo by Art Wiebe

Photo by Art Wiebe

Potential projects for the committee could include building a lookout tower overlooking the sanctuary and city, as well as an Interpretive Education Centre and an eye-catching highway sign. Fundraisers will be ongoing to fund projects such as the purchase of picnic tables, allowing you to attach a plaque with a name of your choosing. Tax deductible receipts from the city are also available to those who make a donation. The committee is incredibly grateful for all the community support they have received to help make this dream a reality The Discovery Nature Sanctuary is truly a unique setting, as you see an organic environment surrounded by city, while keeping itself as a separate entity, untouched by the busy environment. For the student who is willing to patiently observe, there are always lessons to be learned by stepping into nature, such as seeing what a healthy eco-system looks like with all its parts working together. Here, there is a perfect picture of a balanced community.

The Station YFC Altona

For twenty six years, The Station has been an anchor for the youth of Altona. It has served as a hangout, a safe place to build relationships with people who really care and want to invest in a generation younger than them. It was five years after its start in 1994 that The Station came under the umbrella of Youth for Christ, a well-known ministry.

“What a lot of these kids need is an adult figure they can trust” said Sheridan, who has been the Executive Director for five years. To gain this type of trust with teenagers, it must be earned. It is through meaningful conversation, rounds of pool, fun events, and free meals, that the windows into hearts and minds are opened. Before Covid 19, The Station was open three nights a week with an event usually planned for the weekend. This included a free meal provided on Thursdays. It is this consistency over the years that has had a proven impact. “I’ve been going ever since I was fourteen” said Marty, who has now been the Program Director for the last five years. As a teenager, it was the volunteers that made the difference for him, as he described how certain role models took him under their wing. “I saw how they interacted with the younger teens” he said, “it gave me a desire to volunteer when I got older.” His goal was to show youth the good news of Jesus through genuine interaction, and to let his actions speak louder than his words. “It’s your actions, over what you say, that demonstrates the love of God” said Marty. The Station is a place that anyone of any type of background is welcome. “People you might never see in a church feel comfortable in this type of setting” said Sheridan as he points to a YFC tagline of “being seriously fun” as a source of inspiration for what they do.

Part of the fun is the opportunity to be creative while learning new and valuable skills in their new maker space. It’s a basement full of tools that were purchased through an awarded grant, with the goal of giving a sense of purpose through creating and building projects. Youth get the opportunity to be trained on equipment such as a CNC router, laser engraver, 3D printer and more. “Some kids would normally be fine just playing

video games when they come here” said Sheridan, “but are now at a place where they would rather create something.”

Another big part of what The Station does is found in the big events they host throughout the year. Gaming is a popular activity with many teens, and has led to a large gaming event each year called a LAN party. Computers are brought together to form a local area network under one roof, and teens can connect in person, and over online gaming played with each other. They have cleverly named this event “LAN Before Time.” There is also the yearly Zorb ball soccer tournament which is put on to bring the whole community together. Teams are constructed with the championship in mind, and often consist of local businesses facing. Those that survive the chaos that comes from crashing into each other while covered in a big plastic bubble win the ultimate prize and are crowned the Zorb soccer tournament champions for the year. While being a means of fundraising, it’s also a way to show the community what The Station is all about, give people a chance to meet the directors, and ask questions. However, with our current situation, these events have sadly been put on hold, including the weekly Wednesday BBQ that has ran for years. “Overall we’ve taken a pretty big hit” said Sheridan, who said that numbers wise, they are at ten percent of the fundraising they would normally have completed at this point. With all of the normal fundraisers cancelled, leadership has had to get creative in how they are going to bring in the needed money. One idea that could be acted on this summer is selling freshly squeezed lemonade, made at The Station and delivered to homes and businesses. This would also give the youth a chance to be involved in something after being away from The Station for some time. Things are slowly beginning to turn around, and after months of limited social interaction, youth are now able to return to The Station, albeit in limited numbers. “There’s a pent up need for these kids” said Marty, “and we want them to know that even in these different times, we’re still there for anything they need.”

To keep up to date with The Station’s events and current operations, you can visit them online at yfcaltona.com