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ILGR resumes 'The Wellness Hour' -- free classes on Tuesday mornings beginning July 3

By Billie Owens

Press release:

In July, the premier consumer-run disability service organization serving Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties, Independent Living of the Genesee Region (ILGR), is resuming The Wellness Hour,” a series of five FREE classes to help the whole community to live healthier.

Taking place from 10 to 11 a.m. every Tuesday in July in the front lobby of the ILGR office, 113 Main St. (at Center Street), Suite 5, Batavia, the series of Informational talks is designed to expand participants’ awareness of tools that can promote wellness.

• July 3: Katrina Mogavero and Judy Hysek from Eden Café
Learn about the health benefits of a Vegan lifestyle while sampling some tasty treats.

• July 10: Schwab Farm Market and Nice Farms 
Will come and share the benefits of eating local fresh produce, fruits and pasture raised pork and beef.

• July 17: Vicki Wood from Young Living Essential Oils 
Learn about how cooking with Young Living essential oils can contribute to good health and will also bring her favorite recipe.

• July 24: TBA 

• July 31: Katrina Mogavero and Judy Hysek from Eden Café 
Learn about what a Vegan diet is and how it can promote a healthy life. 

ILGR stresses that the information shared is not intended to replace a doctor’s instructions. You should always consult with your physician or health care provider before beginning any new treatment.

While reservations are not required, so that we can plan, we would appreciate participants calling Michelle Whitmore to RSVP at 815-8501, ext. 409.

Celebrity chef night at Le Roy HS provides fun lesson on healthy eating

By Howard B. Owens

It was celebrity chef night at Le Roy High School on Thursday, with three local chefs acting as instructors for a group of teachers who competed against each other to create the best healthy meal.

While awards were given for best salad and best entree, the evening was really about providing a real-world lesson in healthy eating, said Michelle Sherman, a phys-ed teacher and coordinator of the wellness program at the school.

"It's so easy to create these meals out of just stuff you would have in a pantry and you don't have to go pick up fast food," Sherman said. "It's easy, and it's fun. You can have a nice fun family night by doing all of this."

The local chefs instructing the teams were Selby Davis, Hassan Silmi and Sam Hillburger. On Davis's team were Erica Jermy and Kim Cox. On Silmi's team were Julie Coleman and Mike Humphrey. On Hillburger's team were Tatyana Qadiri and Pete Green.

The judges are students in the Culinary Arts Program at BOCES, and they were Emily McVicker, Abbey Cacner, Steven Stephany and Nicholas Shepard.

Brian Moran was emcee.

Eating Healthy Away from Home

By Leslie DeLooze
Richmond Memorial Library, 19 Ross St., Batavia will host "Eating Healthy Away from Home" on Thursday, April 11 at 6:00 p.m. Don't let your good and healthy eating habits go awry when you eat out or travel. Find out how during this program presented by Jennifer Reardon, MS, RD, CDN and Amy Miller, RD, CDE. To register, call the Healthy Living Office at 344-5331.
Event Date and Time
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Conversations with Calliope- Long in the Tooth

By Joseph Langen


 

(Preservation Hall)

It is sad to grow old, but nice to ripen.~Brigitte Bardot

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Not bad. I had my annual physical yesterday and found that I had few signs of aging.
CALLIOPE: I suppose that's not surprising.
JOE: It's better than the alternative.
CALLIOPE: Anything serious?
JOE: No. Just little things that most people face as they grow older.
CALLIOPE: How do you compare with others?
JOE: I don't have any life threatening or debilitating conditions. I did have a bout with rheumatoid arthritis but now that's under control.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like you're doing better than most people.
JOE: I think so. I count myself fortunate to be in such good health.
CALLIOPE: Do you need to make any adjustments?
JOE: I will have my vision checked to make sure nothing serious is going on. I also need to get back on the track with my nutrition since I have put back on some of the weight I lost.
CALLIOPE: In other words, you just have to be a little more careful.
JOE: Correct. I can't just take my body for granted. Talk with you tomorrow.

 

Another look at the Extension

By Philip Anselmo

Many of us drive by the Cornell Cooperative Extension every day without knowing much about what goes on inside. They've got something to do with gardening. Most of us know that much. So, in the hopes of reintroducing to Genesee County what Beverly Mancuso calls our "best known secret," I sat down with Bev this morning to find out just what goes on at the extension. Here's what I learned...

"We want to focus on what no one else is doing and what we could do the best," says Bev.

That means agriculture education, which is probably priority number one for the extension. Back in the day, the Farm Bureau and the extension were one and the same, but they split off. Farm Bureau now handles all the lobbying for the agriculture community, while the extension takes care of education. They do it all, from vegetable growing to dairy production and everything in between, whether they're working hands-on with farmers or with students.

For students, the incubation program and Dairy Day are the two biggest draws. The incubation program is exactly how it sounds: incubators are brought into schools so the students can watch eggs hatch and learn about it. Dairy Day is targeted at the younger grade schoolers. For one day, they're bused out to a farm to learn everything that goes on, first-hand and up close.

Aside from working with school students, the extension also offers several courses for adults and families, most of which are free to the public. Unfortunately, not too many people are taking advantage, Bev tells me.

One of the extension's most valuable programs is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). SNAP is an eight week course on how to eat better by buying smarter and more healthy foods. Anyone who wants to take this course can register at TOPS Market in Batavia. All you have to do is fill out a registration card and drop it in the box near the produce section.

What makes SNAP worthwhile? Well, for folks who complain about the high cost of doctor bills or obesity or how they can't afford to eat healthy, these courses will teach you the fundamentals on such things as food safety and portion size. You can learn how to eat better on your budget.

Speaking of your budget. The extension offers a trio of what they call "empowering" programs: one on how to save on energy costs, another on credit and debt management and a third on how to put together a spending plan to better make your ends meet.

All of these programs are free, folks. Now I can't understand why people wouldn't be taking advantage of this. I understand that we're pressed for time and money. But these programs could help you better manage both of those.

"At the end of the day, it's all about trying to make the community better," says Bev.

Classes on how to eat better and how to better manage a tight budget are sure to help out, as long as folks take advantage. It's easy to do people: visit the extension's Web site, or give them a call (343-3040), send them an e-mail or stop by at 420 E. Main St. They're happy to help out.

Oh, we almost forgot: as we said at the beginning, the extension is also about gardening. Perhaps their most popular course is the twelve-week master gardener program. This one isn't free. It costs about $250. But for folks with a desire to green their thumb, it's a great way to get some in-depth knowledge of gardening.

You may have seen the work of the extension's master gardener graduates around the county. Once they've gone through the program, many of them volunteer some time back to the extension by sprucing up gardens at sites such as the VA Medical Center or the School for the Blind.

Hopefully, that will help people get to know a little more about Genesee County's best known secret. Check back with The Batavian in the coming weeks and months as we plan to work more closely with the extension and 4-H to get up the news and happenings of our next generation.

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