Forever Young January 2022

JANUARY 2022 |

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Western New York’s FREE Monthly Magazine For Adults 50+, With More Than 85,000 Readers

Let’s Be Well A better you in 2022

Mar-Bon Social Club | Genetic testing benefits | Sheet pan citrus chicken

JANUARY 2022

Photo by Lawrence Rowswell

Live theater

6

Benefits of massage

10

A healthy winter recipe

17

On the cover, bottom left: Sisters Victoria Pope and Laurie Pope-Greco own and operate Mar-Bon Social Club. Photo by Christine A. Smyczynski

Home & Garden 5

A new year with new ideas...or not........... Carol Ann Harlos

Theater 6

Jan/Feb theater previews.................................. Donna Hoke

Features: Wellness 10 Much-kneaded relief ................................... Jennifer Merrick 12 Mar-Bon Social Club........................ Christine A. Smyczynski 14 You are not a victim of biology...................Catherine Stack 16 The soothing sounds of Sondra Holland......Ashley Ziomek

Food 17 Sheet pan chicken with winter citrus ............... Robin Kurss

Genealogy

Photo by Christine A. Smyczynski

18 Research: where to begin?.............. Carol DiPirro-Stipkovits

Spend a relaxing day at Mar-Bon Social Club

12

Ever y Issue: Resources 3 | Crossword 4 | Bingo Buzz 8 | Classifieds 20 | Noteworthy 21

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January 2022 | www.foreveryoungwny.com 1

EDITOR’S NOTE

Ring in the new year with self-care

OUR 34TH YEAR 1412 Sweet Home Road, Suite 12 Amherst, NY 14228 Phone 716.783.9119 Fax 716.783.9983 www.foreveryoungwny.com

PUBLISHER Barbara E. Macks

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BUFFALO SPREE PUBLISHING, INC.

President & CEO....................................................................... Sharon C. Levite Publisher/Chief Revenue Officer............................................... Barbara E. Macks Associate Publisher/Editor-In-Chief............................................... Elizabeth Licata Vice President/Administrative & Finance.....................................Michele Ferguson Corporate Counsel....................................................... Timothy M. O’Mara, Esq. Forever Young is published monthly, with an annual Senior Directory. Copyright ©2022 by Buffalo Spree Publishing, Inc. 1412 Sweet Home Road, Suite 12, Amherst, NY 14228 and is open Mon.–Fri. 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m. The entire contents of Forever Young are copyrighted 2022 by Buffalo Spree Publishing, Inc. and may not be reproduced in any manner, either whole or in part without written permission from the publishers. All rights reserved. Display advertising information and rates may be obtained by calling (716) 783-9119 ext 2250.

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Membership in NAMPA includes verification of member’s print & circulation totals.

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www.foreveryoungwny.com | January 2022

If you’re like me, self-care often falls to the bottom of your to-do list as you devote energy to work, friends, family, and a dozen other things that somehow seem more pressing. But it’s a new year and if you need a proactive and positive resolution, how about a commitment to invest in your own wellness—no excuses? With so many things in the world out of our control, there’s never been a better time to use the power we do have to be our best selves.

In 2010, Gallup conducted a comprehensive study of people in more than 150 countries, revealing five universal, interconnected elements that shape our lives: • Community Wellbeing: liking where you live, feeling safe, and having pride in your community • Financial Wellbeing: managing your economic life to reduce stress and increase security • Career Wellbeing: liking what you do each day and being motivated to achieve your goals • Physical Wellbeing: having good health and enough energy to get things done daily • Social Wellbeing: having supportive relationships and love in your life Forever Young strives to offer guidance in these areas. Our April 2021 issue focused entirely on ways to save (articles from this issue can be found on our website: foreveryoungwny.com). Our monthly Noteworthy section provides ways to connect with the community through local events and, this month, Donna Hoke previews three exciting theater productions.

Catherine Stack states that genetics are not the sole determinant of future health—behavior, diet, and environment all play a role—and offers advice on how you can take control of your future wellness. Jennifer Merrick provides insight into the benefits of massage therapy, and a featured recipe offers an easy and health-conscious way to start the new year off right.

For social wellbeing, turn to Christine A. Smyczynski’s feature on Mar-Bon Social Club, Western New York’s only day club for seniors.

To nurture your mind, consider meditation; Ashley Ziomek profiles Sondra Warnick Holland, a WNY native who offers musical meditation services.

As with any goal, trying to make every change at once can be overwhelming so start small. Break things down. Set one wellness goal.

Cook one healthful meal. Get 1,000 steps a day instead of insisting it must be 10,000 or bust. And remember even one step toward wellness is better than none. Do it. You’re worth it.

Be well,

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Call 716-972-2238 or fill out and mail in the subscription form on page 20.

Sabrina Kahwaty Editor

FOREVER YOUNG *JANUARY RESOURCES *PLEASE CONTACT EVENT/PROGRAM ORGANIZERS TO CONFIRM INFORMATION PROVIDED Do you have an event or resource to list? Email it to skahwaty@buffalospree.com

Buffalo MEDITATION El Buen Amigo, 114 Elmwood Ave. Free every Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

Meditation unites with creative arts and pain management. Practitioner Sondra Holland welcomes people of all ages. Wear comfortable clothes.

For information, Sondra: 9475092; store: 885-6343

Hamburg ALZHEIMER’S CAREGIVER SUPPORT GROUP for males; call 626-0600 or visit alz. org/wnyc for info.

Online LAUGHTER WELLNESS Come as you are, just bring your laughter! Tuesdays at 11 a.m.

FREE. Visit www.facebook.com/ Buffalo-Laughers for information.

West Seneca AMANA GARDEN CLUB OF WEST SENECA, is welcoming new members interested in gardening, floral arrangement, and more. For mor information, contact Marie: 884-8543

Gowanda HEALTHY COMMUNITY ALLIANCE Activities open to the public age 50+, (no residency requirements), Concord Senior Center, 1 School Street, Gowanda; for schedule, visit communityalliance.org; 532-1010

Buffalo PARKINSON'S CAREGIVER SUPPORT GROUP (Caregivers only) 4th Tuesday of Each Month, 3 PM. Weinberg Campus 2650 North Forest, Amherst (off in July & August)

Niagara Falls SENIOR C O M PA N I O N / F O S T E R GRANDPARENT PROGRAM Looking for seniors who enjoy working with their peers or children.

Volunteers receive a tax-free stipend, transportation assistance, and supplemental insurance coverage while volunteering. If you are 55+ and want to make a difference, call 2858224 Jennifer Britton (ext. 217) for Senior Companions and Kelly Carr (ext. 228) for Foster Grandparents Williamsville MEDICARE EDUCATION PROGRAM offers complimentary services through the WNY Medicare Resource Center.

Appointments encouraged, 833-0252 Buffalo HEADWAY SUPPORT GROUPS For individuals who have sustained brain injuries, their families, and caregivers; exchange information and resources, and find mutual support and encouragement.

Info: 408-3100 or headwayofwny.org Southtowns NEW HORIZONS MUSIC Calling all musicians 50+ interested in music. For info, email Janet Stout at 354janet@gmail.com and visit newhorizonsmusic.org.

Depew BREAST CANCER NETWORK OF WNY Call 7060060 or visit bcnwny.org for more information.

TOPS CLUBS Take Off Pounds Sensibly Clubs offer tools, programs, support, and fellowship for healthy living and weight management.

Akron For info, call Diane 5424980 Cheektowaga For info, call Karen 247-2334

Cheektowaga For information, call MaryAnn 895-4414 Niagara Falls For info, call Beth 385-7558 Farnham For info, call 934-9619 Lancaster For info, call Eva 4070539 Tonawanda For info, call 693-5161

Buffalo PARKINSON'S SUPPORT GROUP United Way – Room 219, 742 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo. Contact: Stephanie Mruzek. Email: eastamherstDSM@ solsticeseniorliving.com. Please visit www.parkinson.org for a full listing of Parkinson's support groups in WNY. Williamsville MCGUIRE GROUP MEMORY CARE SUPPORT: Coordinated with the Alzheimer’s Association, with caregiving tips and coping mechanisms. Info: 6323700 or mcguiregroup.com Buffalo LGBTQ MEMORY LOSS CAREGIVERS PROGRAM: The Pride Center of WNY offers support and education for people providing care for a person with Alzheimer’s Disease and other dementias. For information: 8527743 or pridecenterwny.org NIAGARA FALLS SINGLES SOCIAL CLUB: An active 50+ crowd. Meet & Greets second Friday of the month at Tim Hortons (8500 Niagara Falls Boulevard); dances third Friday of the month at Buff Social Club (2565 Young St.). For more info: see Facebook: SINGLES SOCIAL CLUB or call 550-1232

January 2022 | www.foreveryoungwny.com 3

CROSSWORD

account information

40. Snoop around

19. Banana refuse, pl.

41. Snowmobile brand

22. Exchange for money

44. Give the boot

23. Old World lizard

46. *”Stronger” by Cindy McCain, e.g.

24. *January 20th honoree 25. Anti-elderly one 26. Those not in favor 27. Pita, alt. sp.

28. Take without asking 29. Gossiper, Yiddish 32. *Perseverance landing spot

48. Southwestern hut 49. Sushi restaurant staple 50. ____ gum, food additive 51. Leave out 52. Home to the Leaning Tower 53. Not in use

33. Edible tuber

54. One in mattress

36. *Kabul’s organization in power

55. Spot for a facial

38. *The Nobel ____ Prize was awarded to Ressa and Muratov

58. *Actor Liotta, star in “The Many Saints of Newark”

THEME: YEAR IN REVIEW ACROSS 1. Coalition of countries 5. King trump-er, sometimes 8. Cuckoo bird 11. ____ weevil 12. Smelting waste 13. Kitchen-wear 15. Coke or Pepsi 16. Check-in via text, email, etc.

17. Settler transport 18. *2021 Super Bowl winner, two words 20. Before long, to Shakespeare 21. Jeopardy 22. Auction action

48. It goes with gin, according to Snoop Dogg 50. Mongolian desert 52. *COVID-19, e.g.

55. Poison ivy or Poison oak 56. International Civil Aviation Org. 57. Distinctive smell 59. House coat 60. Asian cuisine food thickener 61. Pelvic parts 62. Gallery display 63. Self-proclaimed greatest boxer 64. Count on

23. Puts down 26. Coroner’s performance

DOWN

30. Band booking

1. “Monty Python” broadcaster

31. Snicket of “A Series of Unfortunate Events”

2. Rioter’s take

34. Stravinsky’s “The ____ of Spring”

4. Fasteners or holders

35. Mine passages

5. Cover story

37. *Build Back Better ____

6. *Suez ____, too tight for Ever Given

38. Eucharist plate

7. Like custard

39. Table hill

8. Mythological ship

40. Good review

9. “High” time

42. “Tit for ____”

10. Wayside stop

43. Buck feature, pl.

12. Thinly spread

45. *First female VP

13. Look forward to

47. Evergreen creeper

14. *____ Papers, leaked offshore

4

3. Cantina pot

www.foreveryoungwny.com | January 2022

The solution for this month’s puzzle can be found on page 20.

HOME & GARDEN

A new year with new gardening ideas…or not T

homas Jefferson once said, “Though I be an old man, I am but a young gardener.”

CAROL ANN HARLOS I identify. I am always revising, moving, and trying new plants; I’m never completely satisfied. However, this is not the case for all gardeners.

One female gardener has never changed what she plants year after year: sweet alyssum and red zonal geraniums. The mature plants always have a lot of earth showing around them; she hand-cultivates several times a week. When she asked where I purchase my fertilizers, she was surprised to learn that I only use compost and shredded leaves. She is a lovely person content with her garden, and I have no intention of attempting to change her practices—we can add gardening right under religion and politics on the list of subjects to avoid!

Gardens often reflect the time in which they are created and change with the gardeners who care for them.

In the 1950s, for example, plastic animals, shaped, pruned evergreens, and pristine lawns were popular.

The use of chemicals in gardens was commonplace, a direct result of the growth of the chemical industry during World War II (remember, “Better living through chemistry”?).

I remember listening to a rose expert in the seventies. He supplied the audience with a month-by-month pruning and feeding schedule. Yikes!

Roses were cut back severely in autumn and soil was mounded over them. My husband, Jim, and I mounded our roses when we were young, new homeowners. Jim limed the lawn as well. Now, I simply stop pruning the roses in mid-August and let them form hips; the cooler weather hardens them off before winter. Why did we do these things? Because our parents did! It made sense at the time.

Urban gardens appeared in the seventies; by the eighties the demarcation of homes and gardens was no more. As American lots have gotten smaller, gardens have grown into planters, trellises, porches, and rooftops. In the past twenty years, a front yard with the “required” three evergreens fell from favor (We had one too, but fear not, reader—I am not immune to change!) No longer are gardens relegated to the backyard. Front yard gardens often have roses that grow on their own roots, grasses, herbs, and vegetables.

Today’s gardens reflect positive societal changes. Movements toward growing native species contrast growing cultivars. Climate change awareness and a focus on healthful eating has caused sensitive gardeners to shift toward sustainability. The presence of leaves in garden beds in late autumn instead of curbs indicates a society trying to work with nature rather than against it. Autumn no longer means “cleanup,” because doing so eliminates overwintering insects and exposes roots. Food

security awareness has led gardeners to not only to take care of their own areas, but to also share their bounty with others. Community gardens are now both a source of healthy food and sustenance for under-resourced communities.

This year, take the time to think about how your thoughts and practice surrounding the art and science of gardening have changed over the years. Email me about changes (or lack thereof) that you have made in your

gardens and/or your garden attitudes.

It’s a wonderful time to be a gardener. Don’t you agree?

I love hearing from you: caharlos@ verizon.net FY Carol Ann Harlos is an awardwinning retired math and science teacher, Master Gardener, beekeeper, writer, and speaker. She tends extensive gardens, including herbs, and loves learning from others and sharing her knowledge.

January 2022 | www.foreveryoungwny.com 5

ARTS

A talk with Hummert, still Waiting, and a Potter parody

BY DONNA HOKE

TEN QUESTIONS FOR DARLEEN PICKERING HUMMERT (Ida in The Treasurer at Jewish Repertory Theatre) What’s your relationship to this show?

Several months ago, Adam Yellen, Director of Performing Arts at Jewish Repertory Theatre, offered me the role and I immediately accepted.

I’ve always enjoyed working at JRT and the other cast members are [people] whom I respect, but have never worked with. The Treasurer is a powerful, moving story of a woman gradually slipping into a form of dementia. I think many people will connect with Ida and with her long-distance caregivers, her sons.

I’ve I lost people I love to the “long goodbye” disease as it is known, and I wish to honor them and the sacrifices and love of so many caregivers.

What’s the best acting advice you were ever given?

I credit Dr. Jean Scharfenberg, my acting teacher in grad school at Illinois State U,who stressed the importance of preparation, research, breaking a script down, discipline, professionalism, the art of listening onstage, trusting, collaboration and, above all, taking risks.

What’s your best “the show went on” moment?

About twenty years ago, I got a call from Studio Arena less than a week before the first preview of the world premiere of Tom Dudzick’s Lake Effect: Over the Tavern Part III. An actress was injured and could I take over the role? I was assured, “Don’t worry.

We’ll make a preshow announcement and you can go on script in hand.”

Because there was so much stage 6

business—boots off, coats off, playing cards, crawling on a table—I was concerned I could easily lose my place so that Thanksgiving week, with the help of my husband Richard and an assistant stage manager, I learned over forty-two pages of dialogue and went on without the book. It was terrifying, but so much fun.

What’s the role that got away?

Never got a chance to play the schoolteacher Rosemary in Inge’s Picnic or the heartbroken mom of the murdered boy in Maxwell Anderson’s The Bad Seed.

What line from a former play have you never forgotten and why?

2014: Mistress Quickly in Henry V on the death of Falstaff: “He’s in Arthur’s bosom…. He made a finer end and went away…. He parted even just between twelve and one.”

Two years after I spoke those lines for Shakespeare in Delaware Park, my husband died and the irony was that Richard had played Falstaff numerous times and he died just between twelve and one on December 28, 2016.

What “against type” role are you dying to play?

Evita! Marquise de Merteuil in Les Liaisons Dangeureuses.

What’s your classic actor nightmare dream?

Two: It’s dark backstage. I can barely see some sort of period costumes all around me. Dialogue: “Are you ready? Your cue’s coming up.” “But what’s the play?! What’s

www.foreveryoungwny.com | January 2022

See Darleen Pickering Hummert in The Treasurer at Jewish Repertory Theatre Photo by Lawrence Rowswell

the play?!” “You’re on!” Another: I’m driving on the 90 to Desiderio’s many years ago for Come Blow Your Horn. I miss my exit and I’m hopelessly lost, driving around in circles and now it’s five minutes to places.

What audition would you love to do over?

Honestly, none. If I prepared and gave it my best shot, it just reminds me that there are a lot of factors that go into casting. If I don’t get the role, very possibly, I was too short, too old, too young, too pretty (okay, I’m lying about that one) or I look too much like the director’s ex-wife. I get some Ben & Jerry’s and cheddar cheese chips and I’m good again.

What’s your biggest takeaway from the past eighteen months?

I’m profoundly struck by the number of COVID deaths in

this country alone: over 768,000 including WNY icon Joey Giambra and actor Marc-Jon Filippone. But I’m also heartened by the resilience and creativity shown by so many artists at our theaters who adapted and found ways to still make good art. They kept the lights on so to speak even though no one was coming inside.

Plugs?

I’ll be glad to get back on the actual, not virtual, boards again in The Treasurer, and I look forward to getting around town as an audience member. We’re so blessed to have such a diverse, multi-talented theater community. Please support and stay safe and well.

The Treasurer runs February 3-27 at Jewish Repertory Theatre; jewishrepertorytheatre.com, 716-2810092

ARTS QUICK SIX Waiting for Godot (Irish Classical Theatre Company) Synopsis: Vladimir and Estragon engage in a variety of discussions and encounters while awaiting the titular Godot.

Why this play now? “The absurdist plight of Beckett’s lovable tramps brought the O’Neill Brothers to Western New York and inaugurated the Irish Classical Theatre Company,” says ICTC Artistic Director Kate LoConti.

“Now highlighting our triumphant homecoming to The Andrews Theatre, we return to the classic play that began it all.” *So how do you pronounce Godot?

You’ve likely heard the North American guh-DOH and the Irish/British preferred GOD-oh, though Beckett’s own agent says he prefers the French go-doh (Waiting for Godot is Beckett’s translation of his own original Frenchlanguage play, En attendant Godot.), which Beckett’s nephew claims his uncle prefers. That last one seems to split the difference, but pick the one you like and fight for it! *For all the interpretations of the play and who Godot might be/represent, Beckett has always been clear: Godot is not God. Word is that he regretted calling the character Godot because it gave rise to that interpretation and clarifies that he wrote the play in French, and the French word for god is dieu. *Disagreements about pronunciation and interpretation aside, Waiting for Godot spawned controversy beginning with its 1955 English language premiere in London. Audiences signaled their dissatisfaction with groans and early departures and critics seemed to share the sentiment—until the highly regarded Kenneth Tynan and Harold Hobson came out in support and transformed it into a must-see overnight. There was so much debate over whether to award it the Evening Standard’s Best Play award that a new award—that exists to this day—was created: Most Controversial Play.

What they said: “The play bored some people acutely. Others found it a witty and poetic conundrum. There was general agreement that Peter Hall’s

production did fairly by a work which has won much applause in many parts of the world already. There was only one audible retirement from the audience though the ranks had thinned after the interval. It is good to find that plays at once dubbed ‘incomprehensible and pretentious’ can still get a staging. Where better than the Arts Theatre?” -Philip Hope-Wallace, The Guardian, 1955

The show’s “dream cast” are also fans of the franchise, many self-declared Puffs themselves. “It’s a fun, creative, and playful company of actors who are willing to take chances. Magic will be made,” promises Bucheker, who says that of the show’s four HP-analogous houses—Braves, Snakes, Smarties, and Puffs—he’s a Brave, though like a certain wizard, he could also do well as a Snake. Directing Puffs has made him feel for the underdogs.

Puffs or Seven Increasingly “In the play, some of the Puffs we Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic & Magic don’t know from the source material but will make audiences invested O’Connell and Company over the ninety minutes,” Bucheker

By Matt Cox says. “I hadn’t realized how much I Director: Joey Bucheker was invested until the final battle and Cast: Nicholas Lama, Christian Hines, Kris Bartolomeo, Nathaniel Higgins, Daniel Lendzian, Jenn Stafford, David Wysocki, Sabrina Kahwaty, Marissa Biondolillo, Gabrielle Nunzio, Mike Benoit “For seven years, a certain boy OPENING wizard went to a school of magic.

This is not his story,” Puffs director JANUARY 7 Joey Bucheker makes clear of this legal The Lifespan of a Fact but not necessarily sanctioned Harry John D’Agata is a talented writer Potter-inspired parody. “This is the with a transcendent essay about the story of the [Huffle]Puffs, who are suicide of a teenage boy—an essay from the least prominent house. This is that could save the magazine from a play for anyone who has never been collapse. When Jim is assigned to destined to save the world, who has fact check D’Agata’s essay, the two ever felt like a secondary character in come head-to-head over facts versomeone else’s story. It’s the story we sus truth. Runs through January 30 know from a different point of view, kavinokytheatre.com, 716-829-7668 much like Wicked is the Wizard of Oz

from the witch’s perspective.”

JANUARY 13 Bucheker is a big fan of the Puffs Tribes source material and knows the fandom is Billy is the only Deaf member diverse enough to support this show that of a loving yet dysfunctional famhe instantly fell in love with. “It’s not just ily who raised him as part of the a thrown together spoof or a sketch,” he hearing world. When Billy meets contends. “It is smart and poignant and Sylvia, a young woman on the emotional and most importantly true to brink of deafness, he starts to learn its source inspiration. Same professors, what it means to be heard. Runs same events, same enemy, same traumas through February 6, roadlesstravjust from a different perspective. When eledproductions.org, 629-3069 a troll breaks into the school or the

headmaster is killed everyone is affected, JANUARY 14 but perhaps differently. You don’t need Waiting for Godot to have read the books or seen the Brian Mysliwy’s Estragon plays movies but, if you have, it’ll be even opposite Irish Classical Theatre funnier. For example, halfway through Company’s Artistic Director the show, the headmaster is played by a Emeritus Vincent O’Neill’s different actor and the end of the play Vladimir in this play that began mirrors the source material with a small ICTC’s journey. twist.

young Puff was hit with a killing curse and I found tears rolling down my face.

These innocent children stepped up to defend the world against evil. They weren’t the strongest or smartest but there they were dying for each other.

That’s a good story and good characters when it evokes that type of emotion.”

Puffs runs January 28-February 13 at the Smith Theatre, presented by O’Connell and Company; oconnellandcompany. com, 716-848-0800 FY Playwright Donna Hoke writes about theater for Buffalo Spree and Forever Young.

January Theater Listings Runs through February 13, irishclassicaltheatre.com, 8534282 JANUARY 28 Puffs (or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic) For seven years, a certain boy wizard went to a certain Wizard School and conquered evil. This, however, is not his story. This is the story of the Puffs... who just happened to be there too. A tale for anyone who has never been destined to save the world. Runs through February 13 at Shea’s Smith Theatre, oconnellandcompany.com, 848-0800 Nunsensations!

The Nunsense Vegas Revue When a parishioner volunteers to donate $10,000 to the Little Sisters of Hoboken’s school if they will perform in a club in Las Vegas, Mother Superior is hesitant to accept. After being convinced by the other sisters that “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,” she agrees.

Runs through February 12 lancasteropera.org, 716-683-1776

January 2022 | www.foreveryoungwny.com 7

Bingo Calendar

Bingo Calendar Bingo is back!

Please call event organizers to confirm information provided.

Listings are alphabetical by day.

MONDAY AMERICAN LEGION MCKEEVER POST 1770 South Park Ave., Buffalo 7:30 p.m..................................... 822-6400 AMERICAN LEGION POST 1041 533 Amherst St., Buffalo 7 p.m.......................................... 875-9276 FATHER JUSTIN K OF C 2735 Union Rd., Cheektowaga 7 p.m.......................................... 681-7251 HAMBURG–KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS 36 Pierce Ave., Hamburg 7:30 p.m.................649-9830/649-4340

MATTHEW GLAB POST 1965 Abbott Rd., Lackawanna 7 p.m......................................... 825-3733 ST. AMELIA 2999 Eggert Rd., Tonawanda 7:15 p.m..................................... 836-0011

TUESDAY AMVETS MEDALLION POST NO. 13 25 Review Pl., Buffalo 7:30 p.m..................................... 874-0559 ASSUMPTION PARISH 435 Amherst St., Buffalo 7:30 p.m..................................... 876-1038 ARMOR VOL. FIRE CO. 4932 Clark St., Hamburg 7:30 p.m..................................... 649-9821

FATHER JUSTIN K OF C 2735 Union Rd., Cheektowaga 1 p.m.......................................... 681-7251 HARTLAND VFC 8945 Ridge Rd., Hartland 7:30 p.m.

2 p.m. (second Tuesday) OUR LADY OF POMPEII 129 Laverack Ave., Lancaster 7 p.m.......................................... 683-6522 ST. ANDREW’S CHURCH 1525 Sheridan Dr., Kenmore 7:30 p.m..................................... 873-6716 ST. ANDREW CHURCH 111 Crocker St., Sloan 7:30 p.m..................................... 892-0425

WEDNESDAY AM. LEG. MCKEEVER POST 1770 S. Park Ave., Buffalo 7:30 p.m..................................... 822-6400 FATHER JUSTIN K OF C — SPONSORED BY THE JUSTINETTES 2735 Union Rd., Cheektowaga 7 p.m.......................................... 681-7251 ST. ALOYSIUS RCC 156 Franklin, Springville 7:30 p.m..................................... 592-2701 ST. AMELIA 2999 Eggert Rd., Tonawanda 7:15 p.m..................................... 836-0011

THURSDAY BLESSED TRINITY 317 Leroy Ave., Buffalo 8 p.m.......................................... 833-0301 FATHER JUSTIN K OF C 2735 Union Rd., Cheektowaga 1 p.m...........................................681-7251 FOURTEEN HOLY HELPERS 1345 Indian Church Rd., West Seneca 7:00 p.m......................................674-2374 K OF C MADONNA COUNCIL NO. 2535 755 Erie Ave., North Tonawanda 7:30 p.m..................................... 693-5470

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January 2022 | www.foreveryoungwny.com 9

FEATURE

Much-kneaded relief The benefits of massage

BY JENNIFER MERRICK

“D

octors give pills. I give relief,” says Daisy Paule, registered massage therapist at Christienne Fallsview Spa, Niagara Falls, ON, as she expertly kneads out knots I didn’t know I had. Not only did I experience a palpable release of tension by the end of the treatment, but I also slept more deeply for the next three nights.

Were the restful nights because of the massage? It’s a likely possibility, according to scientists. From pain relief and stress alleviation to depression and anxiety reduction, dozens of studies have proven that massage carries significant physical and psychological benefits.

A study in the International Journal of Neuroscience reported an average thirty-one percent decrease in cortisol (a stress hormone) and corresponding increases in serotonin and dopamine (happiness hormones) post-massage. These hormone changes have positive implications on various medical conditions, including chronic pain, immune response, and mental health. This is not surprising when we recognize the skin as the body’s largest organ with millions of touch receptors. Touch is the only sense we can’t live without; it plays a critical role in regulating the brain and body.

Given these healing properties, it’s no wonder massage has been so widely utilized across time and cultures.

Nordic spas This hydrotherapy circuit doesn’t necessarily involve massage (though it’s a popular add-on) but is reported to have similar health benefits.

“Hydrotherapy brings about deep relaxation,” says Amélie Gagnon of Siberia Station Spa, a Nordic spa located just outside Quebec City. “It reduces stress, eliminates toxins, relaxes muscles, improves sleep quality, and strengthens the immune system.”

Though Nordic spas originated in Scandinavian countries, Quebeckers have made them their own by utilizing unspoiled wilderness and abundant lakes and rivers as the setting for a stress-busting experience.

Unfortunately, the ritual also involves a plunge into cold water— and by cold, we mean the kind of cold that takes your breath away and requires all your self-control not to scream—for a couple of minutes. The polar bear dip component is only part of a circuit that takes spa-goers through much warmer and relaxing stations, including steam rooms, hot tubs, saunas, and rest areas.

If you’re like me, you may be tempted to skip the cold plunge. Not recommended, says Le Hugues Lavoie of Le Nordique Spa, located in Stoneham, thirty minutes north of Quebec City. “The thermic shock created by alternating hot and cold frees endorphins in your body,” he explains. This means the cold not only facilitates the elimination of toxins but improves your mood.

Oh well, I suppose a short, jarring dip is worth it when you consider the reward of soaking in a hot tub or lounging in a hammock amidst the idyllic northern wilderness. – Jennifer Merrick 10

www.foreveryoungwny.com | January 2022

FEATURE

A spa treatment room at the Ritz Carlton in Toronto Photo courtesy of the Ritz Carlton Toronto

Types of massage There are no less than eighty different massage styles, but here are few to consider.

Swedish. Also called the classic massage, this technique uses kneading, long strokes, and circular movements to release tension, promote relaxation, and increase blood flow.

Treatment rooms at the Christienne Fallsview Spa offer gorgeous views.

Photo by Jennifer Merrick

Egyptian tomb paintings depict people being massaged in 2500 BCE. The Hindu Ayurveda system, in which massage is believed to restore balance so the body can heal naturally, dates back even further. Massage was also integral to medicine in Chinese, Japanese, Greek, and Roman cultures. Though its popularity has remained constant in Eastern cultures, massage was all but forgotten the West until the early 1800s, when a Swedish doctor Per Henrik Ling, developed a method he called the Swedish Movement Cure.

This method evolved into what is known today as the classic Swedish massage.

Today, that massage is a staple

in wellness clinics, prescribed by doctors for pain relief and viewed as a legitimate form of medicine. Even so, massage is sometimes viewed as a guilty indulgence. At a luxurious spa like the Christienne Fallsview where the treatment room looks over the Falls, that sentiment is understandable.

But Daisy assures me there’s nothing to feel guilty about.

“Bodies are like cars,” she says.

“They need maintenance, or they break down.” FY Jennifer Merrick is an award-winning freelance writer, photographer, and avid traveler based in Toronto.

Deep tissue. This technique is like Swedish massage, but more intense; it goes deeper into the muscles, tendons, and connective tissue. More pressure is used, which can be uncomfortable, but it’s considered especially conducive to healing injuries, particularly sports-related ones.

Thai. Sometimes referred to as “passive yoga,” the body is pulled and stretched in this technique done fully clothed with no oils.

Shiatsu. This traditional Japanese-style massage works with the body’s ki (energy flow) along with acupressure applied to specific points in the body. Like deep tissue manipulation, it is recommended for injury pain relief.

Lomi Lomi. This Polynesian style is popular in Hawaii but can also be found on Toronto’s Ritz-Carlton’s spa menu of massages from around the world. “The movements mimic the ocean,” explains trained practitioner Raphael Leyva Cabreja. “The gentle waves, the breeze and the sensation of walking barefoot.” Relaxation and lymphatic drainage are two of the purported benefits (personally, even the description slows my heart rate). – Jennifer Merrick January 2022 | www.foreveryoungwny.com 11

FEATURE

“Make it a wonderful day” at Mar-Bon Social Club STORY AND PHOTOS BY CHRISTINE A. SMYCZYNSKI

A

few years ago, sisters Victoria Pope and Laurie Pope-Greco sought a small day program to provide activities and socialization for their elderly mother. When they couldn’t find a program that fit her needs, they started one themselves.

Mar-Bon Social Club, named after the sisters’ mother, Mary, and late father Boniface is Western New York’s first and only social club exclusively for seniors. Originally set to open in April 2020, until…well, you know, the club finally opened on a limited basis in October 2020 with a maximum of about fifteen to

twenty attendees daily. Its motto?

“Make it a wonderful day.”

Mar-Bon is geared toward seniors who don’t get out much but want to stay active and socialize. “There are some members who were initially hesitant to come,” Pope-Greco shares. “However, once they got here, they really enjoyed it.” While

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Sisters Victoria Pope and Laurie Pope-Greco own and operate Mar-Bon Social Club.

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all Mar-Bon’s current members are women, men are encouraged to join.

The only membership stipulations are independent medication administration and restroom use, and daily attendance costs less than in-home companion care. The club

is clean and comfortable; surfaces and floors are cleaned and vacuumed daily, and hand sanitizer is available in abundance. The club follows all state health and safety protocols.

A typical day begins coffee and snacks in the sitting area, where

FEATURE members can chat by the fireplace until lunchtime. “It’s a very homelike environment,” says Pope. PopeGreco adds, “Most of them are in their eighties and early nineties; they get comfortable quickly and make friendships.” The sisters add that people tend to forget about the older generation so, at Mar-Bon, they strive to provide a place where they are not forgotten, a place to be rather than at home alone.

Lunch is generally one of the day’s high points. Since many elderly people tend to not eat enough, the sisters prepare balanced, nutritious meals in their commercial kitchen and serve them on real plates and utensils—no paper or plastic; what members don’t finish can be boxed to take home.

When a member first joins the club, Mar-Bon puts together a profile of their likes and dislikes, hobbies, favorite games, etc. to help personalize their activities. Members can book appointments at the onsite beauty salon to have their hair done before or after lunch. The club has a music room with CDs and vinyl records from different eras, a TV room, and a well-stocked library. Seasonal crafts and activities are offered throughout the year, such as gingerbread house making at Christmastime, egg coloring at Easter, and birthday celebrations.

Mar-Bon also sponsors monthly bus trips to Batavia Downs. You needn’t be a Mar-Bon member to participate; anyone fifty years of age with proof of COVID-19 vaccination is welcome. The trips, which depart from Mar-Bon’s parking lot, are daytime excursions between the hours of 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.

In addition to hosting the social club during the day, Pope and PopeGreco rent the facility on evenings and weekends to members and nonmembers alike for showers, birthday parties, funeral breakfasts, and other functions. People like having events here because, unlike at a restaurant or banquet facility, it’s the only event taking place, so privacy is guaranteed.

Balanced, nutritious lunches are served in the club's spacious dining room.

The Mar-Bon facility can accommodate up to fifty people for sit-down meals and ninety-six for a cocktail party (it will soon have its liquor license). The sisters can recommend several nearby caterers, or renters can use their own favorite, but no food from home is permitted. The sisters decorate, set up the buffet, serve beverages, and clean up.

“Mar-Bon started because of our parents,” the sisters say. “Anyone who walks through the door is considered family and treated with respect.”

For more information or to schedule a private tour contact: Mar-Bon Social Club 6477 Transit Road, East Amherst 716-406-4577 marbonsocialclub.com info@marbonsocialclub.com FY

Christine A. Smyczynski is a freelance writer and blogger and author of Western New York Explorer’s Guide.

January 2022 | www.foreveryoungwny.com 13

FEATURE possible disease. This information, in combination with a provider trained to interpret the findings, is a powerful health navigation tool.

You are not a victim of biology Taking wellness into your own hands

BY CATHERINE STACK

T

hink your genetic outcome is set in stone? Think again. Many believe DNA to be the sole determinant of who we are and what we will become. Not only can this leave you feeling doomed by family history, but it’s also not nearly this simple. While DNA contains instructions for traits like hair and eye color, research has found that it is also influenced by outside sources. This fascinating field of study, known as epigenetics, provides great insight.

According to the Center for Disease Control, “Epigenetics is the study of how your behaviors and environment can cause changes that affect the way your genes work. Unlike genetic changes, epigenetic changes are reversible and do not change your DNA sequence, but they can change how your body reads a DNA

sequence.” In short? We can influence our health, quality of life, and lifespan through environment, diet, lifestyle, and beliefs. Understanding this relationship helps researchers identify life factors that may help prevent or treat diseases like obesity, diabetes, coronary artery disease, cancer, and Alzheimer’s.

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There has been a tremendous amount of study on how beliefs affect outcomes—you’ve probably heard of the placebo effect—and, while mindsets are just one piece in the larger puzzle of factors that influence health, they do have an impact. A 2000 Yale research study found that older individuals with positive selfperceptions of aging lived up to seven and a half years longer than those with less positive self-perceptions.

There are many testing companies that can help define your origins and common physical traits. However, there are also companies taking things further by looking at your future rather than your past. When it comes to helping individuals achieve health and wellness goals, any good practitioner knows that one size does not fit all. Having genetic information can help isolate target areas, maximize health potential, and help avoid

What can genetic testing uncover for you?

Heart health. Are you at risk for cardiovascular disease or predisposed to high blood pressure? These conditions can be caused by issues with methylation, the biochemical process of repairing and making new DNA to ensure proper and optimal cell function. Methylation is not only responsible for DNA repair, but also for energy creation, stress and inflammation response, cell detoxification, and brain chemistry function. Methylation also turns genes on or off, so optimizing it can reduce risk of certain diseases and cancers. Do so by focusing on foods with B-complex or high-quality (not high-cost) supplements like magnesium and choline. Genes can also impact the integrity of arteries and veins. A polyphenol-rich diet, stress management, and exercise are advised.

Weight. Genes play a large role in how the body manages weight.

Genetic testing can offer insights as to how your body metabolizes food and what forms of exercise will and won’t work for you. If blood sugar and insulin issues are high, inflammation is a concern. Selenium and chromium, along with an antiinflammatory diet, can help those struggling to lose weight.

Hormones. Should you avoid taking synthetic hormones? Some individuals have reduced ability to balance hormones required for female bodily processes. Such individuals should prioritize stress management and insulin, and limit toxin exposure. A diet that incorporates cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, etc.) daily provides additional support and protection.

Immune system. How well do your genes work to help fight off viruses? What specifically can you do to optimize your immune system? Histamine is produced during immune processes, allergen removal,

FEATURE

TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF!

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and in response to injury and toxins.

Genetic test results may or may not indicate a likelihood to experience histamine overload when histaminegenerating foods are consumed, which can impact immune strength.

Exercise. Some do better with aerobic training whereas some do not. Insights regarding endurance, power, and response to training can be gleaned to identify what kind of physical activity is best for you.

Diet. How well do you process certain items such as gluten, vitamin D3, and caffeine? What supplements should you make a priority? What foods should you eat more or less of? For example, if you metabolize caffeine well, then you may be able to enjoy more than a cup of coffee per day. If you find you’re predisposed to a B12 deficiency that would negatively impact endurance and brain function, there are easy adjustments to make.

Brain health. Are you predisposed to cognitive decline as you age? I was surprised to find out that I was and have incorporated some supplement adjustments—omega 3s specifically—

to play a proactive role in protecting my brain. Brain games also help maintain proper function.

While there are hundreds of companies populating this space, some are more legitimate than others, making it hard to really know whom to trust. If you are considering genetic testing, do your homework: make sure the company is backed with a team of experts that includes practitioners who are trained in result interpretation.

Our genes are not our destiny.

Genetic testing can help make use of specific information to optimize lifestyle and nutrition interventions and help people thrive. FY Catherine Stack is owner, facilitator, and Doctor of Naturopathy at Journey II Health. She specializes in colon health and bio-identical hormone replacement and is a practicing staff midwife at Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital.

Her books, Free Yourself from a CONSTIPATED Life and PUSH, Labor & Delivery from the Inside Out are available on amazon.com. Visit cathistack.com for more info.

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Please rank the following subjects (1-10) in order of importance to you: ___ Home & Garden

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January 2022 | www.foreveryoungwny.com 15

FEATURE

The soothing sounds of Sondra Warnick Holland

BY ASHLEY ZIOMEK

I

Self-proclaimed educational music and art was caught in the impossible task of simultaneously chasing my toddler and calming my infant when the therapist Sondra Holland phone rang. I’d been expecting the call, but when Sondra Warnick Holland began to speak, her tone took me Photo courtesy of WKBW by surprise. She was calm—soothing, even—and it was refreshing. program she could use over thirtygather in the living room to listen with a greeting. She read aloud and Holland, a Western New York minute phone sessions of one to four encouraged creative movements native who oozes gentleness, to her grandmother play songs by participants. Each week, she chose a throughout the story. Her classroom ear on the piano. The family would positivity, and kind words, is a selfdifferent theme and utilized aligning also featured an art corner, where sing Russian lullabies taught to them proclaimed educational music and deep breathing, meditation, and basic students could draw or color pictures by her great-grandfather, known art therapist, trained in meditation physical exercises. Her passion shone that corresponded with the day’s affectionately as Zidi. Holland began

by Tibetan Monks. She promised her through as she adapted to the times, retaining melodies and working out lesson. instructors that she would bring her and she continues her work today.

Soon after her classes took this new wisdom home to the Western keys. “My grandfather had a parrot,” After decades of this work, Holland Holland shares. “Once I learned the creative turn, Holland received a call world. is proud to not only have helped from a coworker asking if she would Holland has since spent decades song, everyone would sing with me, others “find their zen” through bring her services to a local hospital including the parrot!” introducing children and adults musical meditation, but also to have for patients with Alzheimer’s and Holland later became a Buffalo to musical meditation. “Musical helped participants come out of their severe brain trauma. Holland began meditation is when you wish to enrich Public Schools teacher. For over three shells. One man now proudly reads your mind, body, and spirit with decades, she worked with primary- working at the hospital, alternating his personal poetry at the end of age children, including students with weeks between art and music music,” she says. “I am not teaching; sessions. “I’m bringing out talents,” learning disabilities. “You have to find and catering each session to the I am sharing.” Research indicates Holland says, “inner talents that that musical meditation reduces risk creative ways to get through to kids,” individuals in attendance. maybe they’ve never shared before.”

When the COVID-19 pandemic she explains. “You can’t just stand of physical events like heart attacks Holland shares her own talents by up there and lecture; it ain’t gonna hit, Holland was asked if she could and strokes, eases depression and playing piano over the phone near work.” Holland began incorporating continue to connect with patients anxiety, promotes better sleep, boosts the session’s end. over the phone. “I thought to immunity, and bolsters cognitive music, movement, and art into the Holland has also teamed up with a classroom, to create a collaborative myself, ‘How the heck can I teach functions such as memory. nature conservancy in southern Erie Music has long been a part of experience. She began class as if she art over the phone?’” Holland County, where they are working in remembers. Once again, it was time Holland’s life. When Holland was were a Kung Fu Master, bowing Collins to build a “peace path” on to her students, who responded to get creative. Holland developed a just three years old, her family would which people can walk, pray, and meditate. In efforts to make the path COME HOME TO inclusive, a large area will be cleared to allow wheelchair access. Holland and the conservancy hope to bring this dream to fruition in spring 2022.

In her own time, Holland meditates, exercises, and does yoga daily. “Sometimes I have beautiful music, other times just silence,” she says. “You’ve got to keep your body 1 & 2 BEDROOM STYLES moving.” FY

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Ashley Ziomek is a freelance writer living in WNY.

FOOD

Sheet pan chicken with winter citrus

Oranges and lemons…sunshine for winter

BY ROBIN KURSS

I

t’s January. For many, this means trying to turn over a new leaf by eating healthier. It’s also winter, a great time to eat wonderful, in-season citrus.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with Here’s an easy, healthy, and delicious way to start the new year foil. off on the right foot!

Place citrus slices on bottom in single layer. Place chicken pieces on top.

Ingredients Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and thyme. Drizzle over oil and 8 pieces of chicken on the bone 4 different kinds of citrus pomegranate molasses.

Bake for thirty-five minutes. (oranges, lemons, tangerines, Sprinkle with mint and enjoy! FY blood oranges...anything you like!), washed and sliced in 1/4” Robin Kurss is a former Buffalo rounds with seeds removed Spree account executive and former 1/4 cup olive oil pastry chef at Rue Franklin.

1/4 cup pomegranate molasses (found in Middle Eastern section of grocery store) Salt and pepper 1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves off stem 1 Tbsp fresh mint, thinly sliced Directions Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

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GENEALOGY

Genealogy research Where to begin?

T

he new year seems the perfect time to answer two questions often asked by those new to genealogy research: “How do I start?” and “What advice can you give?”

My best advice? Start today. Many wait to start family research until they’re retired, or their children grown, but that may be too late. When I was young, my parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles were alive to answer questions. Now, they are gone, and so are their wonderful stories and memories.

Here are some more tips for genealogists just starting out.

Search your home for clues.

Scrapbooks, birth certificates, bibles, old letters or photos, school records, and boxes of miscellaneous papers can yield important clues. Examine each item closely. Details that may not seem relevant could be exactly what

later knocks down a brick wall in your research, so keep an open mind.

Ask questions.

Sometimes memories need prompting. Immediate and extended family may have information and experiences that will only be shared if you inquire.

Not sure what to ask? Check out familyhistorydaily.com/free-genealogyresources/family-history-interviewquestions for guidance.

Know your record groups. Vital, census, cemetery, church, military, migration, citizenship, court, land, town, and newspaper records (and more) track major life events. The sooner you understand why and how these record types were created and

how to access them, the easier your research will become.

Take your time. When I began my research, I wanted to see how far back in time I could reach (1646, by the way) and—apparently—how quickly I could do it. When I came up for air, my tree was full of names and dates, but devoid of color or heart.

After hitting delete, I started with my parents and began the slow process of getting to know each character in my family tree. It’s been a delight.

Get organized. If you think you’ll remember all you’ve searched and found, trust me: you’re lying to yourself. Those little slips of paper stashed randomly around your home

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CAROL DIPIRRO-STIPKOVITS won’t cut it either. Make a habit of taking notes on what you’ve searched for, where you’ve searched for it, and what you’ve found. Note negative searches too; they’re just as important.

Know your history. It’s much easier to understand ancestors’ choices when you know what was happening around them. We tend to think of history as segmented, but if you build a timeline of your ancestors’ lives, you can place them in context to world and national events. This can help explain moves, absences, and early deaths.

Find your people. While my family listens patiently as I share genealogy stories and, on most days, keeps the eyerolls to a minimum, talking to them isn’t the same as having someone beside me facing their own brick wall. Finding a local genealogical society, Facebook group, or friend who shares your interest can make all the difference.

(And your family will thank you.)

Remember: all genealogists started with a blank page and became better at research as time went on. The truth is, it’s a lot of work to reach back into history—slow and steady, one generation at a time—but if you keep at it, you’ll soon be climbing those branches like a pro. Happy hunting! FY Carol DiPirro-Stipkovits is a member of the National Genealogical Society and Association of Professional Genealogists as well as a guest lecturer and freelance writer. Carol is also Board Chairman and President of the Niagara County Genealogical Society. Send questions or comments to her at noellasdaughter@ gmail.com.

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BIG YEAR ON THE BIG WECK Often, New Year’s resolutions take effect for about the first two weeks of January and are then forgotten. Well, at BIG WECK Radio, we’re making resolutions to the loyal listeners of Buffalo’s Oldies Station that will last all year. So, sit back and enjoy our list of 2022 resolutions: • To bring you the oldies music you love seven days a week • To have fun on the radio • To feature the local air personalities you’ve listened to for decades • To keep you informed, every day, of all the local information you need • To never get into politics or opinions • To do good for the Buffalo community And, most importantly, to listen to you when you let us know what we are doing right and what we can do better.

Listen to the BIG WECK at 1230AM/102.9FM/100.1FM/ 100.5FM, on all voice-activated devices, by streaming live, or on the app with your smart phone or tablet.

Wishing you a happy and healthy New Year, from Buffalo’s very own radio station, WECK.

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January 12 The Niagara Movement with Dr. Steve Peraza Peraza gives a lecture focusing on the history of the Niagara Movement and its role in local history.

6 p.m. at Buffalo History Museum (One Museum Court; buffalohistory.org, 873-9644)

Opens January 14 Waiting for Godot Brian Mysliwy’s Estragon plays opposite Irish Classical Theatre Company’s Artistic Director Emeritus Vincent O’Neill’s Vladimir in this play that began ICTC’s journey.

Through February 13 at the Irish Classical Theatre (625 Main Street; irishclassicaltheatre.com, 853-4282)

January 14 Stitched Stories This collaborative textile project with Stitch Buffalo examines social justice issues.

Participants include organization’s refugee women artists, staff, and volunteers.

Through February 27 at Burchfield Penney Art Center (1300 Elmwood Avenue; burchfieldpenney.org, 878-6011)

January 20–23, 27–30 Gardens After Dark: Enchanted Winter Escape Explore the Botanical Gardens after dark with this magical winter light show. See the website for details. E-tickets required.

5–9 p.m., 5:30–9:30 (check website) at Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens (2655 S. Park Avenue; buffalogardens.com, 827-1584)

January 22-23 Mozart’s The Magic Flute The BPO and SUNY Fredonia Hillman Opera program unite to wish Mozart a happy birthday by presenting a semi-staged performance of one of his cherished masterpieces, including the famous “Queen of the Night” aria.

2:30 p.m. at Kleinhans Music Hall (3 Symphony Circle; bpo.org, 885-5000)

GET OUT. ENJOY LIFE. STAY YOUNG.

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