Boys & Girls Club of Greater Lowell Archives

WELLNESS TIP OF THE WEEK

The Fiber of Youth and Health

Collagen is a protein fiber that makes up 30% of the protein found in our skin, bones, muscles and tendons. For the skin, collagen is what keeps it looking supple, smooth and youthful.

But did you know that, starting in our 20s, collagen production starts to slow down? Collagen is also negatively affected by sun exposure, alcohol, stress, smoking and pollution buildup on our skin, thus speeding the aging process by making our skin thinner, drier and saggier. So what can we do? There is no miracle cream that will keep you looking young forever, but there are treatments and procedures to slow down the aging process.

The key is to find ways to stimulate collagen and protect your skin. Today, we have technology such as radio frequency, micro-needling, growth factors like PRP/PRF to supercharge your skin to build new collagen. A more recent use of surgical grade threads to lift tissue and build collagen targets both loss of skin volume and sagging. These threads allow plumping and lifting without surgery. You shouldn’t forget to wear a quality sunscreen, have a good home skin routine that includes exfoliants, retinols and Vitamin C and make lifestyle and nutritional changes to round out a long term plan for skin health.

At Solace, we pride ourselves in using technology to analyze your skin and customize a treatment and maintenance plan for each individual. We use radio frequency, micro-needling, chemical peels, PRF and nonsurgical lifting threads as well as superb skin care products to help you fight the battle against aging. Give us a call and we’ll show you how!

(978) 851-8600 | FoundSolace.com

What This Sunny, Religious Town in California Teaches Us About Living Longer

Loma Linda is nestled between mountain peaks in the middle of California’s San Bernardino Valley. According to CNN, this city is known as an epicenter of health and wellness, with more than 900 physicians on the campus of Loma Linda University and Medical Center.

But that’s not Loma Linda’s only wellness claim to fame. This city is one of the five original blue zones — regions in the world where people live longest and are the healthiest. In fact, the people in this community tend to live eight-to-10 years longer than the average American. Experts say that’s because Loma Linda has one of the highest concentrations of Seventh-day Adventists in the world. The religion mandates a healthy lifestyle and a life of service to the church and community, which contributes to their longevity.

Winter Survival Tips for Health and Home

In light of the recent snowstorm that pummeled most of the Valley earlier this week, here are some important safety tips to keep in mind while you brace for the snow, courtesy of The Washington Post.

●In the home, water pipes exposed to outdoor cold can freeze and burst. Turn off the flow and drain the water.

●Lower the storm windows and check for under-door drafts. If windows are stuck, try a lubrication spray. For doors, draft stoppers of cloth, plastic or metal can keep out icy gusts.

●Experts suggest reversing the direction of ceiling fans so they rotate clockwise and circulate warm air down that has risen to the ceiling. There’s usually a reverse switch on the hub.

●Make sure your furnace works. Bleed air out of radiators.

●If you have a fireplace, check the chimney for animals that may have taken up residence. If you suspect an animal, you can light a piece of newspaper, stick it in the fireplace and smoke the animal out the top. Or call a chimney sweep.

●Go out now and buy ice melt, a windshield scraper, windshield washer fluid and a snow shovel before the stores sell out. You might want two bottles of washer fluid, because it can go fast.

●As for the shoveling, don’t do it if you have a heart condition. Otherwise, go easy and take rests, especially if the snow is wet.

●Take care of your neighbors, and don’t pitch snow into the roadway.

●Be careful of big icicles. They’re pretty but they can be heavy, and if they fall on you, they can hurt.

●Clean the top of your car after a snowstorm. Snow flying off a car’s roof can be dangerous to the driver behind you. In some places, you can be fined if snow from your car hits another car or injures someone.

●Don’t drive in the snow if your car can’t handle it. You’ll get stuck and irritate other motorists.

●Allow more time for everything.

●Be prepared for power outages if a storm is coming. A little extra food and water, flashlights and batteries and an independent phone charger are recommended. Extra pet food and bags for dog waste are also good to have.

●If you have to drive in the snow, go slow and be aware of your car’s ground clearance. If you have a four-wheel-drive vehicle, remember that your car may perform better in the snow than a two-wheel-drive vehicle, but it might not stop any better.

Good luck, stay warm and don’t drive with the windshield iced over.

NoteWorthy is your weekly news roundup of happenings, movers and shakers, and community events in the Merrimack Valley.

Don’t forget to subscribe to be reminded when the news goes up each week!

AROUND THE VALLEY

(Back row, from left) Ricky Hai, Boys & Girls Club staff member, Jazmin Pires, Joe Hungler, Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Lowell, Ariana Malick, Lexie Thibodeau, Linda Onyenwe, Omar Diallo, Ian Muiruri, Wellington Lantigua, Brian Sousa, Senior Vice President and Chief Lending Officer at Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union, Sam Saltani, (front row, from left) Monique Githinji, Portia Yeboah, Jessica Arhuidese, Joshua Araujo and Kiza Msafiri.

Jeanne D’Arc Donates Hundreds of School Supplies to Boys & Girls Club of Greater Lowell

The teens of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Lowell will begin the new school year with fully stocked backpacks thanks to hundreds of generous donations from Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union’s members and employees.

The Credit Union recently held a company-wide school supply drive to help provide the 65 teens at the Boys & Girls Club with their new school year necessities. Boxes were made available at each of the eight branch locations for members and employees to make donations. Backpacks, notebooks, binders, pencils, pens, highlighters, water bottles and more filled each of the boxes. The Credit Union also donated backpacks to ensure each teen would have one to start the year off right.

Each backpack and all of the school supplies will go directly to the teens. The teens, who range in age from 13 to 18, will join the Boys & Girls Club’s Director of Operations JuanCarlos Rivera to fill each of the backpacks with supplies and help disburse them to their peers.

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‘Soles of Haverhill’ Shoe Sculpture Seeks New Home

Apparently, it’s not as easy as an old shoe to find a home for an old shoe.

Team Haverhill and Haverhill Bank are partnering to find a new home for one of the original shoe sculptures created for the Soles of Haverhill project. The shoe, designed by luxury department store Nordstrom, has been on display at the bank’s Lafayette Square branch since 2009. The shoe sculptures salute Haverhill’s celebrated manufacturing history as the “Queen Slipper City.”

Proposals for ownership are currently being accepted from any interested public or private entity now through Sept. 5. A committee, including members from both Team Haverhill and Haverhill Bank, has been assembled to review proposals and select a new owner for the sculpture. Preference will be given to interested parties who plan to display the shoe at a Haverhill location where it can be viewed by the public, either during business hours or full-time. An interior location, such as a lobby or store window, would be best suited for this particular shoe, Mann suggested.

Those interested in adopting the shoe may request an application by emailing team.haverhill@comcast.net.

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L-r: State Senator Eileen Donoghue, Congresswoman Niki Tsongas & New England Quilt Museum Executive Director Nora Burchfield.

Tsongas and Donoghue Visit New England Quilt Museum

State Senator Eileen Donoghue and Congresswoman Niki Tsongas recently visited the New England Quilt Museum for a viewing of the exhibit “Threads of Resistance.” The national exhibition, organized by the Artist’s Circle, features 64 juried works of fiber art, contemporary quilts and art quilts themed around political activism which express a range of emotions from anger and sadness to hope and empowerment.

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Andover native and Uncommon Threads Founder Susan Kanoff.

Uncommon Threads Earns Recognition & Funding “Triple Play”

By popular vote, Uncommon Threads, a Lawrence nonprofit that provides women in need with confidence-boosting wardrobe updates, received $1,500 from Lowell’s Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union. Additionally, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation recognized Uncommon Threads with its own Community Spirit 9/11 Mini-Grant. And just to load the bases, Andover Business Community Association (ABCA) selected Uncommon Threads as its 2017 Honoree for Andover Day.

The organization’s mission is to use clothes and image as the tools for boosting women’s self-esteem, self-confidence and self-worth. Clients are low-income women who are social worker referred, including domestic violence survivors, female veterans, cancer patients and disabled women. Uncommon Threads provides women a private wardrobe styling session as a first empowering step.

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Samantha Petrou, of Haverhill, has been promoted to the position of assistant vice president, small business relationship manager at Pentucket Bank. Petrou joined Pentucket Bank and the commercial credit department in April of 2014 as AVP/commercial credit analyst. Over that time, she has become a vital member of the Pentucket team bringing years of professional banking experience to the position. In her new role, Petrou will assume the responsibility of directly managing small business lending relationships up to $500,000. She and her family are also local business owners where she oversees much of the business’ operations. She graduated from University of Massachusetts Lowell with a Bachelor of Arts and from Regis University with a Master of Business Administration.

Kelley Contarino, of Haverhill, has joined Salem Co-operative Bank in the position of retail branch manager, assistant vice president for the bank’s Methuen office. Contarino brings with her more than 9 years of experience as a branch manager. In her new role, she will oversee the daily operations of the branch, as well as provide coaching and training to her staff. Contarino is very active in the local community. She is currently serving as president and board member of Haverhill’s Kiwanis Club, and is on the executive committee and board for the Greater Haverhill Chamber, where she also serves on the member services committee.

Wellness Wednesday – 12/4/19