The Wheatheart Nutrition Project’s meal site in Enid is getting a new home! Effective Friday, July 1, 2022 Wheatheart will begin providing mid-day meals at their new site in the Booker T. Washington Community Center. Located at 801 Pastor Alfred Baldwin Jr. Way (formerly 801 S. 5th), the new facility will provide hot meals, promote socialization and provide support and outreach services to senior adults age sixty and over. The agency is excited to partner with the Booker T. Washington Community Center, and feels that this will open the door to providing services for even more seniors in our community.
“The new site has a great location, excellent parking, and easy access for seniors with mobility challenges,” said Leslie Miller, co-director of The Wheatheart Nutrition Project. “I think this is a great opportunity for our agency, and for the seniors in Enid,” she said.
Meals will be served starting at 11am, Monday through Friday. It is important for seniors sixty and over to call ahead to reserve their meal. Reservations can be made by calling the site at 580-603-2429.
Wheatheart understands the challenges facing senior citizens, and seeks to offer support and outreach services, helping older adults to identify and access the many resources available in the community. The Outreach Coordinator is available to meet with seniors in their homes, discuss their unique needs and challenges, and work to develop strategies that enable those seniors to remain in their homes for as long as possible.
The Wheatheart Nutrition Project, Inc. is a non-profit organization, serving eight counties across north central Oklahoma. They are funded through the Long Term Care Authority of Enid Area Agency on Aging, with state and federal funds under Title III of the Older Americans Act of 1964. They also gladly accept donations to help support the program. For more information about Wheatheart Nutrition and how they can help you or someone you know, please contact their administrative offices at 580-262-0303.
Some men are reluctant to seek routine medical care. Casey L. Cochran, DO, a physician at St. Mary’s Family Medicine North, discusses how men can take charge of their health.
Q. What are some of the top health concerns for men?
A. Top health concerns for men include heart disease, colon cancer, prostate cancer, diabetes, hypertension, tobacco use and obesity.
Q. What can men do to stay healthy and prevent disease?
A. To improve your health, make sure you eat a balanced diet consisting of plenty of fruits, vegetables, dairy, meats and whole grains. Exercise and staying physically active is just as important. If you use tobacco, quit.
Men should get annual check-ups after the age of 35. It’s important to have open discussions with your primary care provider (PCP) about any urinary changes.
Q. What types of health screenings can men do themselves without going to the doctor?
A. Men can do testicular evaluations at home by checking for any abnormal testicular lumps. They can also monitor their blood pressure.
There are several screenings that men should seek through their doctor. Men with no family history should begin prostate cancer screening at age 50. Those with a family history of prostate cancer should begin earlier at age 40. Annual rectal exams and PSA tests are the best way to get screened.
Everyone is recommended to have a colonoscopy starting at age 50. If you have a first-degree relative that was diagnosed with colon cancer, your screening should start 10 years prior to their age of diagnosis.
Q. If someone has health concerns, why is it important to seek immediate care?
A. It is important to catch disease at early stages when it is more treatable and to prevent further complications.
Q. If someone does not have a primary care provider (PCP), how can they find one?
A. Here at St. Mary’s Physician Associates, we offer primary care services for the whole family. We have several locations to make it convenient for patients to access the care they need.
To schedule an appointment with Dr. Cochran, call 580-249-3782 or book online at stmarysphysicianassociates.com. For physician referral assistance, call 580-599-6391.
For language assistance, disability accommodations and the nondiscrimination notice, visit our website.
Author: Emily Henry Reviewed by Chloe Fuksa, Putnam Six Bookstore
Author Emily Henry’s latest novel, just released in May, is Book Lovers, and it is a wonderful summertime read. Henry broke onto the scene with Beach Read (2020) and followed it with People We Meet on Vacation (2021), which has surged even more in popularity lately with the #BookTok craze. Book Lovers is a rom-com with an ending you can see a mile away – the common enemies-to-lovers trope – but the characters and the humor help keep it unique.
Quite a few books out now are about books/bookstores, and this one falls into that category too – Nora is a literary agent and Charlie is a book editor. After a disastrous work lunch, the two consider each other their professional nemesis. But when Nora and her sister, Libby, decide to go on a month-long vacation to a small town in North Carolina, they have no idea that it’s actually Charlie’s hometown. Or that he’s living there now to help his parents out. Nora and Libby try to have a relaxing, quirky trip, but when a colleague goes on maternity leave early, Nora and Charlie are forced to work together to help an author make a deadline. They start falling for each other, but with Charlie needed in Sunshine Falls and Nora loving her life in NYC, can it be anything more than a vacation fling?
The two main characters have such snappy, dry senses of humor that you’ll definitely burst out laughing at times. But the book also explores the deep bond between Nora and Libby, as they realize the dynamic they had as children must change as they grow older and have families of their own. As well, for Nora, whose reputation is of a merciless shark – think Sandra Bullock in The Proposal movie – she comes to learn that maybe she doesn’t need to have tight control over every situation always. So, whether you pick up the literal Beach Read or this Book Lovers, you’ll be all set with a delightfully pleasant beach read for the summer.
Visit us in Sunset Plaza or call 580-297-5089 to get your copy of Book Lovers today!
Author: Seth Meyers Reviewed by Chloe Fuksa, Putnam Six Bookstore
I’m Not Scared, You’re Scared is a funny new book written by late-night host Seth Meyers and illustrated by Rob Sayegh Jr. It is a picture book with a target age range of 3-7 years old. You certainly get a dose of Meyers’s comedy, but there is also a good lesson about both friendship and courage for kiddos.
Rabbit is not scared by anything at all – it reads scary stories and goes on adventures and doesn’t even sleep with its door closed. Bear, though, is the opposite. Bear gets easily scared, even of its own reflection in the mirror. Rabbit finally convinces Bear to go on a trip, but Bear takes the long way around to avoid the scary things – a fish-filled stream, the dark woods, a rocky mountain, a rickety bridge. When Rabbit finds itself though desperately needing help, will Bear be brave enough to overcome its fears and rescue its friend?
The illustrations in this book are wonderful and quite funny themselves. Plus, each page has a handful of short sentences, so they build up the story nicely without being overly long and losing children’s interest. I’m Not Scared, You’re Scared is a great book, perfectly balancing humor with a good message. Kiddos can laugh at Rabbit and Bear while also learning that they themselves can be brave and adventurous too.
Visit us in Sunset Plaza or call 580-297-5089 to get your copy of I’m Not Scared, You’re Scared today!
Guys, do you want to achieve that famous superhero look for summer? Most actors have full-time trainers and cooks when they are preparing for a movie. Most of us do not have the time or funding for that, so here is how you can accomplish this look on your own. By focusing on a few muscle groups men can look like they have packed on 10-15 pounds of muscle. By using a similar principle women can look like they have dropped a few percent in body fat. This is how to get the look you are striving for this summer.
We will start with the guys. The muscles that you need to bring out to give you the unbreakable look are the traps, upper chest, shoulders, lats, and abs. The goal is to thin the waistline and make the upper part of the frame as wide as possible. Try this workout a few times a week to get the right look for summer.
Shrugs This exercise will develop the trapezius muscle. Grab a dumbbell in each hand or a barbell. Raise your shoulders slowly up as far as you can. Pause for a half second and lower the weight down until you feel a stretch.
Try to complete 3 sets of 12
Lateral Raises This exercise will develop the shoulders to help add the width and roundness to the upper arm. Complete exercise with a dumbbell in each hand and arms straight down by your side. Keeping the arms as straight as possible, lift the weights straight out to the side until they are just above the shoulder. Keep the pace slow and weight pretty light, form is very important here.
Complete 3 sets of 15 reps
Incline Press This will work the upper chest to give you that nice top shelf look. Complete exercise by inclining the bench to around 45*. Then, grab a dumbbell in each hand and lean back on the bench. Keeping your elbows below your shoulders press the weight up and squeeze the chest muscles by trying to force the elbows towards each other. Complete 3 sets of 12 reps
Pull-ups This will help add width to the back and give you the V-taper look. Complete by grabbing a pull-up bar and raising yourself up until your chin clears the bar. If you cannot do a bodyweight pull-up, use a resistance band to help you up.
Complete 3 sets of 8
Bent over rows This exercise will develop the upper back area and build that yolk to make you look bulletproof. Complete this exercise by grabbing a barbell or a dumbbell in each hand. Hinge at the waist and push your body weight back in the hips and heels. Make sure that your back is flat when you bend forward. Pull the weight up toward your body and squeeze the elbows behind the back to get a big contraction in the back.
Complete 3 sets of 10 reps
V-ups The V-up is a great ab workout to get them all showing for summer. Lay flat on your back and lift both of your feet up as you also bring your shoulders off the ground turning your body into a V.
Complete 3 sets of 15
Rear delt flys This will bring out the back of the shoulder. Lean forward (seated or standing) with arms straight down towards the ground and a dumbbell in each hand. Pull your hands apart (palms down) and go out as wide and as high as you can go.
Complete 3 sets of 15
Side Plank This will get the obliques looking good and tighten up the waist line. Lie down on your side and prop your upper body up on your elbow and forearm. Lift your hip up off the ground and stretch your feet straight out so that your body is in a straight line. Keep your shoulder pushed away from your ear. Hold this position for 30-45 seconds.
Complete 3 sets
The diet to prepare for summer is simple. Most movie star diets do not follow a specific meal plan. Just simply start with 5 meals a day and include a serving of lean protein, a serving of a good carb source, and a serving of green vegetables. Slowly decrease the carb source from week to week until you are summer ready!
Enid, Oklahoma – June is National Reunification Month, a month dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of keeping families involved in the child welfare system together and recognizing how the community can better support these families.
When a family becomes involved with the child welfare system, the mission of the Department of Human Services (OKDHS) is to help reunite children with their parents whenever safe and possible. The Fourth Judicial District CASA Program assists in this process by making sure the child’s best interests are at the forefront of making this decision. During this month and beyond, CASA volunteers strive to engage and connect with the families, so they have the support and resources needed to have their children safely come back home.
“Some people believe that once children are removed from home and placed into foster care, no further help for them is needed,” said Shelia McHenry, CASA Program Manager of Fourth Judicial District CASA “The reality, though, is that foster care is not meant to be a permanent situation, and most kids in foster care experience a sense of grief and loss after being removed from their home, regardless of what their situation was like.”
The Fourth Judicial District CASA Program recruits and trains Court Appointed Special Advocates, or CASA volunteers, to stay by a child’s side throughout their time in foster care, advocating first for reunification when safe and possible. Reunifying broken families, helping them to become healthy and whole, is a large part of an Advocate’s job. These volunteers get to know the children, parents, and family as well as others involved in their lives—including foster parents, therapists, teachers and attorneys—collaborating with everyone to put family reunification as the first priority whenever it is safe and possible.
“We know that the vast majority of parents love their children and want what’s best for them, and the parents of the children we serve are no exception,” said McHenry. “We want to support parents during this time so that they have the tools and resources needed so that their children can live with them safely, because going back home is the best possible outcome for these kids.”
Many times, parents involved with the foster care system struggle to access the resources, support and education they need to be able to complete services ordered by the judge.
“Our CASA volunteers can make a monumental difference by helping bridge the access gap and connecting families to services and support,” said Alyson Burrow, CASA Volunteer Coordinator of the Fourth Judicial District CASA Program.
CASA volunteers also make sure the children and parents they serve have a support system of family and other caring adults who are able to help in whatever ways needed and stay involved long after CASA and OKDHS involvement ends.
“If parents and children have a good support system, it’s much more likely that a plan for reunification will be successful and sustainable,” Burrow said. “That’s what we want for the children we serve – for them to be able to grow up safe, happy and supported, surrounded by people who love them.”
Reunification takes hard work, commitment and the investment of time and resources. The Fourth Judicial District CASA Program had 29 cases that closed in the FY2021. Of those 29 cases, 15 cases ended in reunification with their families and 5 cases ended with a relative adoption. The Fourth Judicial District CASA Program is grateful to our 40+ volunteers who encourage collaboration and supporting policies and standards that promote reunification.
By becoming a CASA volunteer, you can help more children and families in your community stay safe and happily connected. Every child has a chance—it’s you. ® The Fourth Judicial District CASA Program needs volunteers to serve in the counties of Blaine, Kingfisher, Garfield, Grant, Major and Woodward. Learn more at www.thecarecampus.com. You can also contact Alyson Burrow at 580-242-1153 or email 4jdcasa@thecarecampus.com. The next pre-training session for NEW CASA volunteers starts the week of July 5th.
Before I became an Oklahoman I was a Yankee from northern Pennsylvania – where the cows outnumber the people and the deer outnumber the cows. One of my fondest memories of childhood is climbing the steps to my father’s art studio on “The Hill.” He purchased an old house built in the late 1870s with the Victorian-era style. The 14-room house had an old coal furnace, which didn’t work in the winter, and cold running water. Fortunately about 1915 it had been converted to electric lights, that were never upgraded. The building nestled into the east side of the mountain and there was no driving access directly to the house on the vertical property. But to me at the time, the three best things about the house were the huge, wrap-around porch, the upstairs catwalk back into the mountainside, and the stone stairs leading up to the house – all 44 of them!
Yes, 44 stone steps…which needed shoveling in the upstate Pennsylvania winters with snow measuring in the feet, not inches. That was my winter chore from the time I was 7 years old. Despite the stairs being the bane of my existence in winter they were one of my favorite places to sit in the spring and summer. There were two Sugar Maple trees about steps fifteen and twenty-five which provided lovely shade in the warm summer sunshine. Between steps twenty-eight and thirty-six there was an iron pole railing, as it was especially steep at that point. On that railing climbed the best-smelling, pale pink tea roses. Oftentimes from about June through August, you could find me with a book in hand, and a thermos of ice-cold, purple grape juice sitting on the steps being transported to other lands, times, and adventures in the shade of those maples with the sweet scent of roses wafting about in the languid afternoon sun.
At different points along the steps throughout the spring and summer I could find any number of flowers and even some wild strawberries. Towards the top of the stairs, on the north side of the house ran a trickling stream. That side of the house had a small copse of trees and was more moist and shady than the other side of the house. Near steps thirty to thirty-six bloomed wonderful lilies – striped orange tiger lilies and sunny yellow daylilies are the ones I remember best. Closer to the trees grew wild white and purple violets the size of an old silver dollar. Growing up the hill on both sides of the house were fields of yellow daffodils with their dainty little teacup and saucer and some wild shaggy multi-petaled ones. Pale yellow and white narcissus interspersed the daffodils. It was great fun to pick armfuls of these cheery flowers for my mother to put in vases all around our home.
Right next to the porch were two lovely, old lilac bushes that provided a gorgeous heady scent. There were three more on the other side of the house. I later learned that when a child died in a household during that period, often a lilac bush was planted by the entry. Since then, I have hoped that the grand old bushes were planted for the love of the plant, not for the tragedy of losing so many children.
Towards the end of June on the south side of the house bloomed hundreds of “flags” in the area where the old outhouse had been. It was many years before I knew “flags” were actually deep purple irises. My father called them flags because they bloomed just before the 4th of July. Near that spot also grew several black walnut trees, a green apple tree, a concord grape arbor, lovely pink, white, and lavender wild flox, milkweed with hundreds of Monarch butterflies, and wild blackberry and red raspberry bushes. Growing up there were always flowers to pick and fruit to munch on all spring and summer long. My fondest memories, though, are sitting on the cool stone step twenty-two just whiling away the hours listening to the buzz of the bugs, the air scented with flowers and fresh-cut grass, and an occasional gentle breeze lifting me off to new adventures in the pages of a library book.
From the opening tip, Shreveport had to know it was in for a rough night. The Stride Bank Center Crowd was louder than it has been all season, and what was that? Rival Potawatomie Fire fans loudly cheering on…the Outlaws? “We loved coming up to Enid to support our fellow Oklahoma TBL team,” Fire fan Taylor Williams said, It’s the Oklahoma standard to cheer for each other when we aren’t playing each other. We hope the Outlaws take it all the way to the Finals and bring the Lillie Trophy back to Oklahoma!”
And with the seven Fire fans that made the trip, as well as a very good Outlaw crowd in support, Enid took the must win Game 2, tying of the Best of Three series at one game each.
Potawatomie Fire fans cheering on the Enid Outlaws (from facebook)
The Outlaws came out hungry and built a 32-24 lead in the first quarter, and kept building to pull away for the 129-109 win. With only 8 players available, Enid left it all on the court. They played hard all game and it showed in the box score. Ricardo Artis II led the team with 40 points (on just 19 shots) and 14 rebounds. Daylon “Chuck” Guy showed why he was named first team all TBL, with 31 points, 12 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals and shot 46% from 3, while playing all 48 minutes of the game.
As for the Mavericks, they were clearly frustrated by the excellent defense by Enid, as well as the rowdy crowd. Things got chippy on at least two occasions after hard fouls, the second of which earned Maverick Tavin Cummings an ejection. Shreveport coach Steve Tucker went to the bench often, playing 12 players during the game. While they still shot well from 2 (60.7%), they were only 8 for 28 from 3 and were harried into 19 turnovers. No single player stood out for Shreveport, but Tavin Cummings did have 20 points before his ejection. Big man Paul Harrison had 21 points, 7 assists and 8 rebounds, but was his +/- was -15, second worst on the team.
The deciding Game 3 is at the Stride Bank Center Saturday night at 6 p.m. Tickets start at $10 and are available at the door or stridebankcenter.com. Game 3 is huge and for the right to move on to the TBL Final Four against the winner of the Western Conference series between the California Sea-Kings and the SoCal Moguls. The Sea-Kings won the first game 133-125 and play Game 2 on their home court Saturday night.
Get your tickets, be there early, wear your best black shirts for the “black out” and cheer loud for your Enid Outlaws!
After losing Game 1, your hometown Enid Outlaws return to the Stride Bank Center Friday night at 7 pm for a must win game in the best of 3 Conference Finals series against the Shreveport Mavericks.
In the regular season, the Mavericks had the second-best record (19-5) in the Central conference, finishing one game behind the league leading Outlaws (20-4). The teams split their regular season matchups with the Outlaws winning 139-126 in Shreveport and the Mavericks winning 115-108 a week later in Enid.
Unfortunately, the Outlaws lost a little of that road magic and the Mavericks couldn’t miss in Game 1 of the series, with Enid losing 130-117 in Shreveport. The Mavericks had 4 players score more than 20 points and were led by 35 from 2nd Team All-Conference Paul Harrison (#40). Shreveport shot 59.4% from 2 and 37.6% from 3 and Enid just could not keep up. Kadavion Evans scored 31 followed by Daylon “Chuck” Guy’s 30. Ricardo Artis had 21 points and 14 rebounds.
Team Market Owner Jonathan Reed said, “We’ve been in this position before. All we have to do is take care of home and we will be fine. We really need the support of the fans to make this happen and bring another championship back to Enid.”
To reach the Central Conference Finals, Shreveport beat the tough Potawatomie Fire twice after losing the first game. First Team All-Conference Guard Bernard “Paul” Parks (#23) is the Mavericks leading scorer at 23.3 PPG, and Guard Deandre McIntyre (#15) was a finalist for 6th man of the year after averaging 9.6 PPG and 4.2 RPG off the bench, which shows their depth. In the regular season matchups Parks averaged 29 PPG so Enid really has to keep him in check.
As for the Outlaws, Second Team All-Conference Ricardo Artis II has averaged 27 points and 14 rebounds against the Mavs in their 3 games, While newly named First Team All-TBL Point Guard Chuck Guy has averaged his typical all-around excellent numbers of 28 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds.
Tickets start at $10 and can be purchased at stridebankcenter.com or at the door. Torrie Vann, Outlaw Superfan, reminds everyone that they are planning a whiteout for the game, and limited quantities of white shirts available to purchase at the game!
