The Grinch has arrived in Ok Falls – Several area residents have reported property theft over the last few weeks, with many crimes happening in the middle of the day. Thieves seem to be targeting storage buildings and the items they are making off with include tires/tire rims, toolboxes/tools, and electronics. Locked doors were often forced open with a crowbar.
As a community, we have the power to work together to stop this unacceptable behaviour. If you see anything suspicious, report it to the police immediately. Nearly everyone has a camera on their phone these days, and taking a photo to support what you witnessed will hold more clout. Let’s send a message to thieves that we are watching them!
Okanagan Falls Winery Association Recycles For Charity
Throughout the 2014 winery tasting room season, all of
the wineries belonging to the Okanagan Falls Winery Association recycled
the empty bottles from their tasting rooms with the help of local Appleton
Waste Services. Once a week, the bottles would be collected from the
wineries, counted, and the bottle deposits tallied.
On December 5th, the money from those bottle deposits were donated to
Helping Hand, an Okanagan Falls charity. Helping Hand provides and
distributes Christmas hampers (food & gifts for children) to low income
families in the community, provides apples twice-weekly at the local
elementary school, provides emergency hampers throughout the year and
supports the breakfast program at the local elementary school. A cheque for
$983.60 was presented to Helping Hand from the Okanagan Falls Winery
Association and Appleton Waste Services.
(from left to right) Roland Kruger of Wild Goose Winery, Vera Gilbert of Helping Hand, Rock Appleton of Appleton Waste Services, and Ian MacDonald of Liquidity Wines.
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BC Adolescent Health Survey
Local result of a BC wide survey of school students – grades 7 to 12
In results the majority of Okanagan students repored good physical and mental health; felt connected to their family, school and community; had positive plans for the future; and were engaging in health promoting behaviours which will assist them to transition successfully to adulthood.
However, the survey also highlights some differences between this region and the province as a whole, as well as identifying some groups of students who may need additional support.
Positive findings included a decrease in the percentage of students who were seriously injured in the past year with a corresponding decrease in drunk driving and increases in students who engaged in injury prevention behaviour such as seat belt use.
More youth ate fruit and vegetables than in previous years and local students were more likely than those throughout the province to have taken part in informal sports on a weekly basis (such as road hockey, hiking, and skateboarding; 64% vs. 58% provincially) as well as yoga, dance, or exercise classes (21% vs. 18%) in the past year.
However, while most youth (80%) rated their mental health as good or excellent, males were more likely than females to do so. Males also reported lower rates of extreme despair, self-harm, suicide ideation, and suicide attempts than females.