AB Minutes - March 2025

Advisory Board Meeting March 3, 2025  6:45 – 8:00 pm

Attendance – Board Members: Cole D, Giada D, Audri M, Maddie R, Maddy P Staff: Alicia, Selena

1.      Recycling Bin!

The group took a field trip to Home Depot to purchase recycling bins for both Alexander and the Ice Rink/Rec Center. Each month, AB members will be responsible for emptying and returning the recyclables. 

Selena is working on securing additional metal bins that we can place outside at the pools this summer. Think about designs that we can add to the bins at an upcoming meeting.

2.      Team Building Activity

3.      Review Homework: Socials & Workshops for rest of the year

The group came up with an extensive list of social and workshop options. We are not able to travel outside of the country or have overnight Y.E.S. vacations. 😊 

Social Ideas: Dave & Busters, Comedy Show, Bowling, Lasertag, Mall, Haunted House/Haunted Hayride, Ropes course, Movies, Bills game, Bisons Game, Splash Lagoon (looked into this – and it’s minimally $55 pp – might be a little too pricey), Losson Park Picnic, Erie County Fair, Maid of the Mist, Cave of the Winds, Trick or Treating on Begger’s Night, Chuck E Cheese, Fun City, UB Basketball Game, Hike to Eternal Flame, EVL Mountain Coaster, Outer Harbor/Kayaking

Workshop Ideas: Fort Niagara, Zoo Scavenger Hunt, Strong Museum, Explore N More, City Hall Tour, Buffalo Science Museum, Botanical Garden, Buff State Planetarium, Rochester Science Museum, Art Gallery, Balloon Animals/Face Painting, Mumford/Genesee County Museum (there’s a historical ghost story tour – might be cool for fall!), Kelkenberg Farm

4.      Brainstorm: New Additional Activities

Y.E.S. activities have been filling up FAST! We’re working on adding more activities. If you have ideas, connections, etc, please reach out to Y.E.S. The biggest obstacle is age restrictions and actually getting in touch with places that do not respond to emails and voicemails. Alicia will be visiting potential volunteer spots next week and to see if we can get Y.E.S. involved! Alicia will be going to Elderwood Nursing Home, DePaul Assisted Living, Garden Gate Nursing Home, Fantastic Friends, Kaleidoscope of WNY, Tri-Community Food Pantry. Cole said he’d speak with Cheektowaga PTO to see if Y.E.S. can help with events. Audri suggested we offer helping with Clevehill’s Trunk or Treat and Basket Raffle events.

NEW planned activities beginning spring/summer: - Carnival Day each week @ Playground Rotations – Y.E.S. will be doing face painting, balloon animals, and games- Adopt-a-Highway – This is an AB Only event! We will clean up the road on Broadway.- Park Clean Up – We will clean trails at Losson Park and other town parks

Activities for Fall:- Kids Cooking/Baking Class – The Pizza My Heart craft night where kids made their own pizzas and cannoli was a huge hit! We’d like to offer more similar classes like this since we have a great open space, with a full kitchen, at the rink!

HOMEWORK: Come up with a food to cook/bake/make! It has to be something that can done within a 1.5 hour time frame.  Get creative – come up with a theme, additional activities that can be done while food is baking/cooking.  You will be able to help make your ideas come to life and lead the group activity!

Beginning in the May/June newsletter, we will have new sign-up procedures.  This will make it more fair for volunteers to all sign up for activities at the same time, regardless of when they receive their newsletter.  Tentatively, registration for May/June will go live on Sign Up Genius on Saturday, April 19 at 9:00 am.

5.      Activities, Crafts & Snacks for July & August Youth & Preschool Activities Preschool – When Nature Calls Youth – Happiest Park on Earth We will continue working on this for summer. If you have any fun ideas to go with either of these themes, please let Y.E.S. know.

6.      Fundraiser

Recently, the owner of Salsarita’s stopped by the office to ask if Y.E.S. would like to hold a fundraising event at their Union Rd location.  Last year. Y.E.S. did a fundraiser at Chipotle. We didn’t earn a ton of money from the event, but every little bit helps for the scholarship fund. We’re willing to give this a try! We will schedule for summer.

Y.E.S. will also ask Sean if we can sell refreshments at two of the summer concert events. We can possibly do a 50/50 raffle at one of the concerts too.

7.      Summer Social

Pool party at Dingens is booked for Fri July 11 (4-7 pm) with raindate Fri July 18.

8.      Grace Guest House     Easter Break – Tues Apr 15, 1:30 – 6:30 pm (???) This is an AB Only event! We’ll be meeting at Alexander and taking a van to Grace Guest House to make pierogi and dinner. After Grace, we’ll go to dinner and back to Alexander for pick up. AB will call for rides on the way back to Alexander.  Please let Y.E.S. know if you’re unable to attend.

9.      Put Halloween Decorations in Basement Finally put away!

Next Meeting: Monday, April 7, 6:00 – 8:00 pm One or two AB members will assist with orientation while others will help fold stuff newsletters and/or return empty bottles from recycling bins.