Michelle Kowalewski – center, with Kathy Ofsharick and Alice Deutsch

The Susquehanna County 4-H Program was many of the local organizations selected by the Friends of Susquehanna County, Inc. to receive financial support for 2012. A big thank you to the Friends of Susquehanna County from The Susquehanna County 4-H program!

On Saturday Nov. 10, 2012, the annual "Mini Relay for Life" was held at the Elk Lake Primary center gym. The event is sponsored by the Elk Lake K-Kids and the South Auburn Relay For Life Team. It was open to any 5th and 6th grade student who wanted to participate.

Top fundraiser's for fifth grade: Jayden Baker $204.00, Samantha Hunsinger $250.00 and Ben Bell $ 431.00

There were 46 walkers and 21 cancer survivors. Music was provided by D.J. Tom Caines and lunch was provided by The South Auburn Relay Team. Prizes were awarded to each participant.

Top fundraiser's for sixth grade: Hannah McIntyre $504.00, Brooke Arnold $650.00, and Annah DeLong $1,022.00

A grand total of $5,419.25 was collected and everyone had a great time.

On Friday, December 7, 2012, at 7:00 p.m., the SCDA held their annual tree lighting ceremony. This year’s tree is being dedicated to the Susquehanna Fire Department, and is decked out in red and white lights and red ornaments displaying the SFD Logo. Even though it was a dark, dreary, rainy night, it didn’t dampen the spirits. Mayor Perry, Methodist Minister Rev. Campbell, the Boy Scouts and American Legion lit the tree then proceeded to the Fire Station for the ceremony. The Fire Men and Women and their Auxiliary were there dressed proudly in their uniforms while Master of Ceremony Darlene Slocum from the SCDA spoke about the history of the Fire Department and about how grateful we are for them, even though sometimes we take for granted all the dedicated hours these men and women put in to protect our communities.

Also, Mayor Perry thanked them from the Borough. After the dedication, everyone was treated to punch and cookies, (donated by the NJD BPW) and entertained by Mr. Wolke and the Susquehanna Elementary Children’s Choir. All in all, it was a great evening and we would like to wish everyone a Merry and Blessed Christmas and a big thank you to the Susquehanna Fire Department for their service to us all. Thank you from the SCDA Hometown Days Committee.

Forest City Nursing & Rehab Center participated in the first annual Forest City Winterfest, held Saturday, December 1st. Children were invited to try their luck at the Lollipop Tree to win a prize. Children of all ages were encouraged to have a picture taken with Santa Paws.

Lori Houman, a Certified Nurse’s Aide at the Forest City Nursing & Rehab Center, takes time out with Santa Paws at Forest City’s first annual Winterfest. Lori was one of several Forest City Nursing & Rehab Center employees working the booth. Lori has been a certified nurse’s aide with the Center for over 24 years. Santa Paws, also known as Colbert, is owned by Mia Crotti, an intern at the facility.

(StatePoint) Though one of the best parts of winter is getting out of the cool, crisp air and into the cozy, comfort of your home, trendsetting crafters are bringing the beauty of nature inside their houses when decorating for the holidays this year.

This holiday season, the outdoors are in, says Nicole Long, Manager of Inspiration for Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores, pine cones, evergreen, moss and grapevine can give your traditional decor a rustic, natural look.

If you’re having trouble getting inspired, here are some ideas from the experts at Jo-Ann:

Dress up the entrance of your home with an especially festive look. Wire a small twig wreath to a larger grapevine wreath and then decorate with dazzling embellishments, stems and greenery.

Give your mantel a cozy makeover by hanging knitted stockings, embellished with berries and leaves. Then fill them with gifts galore!

Deck the halls with pictures of loved ones and celebrations past. Turn a traditional pine garland of berries and pine cones into a personal keepsake of fond memories by adding handcrafted wire frames of your favorite family photos.

Paint pine cones red, gold, burgundy and green. Don’t be afraid to add a little glitz with a coat of clear glitter on each one. Showcase them in a simple glass container for a beautiful centerpiece or side table decoration.

Fashion a hanging basket out of grapevine wreath. Place battery-operated lights within the basket and fill with ornaments.

For a delicious holiday goodie bag, dip peppermint sticks in melted chocolate and decorate with sprinkles or chopped nuts. Place them in treat bags with ribbon then give to family and friends throughout the season.

• Print Victorian-era designs onto paper, then decoupage onto wood shapes. Glitter the edges and tie on a shiny ribbon to create a lovely, vintage-inspired ornament.

For more tips and directions on transforming your home for the holiday season, visit www.JoAnn.com/projects.

By bringing a bit of nature into your home this season, you can evoke its spirit all throughout the house.

(StatePoint) It’s at the top of many New Year’s resolution lists -- quitting smoking. In fact, 15 million people try to quit smoking cigarettes yearly. Only 5 percent succeed when they use no support or go cold turkey. Moreover, the average smoker will attempt to quit up to nine times before successfully quitting.

Luckily there are new tips and tools that can help smokers kick the habit this year.

In an effort to empower the more than 45 million current U.S. smokers to call it quits, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare has launched Quit.com, a free, total quit-smoking online resource with tools to help smokers quit their cigarette addictions and stay smoke-free.

Every smoker is different; therefore every smoker’s approach to quitting may need to be different. Quit.com houses personalized tools in a central location to help smokers navigate quitting smoking, no matter where they may be in their quit journey.

Here are some tips from the experts at Quit.com to help smokers quit their nicotine addiction in the New Year:

Preparing to Quit: First pick your quit date. By having a day you’re working toward, you’ll be able to prepare mentally and physically to quit. Do your research on how to be prepared before getting started.

Ready to Quit: Support your quit by reducing your body’s physical cravings so they don’t get in the way of your willpower. Consider using a nicotine replacement product that fits your lifestyle, such as a gum, lozenge or patch.

Currently Quitting: Celebrate every little win and stay focused on the positive benefits of quitting and why you decided to quit in the first place. If you get a strong craving, change things up to throw your urge to smoke.

Post-Quit: Surround yourself with inspiration to stay smoke-free -- your family, your pet, your health and your finances -- and remember you have everything to gain by quitting.

More tips on quitting smoking can be found at www.Quit.com. The new website is built in four levels with specific tools depending on where smokers are in the quitting process -- preparing to quit, ready to quit, currently quitting or post-quit and looking for resources to remain a nonsmoker.

Quitting smoking is tough and requires focus and effort, but that’s only half the equation. Part of the addiction is behavioral -- a learned habit over time -- but the other part is neurobiology, a chemical dependency to nicotine, explains Saul Shiffman, Ph.D., an addiction and dependence expert, researcher in behavior change and relapse at the University of Pittsburgh, and paid-consultant to GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare. Using a combination of behavioral resources, education and quit smoking medicines can improve chances of success!

Quit.com also offers tools to help battle mental aspects of quitting smoking, such as identifying and tracking triggers and making a list of reasons you want to quit, along with resources to help fight the physical addiction, such as a quit guide to find the right nicotine replacement to provide relief from cravings.

The key to successfully kicking the habit is to empower and encourage smokers to try quitting and give them tools to help them succeed.