bWell: Cross Country Ski Outing

Never been on cross country skis and always wanted to give it a try? Whether you’re a beginner or a pro, join us on a cross country ski outing to one of Michigan’s premiere cross country skiing destinations. JRE Safety Director Michael Hottinger will conduct small group lessons for those new to this exhilarating winter activity. You don’t need be in shape, own your own skis or have any previous experience. You just need the desire to get outside and enjoy Michigan’s winter wonderland.

>>>When:
Day: Saturday, February 25, 2012
Time: Meeting at 9 am. We will begin with an introduction for the beginners followed by three hours of skiing over 12 miles of groomed trails including the Mackinac Cut and Wild Turkey Trail!

>>>Where:
Cross Country Ski Headquarters- Higgins Lake is located in Roscommon County in the middle of Michigan’s snow belt 1 1/2 hours. from The Tri-Cities and 2 1/2 hours from Lansing & Greater Detroit. Visit their website for more info about trail maps, ski conditions and directions.

>>>Sign up:
• Rental fees: $9-11 (paid upon arrival)
• Open to employees and their families
• RSVP by Friday, February 17, 2012 to bwell@jranck. com (we will try to arrange car pooling for those interested.)

Parade and Float Update

The float committee, consisting of Angie Wood, Stacie Geiger, Julie Webster and Tracy Childs, is currently making preparations for the fifth year of JRE’s participation in Coleman’s holiday parade. During a recent planning meeting, the group decided on the theme for this year’s JRE float for the 2011 Coleman Luminary Parade. “We wanted to incorporate one of JRE’s markets into the float, so we chose to build an airport runway with a sleigh landing and a radar tower in the corner,” Angie Wood said of the design. Committee members and volunteers will be going from concept to creation in the next few weeks at JRE’s Coleman warehouse. Anyone interested in helping construct the float should contact Angie at awood@jranck.com. Build dates will be posted on the blog as they become available.

Parade info: On Saturday, Dec. 10, the Coleman Order of the Eastern Star, Warren Lodge No. 427 and the Coleman Lions Club will sponsor the annual luminary parade. This year’s parade will line up at 5 p.m. at Coleman Elementary School; the parade will start at 6 p.m. Bring the whole family – you are invited to ride along on the float and candy will be provided to throw to all the parade-watchers! Following the parade, employees and their families are invited to a pizza party at the Coleman warehouse, located at 5015 Dickenson Rd. For float seating and pizza planning purposes, please RSVP to Angie if you plan to attend this year’s parade activities!

Make a day of it! A new event this year prior to the parade is a Chili Dinner hosted by the Railway Family Center. The event will consist of a craft bazaar, children’s crafts and activities and a visit from Santa. The event runs from 1 to 5 pm at the center located at 911 East Railway Street, Coleman. Come early to the float line up and enjoy a warm cup of chili and some holiday activities before you ride the JRE float. Tickets can be purchased for $5 to the dinner and the rest of the day’s events at the RFC. Contact Ryan Wood in the Mt. Pleasant office or email him at ryanwood@jranck.com for tickets to the family center’s holiday event.

Finding “Inner Strength”

As part of the bWell campaign, this past Saturday Gary Haffey of Instinctive Response Training and one of his students, Scott Sober, pictured above, put on a 4-hour self-defense course at the Mt. Pleasant office. The course was attended by 12 JRE employees and family members. The seminar focused on defending yourself against attacks involving a weapon and/or body contact. “The techniques taught were applicable and relevant, because the types of attack they demonstrated were realistic and the defenses to the attack were relatively simple and did not involve a lot of complex moves,” Angie Wood, JRE Human Resource Director said. The curriculum focused on how to defend against commonplace encounters, like being grabbed by the wrist or the shirt, or being grabbed from behind. Haffey also taught techniques to defend against a knife and gun attack. One of the smartest things you can do during an attack is to relax your body, Haffey explained. This will allow you to have better response time, utilizing muscles that are not tense, but mobile and quick.

Pictured above, is Whitney Fornari (Lori Cambell’s daughter) and Julie Webster practicing an escape and submission hold during the seminar on Saturday. Below, Angie Wood and Gale Kaufman share a laugh while learning an escape move from a throat hold.

The biggest thing that Haffey stressed during the course was that you cannot possibly learn everything about defending yourself in a 4-hour class. If you are serious about using these techniques and protecting yourself, you must practice the techniques over and over, and become proficient in defending with both sides of your body, he explained. “I realize we can’t learn it all in a few hours, but the lessons learned (be aware, and that we do have the power to control the situation) are invaluable. I have been through some of those classes and it was a good refresher, reminding me of our inner strength,” Gale Kaufman said.

For anyone interested in learning more, Haffey holds Instinctive Response Training sessions at the Stone Recreation Center on the campus of Alma College. The cost is $35.00 per student for a month.

Above from right, Kim Featherly and her son Connor (Jeff Featherly’s family), listen to the instruction on Saturday along with Lori Cambell, Colleen Iles (Warren Iles’s wife) and Stacie Geiger.