OLAF FUB SEZ: According to French poet and fabulist Jean de la Fontaine, born on this date in 1621, “A person often meets his destiny on the road he took to avoid it.”

FEELING THE LOSS— The unexpected death of Timothy Mark Cwiklinski at age 25 on May 2 has brought distress to his mother, Candy Hafner, in more ways than one. A single mother living on her own, recently off work due to surgery, she is struggling to pay for his funeral costs.

To help out, friends are holding a benefit from 5 p. m. to midnight Saturday in The Aud Sports Bar&Grille, 6036 Transit Road, Depew. Tickets are $30 apiece and cover food, an open bar from 7 to 10 p. m. and happy hour drink prices at other times. There also will be silent auctions and raffles, including a raffle for a 2010 Mustang. For information or donations, call Timothy Koller at 474-9434.

DRUMSTICK BEAT— Schofield Residence Nursing Facility, 3333 Elmwood Ave., Town of Tonawanda, will host a Chiavetta’s chicken dinner fundraiser from 3 to 6 p. m. Thursday. Tickets are $8. For information and reservations, call 874-1566.

CENTURY MARK— Turning 100 years old today is Helen Harman, a resident of the Northgate Health Care Facility in North Tonawanda since 2003. A retired food service worker, she is a member of St. Leo the Great Catholic Church in Amherst. She speaks Italian as a second language and always has enjoyed dancing. Her husband, William, died in 1987.

REUNIONS REDUX— The West Seneca High School Class of 1969 will host an ice breaker at 7 p. m. July 24 in Flattery’s Restaurant, Orchard Park Road, West Seneca. All West Seneca alumni are invited. The following day, there will be a West Seneca Alumni Picnic starting at noon in Angel Flight Grove, 3984 California Road, Orchard Park. Contact Donna Witczak Shine at 662-1164, e-mail dmshine@aol.com ; Lenore Ronin Brown at 667-2537,e-maillbrown6949@hotmail.com ; or JoAnne Panek Hortman at 823-8028,e-mail jojosail@aol.com .

The annual reunion of the descendants of Giles and Sarah Dodd White will be held Aug. 2 in the pavilion at Allen Park in Jamestown. Dinner will be at 1 p. m., followed by a business meeting, election of officers and a white elephant auction. Those attending should bring a dish to pass, table service and a wrapped item for the auction. Children’s items should be wrapped and marked appropriately. Contact Cecile Wilson at 483-0101.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY— Betty Sturm, Suzanne Taylor, Victoria Schaller, Phyllis Evers, Marty Fox, Sister Kandy Carter, Grace Rizzo, Eleanor Was, Carol Jeziero, Anna Buckley, Jon Christiano, Mark Sumbrum, Tim McCarthy, Tracy Tone, Cindy Darone, Maryalice Demler, Rodney Appleby, Kilissa Cissoko, Sarah Guitart, Luke Danielson, Sister Mary Doloria Piorkowki, Chumley St. John, Mark Becker Jr., Barb McKenna, Brendan Fox, Jeff Riel, Christine Raczka, Dakota Penkaloki, Jeanie Kelly and Jason Ciesielski.

AND THURSDAY—Laura Smith-Sweeney, Sherry Sutton, Ava Barone, Ziggy Janus, Leila Kuhns, Jeanette Zanghi, Brandi Huller, Joe Muhlbauer, Destiny Ruhl, Adam Zyglis, Christa Foschio-Bebak, Judy Buczkowski, Dick Starzynski, Tony Starzynski, Sherry Sutton, Jenna Juszkiewicz, Karen Haaland, Larry Kowalski, Marilyn

B. Yeates, Bernie Hill, Peter Gold and Joshua Bentkowski.