Thanks for Golfing

Thank you to all the participants that played in the 2009 STOP Underage Drinking Charity Golf Tournament.  The weather turned out to be beautiful for our postponed tournament, and the scores were pretty low!

Also, thank you to the Nicklaus Golf  Club at LionsGate for hosting the tournament, and Will Jenny’s Restaurant for providing the lunch.

The tournament funds drug-free role models with college scholarships, and we were happy to have our scholarship winners (Chelsea Didde, John Coler, Meg Swaggerty, and Alex Robinette) in attendance to be recognized.  Also, STOP’s Public Service Ad Contest Winners (Adam Lewis and Jordan Rogers) were there to receive their awards.

Photos will be posted soon at: www.jocostop.org.

HELP PARENTS KEEP TECH-SAVVY TEENS SAFE

ANTI-DRUG UPDATE – June 24, 2009 HELP PARENTS KEEP TECH-SAVVY TEENS SAFE * Downloadable Teens and Technology Guides Available for Parents in Your Community *  June is Internet Safety Month and offers an opportune time to remind parents to educate their teens about playing it safe when they are online. With the rise of social networking tools like Facebook and Twitter, and more time on their hands during summer vacation, teens are able to retreat into their own digital worlds. While it might be difficult to keep up with the latest online fads, parents can actively monitor their teens’ Internet use to ensure their children are using these interactive tools safely. Many teens say their parents are unaware of their online activities. Furthermore, nearly one-third (29%) of students say their parents would disapprove if they knew what they were really doing on the Internet.* It’s important for parents to take the time to learn about the many online dangers teens are exposed to on a regular basis to effectively keep them out of harm’s way.   Parents must also be mindful of teaching their teens to use their cell phones safely and to understand the ramifications of photo-sharing and video tools. Unwanted photos or videos showing teens in undesirable activities can easily be posted on sites like YouTube or MySpace and have lasting consequences. A recent survey indicates that 6 percent of teens who use social networking sites say someone has posted an embarrassing picture of them online without their permission.** Here’s how you can help spread these important Internet safety messages to parents in your community: Download.  A “Teens and Technology” package, which includes a downloadable E-GUIDE and QUIZ, that outlines everything parents need to know about social networking, Internet and text messaging lingo, and viral video to better understand their teen’s online habits. http://www.theantidrug.com/teens-technology/index.asp. A customizable “Teens and Technology” Open Letter to Parents is available for download on TheAntiDrug.com with tips for customizing and distributing. http://www.theantidrug.com/openletter/Open%20Letter%20eMonitoring_Editable.pdf. Download the teen online exposure fact sheet. http://www.theantidrug.com/resources/pdfs/Teens-Tech-Factsheet.pdf. Learn More.  The updated “Teens and Technology” online section provides guidance and advice to help parents monitor their teen’s online activities. http://www.theantidrug.com/teens-technology/index.asp. Order.  For additional strategies on keeping teens drug-free, take advantage of the Media Campaign’s FREE RESOURCES by visiting http://www.TheAntiDrug.com/Resources or calling 1-800-788-2800.   Sign Up.  Encourage parents in your community to sign up for TheAntiDrug.com’s Parenting Tips e-Newsletter, a regular e-mail notification with advice and strategies to help keep teenagers healthy and drug-free. http://www.TheAntiDrug.com/Newsletter.asp. * i-SAFE survey. 2003-05. http://www.isafe.org/channels/sub.php?ch=op&sub_id=media_digital_divide ** “Cyberbullying and Online Teens.” Pew Internet &American Life Project: Data Memo, published June 27, 2007. Page 3. http://www.pewinternet.org/~/media/Files/Reports/2007/PIP%20Cyberbullying%20Memo.pdf.pdf *************************************** ANTI-DRUG UPDATE (formerly Media Campaign FLASH) is your source for the latest news on the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign.  Feel free to forward this information to your community partners and announce this information on your Web site or in your organizational newsletter.  Sign up for the ANTI-DRUG UPDATE here: http://www.TheAntiDrug.com/Resources/Form.aspx.  Free materials from the Media Campaign are available to distribute in your community by visiting www.TheAntiDrug.com/Resources or calling (800) 788-2800. ABOUT THE MEDIA CAMPAIGN: The National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign combines paid advertising with public communications outreach to deliver anti-drug messages to America’s youth, their parents, and other influential adults.  The Campaign was established by Congress in 1998 to prevent and reduce drug use among young people, increase awareness among adults of the impact of drug abuse among young people, and encourage parents and other interested adults to discuss with young people the dangers of illegal drug use.  The Campaign also keeps the drug issue on the national public agenda and combats the pro-drug content that is pervasive in popular culture and the digital environment.  For more information on the ONDCP National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, visit www.MediaCampaign.org.

Help Prevent Impaired Driving during July 4th Holiday

From CADCA, June 18, 2009:

According to NHTSA, drunk driving is one of America’s deadliest problems. In 2007, 12,998 people were killed in traffic crashes that involved at least one driver or motorcycle rider with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher. However, much of the drunk driving tragedies can be prevented with a few simple precautions before going out to celebrate, and coalitions can play an important role by reminding their community of these important precautions:

• Plan ahead: Whenever you plan on consuming alcohol, designate your sober driver before going out and give that person your keys;
• If you’re impaired, call a taxi, use mass transit or call a sober friend or family member to get you home safely;
• Use your community’s Sober Rides program;
• Promptly report drunk drivers you see on the roadways to law enforcement;
• If you know someone who is about to drive or ride while impaired, take their keys and help them make other arrangements to get to where they are going safely.

NHTSA’s July 4th planner includes marketing materials and templates, such as news release templates, banners, posters and fact sheets, that coalitions can use to support their impaired driving initiatives surrounding the Fourth of July for both social norming and enforcement efforts. The marketing tools are built on NHTSA’s message platforms: “Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving” (Social Norming) and “Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest.” (Enforcement).

Click here to access these tools.

Click here to view this article at CADCA.org

SAMHSA Report indicates relatively high rates of binge drinking in Kansas

2007 State Estimates of Substance Use & Mental Health

Binge Alcohol Use in Past Month among Persons Aged 12 or Older by State: Percentages, Annual Averages Based on 2006 and 2007 NSDUHs

Binge Alcohol Use in Past Month among Youths Aged 12 to 17 by State: Percentages, Annual Averages Based on 2006 and 2007 NSDUHs

2009 Communities That Care Survey

The 2009 Communities That Care Student Survey data results for the State of Kansas have been released.  Click Here to Visit the Website.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Communities That Care Student Survey measures risk and protective factors related to substance abuse and other problem behaviors.  From this data, prevention professionals can assess the risks that children are exposed to, and can monitor the incidence and prevalence of these factors.

View State of Kansas Data, or County Data from this site in four domains: peer/individual; family; school; and community.

For more information, contact your local Regional Prevention Center

Law pins underage drinking on adults

This article appeared in the Wichita Eagle on March 31, 2009

BY SUZANNE PEREZ TOBIAS AND ROY WENZL:

Listen up, parents: If you think those kids whooping it up in your basement or garage might be drinking, you’d better find out and then break up the bash.

Pleading ignorance is no longer an option.

Starting July 1, adults who allow minors to drink in their homes — either by providing booze or turning a blind eye to drinking — could face legal prosecution and fines of $1,000 or more.

“It’s great news, and it’s about time,” said Pam McLucas, an alcohol and drug counselor at the Wichita Children’s Home.

“If parents know they’re going to be in trouble, maybe those boundaries will get set up pretty quickly.”

The new law, passed by the Kansas Legislature this spring, says adults can be held responsible if they “recklessly” allow minors to consume alcohol in their homes or on their property.

Current law holds parents responsible only when police can show they “knowingly” allowed minors to drink.

The new law will be easier to enforce, said Capt. George Mason, spokesman for the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office.

Officers regularly encounter parties where minors are drinking or drunk and parents appear to be “either clueless or deliberately vague about their knowledge” of it, he said.

View the new STOP Underage Drinking Project Website

STOP Underage Drinking Project’s 2009 PSA

View the 2009 PSA

STOP Underage Drinking Charity Golf Tournament

Summer 2009 

 

Johnson County STOP Underage Drinking Project, Inc(formerly LEOpen) Golf Tournament

 

Supported by: Regional Prevention Center (program of Johnson County Mental Health Center)

 

Lions Gate Country Club

(Private, site of Champion’s Tour event)

14225 Dearborn Ave. OP, Kansas 66223

Format: Four-Person Scramble

Funds will support substance abuse prevention education initiatives and the STOP Scholarship Fund.

Visit http://www.4prevention.infofor registration information and http://www.jocostop.orgfor additional details.

Monday, July 6, 2009

9:30 a.m. Shotgun Start

Registration begins at 8:00 a.m.

Entry Deadline:

Wednesday, June 24, 2009 (Please call to register after that date)

Registrations: $80.00 per person, $320.00 per team

(includes: Green Fees, Cart, Post-Tournament Meal, Trophies and Prizes):

 

Registration & Payment Instructions:

Registration: Please register your team online @ www.4prevention.info

Please mail payment to:

Johnson County STOP Underage Drinking Project, Inc.

c/o Regional Prevention Center

1125 West Spruce St

Olathe, KS 66061

Registration is complete once payment has been received. An email will be sent to the team captain to confirm registration and payment. For questions related to registration and payment please contact Nancy Keller (RPC) at: (913) 715-7880.

 

A silent auction will also be held during this event.

Former Wichita State Basketball Coach Randy Smithson redefines ’success’

This article appeared in the Wichita Eagle; written by Bob Lutz:

Randy Smithson lived most of his life wanting more, a desire that very nearly killed him; now he’s following a new path.

Randy Smithson has finally figured out what he wants to do when he grows up.

It takes longer for some than others. Smithson is 51, so it has taken him a while.

He is redefining himself as something other than a college basketball coach. And, even more life-altering, as something more than an addict, one who was nearly brought down over an eight-year period by an assortment of pain medication.

“I walked around numb for a number of years,” Smithson said.

Now he wants to help people who fight the same addictions to alcohol and pain medications that he has. Helping people has always been his life’s calling; he’s just going to use a different avenue to do so.