REACH NEWSLETTER APRIL 2021
WHY PREVENTION MATTERS By: Tom Kowatch Prevention matters because the goal of prevention is to identify the source of the challenges in our communities and then work to effect change. Substance misuse and abuse is a challenge in all communities. It may take on different forms, and certain substances may be more prevalent in some areas than others, but sadly harmful substances are everywhere. If we ever want to effect change in our communities, we need to understand why individuals choose to use harmful substances. Why do individuals choose to use substances that have the potential to become addictive, can lead to life altering legal consequences, or even lead to death? To answer the why, we look at risk and protective factors. Risk and protective factors are life occurrences and influences that affect the choices we make and how we perceive the world around us. Risk factors increase the likelihood of undesirable and risky behaviors while protective factors reduce the chances of that behavior. If a child witnesses a parent or caregiver using a substance, this is a risk factor that the child will also misuse the substance. The child’s perception of harm will be lowered due to the witnessed use of the substance by a caregiver. A protective factor would be a parent or caregiver who does not use harmful substances. Risk and protective factors often cross into multiple harmful behaviors. Family violence, bullying, and suicide have many of the same risk and protective factors. Our goal is to reduce risk factors in our communities and engage people in order to allow opportunities for protective factors to increase. We do this by providing information to communities we serve about the potential effects of substance misuse and abuse as well as awareness of available educational and prevention oriented services and opportunities. Our educational opportunities include classroom curriculums, presentations and outreach within the community. It is also important to provide alternative activities that don’t involve alcohol or other substances. We partner with multiple local community agencies to provide safe and healthy opportunities in which youth and families can participate. One of the aspects of education is working with community partners to identify those at highest risk for harmful behaviors and also providing programs that can educate those at the highest risk and provide them with the opportunity to make healthy and safe choices.
CONTENTS OF THIS MONTH'S ISSUE: Staff Spotlight - 2 REACH Podcast - 2 Youth Prevention Education - 3 Youth Recovery Communities - 4 Arts & Crafts - 5 Coalition & Community - 6/7 Fundraising & Sponsors - 8 Upcoming Events - 9/10/11/12
An important aspect of prevention is addressing harmful behaviors at, not only an individual level, but also the community level. Working with businesses, local government, parent committees, schools, etc. to effect change, is crucial to seeing positive change happen and be sustained. At REACH Council, our mission is to support safe and healthy choices vital to the well-being of our youth, families, and community. Our hope is that each of you will join us in effecting the change that you would like to see in your community.
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STAFF SPOTLIGHT Hi! My name is Tina McClaren and I am the Director of Finance and Human Resources at REACH Council. My husband and I live in Midlothian and have 3 children who all attend Midlothian schools. We moved here 8 years ago from Ohio due to my husband's job transfer. I am an Ohio State University graduate and will forever be a Buckeye fan!! When not working, I enjoy traveling, shopping, and spending time watching my children play sports. I have worked for REACH Council for almost 5 years and truly enjoy the work we do. Although I am behind the scenes with most of what I do, I could not be more proud of the work all our employees do to help our community.
REACH PODCAST REACH is excited to announce our monthly podcast where we discuss news and topics that reflect our mission to "support safe and healthy choices vital to the well-being of our youth, families and community". Each of our staff will take a turn bringing you news and fun conversations focused on their passions and interests in prevention and recovery. You can expect to learn about substance abuse and misuse, programs we offer here at REACH, upcoming events, life skills and tips to promote and sustain a healthy lifestyle, and so much more. Make sure you subscribe to our podcast streams to stay up to date with the latest "REACHing out with REACH" podcast. You can tune in via Apple Podcast Google Play Music, Podbean, Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon/Audible, Pandora, TuneIn/Alexa, PlayerFM, ListenNotes, iHeartRadio, Podcast Addict, Deezer or YouTube. Here are the links to our past podcasts: January Podcast https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-2nx6e-fa1183 February Podcast https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-yfe8a-fd7777 March Podcast https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-7tmjv-fdd495 If you would like to be a proud sponsor of one of our monthly podcasts, please contact Kristal Whitaker at Kristal.Whitaker@ReachCouncil.org
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YOUTH PREVENTION EDUCATION
Wow, what a crazy year it has been for the whole world! Here at REACH Council things looked a lot different for our students, teachers, and staff. We learned to adjust to a new normal and were able to change the way in which we engaged students throughout Ellis and Johnson Counties. We were very excited to have our Kids Connection groups take place back in the schools in early 2021. Kids Connection is a prevention program for elementary aged students conducted in small group settings to address topics that include making healthy choices, goal-setting and building positive self-esteem. We were able to participate face-to-face at Vitovsky Elementary, Longbranch Elementary, Baxter Elementary, and McClatchey Elementary, all located in Midlothian. We also were able to virtually facilitate our Too Good for Drugs program. Too Good for Drugs is a program for middle school students that provides lessons teaching prevention strategies and coping skills to help kids avoid unhealthy situations. This semester we were able to serve Walnut Grove Middle School students in Midlothian. Finally, we were able to provide our Life Skills Training curriculum virtually, through the use of pre-recorded videos, to Keene Jr. High School in Keene, and J.R. Irvin Elementary in Midlothian. The Life Skills Training curriculum teaches a combination of health information, general life skills, and drug resistance skills. REACH Council also has an in-person summer camp coming up in early Summer 2021. The projected dates for camp in Midlothian are Monday, June 14th to Friday, June 18th. Our camp will have daily enrichment activities, indoor and outdoor crafts, and lots of fun. We cannot wait to see all the fun summer is going to bring!
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YOUTH RECOVERY COMMUNITIES
Your local YRC has been very busy lately. Our list of participants is growing monthly! We are working hard to create a warm and welcoming environment for the youth (ages 13 to 21) that we service here in the Johnson and Ellis County area.
Our goal is to ensure that any youth needing recovery support for a variety of reasons has access to what they need when they need it. Additionally, we offer support for the family and friends of the participants that we assist. We truly believe that peer and community-based services can reform and transform the outlook of young citizens. Saturday, May 1st, 2021 we will host our first of four yearly events. "Planting Seeds Towards Recovery" will be a community gardening event at our office, which is located at 208 S. 4th St, Midlothian, TX 76065 from 10:30am to 1:30pm. This opportunity is extended to our participants and their families, as well as local community members. Email us at JoinYRC@ReachCouncil.org or call (972) 723-1053 x 15 to RSVP. If you are interested in joining or getting involved with Youth Recovery Communities we would love to hear from you!
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ARTS & CRAFTS When children become angry, upset, sad, frustrated, or stressed, it becomes difficult for them to make rational decisions. They can become so focused and overwhelmed by the emotion they are feeling. This is when mindfulness techniques can be really helpful. Sensory bottles, or as we like to call them, Calm Down Bottles, give a child something to focus on instead of that “big feeling” they are experiencing. The glitter used in the calm down bottle moves slowly from the top of the bottle to the bottom when it is flipped from right side up to upside down and vice versa. Watching the progress of the glitter, and most importantly, its slow descent, gives the child time to calm down, allows them to slow their breathing in time with the glitter’s descent, and they are able to regain their self-control.
capturingparenthood.com
Supplies: -Water bottle -Baby oil (enough to fill ½ of the bottle you are using) -Food coloring -Hot glue gun/glue sticks for the glue gun -Funnel (for pouring water) -Whatever you want to put in (some ideas are: Beads, Glitter, Pom-Poms, Sequins) How to: 1.Empty the plastic bottle and remove all labels from the bottle. If you have a hard time getting the sticky residue off, Goo Gone works wonders. 2.Fill the bottom 1/2 of the bottle with baby oil. 3.Top the baby oil with whatever items you are wanting to add. 4.Pour water into a separate glass, slowly add in your food coloring until you have the right color you want, then add the colored water to the bottle. Make sure to leave a little air at the top of the bottle so the ingredients have room to move around. 5.Then, add a dab of hot glue around the inside of the cap and quickly seal the bottle. This helps make sure no little hands unscrew the lid ;)
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COALITION & COMMUNITY "REACH ACROSS JOHNSON COUNTY" SEGMENT ON JOCO COMMUNITY RADIO Join us LIVE every Wednesday at 5pm on JoCo Community Radio on Facebook, or download the Tunein Radio App (it’s free) @ https://www.tuneinjoco.com, Spreaker.com, or search our show title "Reach Across Johnson County" on your favorite podcast outlet. Recent special guests include Dr. Devika Rao who discussed The Truth About Vaping for Teens, and the Texas Say What Teen Ambassadors who talked about their Teen Summit & Advocacy.
Dr. Devika Rao
ELLIS AND JOHNSON COUNTY INITIATIVES Rx Drug Disposal Program REACH Across Johnson County Coalition has partnered with the Cleburne Police Department to provide the community with an Environmentally Safe Rx Drug Disposal Box. Safely dispose of your expired or unused prescription or over the counter medications. Pictured from left to right: Shari Phillips (REACH Council Community Liaison), Chief Rob Severance, Sergeant Neal Sandlin, Kerri Wiggins (Coalition Coordinator)
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Prom Dress Event Collaboration In partnership with Recovery Resource Council and participating school districts in Ellis & Johnson County, 260 new prom dresses and 50 suits were provided to area students. Participating districts included Ferris ISD, Red Oak ISD, and Waxahachie ISD for Ellis County, and Burleson ISD and Joshua ISD for Johnson County.
Ellis County Prom Dress Event
Johnson County Prom Dress Event
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FUNDRAISING & SPONSORS Thank you to Panda Express in Midlothian for participating in a fundraiser benefitting REACH Council on Monday, April 12th! Our participants sure enjoyed the delicious food!
Please join us on Friday, April 23rd for our next fundraiser at Lighthouse Coffee Bar! 10% of proceeds will benefit REACH Council and the event is FREE! Lighthouse Coffee Bar is located at 1404 N. 9th St, Midlothian, TX 76065. There will be raffle drawings, a table with our information, a donation jar and a night of fun! Raffle tickets are $1 with no maximum amount of entries. Winners will be drawn during intermission.
Mark your calendars! On Wednesday, June 16th, make sure to eat at Chipotle in Cedar Hill between 4pm-8pm to help support REACH Council!
If you would like to support REACH Council through either advertising on this page, hosting a fundraiser, or simply making a donation, please contact Kristal Whitaker at Kristal.Whitaker@ReachCouncil.org. Thank you!
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UPCOMING EVENTS Friday, April 23rd Open Mic Night fundraiser Lighthouse Coffee Bar Midlothian (1404 N. 9th St.) 6pm-8pm Saturday, April 24th National DEA Rx Drug Take-Back Day Dispose of unwanted prescription drugs on #TakeBackDay! 10am - 2pm *Most Ellis County locations are 10am-1pm* Midlothian is 10am-1pm at Ace Hardware (530 E. Main St.) Visit www.DEATakeBack.com to find a location near you! Saturday, May 1st Planting Seeds Towards Recovery - gardening event Midlothian REACH office (208 S. 4th St.) 10:30am-1:30pm Monday, June 14th- Friday, June 18th REACH Council summer camp Midlothian 8am-12pm Wednesday, June 16th Chipotle fundraiser Cedar Hill (398 E. FM 1382) 4pm-8pm Make sure you follow REACH Council on social media!
Facebook @reach.council
Instagram @reach_council
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Twitter @REACHCouncil PAGE 09
UPCOMING EVENTS
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UPCOMING EVENTS
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UPCOMING EVENTS
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