CCHCC IS RECOGNIZED BY THE CUMBERLAND COUNTY

BOARD OF FREEHOLDERS

IN S IDE TH I S

I S SUE :

Freeholder’s

Recogni�on 1

3rd Annual Tuxedo

Card Contest winner 2

PRIDE surveys 2

Training

Opportuni�es 3

Youth Network

Update 3

Medical Marijuana 4

You Make it Possible 4

CUMB ER L AND

COUNTY

H E A L THY

COMMUN I T I E S

COAL I T ION

A N I N I T I A T I V E O F :

T H E S O U T H W E S T C O U N C I L , I N C . S P R I N G 2 0 1 3 V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 4

Jessica Kanady Project Director

jessica@southwestcouncil.org P: 856.794.1011 ext. 302

Michael Regenelli Project Coordinator

michael@southwestcouncil.org P: 856.794.1011 ext. 303

Chair

Tracey Huggins

Vice Chair Michael DeLeon

Editor

Brian Kanady

Meetings are held at The Southwest Council, Inc.

1405 N. Delsea Dr. Vineland, NJ 08360

Joseph Williams

SWC Executive Director

Reducing substance abuse among youth in Cumberland County

Several Cumberland County freeholders

a/ended the general CCHCC mee�ng on April

8 at The Southwest Council offices. Tony Su-

race, Joseph Derella, and Douglas M. Long

began the mee�ng by recognizing the coali-

�on for its posi�ve contribu�ons to the coun-

ty since it began in 2007. The CCHCC was

awarded a proclama�on acknowledging sev-

eral of its ini�a�ves including providing Above

the Influence ac�vi�es to over 1,000 youth as

well as the CCHCC’s diligent data collec�on,

which iden�fies alcohol as the most abused

substance among youth here in Cumberland

County.

Tracey Huggins, the coali�on's chair and

founder of Renewed Minds, accepted the

honor on the coali�on's behalf.

"It is such an honor to accept this proclama-

�on on behalf of the coali�on,” said Huggins.

“Many �mes it seems that efforts such as this

are not truly taken seriously even though

folks know the importance of them. To have

our freeholders come out and stand in

solidarity with us is an encouragement that is

greatly, and humbly, accepted."

In addi�on, the proclama�on also recognized

April as Alcohol Awareness Month. Alcohol

Awareness Month was founded and has been

sponsored by the Na�onal Council on Alcohol-

ism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) since

1987. The goals are to increase public aware-

ness and understanding aimed at

reducing s�gma.

In recogni�on of Alcohol Awareness Month,

the coali�on is working on several ini�a�ves.

One project currently underway involves

members of the coali�on distribu�ng post

cards with educa�onal informa�on regarding

the penal�es for adults who serve alcohol to

minors. Furthermore, the CCHCC is collabo-

ra�ng with the Salem-Cumberland Regional

Ac�on Toward Community Health Coali�on to

conduct a free fake ID training for both law

enforcement and businesses holding liquor

licenses.

Jessica Kanady, who has served as the coali-

�on's director since 2011, took a few mo-

ments during the mee�ng to thank the mem-

bers for their commitment to the important

cause of reducing youth substance abuse.

"Without the dedica�on and �me of the indi-

viduals who make up this group, it would not

be possible to have made the progress we've

made to date," said Kanady. "It is their willing-

ness to collaborate that

makes this group so

unique and so successful."

Pictured from le� to right: Freeholder Douglas M. Long—Liaison Economic

Development/Educa�on, Freeholder Joseph Derella- Liaison Public Safety,

Tracey Huggins— CCHCC Chair, and Freeholder Tony Surace—Liaison Public

Works & Property.

P A G E 2

Dimitrius Bell-Cook wins the 3rd Annual Tuxedo Card Contest

Michael Regenelli

This year, the CCHCC held its 3rd annual Tuxedo Card Contest. The contest encourages youth to design a

posi�ve message about staying safe during prom season. With a record number of entries this year,

bolstered by strong par�cipa�on from both Hopewell Crest Elementary School and Mr. Lago’s graphic

design class at the Cumberland County Technical Educa�on Center, choosing a winner was no easy task.

At the CCHCC mee�ng on March 13, coali�on members were given the opportunity to vote for their three

favorite entries. It was a close vote, with most designs receiving at least one vote and no design receiving a

majority. When the votes were tallied, there was a �e for 1st place, and another �e for 3

rd. AJer the �e-

breaker votes, Dimitrius Bell-Cook’s design (pictured) was declared the winner, with Katherine Shaw and

Jenna Schoppe winning 2nd and 3

rd prize, respec�vely.

Dimitrius’ winning design will be mass-produced and placed in various businesses and organiza�ons in

Cumberland County, with an emphasis on businesses that serve prom-goers, such as formal wear shops.

Dimitrius will also be awarded a $50.00 giJ card. Thanks to a

dona�on by CCHCC member Carmen Miranda-Jones, we are

able to award Katherine and Jenna each a $25 giJ card.

The CCHCC hopes to build on this year’s success and see even

more entries next year. This contest is a great way to raise

awareness about the consequences of making unhealthy

alcohol related choices during prom season, while giving

teens a voice and a chance to show that they stand up for

healthy choices.

Michael Regenelli

In 2013, the CCHCC will once again be imple-

men�ng the PRIDE Survey in Cumberland

County schools with students in 6th, 7

th and

8th grade. In 2011, the CCHCC conducted the

survey with over 900 students in grades 6-8

from six different schools. In 2012 three high

schools par�cipated with over 200 par�ci-

pants.

Conduc�ng the PRIDE Survey allows the

CCHCC to collect anonymous data on stu-

dents’ aOtudes, behaviors and beliefs regard-

ing alcohol, tobacco, marijuana and prescrip-

�on drugs. Among many other things, the

survey results iden�fy the rates of use of each

of these drugs as well as the average age at

which youth first try each drug. The coali�on

uses this data to plan appropriate preven�on

strategies. For instance, past PRIDE surveys

have shown that alcohol is the most abused

substance by youth in Cumberland County.

Knowing that informa�on has allowed the

coali�on to focus a great deal of a/en�on

onto ini�a�ves such as fake ID trainings and

S�cker Shock Campaigns.

The coali�on has begun reaching out to su-

perintendents and principals to gain their

support in implemen�ng the survey. On Feb-

ruary 22, Project Director Jessica Kanady and

Keiko Warner presented on PRIDE at the Su-

perintendents Roundtable in an effort to ob-

tain their assistance in increasing the number

of schools that par�cipate. In early March,

the coali�on mailed a le/er to the principal of

each school in Cumberland County that

serves 6th-8th grade students. The le/er con-

sisted of a brief overview of PRIDE, the bene-

fits of par�cipa�on for a school, answers to

frequently asked ques�ons about the survey,

and sample parental consent forms in both

English and Spanish.

Going forward, the coali�on will con�nue

conduc�ng the PRIDE Survey in high schools

and middle schools to ensure that they have

access to the most up-to-data.

PRIDE Surveys set to be conducted again in fall 2013

P A G E 3 V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 4

ON SATURDAY, MARCH 16, THE YOUTH

NETWORK PARTICIPATED IN A CLEANUP

OF CORSON PARK, NEXT TO MILLVILLE

SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL.

THE CLEANUP WAS PART OF AN EFFORT

TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT THE

PROBLEMS POSED BY SMOKING IN

PUBLIC PARKS.

Pictured le� to right: Jovany Rodriguez, Greg Bonano, and Veronica Bonano.

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Gerald Or�z, Davis Companies:

Career Planning

Erin Alden, SERV:

Healthy Rela�onships

If you are interested in presen�ng to the Youth Network

please call Michael at 856-794-1011 ext. 303 or e-mail

michael@southwestcouncil.org

Upcoming Training Opportunities for Coalition and Community Members SUPPORTING YOUR TEEN IN

MAKING POSITIVE CHOICES

Matt Bellace

comedian, clinical psychologist, and expert on child & adolescent neuropsychology

WHO: Dr. Matt Bellace

WHAT:

“Supporting Your Teen in Making Positive Choices” - A program geared toward parents and relevant to professionals working with children & adolescents.

WHEN: Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Light dinner: 6:30p.m. - 7p.m. Presentation: 7p.m. - 8p.m.

WHERE:

Southwest Council’s Gloucester County Office: 550 Bridgeton Pike, Suite 3

Mantua, NJ 08051

HOSTED BY:

The GRASP & SCRATCH Coalitions

WHY SHOULD YOU COME? It’s FREE and there will be tons of great

information, resources and even a chance to win prizes! 1 CEU credit will be offered.

PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED!!

Please contact Jackie Williams to register at jackie@southwestcouncil.org or

856-794-1011 ext. 315

ADVOCACY VS. LOBBYING: THE ROLE OF PREVENTION PROFESSIONALS & NON-PROFITS

This workshop is designed to help prevention professionals gain a better understanding of advocacy and lobbying, what is and isn’t allowed, and the importance of advocacy in the field of substance abuse prevention. Effective advocacy strategies will be reviewed as well as resources to help with your advocacy efforts. TOPICS COVERED WILL INCLUDE:

• The role advocacy can play in pursuing non-profit mission and program goals.

• The IRS definitions of advocacy, direct lobbying and grassroots lobbying, and how real-life examples fit into each.

• Avoiding prohibited activities.

• Permissible activities under typical government grants and contracts, with special focus on drug and alcohol and violence prevention organizations.

• New Jersey’s lobbying statute and its applicability to non -profit advocacy activities.

• The differences between organizational advocacy activities and program or individual advocacy activities.

• Strategies and tools for effective advocacy.

• Coalition building and the role of coalitions in your advocacy efforts. The training will take place May 9 at the Southwest Council from 9am-4pm. Please contact Edy Hansen with NJPN at edy@njpn.org for information on how to register.

Contact us for more information on the CCHCC, our Youth Network or to sign up for our mailing list!

CCHCC

c/o The Southwest Council, Inc.

1405 N. Delsea Dr.

Vineland, NJ 08360

Phone: 856.794.1011 ext. 302

Fax: 856.794.1239

E-mail: jessica@southwestcouncil.org

facebook.com/CCHealthyCommunitiesCoalition Twitter.com/CCHCC3

You make it possible, Beth Mayers The coali�on would like to recognize and

express their gra�tude to Beth Mayers for

her past and planned future collabora�on

with the CCHCC. Mayers who has served on

the coali�on for over a year now has

earned her CPS and SAC cer�fica�ons. She

recently has begun the coursework to earn

her CADC and is currently pursuing her

MSW at Rutgers University.

Mayers started in the non-profit world as a

family advocate for the Head Start program

and is currently employed by The South-

west Council, Inc. where she has worked

for over five years. Mayers worked as the

Resource Coordinator for Salem County for

many years before recently becoming the

Coordinator of the SCRATCH coali�on in

2012. The SCRATCH Coali�on, which serves

both Cumberland and Salem Coun�es,

shares many of the same goals of the

CCHCC.

“I was excited to join the CCHCC, especially

since so many of our goals coincide. It was

especially helpful to me as a new coali�on

coordinator to see a successful and ac�ve

coali�on in ac�on. The CCHCC and

SCRATCH coali�ons have already planned

some ini�a�ves together and I look forward

to more opportuni�es to collaborate,” said

The Cumberland County Healthy Communities Coalition was formed to build healthy communities by reducing

substance abuse among youth.

The Coalition is a group of committed community members of all ages and from all walks of life, including

educators, law enforcement, parents, youth, faith leaders, health professionals, media, local government and

businesses.

We need a Healthy Communities Coalition because a group with a common goal can achieve so much more

than an individual alone. Our Coalition promotes coordination and partnership between organizations to create environments that are alcohol, tobacco and drug free. We build links between local organizations and

individuals who are working to accomplish common goals.

The Coalition meets at the Southwest Council’s Cumberland County Office in Vineland. We welcome any interested community members to attend our upcoming

general meetings on May 13, 2013 - 1:30 June 10, 2013 - 1:30 July 8, 2013 - 1:30

The Coalition is a community initiative of The Southwest Council, Inc. Funds are provided by the Office of National Drug Control Policy and managed by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Mayers.

The two coali�ons collaborated just this past

fall to host an educa�onal event for parents

and professionals on prescrip�on drug abuse.

In addi�on, the two coali�on’s will be working

closely together this spring and summer to

conduct a free two-hour fake ID training for

law enforcement and establishments with

liquor licenses. The coali�ons will also collab-

orate to conduct S�cker Shock Campaigns in

Cumberland County.

It is individuals like Mayers, and those who

serve on the SCRATCH coali�on, who truly

understand the meaning of coali�on work.

When we work together, we can make a

difference.

“Medical”

marijuanastates

areclusteredat

thetopofthelist

intermsofdrug

addictionand

abuseamong

12-17yearolds.

United States Department of Health and Human Services.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administra�on.

Office of Applied Studies. Na�onal Survey on Drug Use and

Health, 2009.