By Lorrie Ross
Staff Writer
You may have seen some of them around town, at local events, wearing black t-shirts with the logo People of Clay C.A.R.E. For a few years, they have been working to increase substance misuse prevention efforts for the local community in several ways.
Clay County residents and other area residents are invited to be part of the prevention coalition People of Clay C.A.R.E. Coalition Allies for Recovery and Education by attending its first community coalition meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 13 in the multipurpose room of the Clay County Courthouse. Community members will hear more about how they may be involved to strengthen the group’s prevention efforts.
Most recently, C.A.R.E. held its second community town hall. The May 25 town hall at Meadow Grove Church, shared a lot of information with the attendees and those who joined via Facebook.
Facts such as some shared by Clay County Schools Sheriff Resource Officer, about what substances are being found in the schools, sometimes in the possession of grade school students. Other information included:
• Clay School Superintendent Dale Cole shared some of the plans for the schools.
• Prevention expert Patti Tiberi explained how young peoples’ brains are not fully developed until about 25 years old.
• Todd Goins, Director of Clay County DSS, told how more children have entered the foster care system in the last decade and most cases are related to substance use.
• Hayesville Middle School student Lauren Gottlieb expressed concern about the number of young people she knows who are choosing risky behaviors.
The general consensus seemed to be adults can make a difference in the lives of young people, even those unrelated to them. The People of Clay board has been meeting for one year and have learned about community coalition capacity-building and agency collaborations. The board and the two part-time coalition coordinators have also learned ways to share information with the community. The group has distributed prevention literature, medication lockboxes and medication disposal kits, but they have also talked about policy changes, and family education. With the help of Hinton Center, People of Clay CARE created an alcohol standards banner, using the logo created by Hayesville High School students.
People of Clay CARE invites those who wants to find out how everyone can be part of the prevention efforts, to attend the community coalition meeting Tuesday, July 13. To find out more about what the coalition has been doing, look for the coalition table in front of Hayesville Town Hall during Festival on the Square on Saturday, July 10 and Sunday, July 11 or visit: www.facebook.com/People-of-Clay-CARE-105280484454660.