• Tracy Kissel, NET TRANS Mobility Manager
• Substance Use Stigma Reduction Training with Sherry Barnett, Regional Overdose Prevention Specialist 

• Our staff was able to meet with the Elizabethton City School Resource Officers. Huge thanks to Chief Shaw for organizing this meeting! We appreciate their assistance and hope to assist them with programs and services to combat the vaping epidemic and mental health and substance use concerns in schools.
• I spoke at a Town Hall meeting organized by Carter County Health and Welfare Committee Chair Robert Acuff and requested that some of the $11 million Carter County will receive as part of the American Rescue Plan be utilized to better support those whose mental health has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. I am greateful for Dr. Acuff's committment to ensuring residents in Carter County have their voices heard. 
• On March 23rd we celebrated the opening of our SECOND location in downtown Elizabethton. We are so excited to have office space for Nash, Shannon and Rebecca as well as a designated space for meetings and training. Our South Hills location can continue to be filled with programs and activities for youth and families.  Thanks to the Elizabethton Chamber for assisting with our grand opening and all of the partners who joined us in celebration!
• Our Carter County Collaborative leadership team met during March for a strategic planning retreat. We are excited for the progress we made and are grateful to Jayne Harper for leading this initiative!
•   We hosted a "Spring Break Camp" for students out of school for Spring Break and had great attendance for different programs and projects each day. Thanks to our partners, Shana Johnson who provided a suicide prevention class, UT Extension who provided pancake cooking, Nash Acuna who provided art and Brandon Pierce who provided lots of STEM activities! We ended the week with a super fun block party including inflatables from Grand Slam Inflatables! Nash also offered some Spring Break activities at the Boys and Girls Club of Elizabethton/Carter County. We love to partner with them and help support their awesome youth members. 
• Nicole helped our youth coalition to share drug and alcohol facts during National Drug and Alcohol Facs Week. Thanks to the library for allowing them to set up there! See photos below.   
• Seuss on the Loose was so much fun! We had a blast helping the library and Parks and Rec by offering a station at the Seuss on the Loose event and Rebecca and Nash distributed resources to hundreds of families. 
• Brooke and Tia were able to participate in the Recovery Round Table and Recovery Rally. We are grateful for the Day Reporting Center and their partners for planning these events and thr opportunity it gave us to share lock boxes and imformation with lots of partners and community members.

• Nash has an amazing line-up of artists and opportunites for the Art Walk on April 9th! See info below about the walk, duck hunt, recycled are contest and more!
• Nicole is working hard to plan our first ever "Prom Promise/Sober Grad" informational event for teenagers. Check out the flyer below and make plans to join us on April 23rd! 
• It's Drug Take Back time! This year, Nash has organized several locations for families in Carter County to get rid of medications they no longer need. Join us on April 30th at either the Elizabethton Police Department, Elizabethton/Carter County Boys & Girls Club or Harmony Freewill Baptist Church from 10am-2pm to drop off unwanted or unused medications. For more about why this is important, check out this awesome video created by our youth coalition that shares why it's important to ditch those old meds in a safe way!
• Kid Power is coming to Elizabethton for the first time on April 30th! Come see us at this event that is always so fun and educational. More info below and here!

April Update

By Shannon Payne, PEAK Mentor Program Director 

There are many benefits of mentoring for young people. 

Mentoring is often one component of a program that involves other elements, such as tutoring or life skills training and coaching. The supportive, healthy relationships formed between mentors and mentees are both immediate and long-term and contribute to a host of benefits for mentors and mentees.

Benefits of mentoring for young people include: 

• Increased high school graduation rates 
• Lower high school dropout rates
• Healthier relationships and lifestyle choices
• Better attitude about school 
• Higher college enrollment rates and higher educational aspirations
• Enhanced self-esteem and self-confidenceImproved behavior, both at home and at school
• Stronger relationships with parents, teachers, and peers
• Improved interpersonal skillsDecreased likelihood of initiating drug and alcohol use  

Mentoring has also been linked in studies to social-emotional development benefits, improvements in youth perceptions of parental relationships, and better prospects for moving on to higher education.

If you or someone you know can benefit from having a mentor in their life or if you would like to volunteer to be a positive influence in a young person’s life. Please reach out to Shannon Payne at shannon@cartercountydrugprevention.org or call/text 423-707-9207.