March 2022
CARTER COUNTY CONNECTS |
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April CCC Meeting
April 7th
Virtual: Join Zoom @ 12pm
Meeting will end @ 1:30pm
Things to do before the meeting:
- Please make sure you have filled out this membership form.
- Please use this form to share any upcoming events or activities you would like the collaborative members to know about.
- Committee chairs, please use this form to submit committee progress.
Speakers:
Tracy Kissel, NET TRANS Mobility Manager
Committee A: Substance Use Stigma Reduction Training
Committees will meet in breakout rooms following the speaker.
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March Outstanding Coalition Partner
Tri-Cities Moms Demand Action
Our March Outstanding Coalition Partner isTri-Cities Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.
In an average year, 1,193 people die by guns in Tennessee. Tennessee has the 8th highest rate of gun homicides in the country.
Moms Demand Action is a grassroots movement of Americans fighting for public safety measures that can protect people from gun violence. We work to pass stronger gun laws and to close the loopholes that jeopardize the safety of our families. We also work in our own communities and with business leaders to encourage a culture of responsible gun ownership. We know that gun violence is preventable, and we're committed to doing what it takes to keep families safe.
We were founded by Shannon Watts, a mother of five. The day after the Sandy Hook tragedy, Shannon started a Facebook group with the message that all American can and should do more to reduce gun violence. The online conversation turned into a movement of moms, dads, students, families, concerned citizens and survivors working together with our partners in the gun violence prevention movement to end this uniquely American crisis.
Moms Demand Action has established a vilunteer chapter in every state of the country and Washington, D.C. and is part of Everyton for Gun Program. Learn more about the program at BeSMARTforkids.org.
To learn more about Moms Demand Action, visit https://www.everytown.org/state/tennessee/
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March Outstanding Coalition Member
BreAnna Blevins
Carter County Juvenile Court
Bre works for Carter County Juvenile Court.
She says, "CCDP is a vital resource to the youth that we work with in juvenile court by providing tobacco and vape cessation, community service work, life skills education, mentoring, and much more."
Her favorite memory with CCDP is collaborating with them to provide Christmas presents to a Carter County family who would have otherwise gone without.
We are so grateful for Bre, the work she does in the community and her partnership with CCDP!
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Hello coalition members,
February 2022 highlghts:
- Youth Art Nights with Nash, our Opioid Prevention Coordinator have been very successful and are continuing through March.
- Our weekly "Healing Our Hearts" book study, in partnership with High Country United Church of Christ, is continuing through the month of March. It has been a great opportunity for community members of many generations to come together and discuss "Call It Grace: Finding Meaning in a Fractured World" by Serene Jones.
- We welcomed Tia Hughes, our new Marijuana Program Coordinator and are so excited to have her as part of our team!
- We couldn't let Employee Appreciation Day go by without saying how much we love and value our team at Carter County Drug Prevention! These people work tirelessly to make Carter County a healthier place to live.
- Our Carter County Collaborative leadership team met and began working on a strategic plan to ensure the continued success of the monthly meeting and associated initiatives. We are grateful to Jayne Harper for leading this initiative and look forward to creating and sharing the plan with our full collaborative as it develops.
- Some of our youth coalition teens and staff had the opportunity to hear from and meet Sam Quinones, author of "The Least of Us: True Tales of America and Hope in the Time of Fentanyl and Meth." We are grateful to ETSU for this opportunity!
- Our Assistant Coalition Director, Brooke, planned an amazing "Healthy Relationships" class in honor of Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. So many teens attended the class and learned valuable skills from
A Step Ahead Foundation-
Tri-
Cities.
If you are looking for a way to support Carter County Drug Prevention this month, our "Egg My Yard" fundraiser is happening soon! Please sign up to participate and spread the word! Our youth coalition would love to help the Easter Bunny create a magical experience for your kiddos or kids you know. Sign up here!
Thanks for helping us to make Carter County a healthier place to live.
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Pictured:
-Rebecca Marr, Finance Manager
-Shanasha Acuna, Opioid Prevention Coordinator,
-Tia Hughes, Marijuana Prevention Coordinator & PEAK Program Asst.
-Brooke Jones, Asst. Coalition Director & Family/Community Support Specialist
-Nicole Kendall, Drug Free Communities Program Coordinator
-Denise Woods, Data Collection Coordinator
-Jilian Reece, Executive Director
-Shannon Payne, PEAK Mentoring Program Director |
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Pictured: Sam Quinones with McKenna Marr, Emma Carpenter, Mia McIntire, Jilian Reece, Brooke Jones and Mira Davis |
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White House Releases List of Actions Taken by the Biden-Harris Administration Since January 2021 to Address Addiction and the Overdose Epidemic
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February 2022 Arrest Data
*Data Provided by Carter County Sheriff's Department & Elizabethton Police Department through https://carter-911-tn.zuercherportal.com/#/inmates.
Ages
12-21 - 0
22-30 - 3
31-40 - 1
41-50 - 2
51-60 - 1
61-70 - 0
71 and up - 0
Unknown ages - 2
Gender
Male - 7
Female - 2
Violations
DUI - 1
Public Intoxication - 3
Underage Consumption - 0
Drug Paraphernalia - 0
Violation of Implied Conscent Law - 0
Manufacture, Delivery, Sale or Possession of Methamphetamine - 6
Introduction of Contraband into a Penal Institution - 0
Possession of Legend Drug without a Prescription - 0
Simple Possession/Casual Exchange - 0
Schedule I - 0
Schedule II - 0
Schedule III - 1
Schedule IV - 1
Schedule V - 1
Schedule VI - 1
9-1-1 Calls For Service
DUI - 3
Possible Drugs - 4
Overdose/Poisoning - 2
Public Intoxication - 4
Suicide/Attempt/Threat - 6
Psychiatric/ Abnormal Behavior/ Suicide Attempt - 1 |
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Dr. Seuss took over Downtown Elizabethton!
Thanks to the Elizabethton/Carter County Library, Elizabethton Parks and Recreation, Main Street Elizabethton, and participating downtown businesses, Downtown Elizabethton got "Seussed" on Saturday, March 5
Participants stopped by the Library to pick up your Lorax List Sneetch Sheet and visited the participating businesses to explore the Seussical sites, special crafts, themed treats, book readings, and so much more!
Participating Businesses were:
1. All Star Sports & Country Crafts
2. Betsy Treasures
3. Cannon’s Fine Home Furnishings
4. Carter County Drug Prevention
5. Cottage Boutique
6. Dino’s Restaurant
7. Duck Crossing Antique Mall
8. Klacie’s Candles & Boutique
9. Lantern Realty & Development
10. Pedals on Rails
11. Simple Blessings General Store
13. Southern Restaurant
14. Sweetsie Treatz
15. The Coffee Company
16. The Peddler’s Cart
17. Northeast Community Credit Union
18. The Elizabethton River Riders
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The opioid crisis has deepened its claws into Upper East Tennessee. Many people in the community have been affected directly or indirectly, though friends and family suffering from substance abuse disorder. Furthermore, the youth are experimenting with vaping, tobacco, and other substances. Moreover, the youth are facing other challenges such as; homelessness, poverty, food scarcity, and generational cycles of adversity.
We are a mentoring program that takes at-risk youth ages 7-17 and matches them with caring adults in Carter and Johnson counties. The program requires mentors 21 or older, to have a one to one relationship with a mentee for 1 year for at least 1 hour a week. Research shows that kids with mentors are more likely to graduate high school, hold leadership positions, and are more likely to enroll in college. Also, kids with mentors are less likely to use illegal drugs, skip class, skip school, use alcohol, and perform better in school with healthier lifestyle choices.
The National Recreation and Parks Association (NRPA) funds PEAK Mentors along with other similar programs in Appalachia and the Northeast. PEAK Mentors is a program that is based out of the City of Elizabethton Parks and Recreation Department and is affiliated with Carter County Drug Prevention Coalition, Red Legacy Recovery, and Witten Huddle. With such strong affiliations, we are able to reach the maximum potential of the program.
We are grateful to be a part of this community and look forward to working with you and your clients. If you are interested in becoming a PEAK Mentor, know someone that would volunteer, or know a kid that can benefit from our program. Please contact Shannon Payne at shannon@cartercountydrugprevention.org or call/text 423-707-9207.
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CCDP Youth Coalition Update
Nicole Kendall, Drug Free Communities & Youth Coalition Coordinator
The 2022 National CADCA, or the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America, Forum was held in Alexandria, Virginia from January 31-February 3. In attendance were two representatives from the Carter County Drug Prevention Coalition, Nicole Kendall and Samantha Kendall. Nicole Kendall attended the event as the Drug-Free Communities Grant Coordinator, while Samantha Kendall served as the Carter County Youth Coalition representative. Both participated in training sessions that offered valuable information on how prevention coalitions run, how to map the community for substance use hot spots and prevention resources, and coalition sustainability. The Kendalls also met with the staffers of Senators Blackburn and Hagerty, as well as with Representative Harshbarger and her staffers over a video call. They informed our district’s leaders about the harms that nicotine and opioid use have had on our community, and suggested alternatives to opioid-based pain treatment. They received positive responses from all parties and look forward to implementing what they learned. |
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What to Say to Kids When the News is Scary
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Sign up now for May Book Club!
Sign-up closes March 20, 2022
Books are provided free of charge by Carter County Drug Prevention and Elizabethton Carter County Public Library. If you sign up, please make every
effort to attend.
Send me a book!
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| Suicide Notes |
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by Michael Thomas Ford
Fifteen-year-old Jeff wakes up on New Year’s Day to find himself in the hospital—specifically, in the psychiatric ward.
Despite the bandages on his wrists, he’s positive this is all some huge mistake. Jeff is perfectly fine, perfectly normal; not like the other kids in the hospital with him.
But over the course of the next forty-five days, Jeff begins to understand why he ended up here—and realizes he has more in common with the other kids than he thought.
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