|
|
|
|
|
e-newsletter | |
|
|
Red Ribbon Week, which was observed nationally
between October 21- 31, symbolized the closure of a busy month for the Taskforce, particularly with outreach activities.
The Spokesperson Training session on October 1 at the YWCA of Northwest Georgia was well attended and very productive. Several attendees suggested that it could become a semi-annual activity. Deep thanks are extended to YWCA of NW GA and to Chick-fil-A for their sponsorship of the event.
CAT's Education and Youth Strategy teams have begun to hold joint meetings. One outcome of the October 15 meeting was CAT's participation in the Oct-SOBER-fest activities at Kennesaw State University on October 24. Thanks to CAT volunteers Michael Sanseviro and Lt. B.R. Haynes (KSU), Irene Barton, and Pat Guiliani for coordinating what we hope will be an annual collaboration to promote alcohol-free celebrations on the KSU campus.
This year, the CAT Executive Director again staffed a booth at the Barber Middle School Health Fair in Acworth, GA. The fair was held on October 26. Plenty of CAT materials, especially RealProof stickers, were distributed. It was a marvelous day!
November promises more exciting activities. Training sessions for Sources of Strength, a component of the CAT Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws (EUDL) program, continue in October in November.
And the Taskforce is enjoying a special honor!
Cathy Finck, executive director emeritus, has been nominated for an award presented by the Cobb Community Collaborative. For more information, and to join us in celebrating Cathy's nomination at the Collaborative's luncheon in November to recognize all nominees, please read the article posted below.
Please visit the Cobb Alcohol Taskforce web site, www.cobbat.org, to find out more about program and activity updates. Thank you all for your support!
Peter I. Armstrong,
|
|
|
|
CALENDAR SNAPSHOT
NOVEMBER
3 - Sources of Strength (SoS) Training
5 - CAT General Meeting
5 - CAT Raffle Drawing
7 - Cobb Community Collaborative Luncheon
12 - DFAA Webinar: 1:00 PM EST
19 - Education Strategy Team Meeting
19 - Youth Strategy Team Meeting
28 - Thanksgiving Holiday (USA)
DECEMBER
3 - CAT General Meeting
3 - Policy Strategy Team Meeting
15 - ReelChangeGA Video Competition Deadline
Please Note: The CAT Board Meeting and Retreat will take place in November 2013. Tentative scheduling is for a date between November 15 and 22. Board members will be notified by e-mail and other channels regarding the date, location, and agenda of the Meeting and Retreat.
Please check the calendar page frequently at www.cobbat.org for updates about events, meeting times, and locations.
NOVEMBER HIGHLIGHT:
PARENT PARTNERS
Parents are in a prime position to reduce underage and youth binge drinking. Studies show parent disapproval is the number one reason children and teens choose not to drink.
There is plenty that parents can do! Talk with and listen to your child regularly. Set a consistent family policy: NO TEEN DRINKING, and set consequences you will carry out. Monitor your child's activities: talk with other parents or adults to make sure that alcohol is not available at events that youth will attend. Know the parents or guardians of your child's friends, and set up a Parent Network. Best of all, become active volunteers with the Education Strategy Team and other CAT organized activities.
For more information about how Parent partners can continue to be proactive, see this link at the CAT web site.
THANKS TO ALL OUR OUTSTANDING PARENT PARTNERS. Follow the "shout outs" to Parent partners on Facebook and Twitter throughout November.
|
|
|
|
|
Taskforce Happenings
An Honor for Cathy Finck - Cathy Finck, executive director emeritus, has been nominated for the Jack Vaughn Human Services Award in the Professionals Category. The award is presented each year by the Cobb Community Collaborative. Winners will be announced and celebrated at the 2013 Awards Luncheon, beginning at 11:30 AM on Thursday, November 7 at the Mansour Center in Marietta, GA. To confirm your attendance, please contact Ruth Radhuber, Resource Manager: [email protected] or call 770-514-7212. Congratulations to Cathy on this prestigious nomination-- and Good Luck!
CAT Raffle: There's Still Time to Participate! - Once again the raffle prize is an Apple iPad! Raffle tickets are now available at a donation price of $10 each. Prize drawing will take place at the CAT General Meeting on November 5. For more information, contact Bonnie Brand, CAT Board Chair, Jeff Inman, Development Committee Chair, and Peter Armstrong, executive director.
Sources of Strength Training - The Taskforce is collaborating with Cobb County School District (CCSD) to launch Sources of Strength (SoS). SoS is a program for prevention of suicide, violence, and substance abuse among youth. The program provides training for youth as peer leaders, as well as for caring adults, on how to practice the kinds of awareness, active listening, and support to help youth cope with emergent or ongoing stress. The Taskforce is participating in the program through Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws (EUDL) grant implementation. Several SoS training events have been held in October (such as at Cobb Safety Village on Sunday, October 20), and more are scheduled for November. Thanks to Jeff Inman and Mary Hines-Bone (CCSD), along with Amy Benson and Kysha Parker (Cobb & Douglas Public Health), as well as parent volunteers, for their excellent work in coordinating SoS training activities.
CAT Youth Participate in Video Competition - The Governor's Office for Children and Families (GOCF) and Public Awareness Campaign.com are sponsoring the Statewide Video Competition: ReelChangeGA. More than 40 Cobb middle and high school students, including many members of the CAT Youth Leadership Team are have already signed up and are participating. The deadline for submitting videos is December 15. For more information about ReelChangeGA, please go to this link; also see the article posted below.
Volunteers Needed for Team Meetings - Please see dates/times on calendar and plan to attend one of these meetings. These team meetings are where the action is; all are welcome!
|
|
In The News
DFAA Will Present a Webinar for Parents about Social Hosting
The Drug Free Action Alliance (DFAA) will present a webinar on November 12, 2013, beginning at 1:00 PM. The webinar is called "Parents Who Host, Lose the Most: Don't be a party to teenage drinking." It will examine the risks to parents about social hosting. To register for the webinar, go to this link. Read more . . .
Deadline for Statewide Youth Videos is December 15
The Governor's Office for Children and Families (GOCF) is sponsoring ReelChangeGA, a Statewide Video Competition that offers young people the opportunity to "Tell us why you choose not to drink." The winning video will be shown as a PSA in movie theaters throughout Georgia, as well as on cable networks like MTV, BET, Disney, and others. Deadline for submission of videos is December 15, 2013. Read more . . .
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
About Us
Cobb Alcohol Taskforce is an alliance of individuals and organizations which mobilizes and challenges Cobb County adults to reduce underage drinking and youth binge drinking, by advancing strategic enforcement, policy and education goals.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Contact Us
Cobb Alcohol Taskforce3162 Johnson Ferry Rd., S-260 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
