May 2020
The Ottawa County Youth Assessment Survey
The Youth Assessment Survey,or YAS, is like a secret window into the lives of our youth here in Ottawa County. Taken every other year since 2005, this locally created instrument asks our 7th, 9th, and 11th graders questions about ALL aspects of their lives in a confidential online survey administered at school. Their answers give us an inside look into their lives, and provide us with the data we use to shape policy, programs,
and community awareness. Join us for an afternoon for a firsthand look at the 2019 results and their possible impact. Register here to save your spot.
Protect Young Eyes
In this stay at home time, we are ALL on our devices nearly all the time. Working remotely, going to school remotely, and then relaxing; all involve a LOT of screen time. How do we monitor all those screens, and content, and platforms? It can seem like an impossible job.
Protect Young Eyes is a site dedicated to educating and empowering parents so they can enable their children to be savvy tech users. PYE is offering a 30 minute free webinar series so you can become tech observant, engaged, and informed. Register here to start taking the lead in device knowledge and management.
Anxious Times
Right now, we are all faced with days filled with uncertainty, where almost nothing seems solid and reliable. For many of us, this may be increasing our "normal" level of anxiety, while for others, it's introducing anxiety as a mental health challenge for the first time.
Our children, who have lost the social structure of their school day, may also be grappling with anxiety for the first time, and their anxiety may look quite different from ours. Here are two videos with ideas for addressing both our and our children's anxiety.
Remember: we are all in this together, and help is available, now more than ever.
Where to go for Help
If you feel like you are in a crisis, or that anyone in your family is in crisis, here are some important numbers:
  • 24 hour Ottawa County Hotlines: in Grand Haven: 616-842 HELP (4357); in Holland: **616-396-HELP(4357) all other areas 1-866-512 HELP(4357)
  • Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
  • Arbor Circle in Holland: 616-396-2301
  • Catholic Charities: 616- 796-9595
  • Wedgewood Christian Services: 616- 930-5004
  • Ottawa CMH: 616-392-1873
  • DHHS Warmline: 1-888-733-7753 10am-2am help for anxiety, depression, and trauma, staffed by peer support specialists.
  • AA meetings online: https://www.aaonlinemeeting.net/
  • NA meetings: https://virtual-na.org/
  • Alanon meetings: https://al-anon.org/al-anon-meetings/
  • Resource help: http://211.org/
  • Positive Options is ready to serve you if you are experiencing an unplanned pregnancy. It offers free pregnancy testing, options counseling and early ultrasound (upon eligibility). Visit mypositiveoptions.org or call a center near you. (Holland - 616 396-5840; Grand Haven - 616 842-7510; Allendale - 616 895-1893; Allegan - 269-686-7111)
Ottawa Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition
Contact Leigh Moerdyke at [email protected]


Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/OSAPCoalition
Talk Early. Talk Often. Learn How.  www.talksooner.org