SAFE Newsletter: January 2021
Happy New Year!
I hope that each of you found some meaningful time to relax and rejuvenate during the holiday season. As we say goodbye to 2020 and start anew in 2021, I just wanted to thank each of you for your commitment to SAFE and to our community!
I think so many great things are in store for Excelsior Springs this year!

Looking forward to seeing you at our next meeting this
Thursday, January 7th from 11:30-1:00.
2020-2021 Meeting Dates For Your Calendar:
  • January 7th 11:30-1:00
  • February 4th 11:30-1:00
  • No March SAFE Meeting--Please plan to attend the Northland Prevention Conference on March 5th if you are able! More details to come.
  • April 1st 11:30-1:00
  • May 6th 11:30-1:00
SAFE Lane of Lights Fundraiser Update
Thank you so much to all who helped out with the Lane of Lights! We appreciate those who were able to be there to collect donations, who drove through, or even helped by sharing a Facebook post. It was a fun (and yes...a little cold) evening! After a portion was given to the ES Christmas Committee, we managed to collect $242 for SAFE's general fund! We truly appreciate all of the community support!
Youth Mental Health First Aid
Thank you to all who have attended a Youth Mental Health First Aid class in the past. This is an excellent class to arm our community with the skills needed to help youth experiencing a mental health challenge, until they can get help from a professional. The January class is full. There will be another virtual YMHFA class from 9:00-3:00 on February 18th. All are welcome to attend. Sign up for this free class here.
This Is Quitting
We're excited to announce that SAFE is collaborating with other regional DFCs on a youth vaping cessation campaign. This is Quitting is a national text-based quit tool by the Truth Initiative and we have our own regional keyword to track regional quit data. If you know youth who want to quit vaping, have them text BREAKFREE to 88709! We need your help to get the word out to youth and the community. We will have posters, fliers, palm cards, social media posts, etc that you can help share! We will talk more about this at our January Meeting!
CADCA Forum 2021

CADCA (Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America) is the national advocacy group for all coalitions like SAFE. Twice a year, CADCA hosts excellent conferences for coalition members; these trainings are encouraged for all Drug-Free Communities coalitions. The focus of the Leadership Forum is usually talking with elected leaders (or staff) on Capital Hill. There are also many break-out sessions on a variety of prevention-related topics. If you would like to attend the upcoming CADCA Forum on February 1-4th, let Julia know! The conference is all virtual, but the Mid-Year training (last July) was very well done as a virtual training. You can see more information about CADCA Forum, Capitol Hill Day, and a list of sessions here.
Northland Prevention Conference
Please Save the Date on March 5th for the annual Northland Prevention Conference. This conference, hosted by Tri-County and the Northland Coalition, is a popular conference with our SAFE members, and therefore we will not be having a March SAFE meeting. We encourage everyone to attend if you are able! There will be a variety of speakers on prevention and mental health topics. More details to come!
Pandemic-Related Mental Health Help
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Mental Health was awarded a Crisis Counseling Program (CCP) grant by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The Show Me Hope CCP funding will provide behavioral health services to Missourians who are emotionally troubled by the pandemic. Tri-County Mental Health Services will be delivering stress management resources and resource referrals to citizens feeling the stress and emotional strain caused by COVID-19. The Show Me Hope team will assist Missourians in building hope and resiliency for the future.
Community Champion Award
Congratulations to Heather Grove, Counselor at ES High School, for winning last month's Community Champion Award. The Asset of the Month was "Positive View of Personal Future". The Community Champion Award is based on the 40 Developmental Assets that help youth to be successful. See more about the Community Champion Award and/or nominate someone here!
Summary of December Meeting  We met by Zoom on December 3rd, with 15 people present. We heard announcements and updates, followed by our inservice. Dr. Heather Gross, Assistant Superintendent of Student Services, gave a great talk about all of the different ways that the district utilizes the Clay County Children's Fund. It was hopeful to hear of so many programs in place to help kids, even during this difficult time! We also spent time in our committee meetings, breaking out into a Youth Education Committee and a combined Adult Education/Community Outreach Committee. Thank you to those who were able to join us! We hope to see everyone at our January Meeting!