After leaving sunny and (relatively) warm NW Ohio Monday afternoon at 3:15, we finally arrived at our hotel a few minutes after 10:00 p.m.  Our flight was on time, and actually we landed in Baltimore (BWI) a few minutes early.  After loading into our SuperShuttle at 8:00, we headed south for what was advertised as a 45-minute drive….

Late last week, the Washington D.C. area was pounded with over 20 inches of snow, President Obama even declared it a “Snowmageddon” - many flights were cancelled, the Metro transit system was shut down, and the majority of the schools were cancelled for today.

…With our man Angel behind the wheel, we took off from the airport at a very respectable 40 mph, and it was all downhill from there, as they say. The snow covered highways made it feel like we were the bowling ball traveling down a lane with bumpers on the side. I was very thankful that Angel was driving as he maneuvered in and out of lanes, dodging other vehicles and multiple snow drifts. Danielle and I soon discovered that the majority of the passengers in the SuperShuttle were fellow CADCA members – this was truly a bonding experience.

The crazy part of it all is that tomorrow, starting at noon, the D.C. area is under a Winter Storm Warning and could add 10-20 inches to the madness! I am sure glad that the conference is taking place downstairs in our hotel, but I am confident that there won’t be much sight-seeing this week.

What does this have to do with prevention you ask? I am sure I could find ‘prevention’ somewhere in our traveling experience, but at this time I am going to have to sleep on it. Our conference kicks off tomorrow morning at 7:30, and I am definitely looking forward to the next few days.

Goodnight!

Next week OCFC will be heading to Washington D.C. for the 20th annual CADCA National Leadership Forum - the acronym CADCA stands for Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America.  Danielle and I are looking forward to learning about new (and old) prevention strategies, as well as networking with coalitions from across the country.

The website for the CADCA Forum is http://www2.cadca.org/events/forum/forum20/

We look forward to sharing our experiences on OCFC’s website and we will also do a short presentation at our next Coalition Meeting (February 18, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. at Bay Park Community Hospital).

Thank you all for helping us in the fight for prevention!!

We here at OCFC wish everyone a safe and happy Holiday season!

Oregon Community and Family Coalition (OCFC) will host a community workshop at Fassett Middle School (3025 Starr Ave. Oregon, OH) on Thursday December 3, 2009 at 7:00 p.m – doors will open at 6:30. The workshop is entitled “Hidden in Plain Sight” and it is presented by The Community Partnership. Originally, this event was scheduled in October.

This interactive workshop walks parents through a life-size replica of a teenager’s bedroom - discussing indicators of high-risk behaviors such as substance abuse, underage drinking, eating disorders, the choking game, prescription and over-the-counter drug misuse, sexual activity and much more.

High-tech concerns like MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and Sexting are also discussed while parents recap their time inside the walls of Kelly and Kyle’s Room.  This workshop also educates parents on how to talk to their teens about the world they live in; after all, the answers are “Hidden in Plain Sight”.

We hope to see you there!

OCFC has decided to postpone the upcoming Community Forum that was scheduled for October 21, 2009. We want to encourage everyone to attend the Mayoral debate being held at St. Charles Hospital at 6:30 p.m.

Please stay tuned for more information about the rescheduled date!

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our office at 419.720.1708.

POSTPONED - NEW DATE TBD - STAY TUNED!

Please join OCFC on Wednesday, October 21, 2009 at Fassett Middle school for “Hidden In Plain Sight”.  Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. with the presentation starting at 7:00 p.m.

This interactive workshop walks parents through a life-size replica of a teenager’s bedroom - discussing indicators of high-risk behaviors such as substance abuse, underage drinking, eating disorders, the choking game, prescription and over-the-counter drug misuse, sexual activity and much more.

High-tech concerns like MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and Sexting are also discussed while parents recap their time inside the walls of Kelly and Kyle’s Room.  ”Hidden in Plain Sight” is made possible by The Community Partnership, and the presenter will be The Partnership’s CEO, Kevin Mullan.

This workshop also educates parents on how to talk to their teens about the world they live in, after all, the answers are “Hidden In Plain Sight”.

For more information about this event do not hesitate to call OCFC at 419.720.1708.  For more information about The Community Partnership please visit their website: www.communityprevention.org.

OCFC will feature a special presentation at Bay Park Community Hospital on Thursday October 8, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. OCFC is excited to bring in Cathy Sperling, Prevention Specialist and Chief Operating Officer of The Community Partnership.

Mrs. Sperling will be discussing the basics and science of alcohol and drug Prevention and how everyone can play an active part in making the Oregon community a safer place.

Mrs. Sperling has been involved in the prevention world for over 20 years, sitting on the boards of ADAPAO (Alcohol and Drug Prevention Association of Ohio), SPCA (Statewide Prevention Coalition Association), staffing many state Teen Institute conferences and training new preventionists in Toledo.

OCFC Meetings are the 2^nd Thursday of every other month, and are held at Bay Park Community Hospital at 7:00 p.m. All community members are welcome and free pizza will be provided.

We hope to see you there!

For more about The Community Partnership, visit, www.communityprevention.org or call 419-866-3611.

OCFC is pleased to announce that Danielle Mullan is our new Youth Coordinator and Project Director.

About Danielle:

Danielle is a graduate of the University of Toledo with a major in Business Administration, with a concentration in Entrepreneurship and Marketing. Danielle has spent the last two and a half years working in Marketing and Event Planning for Root Learning, a consulting firm in Sylvania, Ohio. While in college, Danielle was a member of Alpha Phi Omega, a co-ed service fraternity, committed to local community service. It was through this campus organization that she found her love of service and event planning.

Danielle is extremely excited to be working for OCFC. She cannot wait to start working with her youth group and begin planning the community events for next year. Danielle also looks forward to meeting the community and her main goal is to try to gain more community support and awareness.

Danielle resides in West Toledo with her husband, Kevin, and their four-legged furry children, Elvis, Oskar, Uma, Charlie, and Shanahan. In her spare time, Danielle is the co-creator for Toledo Unleashed, a non-profit dedicated to creating and maintaining dog parks in the Greater Toledo Area.

June 13, 2009 was our second annual OCFC AMAZING CHASE, and it WAS amazing!  This year’s Chase was a blast from beginning to end.  This year, we added many different elements, changed the point structure, and added a WIPEOUT ZONE to determine our final winner!  We hope you can join us next year for this fantastic event!

Congrats to our winners!

Adult Division Winners - The Outlaws

Family Division - The Blue Sharks

Our new student-produced PSA is set to air on Buckeye!  Special thanks to our sponsors: ProMedica, Buckeye CableSystem, Allied Media, and  Ad Club of Toledo, for their support of this effort.  Phil Mariasy of Allied Media did a great job of bringing the students’ ideas to life on film.

The winners of the contest included Clay High School students Molly Kissling, Kelli Patay, and Adam Mihalko.  These three chose to focus on the dangerous consequences of underage drinking in their PSA entitled “Consider This.”  The PSAs will air on Buckeye on E!, Comedy Central, BCSN and ABC Family over the next month.

Congrats to the PSA winners!  They did a fabulous job.