Denis H. Continenza was welcomed by Whitehall Township Bureau of Police Community Service Officer Paul Davis and crime watch meeting attendees Oct. 26.

Continenza runs Communities That Care Coalition (CTCC) in the Whitehall-Coplay area. CTCC specializes in bringing family, schools, local agencies and government together. The model of CTCC involves “safety, wellness and positive development of youth” in a community.

“I’m really excited at the fact that Whitehall is the only community in Lehigh County at this point that has a Communities That Care Coalition,” Continenza said. In 2011, Whitehall Township and Coplay officials, police departments, school board and community members were interested in forming a coalition, especially when grant funding was available.

Whitehall-Coplay School District partakes in the Pennsylvania Youth Survey for the coalition for sixth-, eighth-, 10th- and 12-graders. Continenza shared 2013’s survey results at the meeting and related that 61 percent of student participants felt there was “not enough recognition opportunities to be successful in the community.”

Additional data revealed that Whitehall-Coplay area students worry about where they will get their next meal more than the overall Lehigh County and Pennsylvania state survey participants.

“That’s what we want to do with Communities That Care: changing the community’s mentality around certain things like getting kids involved in activities, getting them recognized and (teaching awareness about) drugs and alcohol,” Continenza said.

Some of the organizations and projects that CTCC works with are HOPE, SADD, Career Education Advisory Committee, Snack Pack Pals and student government.

“We really need to listen to the kids. Let them tell us what the world looks like from their perspective,” Continenza said.

The CTCC meets 8:30-10 a.m. the third Friday of every month at Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church, 3355 MacArthur Road, Whitehall.

In other crime watch meeting news, for reported incidents for the month of September, there were 14 non-aggravated assaults, eight DUIs and 19 accounts of fraud.

Davis said although there has been a decrease in burglaries, accidents for the month of September have increased. Fraud was also mentioned by an audience participant and Davis as another increase of incidents. It was recommended that residents should remember to remove personal identification, such as addresses, birth dates and account numbers, from junk mail, bills and magazines before recycling.

Davis thanked community members for calling in suspicious activity to Whitehall police. The department has seen an increase in calls and commended neighborhoods on looking out for crime.

Crime watch meetings are held 7 p.m. the fourth Monday of each month in the public meeting room of the Whitehall Township Municipal building, 3219 MacArthur Road, Whitehall. Meetings are open to the public.