At the Nov. 20 meeting held at Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church, Whitehall, the Communities That Care (CTC) group addressed the issue of increasing opportunities for positive youth.

Kelly Wiessner, Lehigh County 4-H coordinator, gave a presentation on 4-H. The program, which has its roots in agriculture, provides options for youth to participate in clubs, short-term projects and school-based and after-school programs. The CTC will continue to discuss ways to promote 4-H within the community as well as recruit volunteers to lead new clubs and projects.

Denise Continenza, coordinator of CTC, said, “Something we ought to be considering is a school-based universal prevention program since all youth need this level of prevention education.”

“As a student in the district, this kind of information only came from parents, and not everyone gets the same kind of guidance,” said Andrew Miller, a 2011 Whitehall High School alumni and Whitehall resident.

Miller is interested in serving on the career education committee.

The Strengthening Families program for parents and youth ages 10-14 will be starting at the middle school in February and will run for seven weeks. This program focuses on helping both parents and youth develop skills that help them navigate the teen years ahead.

Phil Armstrong showed how a number of high school clubs were instrumental in the Stroll Along the Trail event in September. Plans to further engage youth in the 2016 event include a duck derby in partnership with the Lions Club and Trout Unlimited.

“The township commissioners have begun recognizing outstanding youth at their meeting,” Armstrong said. “This past month, Jillian Kreglow, a high school student senior, was publicly recognized for her achievements in academics, sports and community.”

Continenza suggested the group develop a formal process for selection of youth in order to be inclusive of all youth in the community.

The Whitehall-Coplay version of Wreaths Across America took place Dec. 12. Jay Gilbert coordinated the delivery of six wreaths that were placed at monuments in the township to honor veterans. The Boy Scouts participated this year with the plans to engage more youth next year.

Community meals for 2016 are all scheduled for the second Tuesday of the month at various churches.

Snack Pack Pals, a program Whitehall-Coplay School District and CTC recently began, completed its first of three food distributions this year: winter break, Presidents Day weekend and spring break.