Members of Communities That Care (CTC) held their regular monthly meeting Feb. 17 at Faith Lutheran Church, Whitehall. As the new year is still in progress, members found it necessary to revisit their committee structure and scope in order to see where they are currently standing within the community.

CTC consists of five action committees/task groups, whose members were recognized during the meeting. The action committees include aspects relating to educating youth about risks associated with drug and alcohol use, decreasing hunger among students in the Whitehall-Coplay School District, increasing parents’ and adults’ knowledge of their role in keeping youth safe from the dangers of drugs and alcohol, increasing awareness of career paths and employment options for students upon graduation and increasing opportunities for all youth to be positively involved in and recognized by the community.

In addition, the members discussed future ideas that would be useful to implement into CTC and brought to attention some important upcoming events. As CTC members were proud to announce that Pennsylvania Youth Surveys (PAYS) data is continuing to improve throughout Pennsylvania, they thought individuals would be interested to learn why drug and alcohol use has been declining at a recognizable rate within the past years.

Educator Denise Continenza, who is in charge of running the CTC meetings, commented on the benefits of life skills training.

“Even in this whole heroine and opioids addiction crisis, young adults who receive life skills training are much more likely to not misuse prescription opioids throughout their adult life,” Continenza said.

Early prevention really works. The Penn State Extension Program, with which Continenza is affiliated, helps reduce opioid use. Currently, the Penn State Extension Program is in the process of hosting a Dining with Diabetes program for adults with diabetes and their families. The program is held 3-5 p.m. Wednesday afternoons through April.

In association, an educational event will be held at Penn State University May 10 in regard to related topics. Other upcoming events include a DUI highway safety conference at Lehigh Valley Hospital Network, on Mack Boulevard, 8:30 a.m.-noon April 27. All schools are invited to attend the safety conference. Also, an anti-smoking conference is scheduled for May 2.

Those within the community should also be aware of the shoe drive that schools are participating in. Whitehall High School will be initiating its drive during Kindness Week. Students who donate a usable pair of athletic shoes will be rewarded with a free smoothie at lunch. This is a motivational project that helps youth become more involved in sports, while providing those in need with the proper footwear.