At the May 16 Catasauqua Communities That Care meeting, the coalition continued planning for its monthly program presentations.

As part of the coalition checkup project, the CTC members agreed to increase shared understanding among the group and with the community. There was concern that not all of the coalition members, district staff and community members know what programs are offered to help students.

It had been discussed a good way of addressing this priority is to hold presentations at the monthly CTC meetings to expand upon the coalition’s understanding and knowledge of programs and practices available. At earlier meetings, a preliminary list of programs and their coordinators had been drawn up.

Coalition members took some time to look over the list and identify potential gaps. Some other names and organizations were mentioned as potential presenters.

The plan is to schedule out the presentations, starting in the summer months, and then record them to be shared with the community via the district website and district personnel.

Denise Continenza, Penn State Extension educator and CTC moderator, said she came up with discussion points to share with each presenter to ensure similar information is shared in each presentation. These points include a description of the program, what CTC priority is being targeted, the target audience and its evidence of effectiveness.

In other business, the coalition congratulated Holy Trinity Memorial Lutheran Church Pastor Brian Riedy for receiving the Makes Good Happen Award from Commonwealth Prevention Alliance.

It was reported a number of district personnel will undergo Olweus program training at the end of the year. This bullying prevention curriculum is being added at the high school to expand its reach in the district.

Riedy also reported Holy Trinity will serve as the site of a summer music camp, set for July 10-14.

The next Catasauqua CTC meeting will be held 9:30 a.m. July 18 at the district administration building, 201 N. 14th St.