Warmer Weather Can Put Your Child at Higher Risk for Drug Use: Be Prepared!

The Courage to Speak® Foundation April 2012

Warmer Weather Can Put Your Child at Higher Risk for Drug Use: Be Prepared!

Welcome to Our Spring 2012 Newsletter!

NEW ONLINE COURSE FOR PREVENTION FACILITATORS

Be a Courage to Speak- Courageous Parenting 101^® Facilitator

Courage to Speak Foundation to Present at National Rx Drug Abuse Summit

 

IN THE NEWS:

Students Find Courage to Speak Out Against Drugs

The 8th Annual Courage to Speak^®

Empowering Youth to be Drug Free Family Night Results & Photos

Tip of the Month

The Courage to Speak Foundation has a New Website & Blog!

Sunny’s Story: How to Save a Young Life From Drugs
Upcoming Presentations

Be a Part of our Team! Become a Facilitator of Courage to Speak- Courageous Parenting101® In Person or Online Calling ALL Socials Workers, Drug Prevention Specialists, Health Class Teachers, Law Enforcement, Guidance Counselors, Youth and Family Services Directors, Prevention Coalition Members and More!   There are 2 opportunities to be trained by the Courage to Speak Foundation or CLICK HERE go to apply to take the FACILITATOR TRAINING ONLINE   April 24th West Rocks Middle School, Norwalk, CT   OR   April 26th Central Connecticut State University, New Britain, CT   Courage to Speak- Courageous Parenting 101: Offered free of charge, this multi-session substance abuse prevention education program (English and Spanish) is designed to help parents understand the impact of drug abuse on youth and give them the knowledge required to communicate more effectively with their children about the dangers of drugs and other risky behaviors. This course covers: -Teen drug use trends and party culture -Protective factors and developmental assets -Communication and listening strategies -Why kids use drugs -How to help your child handle stress -Parenting styles and enabling -The adolescent brain -Setting boundaries -Practical steps if use or abuse is suspected -Warning signs -Sources of help and more Evaluated by the Yale University School of Medicine: According to the evaluation performed by Yale University, parents who have taken this course reported statistically significant increases in: * General communication with their child * Communication with their child about drugs * Their knowledge about their children’s lives * Their knowledge and ability to recognize warning signs and reported that they were fairly confident in their knowledge of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs   LISTEN to Ginger Katz, CEO & Founder, and Larry Katz, M.S. Nutrition & B.S. Psychology, discuss Courage to Speak- Courageous Parenting 101 with Radio Personality, Wendy Corey.   See the flyer for this training Fill out the application to attend this training Learn more about Courage to Speak- Courageous Parenting 101®   For more information call Program Director, Carol Troy at (203) 831-9700 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (203) 831-9700 end_of_the_skype_highlighting or email [email protected]

The Courage to Speak Foundation to Present at National Rx Drug Abuse Summit in Orlando, FL The Courage to Speak Foundation has been invited to speak at the National Rx Drug Abuse Summit in Orlando, FL on Tuesday, April 10, 2012 at 6:00 p.m. Ginger Katz, CEO and Founder, will be delivering a message of hope through the Courage to Speak Presentation to all attendees at the event. The Keynote Speakers for the event are: – Dr. Ileana Arias, Principal Deputy Director, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) – Dr. Regina M. Benjamin, US Surgeon General – Pam Bondi, Florida Attorney General – Arthur Dean, President & CEO, Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) – R. Gill Kerlikowske, Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Director – Joseph T. Rannazzisi, Drug Enforcement Agency Deputy (DEA) Administrator – Hon. Harold “Hal” Rogers, US House of Representatives – Dr. Nora D. Volkow, National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Director Read the entire Press Release www.nationalrxdrugabusesummit.org

IN THE NEWS: Students Find Courage to Speak Out Against Drugs   Written by Meg Barone Wednesday, March 21, 2012     Photo by Christian Abraham, CT Post/Norwalk Citizen Since finding her 20-year-old son,Ian Eaccarino, dead in his bed from a heroin overdose on Sept. 10, 1996, motivational speaker, author and anti-drug advocate Virginia “Ginger” Katz of Norwalk has told her story thousands of times to parents, children, educators, religious leaders and law-enforcement officials. The countless retelling hasn’t dulled the pain, but it hasn’t paralyzed her with inaction either. At the eighth annual Courage to Speak Empowering Youth to be Drug Free Family Night Tuesday at Norwalk’s West Rocks Middle School, her voice quivered and her eyes welled up with tears as she recounted the lengths to which she, her husband, Larry, and Eaccarino’s biological father went to save their child from drugs. To read the entire article, click here.

Thank You to Everyone that Came Out for the 8th Annual Courage to Speak Empowering Youth to be Drug Free Family Night! Ginger Katz, CEO & Founder, with 3 student speakers with their posters from the event. 250 people came out to watch the students share their letters and posters and vowed to be drug free. Photo by Matthew Vinci, The Hour Newspaper 7th graders from Side by Side Community School with CT House Republican Leader and MC for the night, Larry Cafero, as they read their letters Photo by Rich Bonenfant Ginger & Larry Katz, Founders of the Courage to Speak Foundation, presenting Dr. Lynne Moore, Principal of West Rocks Middle School, and David Hay, Principal of Brookside Elementary School, with the Courage to Speak Hero Awards Photo by Rich Bonenfant Larry Katz & Larry Cafero presenting Ria Iosifides with the Courage to Speak Volunteer of the Year Award Photo by Rich Bonenfant Larry Katz presenting Oscar Destruge with the Courage to Speak Angel Award Photo by Rich Bonenfant Larry Katz presenting Larry Cafero, CT House Republican Leader, with the Courage to Speak Leadership Award Photo by Rich Bonenfant Ginger & Larry Katz with the volunteers from the event. Thank you to the 60 volunteers that came out to help. Photo by Rich Bonenfant For more information on the Courage to Speak Empowering Youth to be Drug Free Family Night and other upcoming events, please CLICK HERE.   BRAND NEW: The Courage to Speak® Foundation WEBSITE & BLOG Make sure you don’t miss these exciting new features at www.couragetospeak.org Your Donation Could Protect a Child’s Future Tip of the Month There is a new and very dangerous drug out there that you must be aware of to keep your children safe. It’s called BATH SALTS. To learn more and arm yourself with the facts please read this article by Dr. Nora D. Volkow, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse and Keynote Speaker for the National Rx Drug Abuse Summit in Florida, April 10-12, 2012. Sunny’s Story A compelling drug prevention story for children, parents and educators, narrated by Sunny, the family beagle who needlessly lost his best friend, Ian, to drug abuse. Sunny’s Story is read at many dinner tables across the country, in schools, libraries, as part of the Courage to Speak® Drug Prevention Curricula and as a stand alone book for children of all ages, parents, grandparents, teachers and professionals in the field of treatment and prevention. Read more… Order your copy now! Upcoming Presentations March 29th CT Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation & Dance- Professionals (Norwalk, CT) March 30th Beardsley School- Students (Bridgeport, CT) April 2nd Ledyard Middle School- Students (Ledyard, CT) April 2nd Ledyard High School- Students (Ledyard, CT) April 2nd Ledyard High School- Parents (Ledyard, CT) April 5thCesar Batalla School- Students (Bridgeport, CT) April 10-12th National Rx Drug Abuse Summit- Professionals (Orlando, FL) April 13th Somers High School (Somers, CT) April 19th Shepaug Valley Middle School- Students (Washington, CT) April 19th Shepaug Valley Middle School- Parents (Washington, CT) April 24th Courage to Speak- Courageous Parenting 101 Facilitators Training (Norwalk, CT) April 25th St. Joseph’s High School- Parents (Trumbull, CT) April 26th Courage to Speak- Courageous Parenting 101 Facilitators Training (New Britain, CT) April 26th CT Chapter of National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (Seymour, CT) May 9th Bacon Academy- Students (Colchester, CT) May 16th Barnum School- Students (Bridgeport, CT) May 18th Madison School- Students (Bridgeport, CT) May 31st Black Rock Elementary School- Students (Bridgeport, CT) There are many more Presentations coming up CLICK HERE to see them all   Book a Presentation   Learn more about the Presentation   The Courage to Speak® Foundation “Saving Lives by Empowering Youth to be Drug Free and Empowering Parents to Communicate Effectively with their Children About Drugs” 161 East Avenue, Suite 14 Norwalk, CT 06851 (203) 831-9700 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (203) 831-9700 end_of_the_skype_highlighting [email protected] www.couragetospeak.org www.sunnysstory.com