(Chelsea Update would like to thank Bob Milbrodt and Daniel Marthey for the information in this story.)
On Monday, June 29, the Chelsea Kiwanis Club will welcome representatives from SRSLY’s youth steering committee who traveled to the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America’s National Leadership Forum in Washington D.C. last February.
SRSLY is a community coalition, dedicated to the prevention of destructive behavior in youth here in Chelsea. There are both youth and adult members from many parts of the community, including the schools, hospital, library, police department, churches, civic groups, businesses and parent organizations.
The coalition leads projects and activities aimed at preventing youth substance abuse, and promoting healthy behaviors among young people in Chelsea. The group’s goal is to enhance opportunities for positive school, family and community involvement for kids, and to reduce the availability of alcohol and drugs, and parental and peer approval of substance use. SRSLY Coalition was founded in 2008 by area leaders and concerned citizens. Today SRSLY Coalition has expanded to include communities of Chelsea, Dexter, Stockbridge, and now Manchester with the rebranding of the Manchester Voices.
Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America’s National Leadership Forum is a four-day event packed with opportunities to learn the latest strategies to fight substance abuse and hear from nationally-known prevention experts, federal administrators, and concerned policymakers. The forum brings together over 2,700 participants representing coalitions from all regions of the country and internationally, government leaders, youth, prevention specialists, addiction treatment professionals, addiction recovery advocates, researchers, education institutions, law enforcement professionals, and faith-based leaders.
The six Youth Steering Committee members from SRSLY Chelsea, with support from the community, had the opportunity to attend this conference in order to present what SRSLY and our youth are doing here in Chelsea to prevent substance abuse in area youths.
The meeting begins at 6:15 p.m. in the St. Joseph Mercy-Chelsea Hospital cafeteria, and the speakers begin at about 6:45 p.m. Everyone is invited to the meetings to learn about Kiwanis.
