Hernando County Community Anti-Drug Coalition 6147 Deltona Blvd., Spring Hill, FL 34606 Phone: 352-596-8000 * Fax: 352-596-8002 info@hernandoantidrug.org

Hernando County Community Anti-Drug Coalition

Meeting Minutes

January 31, 2007

Present: Sandra Marrero (The Harbor), Lisa Hammond (BHERGroup), Major Alan Arick (HCSO), Harry Hill (DJJ), Tresa Watson(CENAPS), Alex Meyer (Chill Smart), Deputy Ricardo Ruiz (HCSO), John Schlicher (HCSB), Richard Lewis (City of Brooksville), Harry Hill (DJJ), Richard Forester (DCF) Ricardo Jacquez (HCSB) Janice Smith (HCSB), Deputy Bill Pope (HCSO), Mary Ann Peavler (BBBS), Debra Pilla (CARE Net.)

Meeting called to order at 3:35 p.m.

Tresa asked attendees to introduce themselves and review minutes of previous meeting. Lisa presented a motion to approve minutes. Major. Arick second the motion. Motion carried

YAAPI

Sandra reported the Chill Smart continues to meet every other Tuesday at the Harbor. Sandra and Tresa facilitate the “Reach for the Stars curriculum during the meeting. The youth enjoy the activities.

Sandra announced there will be a reception at Brooksville City Hall following this meeting. The reception will include the mention of the Chill Smart Don’t Start Art Contest. The winners and schools have been notified and invited to the reception. The billboards are up. One is located on SR50, where the previous Chill Smart billboard was. The second on SR50 and Wiscon Rd. Sandra invited all who could attend the reception, to attend.

Sandra reported learning of a camp for youth put on by the Florida National Guard, Drug Demand Reduction . The Leadership Camp is for youth 12-18 who are interested in learning leadership skills. The four day camp is an overnight camp. The cost of attending the camp is $50.00 per youth. Sandra contacted National Guard who sent web-link. Applications can be completed online. The camp will be held at Fort Blanding. Sandra exhorted members to pass the information to any youth interested.

Youth Speak Out

Lisa reported remarkable results from the Youth Speak-Out Sessions. Alcohol was reported to be the primary drug. Middle school students seemed to have a glazed look on their faces when other drugs were mentioned. Students reported access to alcohol via their homes or older siblings. Lisa stated there is evidence of an education issue present, that will need to be tackled in the future. Parents or older siblings may not know alcohol damages the developing brain. Nevertheless, youth reported not accessing alcohol illegally. Lisa announced 2 public service announcements aired for 2 weeks for approximately 100 times. One ad focused on drinking and driving, the other targeted parents. It explained that their youth are watching and emulating what they see them do. Ricardo asked what channel the ads aired on. Lisa reported they aired on a variety of cable channels. A full schedule of airing was submitted to Lisa by the marketing company. Next, Lisa distributed the 2006 Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey results for Hernando County. No large changes were evident from 2004. Lisa stated two items stood out 1: middle school heroin use increased 2) steroid use decreased. Delinquent behavior increased across the board. Lisa reported she does not have concrete evidence yet, but believes delinquency may be attributed to a finding of the Youth Speak-Out Sessions. Youth reported less parental involvement and supervision. She believes that leads to idle time unsupervised, which allows for getting into trouble. Lisa announced she will further review the findings.

Youth Summit

Lisa stated the entertainment has already been paid for. They will present to one middle school and one high school. One show will be held in the morning and one in the afternoon. Lisa announced the need to set a date and determine which of the schools will be approached for the project. A discussion ensued as to what time frames may be best and which schools were more supportive of the coalition work. Deputy Pope announced that Hernando High had an assembly during lunch time. That timeframe worked well for Hernando High. Lisa proposed West Hernando Middle School and Nature Coast Technical High School, since they have demonstrated support. Deputy Ruiz concurred stating that those schools pull students from both Brooksville and Spring Hill. Ricardo Jacquez suggested having the assemblies at the schools with the most problems. Richard Lewis asked for clarification. He stated being confused as to why all of the principals weren’t supportive. And didn’t understand why it was so difficult to provide services in the schools. He noted that the average citizen would be irate if they knew. Richard asked what the relationship between the coalition and the school board was. Lisa stated the relationship has improved. Lisa proposed the summit should be held in early April due to school breaks and time off. Deputy Ruiz suggested the high school assembly be in the morning, since some seniors leave early in the day. Janice Smith agreed to contact principals for WHMS & NCTHS and schedule a date for a Friday. Tresa will contact the entertainers after coordinating with Janice. Sandra will email everyone once the date is settled.

Upcoming Events

Lisa reported the “Worlds Greatest baby Shower” event will be held in May. The coalition will have a table. Lisa agreed to be there. Participants who participate must have a give-away. Lisa will represent the coalition at Progress Hernando, a biannual business community meeting. She will also present at the CADCA conference in February.

Grants Update

Tresa reported YAAPI grant is on hold. She believes it is on hold due to the change in Governor, and may or may not be renewed. Tresa noted she submitted financial closeout. She has not received any information back. Lisa suggested it may be time for the coalition to seek federal funding. Lisa applied for a Drug Free Community grant last year and was not awarded, but will re-apply in April. Tresa will attend CADCA conference in February. SPF-SIG Grant is still in effect. Lisa reported it is the grant of the community mobilization. Tresa announced she will check with other coalitions at the CADCA conference to see if they have had a similar experience regarding the YAAPI grant. If people become aware of grants, they can forward them to Lisa. MaryAnn asked who was in charge of funding. Tresa replied Lisa does most of the grant writing, but there is a collaborative effort.

Fundraising

Ricardo Jacquez stated he noticed a lack of business representation on the coalition. He suggested business could help with fundraising. Lisa announced she will present at Progress Hernando and Lawyers group. Tresa noted some parents of Chill Smart youth donate occasionally instead of volunteering time. Janice suggested approaching Kiwanis Club. Lisa reported she did present to the Kiwanis Club and they collaborated with the Coalition for the Kick off event this year. Major Arick announced he is a member of the Kiwanis Club and there is a good chance Kiwanis could adopt the coalition to donate annually to. Major Arick noted a good way to present to companies is to present a specific project of the coalition for them to donate to. Lisa reported 4-H has also been approached. Richard Lewis suggested the coalition be put on the Chamber of Commerce Newsletter, requesting a donation. He announced another idea is do a give away. Richard had been part of a previous raffle that raised money and gave away a pick up truck. It was possible by networking with the business directly. He further suggested an annual banquet, silent auction, live auction, or a dinner. Businesses like to see their names mentioned, Richard said. Deputy Pope asked to form a committee to start fundraising efforts. Sandra agreed the idea was good, but exhorted effort from all members. She announced many good ideas come from the group but majority of work is done by few members. Richard volunteered to be on the committee, Deputy Pope agreed. Sandra suggested a packet can be given to the committee of project we have already worked on and donation request letters already created. Tresa will mail Deputy Pope the packet. Ricardo Jacquez, Janice Smith and John Schlicher also joined to spearhead the coalitions fundraising committee.

HBO Series

Sandra announced HBO will be running a series entitled “Addiction” on March 15, 2007. For more information, people can log on to www.AddictionAction.org.

Major Arick motioned to adjourn meeting. Harry second the motion. Meeting adjourned at 4:50 p.m.

Next Meeting

February 28, 2007 at 3:30 p.m. at

The Harbor

7074Grove Rd, Brooksville, Fl 34609