R.E.A.L. Team is looking for high school youth to join our youth leadership team. We have an upcoming Team Building event on January 16th at Pump It Up. If you are interested in joining other Roanoke area youth in making a positive difference in our schools and communities, then check out information here.

Parents are one of the greatest influences in their children’s lives. Being a parent of a teenager is not always easy, so we would like to let you know of a wonderful program designed to give parents of teens the opportunity to come together as parents/guardians and enhance the skills needed to help teens successfully make the transition to adulthood. Remember, you are their greatest influence!

Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare offers a free science-based program Staying Connected with Your Teen to learn more about it check out this informational flyer

Check out this article published in the Roanoke Times this week.

http://www.roanoke.com/editorials/commentary/wb/302564

December has been designated National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month.  During this month, family and friends gather for holiday celebrations where alcohol is likely to be present.  The presence of alcohol during the holidays often results in minors having easy access to alcohol as well. Sixty five percent of teens say they get alcohol from friends or family; and many teens cite other people’s homes as the most common setting for youth consumption of alcohol.  Moreover, some parents encourage teens to drink at their home with the assumption that they can monitor the event.

Parents need to know that hosting underage drinking parties is illegal.  Parents may be held responsible if someone as a result of alcohol use; gets into a fight and hurts someone, falls and hurts themselves or someone else, sexually assaults someone, damages property, dies from drinking too much, or injures or kills someone while driving after leaving the party.

The average age now reported for the initiation of drinking alcohol is twelve years old.  Most youth do not report excessive drinking on a regular basis, but nearly 20% of 12 to 20 year olds report binge drinking (having 4 to 5 drinks in a row).  We know that there are many risk factors associated with underage drinking such as academic and social problems, homicides and suicides, depression, and risky sexual behavior. Also, it is the leading contributor to injury death, and the main cause of death for youth under the age of 21. 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says that around 1.4 million people are arrested for DUI and DUI-drugs in the United States every year, and federal statistics indicate that the number of those arrested is far lower than the number who actually drove under the influence of alcohol or narcotics.

Parents need to understand the health risks involved in underage drinking and the severity of hosting underage drinking parties.  There can be no worse consequence to a parent’s participation in underage drinking than a tragedy. Parents have to realize that young people who are drinking may well be getting behind the wheel of a car.

Have a safe and Happy Holiday, and remember…

Parents, talk to your teen… they will listen!

RAYSAC and the Botetourt Prevention Planning Team sponsored the third annual Virginia Alcohol Laws Roundtable on Thursday, December 8th at the Greenfield Education Center in Daleville, Va.  The panel of experts included Commonwealth Attorney Joel Branscom, Chief Craig Harris, Elizabeth Dillon-Attorney, Judge Paul Tucker, ABC Special Agent Chris Goodman, and newly elected Delegate Chris Head.  The panel discussed current underage drinking laws, and other issues that may give communities more tools to address underage drinking.  Lunch was provided by Botetourt County Parks, Recreation and Tourism and Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare.

RAYSAC and Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare Celebrate Red Ribbon Week 2011

RAYSAC (the Roanoke Area Youth Substance Abuse Coalition) and Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare celebrated Red Ribbon Week, October 23 through October 30, 2011.  During this week schools and communities take a stand against illegal drug use through the observance of Red Ribbon Week. RAYSAC is committed to creating a community norm that drug abuse will not be tolerated.  For more than twenty seven years, RAYSAC and Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare have cosponsored Red Ribbon Week in the Roanoke Valley.

The Virginia Federation of Communities for Drug-Free Youth initiated the Red Ribbon Campaign following the murder of Federal Agent Enrique Camarena in 1985 by drug traffickers.  Since that time, the red ribbon has been designated as the symbol of intolerance of the illegal use of drugs and a commitment to a drug-free lifestyle.  Communities across the nation recognize the last week in October as Red Ribbon Week. 

In the Roanoke Valley, RAYSAC and BRBH sponsor a number of activities for Red Ribbon Week.  This year marks the nineteenth year that RAYSAC and BRBH have sponsored Red Ribbon Week activities throughout the valley.
 
The Kick-Off for Red Ribbon Week was held at Andrew Lewis Middle School in Salem on October 25 at a joint high school and middle school PTSA meeting.  The featured event was the staging of a skit developed by Salem students that enacted the potential consequences of underage binge drinking.  City of Salem Police and EMT personnel also participated in the skit adding a very powerfully realistic aspect to the skit.  Staff from BRBH and RAYSAC volunteers attended to mark the start of RRW activities.

During RRW, RAYSAC sponsors a school competition throughout the valley.  This year 19 schools participated in this competition.  Each school is judged on various criteria such as; each schools ability to sustain the anti-drug message throughout the year; to what extent the students are involved in the planning of the RRW activities, to what extent the message was incorporated in each class and the curriculum, as well as others.  This year RAYSAC volunteers as well as BRBH Prevention Services staff generously offered their time to be the “expert panel of judges” to make the difficult decision of which schools would be the winner.  

The RAYSAC Red Ribbon Week school competition winners were:

Roanoke City Public Elementary Schools: Lincoln Terrace Elementary $350.00
Roanoke County Public Elementary Schools: Glenvar Elementary $350.00
City of Salem, Counties of Botetourt and Craig private elementary schools: Troutville Elementary $350.00
Middle Schools Public & Private: Cave Spring & Hidden Valley Middle $250.00
High Schools Public & Private: Salem High School $200.00
 
The RAYSAC poster contest is open to all valley elementary schools.  This years’ theme was, ““It’s Up to Me to Be Drug Free” Prizes were awarded for first, second and third place in each grade from kindergarten through and fifth grade.  Each of the contest winners was invited to receive their awards at the Candle Light Vigil of Remembrance and Hope held on Sunday evening, October 30th, at the Hotel Roanoke.  The winning posters were placed on display at the vigil and are also here on the website.

The final event of the week is the Candle Light Vigil of Remembrance and Hope on Sunday evening.  The vigil offers an opportunity to recognize the efforts of each winner from the various competitions.  And, the vigil is also where the community comes together to remember those whose lives have been affected by abuse of drugs and alcohol.  This year about 120 people attended the vigil.  Each year Judge Philip Trompeter, Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court, offers words of support.  Judge Trompeter, a long-standing champion of valley youth, has also been involved with RAYSAC and the Red Ribbon Week events from the beginning.  The guest speaker was Dr. Cheri Hartman, Director of Youth Development for Family Service of Roanoke Valley and the 2011 recipient of the RAYSAC Connie Poindexter Prevention Choice award for lifetime achievement in prevention.

The RAYSAC 2011 Red Ribbon Week celebration was an unequivocal success.  It is remarkable that the many volunteers throughout the valley, each year, take the time to instill the values of a drug and alcohol free life style in our youth.  The members of RAYSAC would like to thank each and every person that had a hand in the success of the 2011 Red Ribbon Week celebration, and specifically offer their gratitude to the many staff members of BRBH.

The Roanoke Area Youth Substance Abuse Coalition (RAYSAC), law enforcement agencies, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Western Virginia Water Authority partnerned to collect expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs for destruction on Saturday, October 29th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at six area locations.  This event was part of the nationwide prescription drug “Take-Back” program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)  to help prevent prescription pill abuse and theft. 

This initiative addresses vital public safety and public health issues.  Many people are not aware that medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse and abuse.  Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S.are increasing at alarming rates, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.   Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet.  In fact, 7 of the 10 most commonly abused drugs by teenagers are prescription medications. 

In addition, many Americans do not know how to properly dispose of their unused medicine, often flushing them down the toilet or throwing them away – both potenial safety and health hazards.   Flushing medications down the drain results in trace amounts of pharmaceuticals showing up in our nations waterways.

By working together to provide a free, secure place to dispose of unwanted medications, the local law enforcement agencies, RAYSAC and the Western Virginia Water Authority are helping prevent drug abuse, protecting our valley’s waterways and making our communities safer.