On Tuesday, June 15^th, there were 33 Otoe County community members who participated in a Primary Violence Prevention meeting at the Rowe Memorial Safety Complex in Nebraska City.  The meeting was facilitated by the Prevention Institute from Oakland, CA.  The meeting focused on a comprehensive approach to prevention, prioritized risk and resilience factors, strategies around prevention, and the next steps for Otoe County.  Partners for Otoe County (P4OC) and St. Mary's Community Hospital have been instrumental in organizing the initiative.

 

Norman and Alma Rohfling will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary Sunday, June 27, 2010, with an open house from 5 - 7:30 p.m. at the Talmage Community Building. 

 

Partners for Otoe County selected the Rohlfings for the 2009 Volunteer of the Year Award  for their leadership as community volunteers.  Alma has been a Study Buddies Tutor for several years and Norm serves as a Court Appointed Special Advocate.  They are also active volunteers in their church and community, who inspire others to become volunteers.

We need you!  Change starts with you, and we need your input to measure that change in Otoe County. 

P4OC is partnering with the Nebraska City Jaycees and the Youth as Resources Service Learning Program to conduct a brief survey of community members on July 3rd at Steinhart Park in Nebraska City just before the fireworks.  Partners for Otoe County needs to evaluate the impact of their media campaigns for reducing underage drinking and impaired driving, and selected the Independence Day event as the opportunity to survey a broad cross-section of community members.
 
After you've found your spot at the park, please visit the concession stand area to complete the survey.  Anyone 18 or older who completes the brief 8-question survey will receive a free prize.

 

Father's Day is a day to acknowledge and celebrate the many contributions fathers make in the lives of our individual families, our communities and in society as a whole. And while this special day is a chance for children to express their love and appreciation for their fathers, it is also an opportunity for dads to be reminded of the gift they can and should be giving to their children: their positive influence. A father's positive influence not only strengthens a child's overall development, but significantly shapes a child's attitude, beliefs and behaviors when it comes to making decisions surrounding alcohol and other drug use.
 
In fact, a recent study highlights the extreme influence of fathers. According to the National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse XIV: Teens and Parents, it is shown that youths drinking behaviors are strongly associated with how children believe their fathers feel abut their drinking. Youth who believe their fathers are "ok" with their drinking are two and a half times more likely to drink and get drunk in a typical month, than teens who believe their fathers strongly oppose their drinking. (excerpt taken from Drug Free Action Alliance Newsletter, June, 2010)