July 26, 2011

52 students are participating in Summer Art Camp this week at the Kimmel-Nelson-Harding Center for the Arts under the direction of Katy Bovick. The theme for the camp is recycle, reduce and reuse.

St. Mary's Community Hospital Needs Your Help to Fill 170 More Backpacks

St. Mary's Community Hospital is holding their Back to School Drive on Tuesday, August 2, 2011. This annual event provides schoolsupplies to area families who find it difficult to meet their children's back to school needs and important health, dental and nutritional information.

Each year there has been an increase in the number of families seeking assistance and each year St. Mary's in collaboration with community partners has responded. The following table reflects the growing need in our community:

Year: # of children served:

2007 75

2008 174

2009 230

2010 302

Due to area flooding, St. Mary's anticipates an even greater demand. This year's goal is to have enough supplies to serve 350 children. The average cost per filled backpack is $28. The estimated project cost is $9,800 and nearly $3,000 has been raised to date.

St. Mary's is seeking support from area businesses, organizations, and community members to sponsor at least one child with the necessary back to school supplies.

crayons

Please consider supporting this worthwhile endeavor by sending your monetary donation to St. Mary's Community Hospital by Wednesday, July 27^th. The supplies collected and purchased will be distributed to area families on Tuesday, August 2^nd at St. Mary's Community Hospital.

school house

AREA BACK TO SCHOOL DATES

School is just around the corner so we thought we would list the area schools with the start dates of school.

Auburn Public Schools - Thursday, August 18th, Johnson County Central - Monday, August 22nd, Lourdes Central Catholic - Thursday, August 18th, Nebraska City Public - Wednesday, August 17th, Palmyra-Bennet OR1 - Monday, August 15th and Syracuse-Dunbar-Avoca - Thursday, August 18th. Please click on your schools website for a list of school supplies.

Mark Your Calendar for CADCA TV's Next Show on Strategies to Tackle Marijuana Use

Attitudes about marijuana are changing. Fewer 8th and 10th graders believe smoking marijuana is dangerous. These declines in the perception of harm invariably precede increases in substance use. Despite that, several states have medical marijuana laws on the books and more states are considering putting these types of initiatives on the ballot. During the next CADCA TV program, "The Blunt Truth: Communities Dealing with Marijuana," representatives from various states will discuss how medical marijuana laws and marijuana legalization efforts are impacting their communities, and what they're doing to tackle this issue. The show airs Aug. 25, from 1-2 p.m. EST.

Join host Mary Elizabeth Elliott, CADCA's Vice President of Communications, Membership, and Information Technology, as we explore how coalitions are counteracting the negative marijuana influence in their communities as laws and attitudes change - whether it's medical marijuana or marijuana legalization, in general. You'll learn about the best ways to educate the public about marijuana's harmful effects on the developing brain, and how coalitions are working with local and state governments on legislation and ordinances.

Guests on the show include:

· Wanda Boone, Executive Director and Founder of Durham Together for Resilient Youth, "TRY" in North Carolina;

· Jim Cooper, Executive Director of TOGETHER! in Washington state; and

· Beth Shrader, Director, Brattleboro Area Prevention Coalition, in Vermont.

"The Blunt Truth: Communities Dealing with Marijuana" will be webcast live at www.cadca.org. You can also join this special broadcast at no cost from any site with a satellite dish having C-band capabilities. All viewing sites must register in advance to receive the necessary satellite coordinates. To register, contact Ed Kronholm at 877-820-0305, dlnets@aol.com or www.dlnets.com/MCTFT2nd.htm.