Greetings from CVDAPC
Our project officer, Ivette Ruiz, is coming to California for site visits; our review is on Friday. In preparation, I must gather voluminous documents generated from before my time through today. We’ll look at our organization’s structure, our projects, our finances and our partnerships. We’ll discuss sustainability. Since we are in year four of a five-year grant, this inspection is timely. I’ll let you know how it goes!

In addition, Ms. Ruiz will explain the “community-level change” philosophy driving our Drug Free Communities Support Program grant at our Strategic Partners meeting on Dec. 6 from 8 a.m. to 10 .m. at USC VHH. Congressman Adam Schiff will speak about marijuana. Please join us and hear these two prestigious speakers talk about how our local work fits into the national agenda.

To understand community conditions, we collect data. We see from statistics provided by the sheriff’s department and Glendale police that juvenile arrests for substance (ab)use are declining. Many factors explain this trend, and I include our work among them.

Another reason is a shift from law enforcement solutions to healthcare preventions, including a renewed emphasis on mental health services that address emotional factors that contribute to risky behavior. Fortunately, we benefit from accessible and involved public safety professionals at the CV Sheriff’s Station, at CVHS and in the COPPS office. GUSD has provided schools with graduate students in counseling to talk to students. And area healthcare professionals serve people of all income levels, in many languages. See our Resource Guide for information: CV-alliance.org.

We will host four free, special presentations for the public in 2014 on the teenage brain, bullying, suicide and underage drinking. Please pencil in the fourth Thursdays in January, February, March and April from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. We will arrange for locations and interpreters. Details to follow; you don’t want to miss them!

Don’t forget, we offer presentations on the 40 Developmental Assets, building blocks for happy and successful kids and families.

Finally, hear what 100 students wrote in letters to adults about their lives in CV tonight, Thursday, from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in La Crescenta Library’s community room, 2809 Foothill Blvd.

Suzy Jacobs is the executive director of the Crescenta Valley Drug & Alcohol Prevention Coalition. You can reach her at suzy@cvdapc.org.

  Suzy JACOBS