“Charlie was involved in the creation of the Prevention Coalition as part of the Comprehensive Substance Abuse Center Project in 2001 and has been involved in many efforts to improve interagency coordination, particularly in the area of substance abuse treatment.”

His work on the Natrona County Suicide Prevention Taskforce has greatly enhanced the effectiveness of community wide suicide awareness and prevention events. Such as the upcoming Suicide Awareness Dance – Night Life, in April 2013, and the “Breaking the Silence Walk” which will be held in September 2013.

Charlie’s work in mental health at Central Wyoming Counseling Center has contributed to the services provided to over 5,000 members in our community. “CWCC’s goal is to intervene when members of our community develop mental illness and/or addictive disorders… By helping those members of our community who are at risk of developing serious disorders make healthy choices, [CWCC’s] programs reduce the risk of developing the serious and limiting disorders that disrupt an individual’s ability to live a productive life.” All of which are “good reasons to participate as a member of NCPC”.

Thank you, Charlie for working so hard to help our community be a positive and healthy community filled with positive and healthy people.

She is a member of NCPC as the representative for Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and has contributed significantly to the prevention efforts in Natrona County.  As a volunteer for MADD, Debbie is involved in many prevention efforts and attends every NCPC meeting. She contributes both her time and ideas to continued prevention services in Natrona County.

The efforts she puts forth in the community supports MADD’s goal to “eliminate drunk driving, support the victims of this violent crime, and prevent underage drinking”.  Her work with MADD (and the Natrona County Public Library) to provide the monthly Victims Impact Panel has enhanced the effectiveness of prevention efforts in Natrona County.

Debbie has found the work she does with MADD is “very rewarding”. She values helping families “…who are impacted by an impaired driver whether it be property damage, an injury, or death”.  She believes prevention is “an important aspect for MADD” and hopes that as a community we will continue to work together to “be the change” we want to see!

Natrona County Prevention Coalition is so grateful for Debbie; for her work with MADD and NCPC, and also for her community wide prevention efforts and approach. Thank you!

Substance abuse, suicide, and bullying are just a few of the issues that our youth face in today’s world and especially in our community.  To help our students gain the tools and skills to make positive and healthy choices, the Natrona County Prevention Coalition’s Environmental Strategies Subcommittee has implemented Positive Action into Natrona County School District #1.

Positive Action is an evidence-based program for improving academics, behavior, and character. This program helps students achieve excellence by meeting their needs, challenges, and goals.  Positive Action targets 16 different prevention areas including:

• school dropout
• truancy
• tobacco use
• alcohol use
• drug use
• suicide
• bullying
• and more

Currently, the program is being used in the Natrona County School District’s Suspension Lab, facilitated by Wayne Beatty, and is creating a real change in youth participants.  Our hopes are to see this program expand into many other district classrooms and give all Natrona County youth the opportunity to discover that there is a positive way to do everything and to feel good about who they are when they embrace positive actions.

“The program teaches the positive actions for the physical, intellectual, social, and emotional areas of the self”.

Environmental Strategies Members include:

Jen Dyer, Shelley Cook, Afton Jennings, Heidi Foy, Katy Hallock, Greta Hinderliter, Jean Davies, Megan Zaharas, Jahna Kaufman, Carol Hall, Whitney Lamb

Lance had been a member of NCPC through the Natrona County Suicide Prevention Task Force and has contributed greatly to community wide suicide prevention. The work he has done in presenting suicide prevention and awareness with the Youth Empowerment Council – SPAT team has reached over 1,000 students just this 2012/2013 school year! He desires to “educate the community in general about the problem we have with suicide”.

His work on the Natrona County Suicide Prevention Task Force has greatly enhanced the effectiveness of the community wide suicide awareness and prevention events. Such as the upcoming Suicide Awareness Dance – Night Life, in April 2013, and the “Breaking the Silence Walk” which will be held in September 2013.

His message on suicide prevention: “Suicide is preventable but we must be able to openly discuss suicide and look for behaviors that may lead to suicide, then act upon it”.

Thank you, Lance, for working tirelessly to spread the message that “each person is important and indispensible”.

Greta has been a NCPC member for several years and has contributed greatly to the Coalition and Subcommittees. This month, we would like to honor her hard work both in the Coalition and with our Homeless Students and Families

Among her many accomplishments, Greta received her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Wyoming and her Master’s Degree in Literacy from Walden University in 2006 and has been teaching for 22 years. NCSD #1 was the first district in Wyoming to have a homeless program and Greta has been serving as the NCSD #1 Homeless Liaison for 14 years. She has “had the opportunity to help several thousand homeless children see that an education can change their lives…” and that there are “many people who will help them reach their hopes and dreams”.

When Greta isn’t working with our homeless student population, supporting them, cheering them on, and advocating for them, she participates regularly with NCPC. Greta sits on many of the NCPC Subcommittees and has volunteered countless hours and resources for numerous events. Greta’s knowledge, experience, and expertise is an invaluable resource.

Thank you to Greta and the wonderful work she does in our community, for NCPC, and the homeless students and families in our community.

Mike has been a NCPC member for multiple years with many organizations.  This month we would like to celebrate what Mike and his staff at United Way have done for us and for Natrona County.

The United Way of Natrona County is a local organization governed by business leaders who make important decisions to fulfill unmet community needs. As such, the United Way retains flexibility to accept and to respond to change in our community. Their annual campaign is a single fundraising effort for their partners, human service agencies. Funding for their partners is based on the ability to identify and solve problems. More than 83 cents of every dollar raised by the United Way goes to help people in our community.

United Way of Natrona County was started in Casper in 1955. The originators accepted the challenge to efficiently raise and allocate private dollars for human service needs.

The United Way is recognized as a catalyst for community problem solving. They plan to play an even more profound role in the years to come and recognize the unfinished business of fulfilling critical human development needs. They are accountable and enjoy a high level of credibility for their deeds and accomplishments.

While Mike isn’t buried in paperwork and campaign details, he sits on the NCPC Environmental Strategies and Policy Change Subcommittee.  His extensive knowledge in policy and legislature is invaluable during our Policy Change and Beer Tax endeavors.

Thank you to Mike and his United Way staff for all that you do for NCPC and more importantly, Natrona County.

For more information on United Way of Natrona County please call the UW office at 234-6715.

For the last 10 years the Natrona County Prevention Coalition has seen great success from creating Family Sections at the local sporting events, creative media campaigns, community outreach and education, to policy change.

We have seen the community grow and gain an awareness of the harms and consequences of substance abuse.  Knowing that prevention can really be community-driven has been the key to our success.  Without the community buy-in and dedication over the last ten years, we would not have seen the incredible successes in our community.   Natrona County is known for their coalitions’ success throughout the state and we will continue to set the standard so we can see more success not only in Natrona County but around the state.

The staff here at the Natrona County Prevention Coalition would like to take a moment to thank all the members of the coalition, current and resigned, for their dedication to NCPC and our community. Despite changes in prevention at the State level, our coalition continues to work hard to provide the best environment for our community members and we will continue for the next 100 years!

By Jen Dyer

Whitney, along with ACS/CAN volunteers, worked hard on the 2nd Annual Harmony, Hops and Hope, a beer tasting and music event, to raise money for ACS/CAN.  They raised roughly $18,000 on May 19th.  In March, Whitney and other ACS/CAN volunteers traveled to Cheyenne for the Wyoming 2012 Legislative Budget Session and asked Wyoming Legislators to make cancer a top priority.

Whitney expressed her joy with this trip, “Thanks in part to the volunteers’ efforts, our State legislators continued funding for County Cancer Resource Coordinator Grants and the Wyoming Tobacco Use Prevention Grants.”

These grants employ people in Wyoming to solely educate the community about cancer prevention efforts.  Whitney also explained how volunteers also encouraged legislators to continue funding for the Wyoming Cancer Control Act which focuses on cancer prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment, quality of life and childhood cancer.

The ACS/CAN is always moving and planning ahead for future educational and fundraising opportunities. Their annual fundraiser Harmony, Hops and Hope just ended but Whitney reports planning for next year will begin soon!  Currently, the Smokefree Natrona Coalition, which Whitney serves on, is working with the Casper City Council to pass a comprehensive smoke free ordinance in Casper.  Whitney and volunteers are also heading to Washington DC in September to ask our elected officials to maintain funding for cancer research.

I asked Whitney why she and the ACS/CAN participate with the NCPC and she reported, “I feel the NCPC focuses on the core needs in creating and maintaining a healthy community.  The network of volunteers who sit on the coalition represent a wide variety of interests and are the backbone for community health and sustainability.”

The NCPC staff want to thank Whitney for her continued support of our efforts and all that she does for our community.  Congratulations to her and all of the volunteers that help maintain ACS/CAN and continue to educate our community.

For more information on ACS/CAN or how you could volunteer please contact Whitney Swieter by email or 307-267-2098.

Jean is the project coordinator for the Wyoming Meth Project.  The Meth Project has presented to over 2,500 youth since its inception in April of 2008.  Jean’s goal is to initiate prevention and education targeted at the youth level, “to not try meth even once.”  Jean initiates this slogan with a graphic media campaign that presents a data driven prevention and education message.  Jean has collaborated with agencies across the state of Wyoming and the Windriver Reservation including various foundations and the Wyoming Department of Health.   As part of her initiative, Jean has completed four statewide surveys on “Use and Attitudes” regarding drugs.  These surveys were done in randomly selected schools across the state.

I asked Jean why she participates with the NCPC and she believes “Prevention and education are the objectives for the Wyoming Meth Project, so this is a perfect fit for the Prevention Coalition.  Networking and collaborations are key to Wyoming Meth Project and the NCPC offers this.”

The NCPC staff is delighted to celebrate Jean and the Wyoming Meth Project as our May Member of the Month!