By BRENDA DORSEY, Staff Writer
The Wetzel County Prevention Partnership plans events for the Jan. 11 free dinner for families. Seated from left are Mindy Mall; Stephanie Moore; Beth Glow, coordinator; Marsha Croasmun; Cheryl Kaczor; Wetzel County Sheriff James B. Hoskins; and Chief Deputy and K-9 Handler Rob Haught.
It’s never too early nor too late to get “Back to the Table.” A family focused dinner sponsored by the newly formed Wetzel County Prevention Partnership (WCPP) on Jan. 11 at the new Mollohan Center at the Wetzel County 4-H grounds endeavors to establish a connection between the community and families, and more importantly, between adults and children in the family environment. The goal of the event is reflected in the theme for the January gathering, “Back to the Table,” with the table as metaphor for the place where ideas, information and family values are important. The concept of the table can have a bi-fold meaning.
In years past the family table was the nucleus of home activity—heads were bowed in prayer around it; kids did their homework there; family games like dominoes and Monopoly were played on it; and of course, the family gathered around it for their meals. During these gatherings, the family had a chance to interact, manners were taught, and members knew where they belonged. Reviving some of that sense of family is one of the goals of the WCPP. To accomplish this goal, a team of ten volunteers has assembled from different professional backgrounds including social services, law enforcement, and business.
The table is also a place where ideas are created and information exchanged. The old expression “back to the drawing table” comes to mind. The discussion of problems can lead to ideas to solve them, and the team of volunteers hopes to raise awareness and present a forum under which individuals may express their concerns and share their experiences.
At the planning luncheon on December 6 at the Wetzel County Center for Children and Families, the team of volunteers set a good example, gathering around an informal table; they brainstormed and discussed topics such as: drug abuse in small towns, warning signs of substance abuse, the need for adult vigilance in supervising kids on computers, and how to reinforce the notion of parents as role models, not pals. The team plans to have several sources of information at the January dinner, including a visit from Chief Deputy Rob Haught and his K-9 unit, and computer specialist Deputy Randy Scott.
Wetzel County Sheriff James B. Hoskins, who is on the volunteer team believes that time shared by family members is invaluable. “Family time is important for children and parents, because it allows parents time to communicate with their children. It creates a bond that will nourish the child and trust is created between a child and parents when time is taken to talk and to listen to a child. Important social skills are developed in the child which can be useful later in the child’s life. I’m looking forward to talking with parents and children on January 11,” aid Hoskins.
Coordinator for the “Back to the Table” dinner, Beth Glow, states that to reach the parents in the community who may wish to attend, she will send informative invitations to Head Start and Early Start participators. The goal of the dinner is two-fold, according to Glow: to create awareness of the findings of the team, and to show the importance of beginning substance abuse prevention at an early age. Glow offered, “ We have a unique opportunity to show young parents what the future for their children will look like through the consequence and consumption patterns of youth who have already begun using alcohol, tobacco or other drugs in our community.” Glow adds, “Parents may already be implementing strategies in their own home that may lead to the prevention of substance use and they don’t even know they are doing it, like having meals together.” Glow concluded, “the dinner will be a way of providing resources for parents to add extra tools in their parenting and also to commend them for what they are already doing that is working.”
The WCPP, organized in March 2006 under a grant received by the West Virginia Governors’s Office through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, was created to build community capacity and to create a comprehensive plan to address substance abuse and related problems in Wetzel County. The team is available to speak to your organization about prevention issues or county statistics.
To register for the free dinner on January 11, or for more information about the Prevention Partnership call Glow at 455-2468. Also you may look at the Website for the sheriff’s department at www.wetzelsheriff.org and click on Events Calendar for more information. Anyone who has children or is concerned about drug or other substance abuse may attend.