Next Meeting - 10 a.m. Nov. 11, OCHS Auditorium
Middle School Mania - 3:30 p.m. Nov. 20 - Volunteers needed
Register now for the
2010 Catalyst of Hope
Conference
March
13 at Owen County High School
The conference is free.
What
Is HOPE’s Hands?
HOPE’s Hands is a community collaborative that brings
together the service agencies, organizations, churches and
businesses who serve our community’s children and youth.
HOPE stands for Hope, Opportunity, Purpose and
Encouragement and represents the values we’d like to be
able to give our children and the other young people in
this community in order to help them succeed in the future.
The
goal of this collaborative is to create synergies between
all these groups and individuals as they work to make Owen
County a better place for our youth. By coming together and
focusing our efforts we can make our resources — both
financial and human — go that much farther and make that
much more of a difference in the lives of these youth who
will lead our community into the future.
Why
Is This Effort Important?
Every day our children and youth are faced with issues that
impact their ability to succeed. Alcohol and drugs are
readily available to them in their homes or the homes of
their friends. Emotional issues result from the abuse of
these substances or the abuse of substances stem from
emotional issues that aren’t getting the treatment these
youth need.
And research shows that many times emotional issues and
substance abuse co-exist.
Did you know, for example, that:
•
Teen drinkers are more likely to exhibit serious behavior
problems
• 20% of all children and youth have mental health issues.
• Teen girls who drink are four times more likely to suffer
from emotional issues
• 28% of suicides by children ages 9 to 15 can be
attributed to alcohol
• In Owen County, 21 percent of middle and high schoolers
have used alcohol in the past 30 days. At the 12th grade
level that number jumps to 34%
What
Are the Causes?
No one knows exactly why one child will choose to drink and
another won’t or why one will have an emotional illness and
another will be healthy, but there are several known risk
factors for these two issues.
Risk factors for substance abuse problems include: chaotic
home environment, ineffective parenting, lack of rewarding
and nurturing relationships, poor social and coping skills,
failure, & the perception that parents, teachers and
other key adults approve of their drug abusing behavior
(And yes, alcohol is a drug.)
Risk factors for emotional illnesses include: prenatal
damage from exposure to drugs before birth, poverty,
deprivation, abuse and neglect, unsatisfactory
relationships, parents mental health disorders and exposure
to traumatic events.
It’s time to break the cycle of these risk factors and make
a difference in the lives of our children and youth
forever.
Why
Is It Important to Involve the
Community?
In order to make real, lasting change in the community, we
must change the system in which the child lives. That means
the family, the groups to which they belong, the churches,
everyone must be educated on the issues that our youth face
and how to deal with them. Everyone who touches the life of
a child must understand the impact that society places upon
them and how to counter those negative impacts with
positive one.
The school system and other agencies can provide education
all day long in prevention and treatment of these issues,
but unless we change the child’s life in the areas outside
the school, we can never make true change in our
community.
What Can We Do?
Get Involved.
There will be many opportunities over the next year for you
to get involved in the life of a child.
There will be classes, conferences, activities, events, and
more. There will be no excuse for any adult in Owen County
to say that they did not know there was a problem and that
they didn’t know what they could do to help.
HOPE’s Hands is bringing all the information and all the
opportunities together to make it possible for them to
change the lives of our future community residents.
When someone asks you to help or to get involved, don’t
hesitate. Say Yes. You are saying Yes to the future of Owen
County.
Who
Is Paying For This Project?
Over the last five years, Owen County has received more
than $2 million to be used to address mental health and
substance abuse in the community. Those funds help make
this project possible. But those dollars are quickly coming
to an end, as do all grant dollars.
We are in the process of conducting a capital campaign,
Project Hope, to raise $1 million over a five-year period
and other organizations and agencies have dedicated funding
and in-kind donations of space, programs, materials, etc.
to the efforts. We are also investigating grant
opportunities.
If you or your agency or organization can provide financial
assistance, that help will be appreciated. Hope’s Hands has
its 501 c 3 designation and your donations are tax
deductible.
Who
Is Already Involved?
Administrative
Office of the Courts • Community Learning Center •
Dallasburg Baptist Church • Department of Juvenile Justice
•
El Bethel Christian Church • Epoch Fellowship • Hesler
Assembly of God • KEYS • Meeting the Needs Ministry •
Monterey Baptist Church • NorthKey Community Care • North
Park Pharmacy • NorthKey Regional Prevention Center • Owen
County Baptist Association • Owen County Extension Office •
Owen County Parks and Recreation • Owen County Schools •
Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church • Reach • Site Environmental
• TAPP • Three Rivers District Health Department • Youth
Services Center
Won’t
You Join Us?
Our
meetings are held the second Wednesday of each month at 10
a.m. at
Owen County High School.
They are open to the public.
155
W. Seminary St. Suite 5
Owenton, Ky. 40359
502-484-8539
www.hopeshands.org