In Memoriam: CASAC Board Member and State Rep. Faith McMahon
CASAC
lost a good friend and colleague with the passing of State Rep.
McMahon. "As a CASAC board member for over six years, she tirelessly
partnered with us for the health of our children and the prevention of
alcohol, tobacco and other addictive behaviors within our communities,"
said Mirelle Freedman, CASAC's executive director.January 27, 2009 6:00
PM
Originally posted on www.ctnewsjunkie.com
by Christine Stuart
State Rep. Faith
McMahon, 65, a three-term representative
and Bloomfield’s first female mayor, died of cancer Tuesday at St. Francis
Hospital and Medical Center.
“Faith lived to serve her community and her state, and
she did so with passion and diligence,” Gov. M. Jodi Rell said in a statement.
“We will all miss her here at the State Capitol. Our thoughts and prayers go out
to all of her family and friends.” Rell ordered the state flag to half staff in
her honor.
Windsor Democratic Town Committee Chairman Leo Canty said
Faith had her finger on the pulse of the community she served. Her experience as
an elementary school teacher in Windsor for 35 years and as Bloomfield’s mayor
for 10 years uniquely positioned her to serve her district well, he said.
McMahon’s district included Bloomfield and part of Windsor.
“Today, the State of Connecticut truly lost a leading
advocate and voice for our children, and I lost a dear friend,” U.S. Rep. John
Larson said in a statement released Wednesday morning. “Representative Faith
McMahon served the Towns of Bloomfield and Windsor with distinction and honor as
a member of the Town Council, Mayor, and as a State Representative. She taught
in the Windsor School System for 35 years and was a champion for children’s
rights as the Chair of the Select Committee on Children. My thoughts and prayers
are with her husband Bill and her children. I and the residents of Bloomfield
and Windsor were truly grateful for her service to the community, the state, and
our country.”
I am Unique! I am Woman! Event a Success
The first annual, I Am Unique, I Am Woman Event, held on April 4th at the Suffield Middle School, was a tremendous success this year with 83 people in attendance. There were 10 health fair booths ranging from a dentist demonstrating the effects of smoking and sugar on your teeth to alcohol and drug treatment providers. The two CASAC P.R.O.M.I.S.E girls groups set up tables showcasing activities they did throughout the year featuring the community quilts made by the Hartland girls and the quit kits made by the Suffield girls.
This all female event is about building self-esteem, developing stronger decision-making skills and increasing assertiveness to prevent the abuse of alcohol, tobacco, illicit drugs and other risky behaviors. CASAC had the good fortune of having Ruthann Lobo as the keynote speaker this year. Ruthann had a very powerful message on raising healthy daughters.
The topic of bullying was covered as part of this year’s theme. Jill Spineti, of The Governor’s Prevention Partnership, was the leader of an adult workshop about the problem of bullying and its consequences to everyone involved. The session was very intense and left the women wanting to address this issue more… possibly through a town forum in their communities. The girls saw a presentation by the Kids on the Block Puppets which was very well received. Evaluations indicated an overwhelming request to make the event longer next year!!
We are in the planning process of the Soy Unica, Soy Mujer Event that will be held on June 6, 2009, at the Institute for Hispanic Families from 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., with high hopes of the same success!
CASAC Leaders Learn the Latest Strategies at CADCA Forum
Mirelle
Freedman, CASAC Executive Director and Wende Cooper, Coalition
Coordinator, along with more than 2,700 substance abuse prevention
advocates from across the country, joined CADCA for its 19th annual
National Leadership Forum, held in February at the National Harbor in
Maryland. The event provided participants an opportunity to learn the
latest strategies to fight substance abuse and to hear from
nationally–known experts and policymakers.
Participants
included community anti-drug coalitions of all regions of the country,
addiction treatment professionals, researchers, educators, law
enforcement professionals, faith-based leaders, government leaders and
youth.
The Forum kicked off with a keynote address by
award-winning author and community reconciliation expert, Peter Block,
who explained the importance of community connectedness to the health
and well-being of youth and adults.
“We are an addicted culture,
but addiction is a symptom of the breakdown in communities. It’s
something more than individuals getting into trouble,” Block said.
“Evidence shows that strong communities have strong connectedness.”
He
stressed the importance of having conversations that focus on the
possibilities of a community, rather than on the deficiencies, and of
changing our perceptions of what the problems are in our community. “We
need a different conversation about who we are and what we’re about,”
Block explained. “Conversations of deficiencies, or about ‘what’s wrong
with that kid or why they don’t change’, have no power to create an
alternative future.”
Over 100 workshops were offered at the
Forum, which touched on a wide range of topics—from environmental
strategies to reducing underage drinking and prescription drug abuse to
how to apply scientific research to community practices.
An
award’s luncheon ended the Forum honoring national and state leaders,
and community coalitions. CADCA’s highest honor, the National
Leadership Award, was presented to Congressman Sander Levin (D-MI), who
co-authored the federal Drug Free Communities Act and has been a
longtime supporter of the community coalition field. In 2000, CASAC was
awarded The Outstanding Coalition Award at that year’s conference.
CASAC Awarded $100,000 Drug Free Community Grant for 10th Year
CASAC has been awarded a Drug Free Community grant for the 10th year and will receive $100,000 in funding for 2008-2009.
Originally funded by Congress in 1997, with the understanding that local problems need local solutions, the Drug-Free Communities (DFC) program now supports over 700 drug-free community coalitions across the United States. CASAC is rightfully proud of maintaining this status as a Drug Free Community over these past numbers of years. As a cornerstone of ONDCP’s National Drug Control Strategy, DFC provides the funding necessary for communities to identify and respond to local substance use problems.
The stated goals for the 2008-2009 CASAC DFC Support Program are to 1) reduce substance abuse among youth and, over time, among adults by addressing the factors in a community that increase the risk of substance abuse and by promoting the factors that minimize the risk of substance abuse; and 2) maintain and strengthen collaboration among communities, private nonprofit agencies, and federal, state, local governments in the Capital Area of the state and to support the efforts of community coalitions to prevent and reduce youth substance abuse.