May 16, 2008
Contact: Kit Weiss, Scottsdale customer service and communications
director, (480) 312-7616
Coalition celebrates second birthday
with May 21 meeting at Scottsdale Community College
The Northeast Valley Coalition Against Methamphetamine will host a community workshop on Wednesday, May 21, at the Scottsdale Community College Student Center’s Turquoise Room, 9000 E. Chaparral Road.
There will be a continental networking breakfast at 7:30 a.m. The program will begin at 8 a.m. and will conclude by 9:30 a.m. Participants should park in parking lot “A” on the west side of the campus.
Wednesday’s workshop will include a panel discussion on recovering from meth addiction. There will also be an update on results from the April 15 Crystal Darkness media campaign. In addition, there will be an overview of coalition efforts and how community members can get involved.
The group, including local residents, law enforcement, local government, non-profit organizations and educators, started working together in 2006 and is funded through Governor Napolitano’s Anti-Meth Initiative and grants from the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community.
Over the past two years, the coalition has hosted 16 community workshops on impacts of methamphetamine use. This past year, the coalition has created and distributed more than 45,000 copies of a methamphetamine-specific resource directory, held two youth summits with over 750 participants, a parent town hall with 120 participants, sponsored a “U B the Rent” video contest for youth and partnered with Cox 7 to produce an anti-meth television program.
In addition, to help educate the community about the relationship between meth use and identity theft, the group held document shredding events in four Northeast Valley communities, created “Identity Theft 10 Tips” flyer and has distributed “Stop Meth Use” gel ink pens to help reduce check fraud.
The Northeast Valley Coalition Against Methamphetamine is a local effort to coordinate a community-based response to the methamphetamine problem. The coalition includes the communities of Carefree, Cave Creek, Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, Fountain Hills, Paradise Valley, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community and Scottsdale.
More information about the coalition, including an agenda for Wednesday’s meeting, is available at: http://www.StopMethUse.com.