Together, the community can be a champion against drug and alcohol abuse

There is an old saying that it takes a village to raise a child. There has probably never been a day and age in which the quote has been more true than now.

With families needing two or more incomes to survive, the number of families with only one parent, and the number of today’s youth being raised by grandparents and other family members, we need everyone to work together. 

Champions for a Drug Free Carroll County is a community coalition designed to prevent and reduce alcohol abuse, substance abuse and violence in Carroll County.  The organization was formed in 2006 by a group of concerned citizens who wanted to see positive change in our area.

With help from Carroll County Fiscal Court, they were able to secure an annual budget that would fund community events to promote an anti-drug message and training, along with other community efforts, such as National Child Abuse Awareness Month in April. Champions existed only because of the efforts of volunteers who gave their time, energy, money and resources to the cause.  They are the reason that, in 2011, we are able to do the things we can today.

In 2010, we received a Drug Free Communities grant through the U.S. government. This five-year grant is renewable for another five years; that’s 10 years of federal funding.

Even with this funding in place, to achieve a drug-free community will require the continued help  of our key community partners. The primary goal of the grant is to work with young people to reduce the use of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana and prescription drugs, and to address other designated problem areas. 

We are blessed with good partners in our community who help us achieve success: Carroll County Schools, Carroll County Memorial Hospital, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, the Carrollton Police Department and the Kentucky State Police, to name a few. These partners provide volunteers who help us to reach out to the community and provide resources to help us achieve our goals.

This summer, Champions has gone into communities throughout Carroll County to promote our messages. So far, we have spoken to more than 375 people about the warning signs and symptoms of drug abuse. In the past two months, we have held events at th city parks in Worthville, Ghent and Sanders, held an event on the Courthouse lawn in Carrollton, and participated in the Carroll County Fair. 

These events could not have happened without all the support we received.

I would like to say thank you to Sheriff Jamie Kinman, KSP Trooper Dave Roberts and Carrollton Police Chief Mike Wilhoite for speaking and helping us. 

Also, thank you to County Jailer Mike Humphrey and his staff for tirelessly grilling hundreds of hot dogs and wrapping them for us to serve those attending our events.

A primary reason for the events we held was to let the community know of some of the initiatives that we are doing at Champions. First, we have moved our office. We are now located in the youth services building beside the high school. 

Second, we have an anonymous tip card that is available at the sheriff’s office and police departments. You simply fill out a card and put a stamp on it if you feel like you have a tip or information that could help stop a potential drug problem. 

The card goes to a post office box that is paid for by Champions, but only law enforcement has the keys to the box. No one other than the law personnel ever see the cards. We also have Community Meth Watch signs that you can put in your yard to help deter drug activity. It is proven that knowing someone is watching may keep activity from happening in your neighborhood. 

Finally, there are prescription drug boxes at the hospital, sheriff’s office and police department that you can dispose of any old or unused prescriptions.  Chief Wilhoite said that from January to June of this year over 50,000 pills have been collected. That is more that 27,000 dollars worth.

Please feel free to contact Champions at (502) 525-3361. Our address is P.O. Box 636, Carrollton, Ky., and we can be reached by email at matthew.lipe@carrollcountychampions.org.