Harvest America Entreprenurial Center
Healthy Families - Finney County (FREE)
Weatherization Assistance Program
SPF SIG Grant to Reduce Underage Drinking
Seeds of Hope Jail Ministry, Inc.
LifeSkills Drug and Violence Prevention Program
Finney County Helpdesk Now Available
It's Everybody's Business Synar Compliance Program
The Faces of Meth
Kansas Methamphetamine Prevention Project and History
The Story of Initiative to Reduce Underage Drinking
Harvest America Entreprenurial Center
Harvest America Entreprenurail Center offers assistance to Kansans who are starting a new business. Area offices located in Dodge City and Garden City offer on site services locally; or by phone or will travel to assist in remote locations. Services include use of computers and internet; development of business cards, written bids, invoices and other business and marketing tools. Bilingual staff in both locations tailor services to assist specific individual and business needs.
Program participants may also advertise their service at no cost on the website: www.KansansCan.org. For more information, contact the Program Director: Juanita Esquivel at 620-275-1619 or jesquivel@harvestamerica.org. Contact one of the local offices: in Garden City: Joe Rios at 620-275-1619; or in Dodge City: Margaret Almeida at 620-227-7882.
Another service offered by Harvest America is uniting workers and people needing services. KansansCan.org is a website that unites workers and people needing services. Workers post their skills and experience, people needing workers can look for them on the website. All services are provided at no cost to participants, funded by a CSBG grant. Services are offered in English and Spanish. For information on this or other services offered, contact Harvest America Corporation, 116 East Chestnut; Suite 102, Garden City, KS 67846; 620-275-1619 or toll free 1-877-515-5150.
Healthy Families - Finney County (FREE)
Raising a child can be a challenge, especially for parents who are experiencing pressures such as unemployment, illness or lack of parenting skills. Although many parents get the help they need, too many young families have nowhere to turn for support. Healthy Families Finney County is a program that assists new parents who are overburdened by stress factors. Healthy Families staff meet with the family regularly, usually once each week. This process begins during pregnancy and continues until the child is three to five years old. The home visitor offers the family information and emotional support in coping with the stress and challenges of parenting. Services are free to residents of Finney County. Healthy Familes Finney County is a prevention and community service program of Kansas Children's Service League. For more information contact Healthy Families Finney County, 1517 Fulton Terrace, Garden City, KS 67846 (620) 805-6454, ext. 1133, or visit their website at www.kcsl.org.
Weatherization Assistance Program
There is a program to help weatherize the homes of people with low to moderate incomes, including renters. The weatherization office is open in Dodge City and is covering all of Southwestern Kansas, including Garden City. Their office is located at 607 South Second, their business phone number is 620-371-6994. Amanda Stevens-Flores is the person to talk to about eligibility. All requests for help should go to this office. For a copy of the brochure, please click here.
Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant (SPF-SIG) to Reduce Underage Drinking
Kansas is part of the third cohort of states to receive SPF-SIG Grants from the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP). Kansas Social and Rehabilitation Services Addiction and Prevention Services (SRS-AAPS) Division of Strategic Development recently sub-granted fourteen planning grants to communities statewide, including the Community Health Coalition in Garden City, KS and Liberal Area Coalition for Families in Liberal, KS. Grants were awarded based on the prevalence of underage drinking in the area and on assessments of each coalitions' capacity to engage in a comprehensive planning process to then implement evidence-based strategies to reduce underage drinking. Individual community plans are to be submitted to SRS-AAPS in September, 2008. If approved, these coalitions will then receive additional grants over the next three years to implement their plan and to evaluate the effectiveness of their efforts. The goals of the SPF-SIG include:
- Building Capacity and infrastructure at the state and local level to sustain effective substance abuse prevention strategies.
- Delaying the onset and preventing the progression of substance abuse, including childhood and underage drinking.
- Reducing substance abuse and related problems in targeted communities.
- Building a sustainable statewide framework for effective prevention to enhance prevention programs, policies, and practices statewide.
- Implementing a process for infusing data across all SPF steps (needs, resource, and readiness assessments, capacity building, comprehensive strategic planning, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation) for improved decision making, cultural competence, and sustainability.
Seeds of Hope Jail Ministry, Inc.
Vision: Ex-inmates and their families in southwest Kansas have safe, stable, and productive lives.
Mission: Seeds of Hope reflects God's love by helping inmates and ex-inmates grow in character, intellectually, and spiritually so that they can successfully transition out of the corrections system and become valuable, productive members of their communities..
Upcoming Events:
Weekly Interfaith Fellowship Meetings
Southwest Kansas Regional Prevention Center
801 Campus Drive, Garden City, KS
(inside Beth Tedrow Student Center - GCCC)
Mondays, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Phone (620) 276-9649
Email: becky.upshaw@gcccks.edu
Note:
Although our roots are Christian, this is a non-denominational organization. We hope for and welcome participation from all faiths. We do not meet on holiday weekends. To view a brochure about Seeds of Hope, click here for English and here for Spanish. For more information, contact Becky Upshaw in the Regional Prevention Center at Garden City Community College.
LifeSkills Drug and Violence Prevention Program
LifeSkills Training (LST) is a research-validated substance abuse prevention program proven to reduce the risks of alcohol, tobacco, drug abuse, and violence by targeting the major social and psychological factors that promote the initiation of substance use and other risky behaviors. This comprehensive and exciting program provides adolescents and young teens with the confidence and skills necessary to successfully handle challenging situations. Developed by Dr. Gilbert J. Botvin, a leading prevention expert, LifeSkills Training is backed by over 20 scientific studies and is recognized as a model program by an array of government agencies including the U.S. Department of Education and the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention. Rather than merely teaching information about the dangers of drug abuse, LifeSkills Training promotes healthy alternatives to risky behavior through activities designed to:
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Teach students the necessary skills to resist social (peer) pressures to smoke, drink, and use drugs |
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Help students to develop greater self-esteem and self-confidence |
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Enable students to effectively cope with anxiety |
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Increase their knowledge of the immediate consequences of substance abuse |
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Enhance cognitive and behavioral competency to reduce and prevent a variety of health risk behaviors |
Leading Prevention experts and educators worldwide have put the LifeSkills Training prevention approach and curricula to the test. In fact, because it has been selected for the highest honors by more government agencies than other prevention program, LifeSkills Training is in the distinct position of being the top-research based prevention program in the country.
LifeSkills Training has been incorporated into health education classes in Holcomb, Pratt, Larned, Sublette, Kinsley/Offerle, and Satanta schools and in the Educational Talent Search Program for at-risk youth at Garden City Community College.. Daily or weekly LifeSkills classes have been a positive experience for teachers and students alike.The program has also been used successfully in youth leadership programs, after-school programs, and other supplemental programs.
FREE LifeSkills Drug & Violence Prevention Training
The Southwest Kansas Regional Prevention Center is offering FREE presenter trainings for the top evidence-based drug and violence prevention program in the country for children in grades three through ten. This training is valued at $195 on the LifeSkills Training website. The Regional Prevention Center is offering this training at no charge because we believe it can make a significant positive difference in the lives of children. Attendees can get 1/2 hour of college credit from Friends University for a fee of $40. Please email Becky Upshaw or call 620-276-9649 if you have questions, or would like to schedule a LifeSkills training. For more information about the LifeSkills Program, contact Becky or see the LifeSkills web site at http://www.lifeskillstraining.com.
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Finney County Helpdesk Now Available
Information about services, organizations and events in Finney County is now available at www.finneycountyhelpdesk.org.
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Protecting
Kansas Youth Against Tobacco Use...It's Everybody's
Business
The Synar law prohibits the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products to youth
under 18 years of age. As of December 1, 2004, the penalty for selling
of any tobacco products to underage youth will result in a civil fine
of $200 to the clerk and $1,000 to the employer, in addition to, or in lieu of, any other civil or
criminal penalty provided by law. No mitigating circumstance will be considered
to reduce the amount of the fine.
Tobacco Retailer Training
To make it as easy as possible for tobacco retailers and their clerks to understand and
comply with this law, a training program for
retailers and their employees is available online at http://itseverybodysbusiness.org. Training on VHS tapes or DVDs is available by contacting Steve Woolaway at Kansas Family Partnership ( 800-206-7231). For information, contact Becky Upshaw at (620) 276-9648 or email becky.upshaw@gcccks.edu. Click this link: http://rewardandreminder.com/kansas/ and then click on Scoreboard to see Synar compliance rates by county and for the entire state of Kansas.
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The
Faces of Meth
This website is the result of a project of the Multnomah
County Sherrif's Office. Deputy Bret King of the Corrections
Division Classification Unit shares dramatic stories and photos of men
and women in custody to show the effect of methamphetamine use on our
people and our communities.
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Methamphetamine Prevention Seminar in Ulysses Well Attended
Labs, Laws, Effects, Enforcement Prosecution, Cleanup and Drug Endangered Children
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Presentations included:
METH 101 - Verla King, KBI Crime Analyst/HIDTA State Crime Analyst
Meth Lab Cleanup - Brian Carroll, KBI SR Special Agent
The Psyche of a Meth User - Margaret Myers, LSCSW Regional Director
Meth Labs in Our Town - Alan Olson, Chief of Police of Ulysess, KS
Kansas Law & Meth Crimes - Robin Hathaway, J.D.
Meth Users - Medical Effects of the Drug - Trpr. William Polland
Drug Endangered Children - Lois Limes, SWKRPC Consultant/Fi Co Coord. DEC Task Force
View photos from the Seminar here
Article from The Garden City Telegram
Area teens also help stress the importance of meth prevention. (See the Article from the Garden City Telegram)
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2005 KS Alliance
for Drug Endangered Children State Conference
This conference was held at the Holiday Inn Convention Center in
Hays, KS on October 13-14, 2005. It benefits community members interested
in starting Drug Endangered Children programs, as well as those involved
in existing DEC programs. Community members who should be active in DEC
efforts include law enforcement personnel, prosecutors, medical professionals,
first responders, child protective service workers, and social service
providers.
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Finney
County Drug Endangered Children Team Moves Forward
To view the Garden City Telegram article published April 23, 2005, click
here: www.gctelegram.com/news/2005/april/23/story5.html.To view the
Finney County DEC Protocol, click here.
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KS
Senate Bill 27 Becomes Law
To view the Garden City Telegram article published April 23, 2005, click
here:
www.gctelegram.com/news/2005/april/23/story2.html
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Kansas
Methamphetamine Prevention Project
Kansas was
one of six states in the United States to receive funding to develop a
statewide infrastructure to fight the methamphetamine problem. Kansas
is still in the top five states in the United States for number of methamphetamine
labs seized. Kansas was chosen due to the large number of meth lab seizures
in 2000 and 2001 (846 in 2001); the increasing number of residents seeking
treatment for meth addiction (81.2% increase from 1997 to 2002); the spending
on law enforcement, incarceration, environmental clean-ups, and treatment
directly related to meth; the presence of a model methamphetamine prevention
project in Shawnee County, Kansas; and the participation from key agencies
including:
- Kansas Social and Rehabilitation Services Kansas Regional Prevention CentersK-State Research and ExtensionKansas Department of Health and Environment Kansas Bureau of InvestigationKansas National GuardPrevention and Recovery Services
- Local agencies
Signs of a meth lab may include:
- Unusual, strong odors
- Unusual number of chemical containers
- Presence of bottles, jars & jugs
- Windows covered or blacked out
- People smoking outside
- Paranoid or odd behavior
- Lots of traffic, especially at night
- Secretive and protective of area
If you suspect
a meth lab, contact your local law enforcement agency or the Kansas Bureau
of Investigation (1-800-KS-CRIME or online at Kansas
Bureau of Investigation). For more information,
contact:
Southwest
Kansas Regional Prevention Center
801 Campus Drive
Garden City, KS 67846
Phone: 620-276-9624
Additional information is also available from:
Kansas Methamphetamine Prevention Project
Cristi Cain, Director
Phone: 785-266-8666
Prevention
& Recovery Services
Kansas Meth Prevention Project
Kansas Dept. of Health & Environment
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Drug
Endangered Children (DEC) Program
A Drug Endangered
Children Team has been formed in Finney County, Kansas. To view the Finney
County DEC Protocol, click here. The mission
of the DEC Team is to identify and protect drug endangered children, with
the goal of improving outcomes for these children through the collaboration
of the criminal justice system, law enforcement, child welfare, and other
community agencies.One aspect
of the initiative includes agencies working cooperatively to facilitate
a coordinated response to families involved in drug manufacturing, drug
sales, and posession of drugs when children are expected to be present
or are found in the home.Member agencies
include: Finney County Attorney's Office; Social and Rehabilation Services;
Garden City Police Dept.; Garden City Fire Dept.; Finney County EMS; Finney
County Sheriff's Office; Spirit of the Plains CASA; St. Francis Academy;
Russell Child Development Center; St. Catherine Hospital; and Southwest
Kansas Regional Prevention Center.
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Kansas
Methampthetamine Border Initiative
The Kansas Meth Border Initiative held Town Hall Meetings in Liberal,
Hugoton, Meade, Protection, Elkhart, and Anthony, located in Kansas counties
that border the Oklahoma line. The purpose of the meetings was to make
the public aware of the problems in southwest Kansas caused by the devastating
effects of methamphetamine. These town meetings will be followed by regional
methamphetamine prevention training of local participants AND the availability
of grant funding for local methamphetamine initiatives. This
free training will provide an overview of methamphetamine and information
about Retailer Meth Watch and other successful strategies to address the
meth problem at the community level. Training participants will be eligible
to apply for minigrant funding for meth prevention initiatives. These
minigrants will award approximately $2000 to targeted counties. All participants
will receive a Meth Prevention Initiative manual and Retailer Meth Watch
packet. The first training was held on March 8, 2004 at Seward Co. Community
College in Liberal, with 37 area residents in attendance.
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Methamphetamine:
Meth Labs in Southwest Kansas & Our Drug Endangered Children
"Methamphetamine
in Southwest Kansas & Our Drug Endangered Children" was presented
in Dodge City on October 23, 2003. The workshop was sponsored jointly
by SWKRPC and CASA-Children Worth Saving, Inc. of Dodge City, KS. An evening
session for the general public was offered as well. A total of 100 people
from 17 southwest Kansas counties attended. Certificates for 3.5 contact
hours were issued for the afternoon session. Presenters were: Cristi Cain,
Coordinator, Kansas Methamphetamine Prevention Project; Sandra Charbonneau,
Assistant District Attorney, Sedgwick County; Chris Ibarra, Drug Enforcement
Administration Agent; and Detective Tim McClure, Dodge City Police Department.
A former meth addict and dealer also told of his experiences over a 12
year period, which eventually led to his arrest and which continue to
affect both his life and his health.According
to an article published in the October 24, 2003 issue of the Hutchinson
News, "9.1% of Ford County 12th-graders have tried meth at least
once compared to the statewide figure of 6.5%. Also, 5.6% of 12th-graders
reported having used the drug in the 30 days before being asked, compared
to 2.4% of high school seniors statewide. By comparison, 3.7% of Finney
County seniors have tried the drug at least once, and 2.4% used it within
30 days of being asked. In Seward County, the numbers, were 6.4% and 2.8%.
. . As for treatment, 49 Ford County residents enrolled in programs for
(treatment of) meth addiction in fiscal year 2002-03 compared to 15 in
Finney County and five in Seward County." In the same article, Cain
is quoted as saying "98% of those who use the drug become addicted
compared to around 10% of drinkers."On August
6, 2003, over 140 participants attended the same workshop on the Garden
City Community College campus. Presenters were: Cristi Cain, Coordinator,
Kansas Methamphetamine Prevention Project; Sandra Charbonneau, Sedgwick
County Assistant District Attorney; David E. Smith, Clab Lab Certified
Site Safety Officer; and Detective Larry Watson, Garden City/ Finney County
Drug Task Force Team. Topics covered were the history of the meth problem,
symptoms and effects of meth usage, statistics, how to spot a meth lab,
methods and materials used in the production of meth, lab cleanup procedures,
law enforcement professionals' perspective of the meth problem, the importance
of participation by retail stores and rural areas in the meth prevention
effort, and Drug Endangered Children (DEC) issues and programs.
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Panel Tackles Teen Drinking
Dozens of area residents met at Buffalo Jones Elementary School on Thursday, September 7, 2006 to discuss teen drinking and its effects on the community. Local residents, including a handful of high school students, law enforcement officials, and USD 457 employees offered insight on teen drinking and possible methods of prevention. To read the Garden City Telegram article click here.
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Town Hall Meeting on Underage Drinking
To view The Garden City Telegram article published on March 30, 2006 click here. Approximately 130 people gathered on the GCCC Campus on March 29th to address underage drinking problems in our community. John P. Wheeler, Jr. served as moderator to a panel of professionals with representatives from prevention, schools, law enforcement, Youth Services, Finney Co Jail, and alcohol and drug assessment services. Issues covered were consequences of underage drinking that range from effects on the brain and body, to peer pressure, monetary costs, personal consequences such as sexual assault and violence, the importance of parental influence and involvement, and legal ramifications. They also addressed possible solutions, and resources that will help families deal with the problems associated with underage drinking such as the Youth Services Family Impact Team 271-6250. After the meeting, participants enjoyed a free "Picnic in the Portico". If you are interested in becoming involved in underage drinking prevention efforts and follow-up on the town hall meeting, call 620-276-9624. The event was sponsored by Finney Co Health Coalition.
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