Join KPITK for our eighth annual informational meeting for parents, teens and the community Wednesday October 29th, 2014 at 7 p.m. Kings Park High School. At last year’s annual Preventing Destructive Decisions we heard from a KP mother, Linda Ventura, who lost her precious son to heroin. She spoke about warning signs parents should look for and gave first-hand advice. In addition we heard from an addiction specialist at LICADD (Long Island Council for Alcoholism and Addiction). He offered some information about popular drugs today’s teens are using and presented prevention strategies. This year we have invited both Linda Ventura and LICADD back but we are changing the format somewhat in hopes to get the community more involved in the dialogue about underage drinking and drug use.
We will have both of our guests at a table in front of the room and they will speak and then be available for questions following the remaining speakers. A Suffolk County Police Department C.O.P.E. officer will speak about Social Host Law and The Good Samaritan law. We will also have a young KP man speak about overcoming his devastating heroin addiction.
KPITK volunteers will be handing out slips of paper so parents and teens can write their questions for the panel yet remain anonymous. We are optimistic that this will allow the community to drive the Q & A portion of the evening.
This event is geared for high school parents and their teens but is open to the entire community. Why you ask? Because illegal drug use and underage drinking are a community issue, a community problem and the solution lies in the community.
This is must for every parent and teen in Kings Park. One of the most important things a parent can do for their teen is to show up and get educated. This sends a very strong message that they care and that they will do anything to keep their child from using drugs.
Kim Revere is the President of Kings Park in the kNOw and one of the founding members when the small non-profit began in 2006.
Revere said she is thrilled to be partnered with the School District for this important event. “I believe this style meeting will be very beneficial, it’s a great way to get a conversation started, a critical conversation,” said Revere. She said when people are engaged, they tend to retain more information. “We want to educate our teens and their parents but most importantly we want to develop a relationship with them as a community organization,” she continued. Revere said we are fortunate to live in a small town and it’s imperative we come together to find ways to keep our young people healthy and safe.
Would you send your child onto a sports field without protective gear or allow them to ride in a car with a seatbelt, then don’t allow them to navigate adolescent years without advice from the experts about drugs and alcohol.