Coalition rallys against drugs
Carla Gwaltney Owens Sentinel Writer

The Pride Survey, administered to 7th, 9th and 11th graders at Clay County Schools and their parents, showed that 100 percent of parents believe there is a drug and alcohol problem in our community. However, those same parents said that they did not believe their child had a problem with drugs and alcohol.

According to Coordinator for the Coalition for a Safe and Drug-Free Clay County Dawn Wilde, survey results show that the reality is that in 2006, 24.1 percent of 9th grade students said they had used alcohol with in the last month and 30.8 percent of 11th graders also answered yes to the question of frequency of alcohol use. With approximately 100 students in each class, Wilde said this means that approximately 30 students out of the 11th grade class are drinking alcohol regularly, which is not only dangerous, but illegal.

Speaking at the Coalition's annual Town Hall Meeting, Wilde told those gathered that parents must be pro-active and aware that it could be their child and they must talk to their child and educate them about the dangers of under age drinking.

This was the focus of Monday night's community meeting, to help everyone understand the dangers of underage drinking and what each individual can do to make a difference in their community.

Wilde shared that education is making a difference in Clay County as survey results from this past fall were compare with results from 2005 which surveyed the same students and parents and it showed a dramatic decrease in alcohol use. Among 9th graders use was down from 33.6 percent and in 11th grade it was down from 54.6 percent. Wilde contributed this in large part to the aggressive education campaign undertaken by the Coalition and the

Clay County School System who have implemented the Mendez Curriculum in all three schools.

The Mendez drug education program focuses on teaching children how to make good choices and deal with peer pressure, and educates students about the dangers of tobacco, alcohol and illegal drugs and how to be healthy and drugfree.

Also speaking on the subject of underage drinking was Clay County Sheriff Joe Shook, who said he and his department are working hard to stop underage drinking in Clay County. Shook gave a stern warning to adults who supply alcohol to anyone under the age of 21 - you will be arrested and prosecuted.

Shook said that he knew when he took office last fall that there was a drug problem in Clay County, but he said he had no idea about the severity of the problem. Since taking office, Shook has been proactive in combating drug use and trafficking in the county, and said he has spent many long hours investigating and making arrests.

"Some nights I go home and I feel like I'm the only one in the county not using," Shook commented. But in all seriousness, Shook said that the reality of the drug problem in Clay County really took him by surprise when he went to work as Sheriff.

Shook said that underage drinking is serious business and if a child is found drinking and driving in Clay County they will loose their license and parents who supply alcohol to young people will be prosecuted.

"I believe a lot of it lies with the parents. You have to take control and watch what your child is doing. You have to know where they are and who they are with," Shook warned. "These kids are smart. They will find out where there is no supervision, whose parents are in the Bahamas, and that's where they will go," Shook added. "We see it every week, at least one teenager under the influence."

"I have instructed my deputies, if they go to one of these parties and find teenagers drinking they are to look the crowd over and find the adult that is allowing it. They will be prosecuted for supplying alcohol to a minor," Shook stressed.

"As parents, educators and law enforcement, if we all work together we can fix this problem," he reassured community members gathered Monday evening.

"I believe this is the finest county in North Carolina. It takes all of us working together to make a difference. We can make it a better place and a safer place to live for our children."

Attendees also heard a very personal story from Candie Moore, who lost her young brother to drug and alcohol abuse. What started as a drinking problem, Moore said, ended with a cocaine overdoes and her brother loosing his life at age 22.

Moore shared her heart breaking story Monday evening, telling everyone that what she knows is that substance abuse ended a beautiful life that was just beginning.

A student at Georgia Southern University, her brother Clint Rickman was home for Mother's Day weekend six years ago this month. The day before Mother's Day, Clint was with some friends when a party turned very bad. So high on cocaine, these so called friends did not even call 911 or take him the hospital only minutes away when it was apparent he needed help. Mrs. Moore said they simply watched him struggle and die.

"In 12 days it will be six years," Moore said, fighting back tears, "but it feels like it was yesterday."

"Instead of eating a special meal together on Mother's Day like everyone else, we sat in a funeral home on that Mother's Day," Moore recalled. "When I go and speak to students about my brother I always ask them, 'Whom does your decision effect?' " Moore said she wants them to think about all the people that are effected by the choices they make - their parents, their siblings, their friends. "Every choice you make effects someone other than just yourself."

Moore said that Clint made a poor choice, and it cost him his life, his mother her son and it cost Moore her brother.

Moore turned to the students from Far West Youth Build who attended Monday night's meeting and said she was so proud of them because they had at one time made poor choices but now they had worked hard to turn things around.

"You can say, 'I survived my mistakes,' " Moore told them.Far West Youth Build is a local organization that helps high school dropouts receive their GED, vocational training and life skills education. Several Far West students who began drinking at very young ages came Monday night to help others understand how young children are affected by alcohol and how it played apart in the poor decisions that caused them to drop out of school.

"I hope this community knows the importance of praying for these children and families who are effected by drugs and alcohol," Moore said in closing.

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