The S.A.F.E. (Support for Addicts and Families by Empowerment) Board has been actively meeting since August to formulate a structure, establish committees, and develop programming to aid in our efforts to find a cure for substance abuse disorder. I am happy to report that Jim Derick of Franklin was unanimously elected to lead the organization as the new President of the Board of Directors. Please read Jim's introduction below. Jordan Warnick of Medway was unanimously elected to serve as Secretary for the Board. Our Board of Incorporators will now be known as the Board of Advisors, and will meet on the third Tuesday of each month. And nine committees have been established, which need active members. We hope that you will consider joining one or more (see the piece below for more information).
Our support groups are running on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, and membership grows at each meeting. You'll find more details about these meetings below. As of last month, the Franklin based Community of HOPE support group is an official
Learn to Cope chapter and will continue to meet Monday nights from 7-8:30 at the UU church in Franklin. This Is an enormous accomplishment in such a short period of time. Thanks to Kathy and Derek Getchell who made this happen.
Our
website,
Facebook page, and
Twitter feed are now live and feeding information and resources to those in need, thanks to Communications Chair Alexa Manocchio.
We have an active group of youths -- led by Franklin Town Councilor Robert Dellorco and student Ben Waters -- that is growing each day and keeping us up to speed with the needs and issues facing students and their peers.
We are working on additional programs for our coalition meetings, with events tentatively scheduled through March 2016. And we have begun production of a video series which will serve as an additional resource for the community in dealing with this public health crisis.
We adopted a mission statement which captures the strength and spirit of our organization. It reads as follows:
S.A.F.E. is a coalition of community partners who have come together to provide support, education, treatment options, and coping mechanisms for those affected by substance abuse disorder. We do so by empowering those affected, including their families, with the tools necessary to succeed on their journey to recovery. We understand that while I can't, we can.
As you can see, it has been an incredible few months. We are committed to addressing this public health crisis, and hope that you will continue to partner with us.
Please continue to spread the word about S.A.F.E., encourage your friends to sign up for this newsletter by clicking
here, and please do not hesitate to reach out if you or someone you know is in need. We'll do our best to get you on the right path.
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