2019 Discounted Adventureland Tickets

The Van Buren County SAFE Coalition has discounted tickets for Adventureland.  The cost per ticket is $25 (a savings of $20 off the regular ticket price).  The tickets are now good through June 30, 2019, due to bad weather the first weekend of the Substance Free event weekends.  These special days are held at Adventureland to increase awareness of Drug Prevention Programs and provide a day of fun as a reward for those that participate in those programs.    

This Substance Free event is a great way to spend a fun-filled day with family and friends.  You may purchase these tickets for your entire family while supplies last.  Admission will not be available at this price at Adventureland during this event.  If you are interested in going to Adventureland on any of these dates please contact the SAFE Coalition by phone at 319-293-3334 ext. 1017 or by email at safe.coalition@van-burencsd.org.  Tickets are available now.  The Substance Free event is a great way to spend a fun-filled day with family and friends. 

100 Things to Do to Beat Summer Boredom

Summer is just beginning and you do not want to be thinking, saying, or hearing; “I’m bored” in the next few months. Below is a list of 100 things you can do to beat summer boredom. Write each of these things on a piece of paper and put it into the summer fun jar and when you get bored draw one out and have fun! Challenge yourself to accomplish all 100 before school starts.

If your kids start to suffer from summer boredom, let them come up with their own ideas for fun summer activities to put into the fun jar.  When you let children come up with their own solutions to boredom, you’re helping them develop important problem solving skills and they will take ownership in the activity.

As the summer progresses, new ideas can be added to the jar. Then when the children get bored, they can reach into the jar for a fun activity. And, you’ll be less likely to hear, “I’m bored!”  

1.       Go hiking in the park

2.       Ride your Bike

3.       Go swimming at the lake or pool

4.       Paint a picture

5.       Play a board game

6.       Get out the hose and sprinkler

7.       Go horseback riding

8.       Go to the Library

9.       Go on a nature scavenger hunt

10.    Go fishing

11.    Have a talent show

12.    Go Camping

13.    Have a pet parade

14.    Hold a lemonade stand

15.    Tie Dye Shirts

16.    Build a sandcastle

17.    Make a collage with magazine pictures

18.    Have a pizza decorating contest

19.    Go to a baseball game

20.    Start a hobby

21.    Scrapbook some photos

22.    Go bowling

23.    Go to a water park

24.    Visit a museum

25.    Do a science experiment

26.     Pick a bouquet of flowers

27.    Blow Bubbles

28.    Make homemade ice cream

29.    Have a fashion show

30.    Finger paint

31.    Create Sidewalk Art

32.    Rent a canoe and go canoeing

33.    Write a letter to a pen pal

34.    Write or draw your own storybook

35.    Start a journal

36.    Make a home movie

37.    Play catch

38.    Have a puppet show

39.     Play Twister

40.    Wash the car at home

41.    Go miniature golfing

42.    Make mud pies

43.    Have a picnic

44.    Play croquet

45.    Catch fireflies

46.    Go hunting night crawlers

47.    Color in a coloring book

48.    Do a craft project

49.    Paint your room

50.    Throw a Frisbee

51.    Fly a kite

52.    Read stories

53.    Throw water balloons

54.    Play red rover

55.    Have a garage sale

56.    Build a fort

57.    Play a musical instrument

58.    Walk a dog

59.    Go to a concert

60.    Have a pancake party

61.    Plant a garden

62.    Go skateboarding

63.    Play hopscotch

64.    Do a good deed for a neighbor

65.    Clean up trash in the park

66.    Take pictures in nature

67.    Play with play dough

68.    Dance

69.    Clean your closet

70.    Design, plan and make a meal for the family

71.    Conquer a Rubix cube

72.    Hula hoop

73.    Jump on a trampoline

74.    Make root beer floats

75.    Have a fashion show

76.    Start a collection (stamps, rocks, coins)

77.    Ride a 4 wheeler

78.    Make a quilt

79.    Go shopping at a garage sale

80.    Read a magazine

81.    Play horseshoes

82.    Swing on a swing set

83.    Bake a cake

84.    Play baseball

85.    Make a smoothie

86.    Go to a fair

87.    Play basketball

88.    Play wiffle ball

89.    Play charades

90.    Go golfing

91.    Build a Lego creation

92.    Play badminton

93.    Adopt a pet from a shelter

94.    Have a pedicure party

95.    Play beach volleyball

96.    Jump rope

97.    Read a newspaper

98.    Play tennis

99.    Create a new recipe

100. Go to a farmers market

For more information on how to get involved with your kids this summer visit the SAFE Coalition at Van Buren County SAFE Coalition on Facebook!

Van Buren County IPFS Project Update

The Van Buren County SAFE Coalition was awarded the Iowa Partnership for Success (IPFS) Grant in February 2015 to address underage drinking and underage binge drinking in Van Buren County.  The coalition began the fifth year of this five year grant on September 30, 2018.  The Van Buren County SAFE Coalition’s IPFS project is funded by the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH), through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

During this final year of the IPFS Project the coalition is continuing to build capacity, build sustainability, evaluate the work being done, and implement the five strategies it was funded to work on as follows:  

1) Alcohol Restrictions at Community Events at Privately Owned Facilities: The coalition is working with privately owned facilities to help them write, adopt, and implement alcohol policies focused on the Best Practices for Alcohol Service at their location.  During this year the coalition members will continue to work with three of the ten facilities in Van Buren County to encourage implementation of alcohol restrictions policies.  One facility is in the process of writing their new policy.  Four of the ten facilities have already adopted and implemented new written alcohol restriction policies since 2016.  The coalition would recommend that all facilities in the county put into place a written alcohol restriction policy.  The coalition will also be working with local law enforcement to provide training on how to enforce these new policies. 

2) Alcohol Restrictions in Public Places: The coalition is working with the towns in Van Buren County to help them write, adopt, and implement alcohol policies focused on the Best Practices for Alcohol Service in Public Places.  Currently, one town has a “no alcohol allowed" policy for their baseball park and will be hanging signs at the baseball park that state no alcohol allowed on the premises.  One town is allowing the coalition to participate in a community event planning committee that will set policy for their community events and is considering an alcohol restriction policy.  One town is considering establishing and implementing a best practices alcohol restriction policy for their community park by the end of September 2019.  Another town, in collaboration with the coalition, is working on implementing a no alcohol allowed policy for their new sports complex and baseball fields. The coalition is interested in working with all of the towns in Van Buren County on how best to implement policies to make sure alcohol is being served safely during community events.  The coalition will also be working with local law enforcement to provide officers with training on how to enforce these new ordinances. 

3) Substance Abuse Prevention Programs for Youth: The coalition has worked with the Van Buren Community School District to implement the Botvin Life Skills Training Program in the 7th and 8th grades since the 2016-17 school year.  This addresses substance abuse and violence prevention. It is a comprehensive, dynamic, and developmentally designed program to promote positive youth development. In addition to helping kids resist drug, alcohol, and tobacco use, the program also effectively supports the reduction of violence and other high-risk behaviors.  So far in the 2018-19 school year 97% of the 7th-grade students have completed the Level I Life Skills Curriculum.  Also, the first two groups of 8th-grade students have completed the Level II Curriculum and the third group has begun the curriculum.    

4) Underage Drinking Prevention Media Campaign: The coalition has worked with local media outlets to implement IDPH’s “What Do You Throw Away” underage drinking prevention media campaign.  It is currently displayed on posters in the Van Buren County Hospital & Clinics; posters at local libraries; on the SAFE Coalition’s Facebook pages, Website, and Blog; on the Billboard in Keosauqua; and posters and electronic billboard ads at the Van Buren Community Middle/High School. During the summer of 2019 the coalition plans to have the campaign displayed in poster form at convenience stores, the Keosauqua Pool, Local Baseball Parks, and at Lacey Keosauqua State Park.  During this school year the Youth Leadership Council members have helped by placing the media campaign ads on their personal social media accounts to reach their peers with the message.  The coalition will continue to work with local media outlets to ensure youth are exposed to the media campaign. 

5) Social Host Ordinance: A Social Host Ordinance addresses the problem of people knowingly providing a place for underage drinking to happen.  The coalition currently is working to educate community members and government officials on why this ordinance would be helpful in Van Buren County and to build support for the ordinance.  Coalition members are attending community meetings to help educate community members about the ordinance, about how to approach local government officials to encourage support for the ordinance and to allow for discussion on the need for such policies in Van Buren County.

For more information on the SAFE Coalition or the IPFS Project please contact the coalition at 319-293-3334 ext. 1017 or by email at safe.coalition@van-burencsd.org.

17th Annual National Prescription Drug Take Back Day

Federal, state and local partners collect 937,443 pounds across the country

Americans nationwide did their part to drop off unused, unwanted or expired prescription medications during the DEA’s 16th National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, with 6,258 sites across the country. Together with local, state and federal partners, DEA collected and destroyed 937,443 pounds —468.72 tons—of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs, making it a very successful event. This brings the total amount of prescription drugs collected by DEA since the fall of 2010 to 11,816,393 pounds, or 5908.2 tons.  Locally the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office collected 18.2 lbs. of medication to be destroyed during this take-back day with 431 lbs. collected beginning in April of 2012. 

National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day is a day for every American, in every community across the country, to come together and do his or her part to fight the opioid crisis – simply by disposing of unwanted prescription medications from their medicine cabinets. This event brings us together with local, state and federal partners to fight the abuse of prescription drugs that is fueling the nation’s opioid epidemic.

National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day events continue to remove ever-higher amounts of opioids and other medicines from the nation’s homes, where they could be stolen and abused by family members and visitors, including children and teens.

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet.

DEA launched its prescription drug take-back program when both the Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration advised the public that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—posed potential safety and health hazards.

Helping people to dispose of potentially harmful prescription drugs is just one way DEA is working to reduce the addiction and overdose deaths plaguing this country due to opioid medications.  Complete results for this DEA Take-Back Day are available at https://takebackday.dea.gov/sites/default/files/NTBI%2017%20Totals-April2019.pdf. DEA’s next Prescription Drug Take Back Day is October 26, 2019.

There is a permanent medication drop box available in the entryway of the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office in Keosauqua.  You can bring your pills and patches there to dispose of them safely during business hours no questions asked.  For non-controlled substances (including liquids and inhalers) you may dispose of those at Lee’s Pharmacy in Keosauqua.  If you have any questions please contact the Van Buren County SAFE Coalition at 319-293-3334 ext. 1017.

2019 Adventureland Tickets

The Van Buren County SAFE Coalition has discounted tickets for Adventureland.  The cost per ticket is $25 (a savings of $20 off the regular ticket price).  The tickets are now good through June 30, 2019, due to bad weather the first weekend on the Substance Free event weekends.  These special days are held at Adventureland to increase awareness of Drug Prevention Programs and provide a day of fun as a reward for those that participate in those programs.    

This Substance Free event is a great way to spend a fun-filled day with family and friends.  You may purchase these tickets for your entire family while supplies last.  Admission will not be available at this price at Adventureland during this event.  If you are interested in going to Adventureland on any of these dates please contact the SAFE Coalition by phone at 319-293-3334 ext. 1017 or by email at safe.coalition@van-burencsd.org.  Tickets are available now.  The Substance Free event is a great way to spend a fun-filled day with family and friends.

NATIONAL PREVENTION WEEK 2019

By Lacey Smith & Rose Rankin 

National Prevention Week (NPW) is a SAMHSA-sponsored campaign dedicated to increasing the prevention of substance use and promotion of mental health by promoting prevention year-round. The weeklong National Prevention Week observance that occurs each May brings individuals, organizations, coalitions, states, and communities together to celebrate the events and activities that communities have held all year to raise awareness about the importance of preventing substance use and mental disorders.

NPW takes place May 12–18, 2019. Near the kickoff of summer, this week is an ideal time for communities to come together to celebrate their successes and rally around prevention. NPW is also timed to allow schools to take part in a prevention-themed event before the school year ends, raising awareness among students of all ages.

This year’s NPW theme “Inspiring Action. Changing Lives.” reminds us that we can all inspire positive change through the year. Every day and everywhere, whether we make healthy choices for ourselves or inspire others to do so, the small actions we take can change lives for the better.

Five of the seven days during NPW have a suggested health topic:

·         Preventing Prescription and Opioid Drug Misuse (Monday, May 13)

·         Preventing Underage Drinking and Alcohol Misuse (Tuesday, May 14)

·         Preventing Illicit Drug Use and Youth Marijuana Use (Wednesday, May 15)

·         Preventing Youth Tobacco Use (Thursday, May 16)

·         Preventing Suicide (Friday, May 17)

Everyone can take part in NPW and plan events around one or all of the NPW topics. We all have a role to play in prevention, and a powerful perspective to bring to the table.  This year the Van Buren County Youth Leadership Council will be participating in a Scavenger Hunt, Lunch & Learn Table, Posters, Chalk Art Messages, and Prevention Messages each day of the National Prevention Week on the Van Buren Community Middle/High School Electronic Billboards. 

For more information on the Youth Leadership Council please contact the SAFE Coalition at 319-293-3334 ext. 1017 or at safe.coalition@van-burencsd.org.  For more information on NPW visit www.samhsa.gov/prevention-week to access their resources. Stay connected by subscribing to the Prevention Works email distribution list on the NPW home page (https://www.samhsa.gov/prevention-week) for resources, news and ideas to make substance use prevention happen every day. The Prevention Challenge (https://www.samhsa.gov/prevention-week/prevention-challenge) provides an opportunity for communities and individuals to participate in NPW promotional efforts through social media.