Cobb Alcohol Task Force - Mobilizing for Change                                         

SEPTEMBER 2014

Greetings to our Volunteers, Partners, and Friends! 
 
The next CAT Coalition General Meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 9, 2014. Thanks are extended to Cobb County Sheriff's Office for hosting the meeting at the Work Release Center, 1825 County Services Parkway in Marietta, beginning at 11:30 AM.

We are happy to highlight our Parent Sector partners in the month of September! The Guest speaker at the meeting will be Ms. Donna Kosicki, Immediate Past President of the Georgia Parent-Teacher Association (PTA), and Chief Administrative Officer for Great Prospects, Inc., an organization dedicated to providing connections to life for people with disabilities. Free parking is available and lunch will be served.   

The meeting guests will also include Ms. Shelly Hill and Ms. Penny Warren, current and immediate past Board chairs for the Cobb County Commission on Children and Youth (CCCCY). Ms. Hill and Ms. Warren will be there for an historic event involving CCCCY and the Cobb Alcohol Taskforce!         

With the Labor Day holiday now past, CAT and the Coalition activities have returned to full force. Many of them have great potential for historic outcomes.

We are mounting an education campaign that is intended to increase the number of municipalities in Cobb County that have Social Host ordinances. 

We are participating in the broad-based, Wellness Day event on September 20 at Collar Park in Austell. For information, please go to this link.

And we are supporting implementation of the Pro Social Norms Poster Campaign at selected Cobb County Schools during 2014-2015 School Year. 

CAT supports the work of Voices for Prevention in Georgia and the Georgia Marijuana Collaborative. And we are examining ways to support local and state efforts to reduce prescription drug abuse.    

We are working on arrangements to observe major events in October, such as Public Safety Appreciation Week, Red Ribbon Week, and OctSOBERFest with our colleagues at Kennesaw State University (KSU).  

Please visit the Cobb Alcohol Taskforce web site, www.cobbat.org, to find out more about program and activity updates. Thank you all for your support!


 

Peter I. Armstrong, 
Executive Director 
        
CALENDAR SNAPSHOT

 

SEPTEMBER

9 -   CAT Coalition General Meeting

9 -   Policy Strategy Team Meeting

10 - Development Committee Meeting

12 - Voices for Prevention in Georgia Meeting

18 - Executive Committee Meeting

20 - WELLNESS DAY - Austell, GA 

23 - Education Strategy Team Meeting

23 - Youth Strategy Team Meeting

 

 

OCTOBER

2 -   CAT Board of Directors Meeting 

5 -   Youth Leadership Council Kickoff Bake Event  

6-10 - PUBLIC SAFETY APPRECIATION WEEK

14 - CAT Coalition General Meeting 

14 - Policy Strategy Team Meeting

15 - Governance Committee Meeting

21 - Education Strategy Team Meeting

21 - Youth Strategy Team Meeting

23-31 - RED RIBBON WEEK

 

SPECIAL NOTICE: The date of the CAT Board of Directors Meeting has been moved from Thursday, September 25 to Thursday October 2. Start time is still 7:30 AM. For more information, call 404-791-7406. 

    

Please check the calendar page frequently at www.cobbat.org for updates about events, meeting times, and locations. 


SEPTEMBER HIGHLIGHT: 

PARENT PARTNERS   


Alcohol is the #1 drug of choice among children and adolescents. But too often, adults underestimate the depth of the problem. According to the Georgia Student Health Survey, most youths who engage in underage and youth binge drinking do it at a friend's house. Often the alcohol is provided by parents or other adults (an act called Social Hosting) who consider it a rite of passage to adulthood! 
 
Several municipalities in Cobb County have ordinances that punish Social Hosting; others are being educated about the benefits of passing them. But parents and adults provide the best defense. Here are some things you can do. 

Monitor your child's activities, and check their ID's. Be sure you know the parents of your child's friends. Build a Parent Network. Talk with other parents/adults to make sure that alcohol is not available at events youths will attend.  
 
Set a good example for legal and responsible alcohol use, such as a consistent family policy. Learn about Teen Safe Party Tips, and why "Adults Who Host Lose the Most."             
For more information about how Parent partners can continue to be proactive, see this link at the CAT web site.  

 

THANKS TO ALL OUR OUTSTANDING PARENT PARTNERS.  Follow the "shout outs" to Parent partners on Facebook and Twitter throughout this month.

 

Taskforce Happenings 


The Current Nameplate Image Features . . .   Parent Partners! Parents and other adults play critical roles in helping to keep our youth and our communities safe from underage and youth binge drinking. Let's be as proactive as possible. And let's make sure we appreciate the civil and criminal liabilities that can be applied when adults fail to act responsibly about alcohol.

 

Georgia begins a new era on Alcohol Policy - Alcohol is just one of the important prevention priorities and activities that are now being coordinated the Georgia Prevention Network, now known as Voices for Prevention in Georgia. Brittney Newton, coordinator, organized the first meeting on August 8; the next meeting is scheduled for Friday, September 12. For more information, contact Brittney at 404-641-5462 or [email protected].

 

Summer is over-- but what about Fall? Please Stay Alert! - The new school year has started, Labor Day Weekend has passed, and now Fall activities like football and tailgating parties become the events that everyone wants to attend. Remember to set responsible examples! Visit the CAT website to read about Social Hosting and the important role parents play in fostering safe activities for the fall and upcoming holidays.

      

Meeting Reminders - Cobb Alcohol Taskforce (CAT) General Meetings are held on the Second Tuesday of each month from January-May and August-December. They begin at 11:30 AM. CAT Board Meetings are held on the Fourth Thursday in January, March, May, July, September, and November, and begin at 7:30 AM.

 

Please Note: The CAT Board Meeting scheduled for Thursday, September 25 is moved forward to Thursday, October 2. The meeting will start as usual at 7:30 AM, at 1955 Lake Park Drive, Smyrna. 

Changing the date on this occasion will help to accommodate schedules of Board members who will be out of town on September 25 or participating in religious observances (such as Rosh Hashanah). Please contact Peter Armstrong, executive director, at 404-791-7406 to address questions about the meeting.

      

Volunteers Needed for Team Meetings - Please see dates/times on calendar and plan to attend one of these meetings. These team meetings are where the action is; all are welcome!    

 

In The News

CAT will help Make History in Austell!!  
 
Cobb Alcohol Taskforce joins over a dozen partners and sponsors in staging "Joining Hands in Wellness Day" on Saturday, September 20,  2014 from 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM at Collar Park, 2625 Joe Jerkins Boulevard in Austell, GA. The event will present a full day of entertaining and enriching activities for individuals and family members of all ages, based on the Eight Dimensions of Wellness, as promoted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and as part of National Wellness Week (September 15-21). Those activities include a Wellness 5K Run and 1 Mile Family Walk. The Run and Walk will begin at 8:00 AM. 

For more information, please go to www.wellnessdaysouthcobb.com  
 
About Us
Cobb Alcohol Taskforce is an alliance of individuals and organizations which mobilizes and challenges Cobb County adults to reduce underage drinking and youth binge drinking, by advancing strategic enforcement, policy and education goals.

 

Join Our Mailing List

(Click on above)
Contact Us
Cobb Alcohol Taskforce
3162 Johnson Ferry Rd., S-260
P.O. Box 823
Marietta, Georgia 30062
www.cobbat.org