By Ronica Shannon
The county’s annual “Resources Working Together” conference will be Wednesday, Jan. 13, and is an effort to educate residents about ways to ensure a better future for Madison County youth.
“The purpose of this event is to learn about current programs that help our community be a safe and healthy environment for our children,” said Phillis Adams, Madison County Head Start director.
The annual conference, being conducted from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the county extension office, 230 Duncannon Lane, is sponsored by the Madison County KY ASAP (Agency for Substance Abuse Policy), in coordination with the Madison County Human Services Council.
The ASAP board recently adopted a strategic plan that outlines the group’s mission, “... that all young people in Madison County grow up supported and nurtured by their families, schools and community, and become healthy adults who contribute positively to society.”
ASAP’s strategic plan lists several goals, with the first one being to decrease the percentage of 10th and 12th grade students involved in selling illegal drugs from the current baseline of 9 percent to 3 percent by 2011.
The percentages are based on results from the Madison County Youth Service survey that is administered in public schools every other year.
The plan also includes goals of decreasing the amount of binge drinking, smoking and bullying in Madison County’s schools.
Speakers at this year’s conference will include: Jon Akers, Kentucky Center for School Safety; Judges Brandy Brown and Earl Ray Neal; Deanna Kasitz, Serving Learning Coordinator for the Department of Government at Eastern Kentucky University; Kim DeCoste, Diabetes Center for Excellence; Dets. Bob Mott and Eric Long and Sgt. Willard Reardon of the Richmond Police Department; Howard Logue, Kentucky State Police; and tentative guest Todd Leatherman, Office of the Attorney General.
Registration is required to attend the event, and anyone interested in attending should call 623-7233 by Jan. 7.
The conference will be canceled in the event that Madison County schools are closed for inclement weather.
Ronica Shannon can be reached at rshannon@richmondregister.com or 624-6608.
