CACY - Community Action for Capable Youth

Check out the December 2023 Prevention Calendar! We've provided some fun and helpful resources for mental health wellness to try out this month. How many days in a row do you think you can participate? If you try any of these activities, be sure to share and tag us on social media!

Follow this link to access resources for each day of the month: https://lnkd.in/eRAPpgx6

December is Impaired Driving Prevention Month.
If you’re celebrating and drinking this holiday season, always remember to plan ahead with a sober driver to take you home. If you’re the designated driver, it’s important to take the role seriously and don’t consume alcohol or use other drugs.
Here are some more safety tips from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:
- Never drink and drive.
- Don't let someone get behind the wheel if that person has been drinking.
- If you're hosting a gathering, make sure everyone has a sober ride home.
- Call 911 if you see a drunk driver.
- Always wear your seat belt. It's your best defense against impaired drivers.

A special moment happened today at a community event! Pictured are two important people to CACY’s legacy.
Greg Frankenfield, the very first Director of CACY, with Tracee Anderson, CACY Director for 11 years! Two people who understand the value and importance of prevention!

There's still time to donate! ends today at 7pm. To support CACY's prevention efforts in Richland County, click the link below to donate.

https://richlandgives.mightycause.com/organization/Cacy

Thank you for making a difference!

Today is the day! It's !
Visit
https://richlandgives.mightycause.com/organization/Cacy

to make your donation today. To help CACY receive additional donations, donate between 8-9am!

Thank you for support prevention in Richland County!

Tomorrow is Day of Giving!
Donating to CACY allows us to continue our prevention work throughout Richland County. Thank you in advance for your support of CACY and prevention for all ages!

Thanksgiving marks the season of giving. Take time today to reflect on what and who you are grateful for. Have friends and family compile lists of the reasons why they are grateful and offer to share their reasons at the dinner table. Use the time dedicated to friends and family to remind them why they are such important parts of your life and how much they mean to you. The holidays can be stressful, so it is important to remind people how they make your life a little brighter.

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at CACY!

This holiday season, do your best to keep the mood light and fun for all.

Here are some tips to prevent conflicts this Thanksgiving with friends and family:

- Be curious: Ask questions to understand how others feel and what’s important to them
- Deflect and diffuse: If uncomfortable topics arise, offer to discuss the topic at another time and change the subject to something lighter
- Stop and think: Before you speak, think about whether the conversation, or your reaction to a conversation, could be offensive
- Agree to disagree: If you can’t come to an agreement, choose to let it go. Agree that you will not see eye to eye and change the subject
- Keep the tone and topics of conversation light and fun, and remember to use your sense of humor

Mansfield Middle School students “graffitied their gratitude” in honor of Thanksgiving.

Volunteering has many benefits, including becoming more connected with your community, learning new skills, and provides you with a sense of purpose. This November 18th, take time with your family to volunteer together and spread kindness to others.

Quitting to***co and ni****ne products can be a challenge, but you do not have to go it alone. Contact the CACY office at 419-774-5683 to get in touch with our Certified To***co Treatment Specialists and start your journey to a healthier lifestyle.

CACY Prevention Educators, Matti and Molly, are at Grace Episcopal Church food distribution today handing out Deterra medication disposal pouches and talking with community members about safe storage of medication. Keep them locked, up high and out of sight and reach from children and pets. 💊

This month our lunchtime activity is all about gratitude. Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on the positive elements in your life. Checkout the “Graffiti Your Gratitude” murals the students at Stingel Elementary in Ontario and St. Mary’s of the Snow made by identifying people, places, things and actions they’re grateful for!

Spread kindness like confetti! Showing kindness to others has been proven to increase our energy and boost our serotonin (which makes us happy!) and decrease our stress, blood pressure, and anxiety!

Here are a few ways you can practice kindness towards others:
- Hold the door open for someone
- Check in with a friend of a family member to see how they are doing
- Give a compliment
- Make a card for someone
- Offer to help someone in need
- Be kind to service industry workers
- Make a donation

Happy Veterans Day! Thank you to all who served for your bravery, service and sacrifice.

For those who serve or have served, crises can be heightened by their experiences during military service. If you’re a veteran or service member and in crisis, these resources from 988 Su***de & Crisis Lifeline can help a wide range of situations before, during, or after military service: https://ow.ly/vYOG50Q5YYg

Origami is an art form where something as simple as a piece of paper is transformed into something beautiful, like different animals or intricate shapes.
This November 11, take time to learn more about how you can incorporate origami as a de-stressing tool in your life.

November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month.

Quitting smoking and va**ng is one of the fastest ways to improve lung health. 24 hours after quitting, your body will begin the repair process to heal from the damage done from smoking.

Contact us at 419-774-5683 for more information about CACY’s free to***co and ni****ne quit help.

Quitting/ reducing can be hard, but we're here to help!

It can be difficult to remain calm when situations are out of your control. Prolonged stress can also have negative effects on your overall health. Today, take some time to practice mindfulness to help reduce your stress levels. Here are a few ways to reduce stress:
- Get moving - go for a walk, exercise, or do yoga
- Breathe - deep breathing exercises can help reduce stress and relax the mind and body
- Let go - do your best to let go of stressful situations that you have no control over

Most of ma*****na’s effects are short-term. Some, however, are long-term, while others can even be permanent. To learn more about how ma*****na can effect you physically, mentally and systemically, download our "What Ma*****na Does to the Body" fact sheet here: https://bit.ly/46XrTik
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Stop by one of the locations today!

Mansfield Middle & Senior High, Madison Middle and Shelby Middle all made Red Ribbon Week murals with ways to be kind to your mind for this year’s theme, “Be Kind to Your Mind. Live Drug Free.”

For Red Ribbon Week, local schools created murals showing ways to “be kind to your mind and live drug free,” which is the 2023 National Red Ribbon Campaign theme.

Here’s St. Peter’s Elementary School’s finished mural ❤️

Technology can be helpful but also scary. Adults & caregivers- here are some digital safety tips and resources to keep yourself and youth safe.

Make this Halloween season safe and fun for all! Here are some safety tips for trick or treating:
- Trick or treat in well-lit areas and only approach homes with a lit porch light
- Bring flashlights or glow sticks to appear more visible to drivers
- Allow a parent or caregiver to inspect all candy before eating; do not eat homemade items or desserts
- Never trick or treat alone; use the buddy system or go out in groups
- Do not engage in risky activity that could harm yourself or others

With Halloween season upon us, kids are getting ready to put on their favorite costumes and go trick or treating. Help keep kids safe by practicing medicine safety so that ghouls and boils do not accidentally eat something that could cause serious harm.
Here are a few tips to practice the safe use and storage of medicines:
- Remind your trick or treaters not to eat any candy they get from trick or treating until after a parent has inspected it.
- Throw away any items that appear opened, have torn wrappers, or look like they have tiny pin holes in the packaging.
- Keep all medicines in their original containers or packaging
- Store all medicines in a secure location, like a locked cabinet or lockbox. Do not store medicines in nightstands or on countertops where they are easily accessible to anyone who sees them.

For Red Ribbon Week, CACY received funding to host a to Prevent Alcohol and Other Drug Misuse activity from SAMHSA!
For our activity, students in CACY's youth-led prevention group at Crestview Middle School (Turbo Teens) created Red Ribbon Week t-shirts to spread the message to their peers about the importance of choosing to live a healthy, drug-free life.

Checkout the shirt designs these Turbo Teen students created!

Our Parent Educator was at Crestview Elementary tonight for conferences doing a parent and child Halloween activity! 👻🎃

The 2023 Red Ribbon Week Theme is "Be Kind to Your Mind. Live Drug Free."

By choosing to live a healthy, drug-free life, you are being kind to your mind. Making positive choices to be happy and healthy-that is being kind to our mind!

Sometimes we are so focused on fulfilling the needs of others that we forget about taking care of ourselves. Today on "Take Back Your Time Day," make time to prioritize YOUR needs and take back your time.
Here are some ways to ensure your time spent is productive:
- Make a list of your current priorities
- Set clear, short and long-term goals
- Work on creating or re-establishing healthy habits to improve willpower and energy
- Find and eliminate time-wasting activities. Ask yourself, do you spend too much time scrolling through social media or playing games on your phone?

Students at St. Mary’s of the Snow “constructed community to demolish bullying” today in honor of Bullying Prevention Month. They wrote shout-outs to students who are kind to them. 🏙️🧡☀️

Today is the first day of Red Ribbon Week! Below is the story of Red Ribbon Week from redribbon.org.

Since its beginning in 1985, the Red Ribbon has touched the lives of millions of people around the world. In response to the murder of DEA Agent Enrique Camarena, angered parents and youth in communities across the country began wearing Red Ribbons as a symbol of their commitment to raise awareness of the killing and destruction cause by drugs in America.

Enrique (Kiki) Camarena was a Drug Enforcement Administration Agent who was tortured and killed in Mexico in 1985. When he decided to join the US Drug Enforcement Administration, his mother tried to talk him out of it. "I'm only one person", he told her, "but I want to make a difference."

In honor of Camarena's memory and his battle against illegal drugs, friends and neighbors began to wear red badges of satin. In 1988, the National Family Partnership (NFP) sponsored the first Red Ribbon Campaign. Since then, every year on October 23-31, people all around the country show their pledge to live a drug-free life by wearing the color red.

We had a great time at Stingel Elementary’s Trunk or Treat tonight! 🎃

Stop by the Mansfield Y Health & Wellness Fair tonight until 7pm. We have stress ball making kits, medication disposal pouches and a “ni****ne or not?” game. See you there!

Failure is an important part of life that helps us build resiliency when things do not go as planned. Today, take time to reflect on past failures and how making healthy changes allowed you to get to where you are today!

It’s Bullying Prevention Month! Students at Ontario Middle and Elementary School “constructed community and demolished bullying” by giving shout-outs to people who have shown them kindness in the past week. 🧡