More To Come From The

Parent Connection

To the Editor:

The Parent Connection convened its first public forum on Wednesday, September 24, at Newtown Middle School. The attendance of over 300 at this town meeting was an incredible testimony to the fact that the people of Newtown do truly care about keeping the children in our community substance-free. Those of you who were able to attend indicated that you got a good overview of the substance abuse crisis in our town and in surrounding towns in Fairfield County. Both the youth and the adults present in the auditorium also asked for more: more information about the signs and symptoms of drug use/abuse; more about how to address a problem if it does arise; more about effective parenting and family communication; and more about what we can do collectively (in our homes, schools, and town) to combat the issue. The good news is that there’s more to follow.

John Hamilton, the facilitator of the last forum, will be back in Newtown leading the next two Parent Connection town meetings. If you left on Wednesday night with an unanswered question, please come back and have it addressed on October 22. October’s forum will focus on the police and law enforcement officials. On November 12, Mr Hamilton will facilitate a panel discussion featuring our young people. It is up to all of us concerned about this mounting crisis to keep the dialogue going. There are many questions, and there are various solutions. We must keep talking, then put our words into action if we are to make a significant difference.

We would like to humbly thank the following supporters of the Parent Connection for their commitment and for helping maintain the momentum: Our families, Dolores White, Ray and Cathy Gallagher, Roseanne Loring and Newtown Youth Services, Judy Blanchard and the Prevention Council, Nina Allred (NOSUDS), Members of the Hope & Support Group, Officer Dana Schubert, Chief Mike Kehoe, Captain Joe Rios, and all the members of the Newtown Police Department, Pam Arsenault, Father Bob Weiss and all of the religious leaders of our local faith communities, John Dee and Charter Communications, Cindy Simon, Bill Sheluck, Superintendent of Schools Evan Pitkoff, and all of the school administrators and PTA members in our town, Herb Rosenthal, Julia Wasserman, and our engaging and knowledgeable speaker, John Hamilton.

Let’s keep this issue alive and continue to collectively combat substance abuse in our town. Your challenge is to invite your friends and other concerned citizens to the next forum(s). A reminder also that the Hope & Support Group, that meets from 7:30 to 9:30 every Monday night, welcomes all who may be struggling with a child (of any age) or simply have questions regarding how to handle a substance use/abuse issue. For more information, you may call Youth Services at 270-4335 or 426-9280. Together we will make a difference!

With sincere appreciation,

Dorrie Carolan and Donna DeLuca

Parent Connection

2 Elm Drive, Newtown                                          September 20, 2003