REACH NEWSLETTER
REACH EXPLORERS CAMP 2024
Yeehaw! REACH Council hosted another successful annual Summer REACH Explorers day camp. The theme this year was the Wild West. We love this opportunity to provide a free space for kids to have fun and learn in the summer. The age range for our camp is students who are entering 2nd through 5th grades. This year the camp was held at J.R. Irvin Elementary School in Midlothian on Monday through Thursday, and the Midlothian Civic Center on Friday. The camp began at 8:00am and ended at 12:00pm. On Friday, at the conclusion of camp, we were excited to once against host a family luncheon.
REACH Explorers Camp 2024
• Continued on Pgs 2-8
Board Member Spotlight
• P. 9
Youth Prevention Education
• Pgs. 10-11
Youth Recovery Communities
• P 12
Tobacco Prevention Coalition
• P 13
Coalition & Community
• Pgs 14-19
REACH Podcast
• P 20
Upcoming Events
• Pgs. 21-22
Fundraising & Sponsors
• P. 23
Arts & Crafts
• Pgs 24-25
We Are Hiring
• P 26 Contact Us
• P. 27
Throughout our week at the REACH Explorers camp, we were able to host a multitude of fun and educational activities. Our daily activities included a morning game and warm-up, and a few breakfast items for the campers to choose from, and then off they went to their activities. They were separated into groups based on their ages and were assigned a group color and two group leaders that were with them all week long. This helps to create a close and friendly environment for our campers to feel included and known. We are so very grateful to have wonderful volunteers, like Sofia (pictured right) that help with this every year.
If you or someone you know may be interested in volunteering for camp or other events, contact Tom.Kowatch@ReachCouncil.org.
1.
Jumping right back into our camp days, on Monday through Thursday we had four different activity areas that the Explorers rotated to throughout the day: Arts & Crafts, where they were able to do so many fun things like make slime, picture frames, and wind chimes.
2. Indoor Activities, where the Explorers were able to have a cowboy clothing relay race, wrangle some piggie balloons into a chair corral, and throw some snakes into boots.
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Outdoor Activities, where they were able to enjoy themespecific activities like roping animals (hula hoops on a dummy steer head), doing some relay races, playing horseshoes, and because it is always hot in Texas in the summer, they also were able to enjoy a water activity day.
3. Education Room, where they had a different lesson each day. The lessons ranged from things like Teamwork Tuesday and Wellness Wednesday, to even Thoughtful Thursday. The lessons were also accompanied by either a game or an activity that went along with each lesson.
Friday is a very special day for our campers as well as for the staff and volunteers. We always try to have some very fun and themed activities to end our week just right. We love opportunities to connect with the community, so we always make sure to invite the fire department to come out and have a safety talk with the campers and give them an equipment tour of the fire truck. Our REACH Explorers also got the opportunity to sit in the driver’s seat! That was pretty exciting!
Fire Department Fun
This year we decided it would be so fun to have a petting zoo to go along with our Wild West theme. The kids really enjoyed being able to pet and feed the animals, which included a miniature house, miniature cow, and a donkey. We also had a line dance instructor come out and teach the students some dance moves to a few different songs, including The Cotton-Eyed Joe. Of course we also had to have a real life cowboy join the excitement. He came and showed the k
Home on Home on the Range the Range
Explorers Summer Camp next year!
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BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHT BOARD MEMBER
Chief Chief
Phillip Prasifka is the Chief of Police for Red Oak ISD. He has over 35 years of law enforcement experience, serving as Chief of Police for both Robinson, TX and Glenn Heights, TX prior to his current position. Phillip, and his wife Annette, have three children – all ROISD graduates.
Chief Prasifka has a Bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University, and a Master Peace Officer certificate from the TCOLE. Phillip is also a TCOLE Instructor and a graduate of the Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas Leadership Command College. He is a member of the Texas Police Chief’s Association, International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Robinson ISD Safety Committee and previously served on the ROISD Safe School Committee. He has been a REACH Council board member since May of 2021.
When asked why he wanted to serve on the board of directors for REACH Council, his response was, “I believe I bring perspective to the table as a parent and as a law enforcement officer. I like being involved in the community and being part of the solution. I know REACH Council provides the community support and provides options.”
Phillip Phillip Prasifka Prasifka
YOUTH PREVENTION EDUCATION YOUTH PREVENTION EDUCATION
Our Youth Prevention team has kept quite busy this summer! We kicked off the summer fun with our “Wild West” themed REACH Explorers youth enrichment camp, which was highlighted in the feature article.
We have continued our presentations at local driving schools as enrollment tends to increase during the summer months.
We have been updating our inventory of curriculum materials and Red Ribbon Week presentations in preparation for the upcoming school year.
Finally, we attended several Back to School events in local communities where we were able to hand out various school supplies and prizes to youth and adults.
It is hard to believe how quickly summer flew by, but we are excited to get back into schools and see our REACH kiddos, both old and new!
YOUTH PREVENTION EDUCATION YOUTH PREVENTION EDUCATION
There are some changes to the curriculum options that REACH will be offering starting this 2024-2025 school year. We will be focusing on:
Kids Connection - This small-group style curriculum is designed for children ages 4-12 whose high-risk situations place them at elevated risk for future behavioral and health problems. Children and youth meet in confidential, small group settings and are taught a set of essential life skills to help them learn how to: cope with difficult family situations, resist negative peer pressure, respect others, set and achieve goals, make healthy choices, and refuse alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs.
Botvin LifeSkills Training (LST) - Facilitated in a classroom setting for grades 3-6, this curriculum provides youth with the confidence and skills necessary to successfully handle challenging situations. LST promotes healthy alternatives to risky behavior rather than just teaching about the dangers of drug abuse.
Positive Action - Focusing on grades 6-8, this classroom-based curriculum focuses on the Thought-Action-Feeling (TAF) cycle. The essence of the program is to emphasize those actions that promote a healthy and positive cycle.
Guiding Good Choices (Family Program) - Aimed at the adult family members of students who are in grades 4-9, this curriculum emphasizes strong family bonds as the key that motivates preteens to follow family guidelines and stay on a course toward better health and educational outcomes as teenagers.
Blues Program - This small, group-based program is aimed at teens in grades 8-12 with symptoms of depression and anxiety. Students learn cognitive behavioral strategies with a simple focus: change how you think and what you do to feel better.
Stanford Tobacco Prevention Curriculum - Aimed at middle and high school students, this classroom-style curriclum is meant to:
Increase knowledge about e-cigarettes and the harms they can cause.
Gain awareness of strategies manufacturers and sellers of e-cigarettes employ to increase use among adolescents
Gain skills to refuse experimentation and use of e-cigarettes. Ultimately, to reduce and prevent e-cigarette use of any type, including nicotine, cannabis/THC, and/or non-nicotine products.
For more information about these programs, email Tom.Kowatch@ReachCouncil.org.
YOUTH RECOVERY COMMUNITIES YOUTH RECOVERY COMMUNITIES
Our Pro-Social Events are regular, organized events designed to bring participants together to engage in fun activities with the goal of creating pro-social relationships while exploring team building skills, coping mechanisms, and creativity without the use of substances. This summer, YRC has hosted a “REACH Cake Wars” where participants were split into teams to test their creative abilities and strengthen their skills in communication and collaborating. In addition, we also hosted an event at Topgolf, where our staff and participants had a blast building team work skills and friendships! REACH staff also chaperoned our participants on a fishing trip, as well as Andretti Karting and Arcade where everyone was given the opportunity to race, see a 7D Xperience movie, play arcade games, and try out VR gaming! YRC’s family pro-social event is approaching where we will take our participants and families to EVO Entertainment. Our participants are having so much fun, and so are we!
TOBACCO PREVENTION COALITION TOBACCO PREVENTION
REACH for Nicotine-Free Youth has just wrapped up a spectacular, youth-focused summer! We started by partnering with Reach Across Johnson County and their new youth coalition. By doing so, we enjoyed 6 " summer social" events that led to learning what it means to be an advocate, what we ' re passionate about and ways to get involved in our schools and community. They voted on naming the coalition "The Change Makers" and are currently working on a logo. We also completed a community service project for 'Texas Tobacco Free Kids Day' and engaged in a cigarette butt pick up at the new Alley Cats Entertainment in Burleson.
We took 9 youth members from both Ellis and Johnson Counties to the TEXAS SAY WHAT conference in Austin, July 21-23. We enjoyed a packed 3 days of education, team building and bonding and came back with a fire for youth prevention! We chose our annual project and are currently working on completing that to be rolled out during Red Ribbon Week!
We have had an eventful last few months and are excited to continue all that we ' ve learned, including things like how to read our local data, who our community stakeholders are, how to share our mission and truly what it means to give back to the communities we live in. Stay tuned... The Change Makers are on the move!
COALITION & COMMUNITY COALITION & COMMUNITY
MAY
5/4/24 - Midlothian Lions Club joined forces with Ellis County Juvenile services to clean up our front flower beds, trim trees, and help assemble some outdoor equipment for our YRC program. Thank you to all who helped!
5/11/24 - REACH staff participated at the Waxahachie Cops & Kids event at Getzendaner Park. We had a bean bag toss and prizes for the kids as well as a raffle drawing for a few Operation Parent Handbooks and a Medicine Safe for adults.
5/7/24 - RAJC attended the Mental Health Forum at Pathway Church where we were asked to share information about the services we provide for the community.
COALITION & COMMUNITY COALITION & COMMUNITY
5/14/24 - REACH
Across Johnson County attended the Starting Point Resource Fair. Founded last year by nonprofit and mental health leaders, Starting Point aims to partner with local organizations and businesses to provide resources and services to those in need.
5/18/24 - REACH attended the Alvarado Community Safety Day event. Participants were able to touch a fire/police/dump truck and a helicopter, play safety games, learn about community resources, and more!
COALITION & COMMUNITY COALITION &
JUNE
6/14/24 - Gracie and Erica attended CADCA’s National Coalition Academy in Seattle, Washington where the weather was much cooler than Texas!
6/25/24 - Brandy attended Burleson Business Over Breakfast and was able to speak about REACH, some of our programs, and the work we do in the community The event was well attended and such a great opportunity to form community connections.
Gracie
COALITION
JUly
7/8-12/24 - Several members of our REACH team spent the week in Austin at the HHSC Annual Prevention Providers Meeting. We spent time learning from other professionals on prevention, substance use, and mental health topics and connecting with prevention agencies across the state of Texas.
7/14-18/24 - Staff from the REACH community team were in Chicago, IL participating in the 23rd Annual CADCA Mid-Year Institute.
COALITION & COMMUNITY COALITION & COMMUNITY
7/20/24 - Laura and Ashley participated in the Palmer Back to School Bash.
7/24/24 - REACH Council was glad to be a part of the Avalon Independent School District Back to School Event.
COALITION & COMMUNITY COALITION & COMMUNITY
youth coalition
During the summer, REACH Across Johnson County and REACH for Nicotine-Free Youth joined forces to create a Johnson County youth coalition. This coalition gives youth the opportunity to learn about leadership, advocacy, policy, community service, substance misuse, and mental health.
With the school year approaching, we are so excited to see these youth become leaders at their school campus and create their own campaigns addressing these topics and talking to their peers. We also want to give a huge shoutout to Alley Cats Burleson, Pirate’s Cove, Russell Farms, and Pathway Church for partnering with us for meetings and activities.
REACH PODCAST REACH PODCAST
Are you subscribed to our "REACHing Out With REACH" podcast? You can find us on most podcast platforms!
REACH Council brings you informative content from the field of substance abuse prevention and recovery. Tune in for current drug trend information, interviews with subject matter experts, stories and testimonials.
Here is a recap of our past few episodes:
In May, Gracie talked about what burnout looks like and tips to help prevent it.
In June, Brenna spoke on mental health trends with the LGBTQ community.
In July, Ashley and Heidi discussed the importance of self-care.
Click HERE to listen: https://reachcouncil.podbean.com/
Do you have a topic you would like REACH to talk about on one of our podcasts? Please send your topic ideas to Wendy.Lewis@ReachCouncil.org.
Visit Saturday October 26,2024
Cowboy Hat Maze
ARTS & CRAFTS ARTS & CRAFTS
Cowboy CHILI
Ingredients
2 pounds ground beef
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 10 oz. cans Rotel, drained
1 Rotel can water
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 16 oz can kidney beans, drained
1/3 cup chile powder
½ tsp cumin
2 tsp oregano powder
2 tsp paprika or smoked paprika
2 tsp salt
3 tsp minced garlic
Green Chile Chipotle Relish (or 3-4 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce chopped
Directions
In a large pot or 12” Dutch oven brown the hamburger over medium high heat. Season with salt and pepper or seasoning of your choice, to taste. As the meat begins to brown, stir in the onions. Continue cooking until the meat has fully browned and onions are tender. If there is a lot of excess grease, drain. 1.
2.
Stir in the Rotel, water, tomato sauce, beans, chipotle peppers or relish. Stir in the seasonings. Adjust taste, if needed.
Cover and cook over medium-high heat until it reaches a boil. Boil a couple minutes. Reduce heat and simmer for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. 3. Serve warm with cheese, onions, sour cream, etc. 4.
