#Kickthecup
It has been a while since I have posted an actual blog post. Life gets busy and things tend to fall to the back burner. I suppose it is easier for me to share things on the Doitforshelby Facebook Page, but I am back on the blog!
As some of you may know, in addition to #doitforshelby and GRASP: Grief Recovery After a Substance Passing, I am also the Co-Chair for the Shelby County Opioid Response Task Force Prevention and Education Workgroup. One of the goals of the workgroup is for the Shelby County Health Department, other community members and myself to collaborate on and implement projects to reach the youth of Shelby County as a means of drug use prevention. Another goal is to collaborate on and implement projects to educate other community members about the disease of addiction and help guide them toward ways to get help.
Just recently, a project our workgroup started came to fruition with the help of the Shelby County Coordinated School Health. They allowed the Shelby County Health Department to conduct an anonymous focus group of 9th through 12th graders at a Shelby County School. This awesome teen driven focus group ultimately came up with the concept of #kickthecup. “Kick The Cup” is aimed at youth who are using codeine cough syrup mixed with soda as a means to get high. It is known that if someone has two stacked Styrofoam cups that they are drinking from, it is most likely a drink referred to as “Lean.” The concept was then made into a usable format by Kelley & Associates Advertising Inc. and finally put on a MATA bus as a bus wrap.
Shelby County Health Department along with Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris and other community members and leaders held a launch party for the #Kickthecup Mata bus wrap at the Juvenile Intervention for Faith-Based Follow-Up facility on June 6, 2019 at 10am. There were free #kickthecup tshirts, a local news station was there and Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris spoke to the youth about the dangers of drug abuse.
I was able to meet with and talk to Mayor Harris. I gave him a #doitforshelby bracelet and he took a picture with my daughter and me!
Our work group is very dedicated to helping the folks of Shelby County in any way possible and will continue to do so as long as we are able.
It's OK to get help!
