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Please
note:
The Coalition has a new phone number:
(401)
788-2347
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Beverage companies reduce calories in
school soft drinks
Final
Assessment of the Alliance School Beverage Guidelines
Released
 An agreement between the Alliance for
Healthier Generation and the American Beverage Association,
Coca-Cola Company, Dr Pepper Snapple Group, and PepsiCo has
resulted in better options for schoolkids. Starting this schoolyear,
industry representatives agreed to remove full-calorie
soft drinks and offer lower-calorie, age-appropriate portions
instead.
- 88% percent decrease in total beverage calories shipped
to schools between the first half of the 2004-05 school year
and the first half of the 2009-10 school year.
- the overall volume of full-calorie carbonated soft
drinks shipped to schools was 95% lower in the first half of
the 2009-10 school year than they were in the first half of
the 2004-05 school year.
- 98.8% of all measured schools and school districts were
in compliance with the
agreement.
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Final CBT
lecture
May 5 at Village Inn
Traumatic Anxiety
in Psychologically Traumatized Children and Adolescents:
Implications in Clinical Practice
Wednesday, May 5, 5-7:30 pm
The
Village Inn, Grand Ball Room, Narragansett
This is
the final presentation
in the Spring 2010 Evening Lecture
Series co-sponsored by the Coalition and the Brown Alpert
Medical School. The lectures are designed for mental health
clinicians, medical staff, and school professionals and offer
CEUs. The $35 registration includes dinner and educational
materials as well. Download a
brochure and/or call or email the Brown CME office:
401-863-3337, CME@Brown.edu.
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Westerly parents, professionals,
educators
turn out to hear Coalition-led report on
teen pregnancy, delayed prenatal care, food
insecurity
Infant & Child Health
Partnership spent two years surveying parents,
providers, clergy, and residents about causes,
solutions
 Westerly teen girls are three
times more likely to have babies as their counterparts
elsewhere in Washington County, Westerly women are
nearly fifty percent more likely to delay seeking health
care during their pregnancies, and area pantries are
reporting record numbers of families seeking help.
Concerned by these statistics,
the Coalition released Westerly Children at Risk: A
Community's Self-Assessment, the summary report
of two years of discussions, surveys, and interviews
with local parents, social service providers, clergy,
school personnel, residents, and other experts about
probable causes and possible solutions to the three
challenges. The release took place last week at Westerly
Hospital and was well-covered by local
media.
The Westerly Infant &
Child Health Partnership, an initiative of the
Washington County Coalition for Children (WCCC),
gathered the material.
"The
statistics themselves aren't up for debate," notes Susan
Orban, WCCC coordinator. "We were asking our neighbors
and co-workers why Westerly continues to have higher
rates than all the other towns in Washington County and
the state as a whole. What are the underlying
issues?"
Respondents identified poverty
as the key issue, as well as absent or insufficient
services, especially around:
· Public
transportation
· Character development
programs in the lower grades
· Sex
education
· Youth
programming.
Surveys also
identified that eligible families don't always take
advantage of programs available to them.
"Area clergy and professionals assert
many eligible families are unaware of public benefits
(e.g. RIte Care, Food Stamps, WIC, FIP, LIHEAP) nor the
local social services and food pantries that may help
them," the report states. Westerly has no Social
Services Department, so residents have no local site to
learn about available community resources or to get
assistance making connections with needed
services...[S]ome families find it impossible to deal
with the bureaucracy of complex state
programs."
In many cases, people
contend, Westerly residents don't know the extent of the
problems, and would respond if they were. "Participants
maintain most residents are unaware of the growing
poverty and hunger among working families in Westerly.
They would be surprised that the WARM Shelter has
several teen parents currently living in a motel, for
example. Those we spoke to believed Westerly residents
would be moved to take action to help if they were made
aware of the issues."
Copies of
the report and the extensive survey materials are
available on the WCCC website: www.washcokids.org.
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Have
you nominated a 'Champion' yet?
Hurry! The deadline
is Friday, April 16.
The
Coalition is accepting nominations for the prestigious
"Champion for Children" Award until Friday, April 16.
The winner will be honored at the 8th Annual Children's
Issues Forum in May.
"We've got
lots of 'unsung heroes' for kids in our nine towns,"
says WCCC Coordinator Susan Orban. "It's time to sing
about one of them!"
Candidates can
be advocates, volunteers, elected officials, nonprofit
agency directors or board members, teachers, service
providers, journalists, and other community leaders in
Charlestown, Exeter, Hopkinton, Narragansett, New
Shoreham, North Kingstown, Richmond, South Kingstown,
and Westerly. Current WCCC members are ineligible for
the award.
Past winners include:
· South Kingstown School Superintendent
Dr. Robert Hicks;
· Wilburn Logan of the
Family Advocacy Project;
· Mark Hawk,
Special Education Director for Westerly School
Department;
· Deedra Durocher, foster
parent and business leader;
· Kim
Bossian, Head Start Health Coordinator for South County
Community Action; and
· Tammy McNeiece,
Special Education teacher at Curtis Corner Middle
School.
Contact Heidi Reardon at
(401) 294-5318 or Heidi.Reardon@dcyf.ri.gov or visit
www.washcokids.org for a nomination form.
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What you need to know about
the WCCC
The
Washington County Coalition for Children brings together
everyone in Washington County who cares about children.
The Coalition is known for:
- Tracking
and publishing the trends in children's issues, and
convening public meetings around the needs.
- Convening
monthly meetings that bring together more than 40
organizations
to tackle the most compelling
problems facing children and their families.
- Establishing
a website to help parents of children with mental
health and substance abuse problems connect with local
treatment providers
- Sponsoring
an annual "How Are the Children?" Forum, a must-attend
event
for anyone working on children's issues:
community leaders, advocates, and elected
officials.
- Holding
monthly workshops to help doctors and mental health
professionals care for children with behavioral health
problems and developmental disabilities.
- Organizing
a holiday gift drive for teens in conjunction with
Casey's Grill & Bar in
Wakefield.
The
Coalition achieves astounding results, with just one
part-time staff person, dedicated volunteers, and
administrative support from VNS Home Health Services.
We cover all Coalition costs through voluntary
contributions of
Coalition members, grants, and your generous
donations.
For more information about the Washington County
Coalition for Children, go to www.washcokids.org or contact
Coalition Coordinator Susan Orban at wccc@washcokids.org or (401)
788-2347.
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