ACE Trustee Making an Impact on Her Community

Earlier this month ACE Board Trustee Patrizia Barone took some time out of her busy schedule to visit the University of Maryland and help contribute to “Maryland Day.”

Patrizia actually donated “Testudo” (the Terp statue seen here to the left) to the University’s College of Chemistry and Life Science.

During the weekend she also volunteered to assist with the Introductory Flag Ceremony. She and her family also set up a scholarship in memory of her father, Francesco Barone.

Here she is (photo to the left) with Garima Narayen, the scholarship’s recipient. Garima graduates this year and plans to go to Medical School.

Pat notes that with all of these efforts her goal is to "encourage people to go into the sciences and give back to support educational efforts." From all of us.. Thanks Pat for all that you do for ACE and for our communities.

ACE Recognizes Keep Kids Alive Drive 25

Next month is National Youth Traffic Safety Month. National Youth Traffic Safety Month initiates the development of youth led community projects and activities in raising awareness on traffic safety issues. Unfortunately, we have seen a lot of headlines detailing car accidents due to inhalant abuse. Whether it's the user hurting themselves or other people, this needs to be stopped. Don't wait until May, get started early by practicing safe driving.

Both ACE and Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 (KKAD 25) recognize the importance of open dialogue among parents and youths, and the role education plays in keeping our communities safer.

Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 is a nonprofit organization that focuses on active community commitment through educating, regulating, and managing neighborhoods on traffic safety. KKAD 25 states that “41,059 people – daughters, sons, brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, friends – died on America’s roadways in 2007. That’s an average of over 112 deaths per day each and every day of the year. (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 2008)”. KKAD 25 works in conjunction with local and state businesses, communities, and nonprofit organizations to reduce the number of traffic accidents that occur annually as a result of drug, inhalant, and alcohol abuse.

In an effort to continue to raise awareness on traffic safety and speed limit management KKAD 25 has formed a Facebook cause page. Also, please click here to check out KKAD 25's blog.

Life is too short to become a statistic, so learn, communicate, and extend a hand to others through arming one’s self with the resources, knowledge, and proactive skills in making a difference within your community.

ACE Congratulates Kim Summers on her recent article!

From Daily Standard Stories Celina, Ohio;

Kim Summers approached the Alliance for Consumer Education (ACE) months ago in efforts to learn, identify, and spread community dialogue throughout inhalant abuse prevention education. Kim has been an advocate for ACE in approaching communities, organizations, and local businesses in raising awareness efforts throughout the public sector. ACE commends Kim Summer’s on her ongoing efforts in referring individuals and organizations to Jarod’s Story and the educational resources that will help minimize such future occurrences.

Kim continues to explore new venues of outreach to the public by raising visibility through her facebook group “Fight for Jarod"

Jarod Bright was a 26 year old driven, charismatic, and genuine young man with so much to offer the world but was tragically removed from it by inhalants. Jarod was only a day away from graduating with a degree from ITT Technical institute when his fiancé Kim Summers received a call noting his death due to inhalation abuse. "They found him lying on top of the can," Summers says. "He probably didn't know what hit him."

Since Jarod's passing 10 months ago, Kim has dedicated countless hours in researching, developing, and enlightening others on the terminal effects of abusing inhalants. Kim’s lost was something so unexpected and even undetectable to the closest loved ones. "This feels 100 percent right," she explains. "I couldn't save Jarod but maybe I can help someone else down the road. To read the full article please click here.

ACE Inhalant Awareness auction opens!

In recognition of National Public Health Week, April 6th -12th, ACE is kicking off its online Inhalant Awareness Auction! Click here to be directed to ACE's auction page. Please know as you place your bids, you are doing your part in helping ACE reach out to more communities and touch more lives. New items will be added to the auction continuously, so make sure to stay tuned!

This auction was the idea of ACE Board of Trustee Jeff Williams, a Sergeant in the East Cleveland Police Department. In March of 2005, Sgt. Williams lost his son, Kyle, tragically to inhalant abuse. Since then he has dedicated himself to helping spread the word about the dangers of inhalant abuse and preventing others from suffering the same tragic and senseless loss that he and his family have endured.

At an ACE Board meeting, Sgt. Williams shared his idea of conducting an online auction as a fundraising tool and a way to raise awareness of Inhalant Abuse.

As part of the public health community we encourage any contributions, outreach efforts, or community dialogue initiated to increase the visibility of inhalant abuse in the general public. For information on Public Health Week please click here.

VA Inhalant Abuse Prevention Conference Recap

Despite an economic downturn, many individuals and organizations remain committed to educating the Commonwealth on the dangers of inhalant abuse and the importance of prevention efforts. The Virginia Inhalant Abuse Prevention Conference was held on March 16, 2009 in Williamsburg and was a tremendous success! The day’s activities commenced with a warm welcome from the Historic Triangle Substance Abuse Coalition’s, (HTSAC) Director, Susan Bruno and a brief history of the Virginia Inhalant Abuse Prevention Coalition (VIAPC) was provided by VIAPC’s Executive Director, Sandy Bailey.

William Shelton, Director of Virginia Department of Fire Programs, presented the Inhalant Abuse Prevention Week Proclamation from the Governor. The keynote speaker for the event was Mona Casey who lost her 15 year old son, Charles, to huffing refrigerant. She courageously spoke of the loss of her son and the work she has done to prevent others from similar tragedies by working with legislators, building code groups and manufacturers to require that locking caps are installed to limit access to air conditioner refrigerant.

(l-r: Mona Casey, Evelyn Waring, Sandy Bailey, Jeff Williams, Nadia Williams)

Attendees also had the opportunity to take part in several sessions. Some of the classes offered included: general information on inhalants, medical implications of inhalant abuse, and how to organize prevention efforts in the community. Additional classes offered training for teachers who will implement Virginia’s new curriculum, Inhalant Abuse Prevention. Another class was designed for counselors and substance abuse clinicians who learned about current research on inhalant treatment options. Sergeant Jeff Williams also shared his powerful story about the loss of his son by Sudden Sniffing Death, and how or anyone working with children can recognize the warning signs and symptoms of inhalant abuse.

(Mona Casey & Jeff Williams)

The conference’s 70 participants walked away with a better understanding of the dangers and challenges inhalant abuse presents to individuals, families and communities. For more information on the conference please go to the website: www.htsac.org