LOCAL DRUG TASK FORCE LOOKING TO SPARK MEMBERSHIP NUMBERS

For Members of Taber Community Against Drugs, This Year's Valentine's
Day Will Be About More Than Celebrating Their Sweethearts.

On Feb. 14, members of the local drug task force will be
commemorating its successes since the group started up in spring
2004. Taber Community Against Drugs (TCAD) was formed after a
presentation on drugs the Taber Police Service held at St. Mary's
school, which attracted over 200 people in April of 2004.

"There will be a lunch meeting to celebrate our successes, (to
emphasize) the list of things we have done just to remind people we
have done quite a bit," said Helen Wentz, who is co-chairperson of the group.

Some of TCAD's big initiatives have included the hosting of a Hooked
on Hope Conference in November of 2005 in recognition of National
Addictions Month, Talk Chalk, which saw students at local schools
make posters to convey messages on why drugs and alcohol are bad, and
evening presentations by well-known out-of-town speakers for parents.

For the group's Feb. 14 meeting, members are also hoping to have
someone who is involved with a drug coalition group from another
community to come speak to members.

"Graham (Abela) is trying to bring in someone from another coalition
to talk to us about how they got over their rough spots and got more
community involvement," said Wentz.

TCAD has dwindled in numbers since it started out with 61 names on
the e-mailing distribution list, and sometimes only five people
coming out to the meetings. At the group's last session on Thursday
afternoon however, 13 people were in attendance.

At the last meeting, Taber police Insp. Graham Abela, who is also
co-chairperson of TCAD, advised the group it is not uncommon for
anti-drug coalitions to have challenges with maintaining interest
from its members.

Members discussed how giving people specific things to do to make a
project happen can help maintain their interest, as opposed to just
having them sit on committees and attend meetings.

"I think the missing link is projects more community people can get
involved in at the level they are comfortable at," said Terri Wilson,
teen specialist who heads the education and prevention subcommittee.

They also mentioned how their daytime meetings attract mainly
professionals, and their evening gatherings bring out mostly community members.

Currently, the group has lots of ideas for projects it could do but
need help in getting them underway.

The marketing subcommittee of TCAD has some plans in place, and Wentz
said the group needs assistance in doing further planning and
carrying out of the projects.

Wentz said the group will also be asking some of those who attended
meetings previously but stopped coming, why they no longer attend the sessions.

"We would like to know why people have lost interest in trying to be
active in eliminating the problem."