DRUG AND ALCOHOL AWARENESS WEEK PROVIDES EDUCATION

April 28 - May 5 Has Been Declared by the Town of Golden As Drug And
Alcohol Awareness Week.

Niki Kaiser, program co-ordinator for the Golden and Area Drug and
Alcohol Task Force is pleased with the announcement and has several
things planned for parents and their children.

"This week is significant because it draws attention to the issues
and we can draw the public out and increase awareness," Kaiser
explains. "Anyone is welcome to attend the events, but some of the
events are geared to specific groups within the community."

The most significant events are happening on Saturday, April 28.
Kaiser says there will be a professional development workshop with
Dr. Gabor Mate, in the Town Hall meeting room.

The session is called What's going on with kids and families: How
professionals can make a positive impact. It runs from 9 -11 a.m.

"That will be a really great one for parents and teenagers," she
explains. "It's basically about why parents need to matter more than
their friends, why they should stay involved with their kids' lives
and have their fingers on the pulse of their lives."

From 3 - 5 p.m., Dr. Mate will speak with members of the task force.
Kaiser says he'll be sharing his thoughts and answering questions the
task force may have. It will be held at the Mount 7 Rec Plex.

A community barbecue will follow, from 5 - 7 p.m.

"This is designed to be an educational week and I am trying to get at
the kids, but am aiming at parents mostly for now," Kaiser explains.
"I will have more teen-oriented events throughout the year. I'm going
to try to organize some events for younger kids and give them
something fun to do."

Wednesday, May 2, will feature Eva Wunderman in the Golden Secondary
School gymnasium. The GSS PARTY program is bringing the speaker to
town, from 12:15 - 1:55 p.m.

Kaiser explains Wunderman will be speaking about her personal
experiences - and the death of her husband, which was the result of
teenagers who were abusing drugs and alcohol.

On Thursday, May 3, Alcoholics Anonymous will offer an information
session geared towards professional agencies and individuals, but
Kaiser says it is open to the public as well.

She says the session will help inform professionals such as doctors,
lawyers, nurses and others, about how to deal with individuals who
may appear to have problems with alcohol.

"We are also launching our website
(www.goldenandareadrugandalcoholtaskforce.org) and basically we are
going to have a whole bunch of stuff on it," Kaiser explains. "There
will be a newsletter every second week as well as information about
issues that are pertinent to drugs, alcohol and there will be a lot
of different links. We hope it will become the central spot for
people in the community to go for information."