CONFERENCE TEACHES ABOUT DRUG, ALCOHOL ABUSE

A three-day conference hosted by TurningPoint is trying to help community
members be aware of drug and alcohol issues in the area.

The group is running the 29th Annual Conference on Alcohol and Drug Abuse
at the Multi-Purpose Event Center, which will conclude today.

"Historically this used to be (only) for drug and alcohol counselors and
social workers," said Steve Rueschenberg, TurningPoint executive director.
"Now we're trying to open it to the public. This is an effort to try to
bring it to the community level."

TurningPoint is a nonprofit group that works to provide preventative drug
and alcohol programs while at school and through working with families.

"We try to cater to however people want to try to do business with us,"
Rueschenberg said.

TurningPoint is in its seventh year and now helps to run the conference.

"It's our effort to make an outreach to the community where they may not
know where to go to get information," he said. The conference "is our way
of getting the word out to the community that the drug culture does exist
in our community."

Rueschenberg said he would like more informative nights for parents to
learn about what children are doing with drugs and alcohol.

"The problem is a lot of parents don't believe it's not going to happen,"
he said. "It doesn't in most cases, but when it does, unfortunately that
really shakes up the family."

Rueschenberg hopes more people from the public attend Saturday. The event
is free to community members.

"During the day people work so I try to focus the programs at the
professionals," Rueschenberg said. "In the evening I focus it at
professionals and parents and concerned community members."