Gordon Clay here, just back from Washington, DC and the 18th national leadership conference sponsored by the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America which is designed to make communities safe, healthy and drug-free. The subject of this year's conference was Sustaining Success in a Time of Change and included a day on the hill to meet with our senator's and representative, and three-days of key note speakers and workshops with a special thread for youth. There was also time to network with other programs to see what works for them and to share with them what we are doing..

Eleven of us attended from Curry County including two students each from Gold Beach and Brookings-Harbor high schools.

Our youth representatives talked about a program they came up with called Life 101 - which is a great life-skills game they play with kids in middle school. In my opinion, Life 101 deserves national attention and someone to fund the production of the game for national distribution with proceeds going back into additional youth-oriented drug and alcohol reduction programs.

One of the things I learned is that no matter how good a local program is, many communities like ours here in Brookings-Harbor have difficulty in getting volunteers. With the continued reduction of federal and state funding for health and human services, and especially treatment dollars, we must look to local individuals and businesses if we are going to keep on top of the growing influence of drugs and alcohol on our youth.

If you are interested in helping with this cause, contact the staff at the Curry County Drug Free Communities Coalition in Gold Beach and put your name and skills on the list. Call toll-free at 800.242.9478. That's 800.242.9478 and thanks for listening.