Y You can find the progressive city just 15 minutes from Minneapolis with just over 60,000 residents call it home. It is the thirteenth biggest city in Minnesota and used to be called Coon Creek Rapids but was shortened to Coon Rapids. As a northern suburb of the hustle and bustle of Minneapolis, Coon Rapids gives residents and visitors the best of both city and country.
As Coon Rapids is situated along the Mississippi River, combined with Cenaiko Lake and Crooked Lake, there are many water sport activities to choose from. Miles of trails, 48 parks and two regional parks, allow you to bike, hike, fish or partake in other sports. Staying healthy and staying active are essential to life in Coon Rapids.
It is far easier than most people think to get stuck in the life of addiction. The disease of addiction does not discriminate against anyone. Many millions of Americans today, from all walks of life, find themselves caught in the vicious cycle of substance abuse. If you are struggling, you are not alone and there is hope. Millions have been where you are and have prevailed over their disease, one day at a time.
In its simplest form, an intervention is a conversation where the person is confronted about his or her abuse of substances and subsequent behavior. This is a non-judgmental and loving way of convincing the person that a problem does in fact exist and that they need help.
There are several different models of intervention. Are few of these is the Johnson model, workplace intervention, systematic model and invitational model.
The Johnson Model focuses on the person abusing substances and his or her caretakers. Through this method the caretakers are enlightened about the disease of addiction and promotes healthier boundaries for all.
The workplace intervention is conducted by the person’s employer. Workplace interventions are becoming more common as replacing the employee can be difficult and costly. It is also highly effective because it shows the person abusing substances that they are appreciated but that his or her behavior needs to change.
The systematic model is a meeting centered around the entire family and the person who is the subject of the intervention. This method focuses on healing the group as a whole and helps all involved set heathier boundaries.
The invitational model does not single out any one single person. The person who is abusing substances attends a multi-day workshop and is, in essence, invited to change. The workshop team highlight and suggest positive changes that the person can make to live a happier, healthier life.
Whatever intervention model you choose, just staging the event is a great move in the right direction for everyone. Far too many people die every year as a direct consequence of drugs and alcohol. By staging an intervention, you are saving the life of your loved one.
Living without drugs or alcohol can be difficult at times and requires people to learn new coping strategies. Anyone looking to start a life free from addictive substances is strongly encouraged to join a 12-step group. It is suggested to everyone to find a sponsor, work the 12-steps, and attend meetings regularly. The support and guidance provided by your sponsor and fellow group members will help you overcome any obstacle in life. With this strong support system, you will be able to start living the life you always dreamed of. If you are struggling with substance abuse, find a meeting in your area today and get connected.
METRO DETROIT, MICH. (August 1, 2013) – The Detroit Area Diaper Bank, a nonprofit charity providing diapers for people in need across Southeast Michigan, has launched its 5th Annual Fall Diaper Drive. The goal of the drive is to collect 250,000 diapers (or the funds to buy them) by Thanksgiving 2013.
No federal assistance programs pay for or provide diapers, not WIC, SNAP (Food Stamps) or Medicare. Nonprofit organizations and state agencies working with families and individuals in crisis across Metro Detroit consistently list diapers as an ongoing and TOP need. The Diaper Bank partners with these organizations, working to give them access to an ongoing diaper supply and increasing their capacity to more fully support our neighbors in need.
An average infant can use up to 12 diapers per day, a toddler up to 8 per day. But in low-income households, a baby may be in a single diaper all day or longer, increasing the chance of health problems and putting the child at risk for abuse. Parents who can’t afford diapers can’t leave their child at daycare to go to work or school. Some children with disabilities never outgrow the need for diapers and seniors who can’t afford incontinence supplies often become home-bound or end up in a nursing home.
The Detroit Area Diaper Bank exists to address this largely unknown and chronically unmet need. The Annual Fall Diaper Drive helps drive donations into the Diaper Bank so it can fulfill more of its partner agencies’ families’ needs throughout the winter holidays and into the start of the new year, a time when donations tend to slow down.
“Our primary goal for the ‘250,000 by Thanksgiving’ Diaper Drive is, of course, to bring in resources that we can distribute to our partner agencies working with our neighbors in need. But we also hope it helps raise awareness of the diaper issue and engage the community in our mission. We are always in need of individuals, businesses, schools, community organizations and places of worship to run diaper drives and fundraisers to support the Diaper Bank, whether it’s before Thanksgiving or not,” said Marybeth Levine, Founder and Director of the Detroit Area Diaper Bank. “The diapers go out just as quickly as they come in, so we are looking for year-round partnerships and support to help us really make a difference with diapers.”
The Diaper Bank calls upon the community to engage in this effort throughout the fall and conduct a diaper drive or make a financial donation to help reach the overall 250,000 diaper goal. The drive’s anchor event, “Stuff the Truck!” at Canton Public Library, will be held November 20th & 21st from 9am to 9pm each day.
Tags: 2013, 250000 by Thanksgiving, babies, charity, charity drive, children, corporate giving, detroit area diaper bank, diaper bank, diaper drive, elderly, Fall Diaper Drive, family, media, philanthropy, poverty, press release, seniors, service project
The picture below is of Lake Orion High School‘s Key Club (and their adviser, Jennifer Ries, on the left), an amazing group of young people who thought up, planned and executed a fun and unique fundraiser, Dimes for Diapers, and we’re happy to say, have benefitted The Detroit Area Diaper Bank for the last 2 years.
Faculty and club members submitted baby pictures of themselves, and Key Club members set up a voting table for a week – votes were cast as dimes in jars for who the voters wanted named the ‘cutest baby’. They also had the foresight to plan the voting for the week of Parent-Teacher conferences and made sure the tables were manned, getting parents involved in the voting and donating as well.
So in ONE week, the Key Club collected $436.17 for the Detroit Area Diaper Bank – AND a cart full of diapers! Incredible! Such a great, fun idea, and obviously, one that the school and community connected with and supported. We’re thinking that next year, we’ll come up with some kind of prize the person that gets the highest votes will receive — up the stakes a bit. Jennifer, the adviser, said Key Clubs at other schools have asked about their fundraising project and taken note of how successful they’ve been with Dimes for Diapers.
This kind of idea could easily be replicated in schools everywhere, across all ages. The next time your organization or school group is considering a fundraiser, mention the great work of these young, service-oriented people at Lake Orion High School – we can all take a note from them!
We’re so grateful to everyone involved with the fundraising drive this year, and we can’t wait for the Key Club’s 3rd Annual Dimes for Diapers Drive at Lake Orion High School next year!
Tags: babies, children, detroit, detroit area diaper bank, diaper bank, diaper drive, diaper need, poverty