July E-CATalyst

Informed Families eCATalyst NewsletterTo Inform. To Involve. To Develop Leaders. July 2011

IN THIS ISSUE

WHAT IS MORAL ANYWAY?

WIN ONE OF FOUR $100

PUBLIX GIFT CERTIFICATES

STUDENTS GIVE SOUTH MIAMI

A CASE OF STICKER SHOCK

TIPS FOR A SAFE

INDEPENDENCE DAY WEEKEND

READ THE INFORMED

FAMILIES 2010 ANNUAL

REPORT

IF SUPPORTS GANG

REDUCTION EFFORTS IN

NORTH FLORIDA

FOUNDATION AWARDS $20K

TO IF FOR UPDATED WEBSITE

FLORIDA:MARIJUANA GROW

HOUSE CAPITAL OF THE U.S.

TIPS FOR PARENTS OF NEW

DRIVERS

WHOEVER SAID THERE WAS

NO MANUAL FOR RAISING

KIDS?

MIAMI GARDENS SCHOOLS

HONORED WITH RED RIBBON

CERTIFICATION

WHAT IS MORAL

ANYWAY? A QUAINT, OLD

FASHIONED NOTION OR

A STANDARD BY WHICH

Greetings!

Informed Families/The Florida Family Partnership

teaches parents how to set boundaries and reinforce healthy

messages in order to help kids grow up safe, healthy and

drug-free. This can only be accomplished by INFORMING

PARENTS, INVOLVING PARENTS and DEVELOPING PARENT

LEADERS. We hope you gain some insight from our newsletter

and we welcome your comments!______________________________________________________

YOUTH SUBSTANCE ABUSE:

AMERICA'S #1 HEALTH

PROBLEM?

According to a study released by the

National Center on Addiction and

Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia

University, teen substance abuse is

America's #1 health problem. Still in

disbelief? Click here for the details.

WIN ONE OF FOUR $100 GIFT

CERTIFICATES TO PUBLIX

SUPERMARKETS

Take our 2-minute survey now.

STUDENTS GIVE SOUTH

MIAMI A CASE OF STICKER SHOCK

South Miami Police Explorers Post 236

recently conducted Project Sticker Shock

Youth Substance Abuse: America's #1 Health Problem? http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs091/1101360616552/archi...

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TO LIVE?

Every July, Informed Families takes

time to listen to YOU - parents and

community members - to find out

about your biggest concerns. We use

this information and your feedback

to develop statewide programming

for the upcoming school year and to

make changes that will better

serve YOU.

So tell us...what problems are you

facing with your kids? Do you think

using drugs are a problem? TAKE

OUR 2-MINUTE SURVEY right

now and be entered to win one of

four $100 gift certificates to Publix

Supermarkets.

One of the most polarizing drugs in

America is marijuana. Many of

today's parents grew up smoking pot

and now it is the drug of choice for

teenagers. What many people do not

know is that marijuana is actually

the number one reason kids are

going to rehab and now Barney

Frank is introducing legislation to

legalize it. Is this a good idea? What

do we hope to accomplish? Reducing

drug use? Increasing treatment? What

is the message this is sending to

in cooperation with the City's merchants,

placing stickers that warn adults not to

purchase alcohol for minors. Click here for

more info about this effort to curb underage

drinking.

TIPS FOR A SAFE 4TH OF JULY

WEEKEND

Did you know that underage males are

twice as likely to go to the emergency

room for an alcohol-related visit over

the Independence Day Weekend?

Learn more about this issue and what

you can do to keep your kids safe over

the holiday weekend.

READ OUR 2010 ANNUAL REPORT

To request a hard copy of the Annual Report, please

send an email to Ana Cristina Ferro at

[email protected].

INFORMED FAMILIES

SUPPORTS GANG

REDUCTION EFFORTS IN

NORTH FLORIDA

On Friday, June 17, 2011,

Informed Families participated in a

training in Pensacola that equipped

community leaders with the

necessary tools to speak to adults or youth on the issue of gangs.

The event, sponsored by the Attorney General's Gang

Reduction Task Force, was attended by 43 guests. Click

here for photos and to find out how you can get involved


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youth?

Synthetic marijuana is rampant.

Synthetic marijuana is labeled and

sold as potpourri or incense, but is

marketed to youth as a legal way to

get high. In 2011 so far, there have

been 197 cases of synthetic

marijuana overdose in the State of

Florida. The reported side effects are

so bad, it's hard to imagine anyone

actually choosing to consume this

garbage. When Florida banned these

substances several months ago, newly

altered variations falling within legal

guidelines quickly emerged and are

flying off the shelves. Folks, we have

a problem here and we need to deal

with it.

Have you seen Marijuana USA??? If

not, I encourage you to watch it and

tell us if you feel it is alright to

introduce and sell something to

people that might harm them if it

can make you a lot of money? Do

you think States will vote for

legalization as a way to increase their

tax base? Is that moral? When you

live in a "if it feels good do it" society

and money is the prevailing

measurement of one's worth then we

need to ask WHAT IS MORAL

ANYWAY? Are moral decisions

important or just a quaint, old

fashioned idea?

Until next time,

Peggy

President & CEO

DONOR OF THE YEAR

with Informed Families in the Pensacola region.

ARE YOU A FAN OF

INFORMED FAMILIES?

Stay even more connected to

the latest news, tips, and

events by becoming a fan of Informed Families on Facebook.

Click here to view our fanpage.

FOUNDATION AWARDS $20K

TO INFORMED FAMILIES FOR

SOCIAL NETWORKING

Watch out for our new look this Fall.

Informed Families will be upgrading

our website, thanks to a generous

$20,000 grant from the Health

Foundation of South Florida, to

provide more interactive tools, tips and fun stuff to keep you and

your family healthy. You'll get more social networking, distance

learning and interactive opportunities to connect with other

parents, teens and educators in your area. Stay tuned!

FLORIDA: MARIJUANA GROW

HOUSE CAPITAL OF THE U.S.

According to the Drug Enforcement

Administration, more marijuana grow

houses were seized in Florida than in any

other state. Florida's 818 houses

surpassed California's 791. The increase

in grow houses is attributed to an

increased demand for high potency marijuana. Grow houses have

been discovered in a variety of homes, from small, run-down

apartments to million dollar estates. Read more...

TIPS FOR PARENTS OF NEW

DRIVERS

Getting a driver's license is an

exciting and risky time for teens

(texting and driving is on the rise

and incredibly dangerous). But

parents can take immediate steps to

limit the potential dangers of teen


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Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Florida

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR

GENEROUS CATALYST

SPONSORS

Baptist Health South Florida

2011 BOARD OF

DIRECTORS

OFFICERS

CHAIRMAN

Michael T. Fay

VICE CHAIRMAN

John Hofmann

SECRETARY

Elena Jakubowicz

TREASURER

James Boink

PRESIDENT & CEO

Peggy B. Sapp

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Bertram "Chico" Goldsmith

Rona Levitt

Neca Logan

Lt. John McLaughlin, PhD

Jim Pfleger

Fabian Thurston

DIRECTORS

Maria Baluja, RN, CDE

Eddy Barea

Elsa Black

Marc Breslow, CPA

driving. Click here for 5 tips for parents of new drivers.

WHOEVER SAID THERE WAS NO

MANUAL FOR RAISING KIDS?

Informed Families Parent Pilot Kit is a guide

to Navigating Your Children Through The

Teenage Years, complete with chore/rules charts,

tips for hosting a safe and successful teen party and all the latest

information about helping kids grow up safe, healthy and

drug-free.

Click Here to purchase one today for $27.00 (excludes

shipping).

DONATE NOW TO PREVENT

CHILDREN'S SUBSTANCE

ABUSE

Support our efforts to help Florida's kids grow up safe, healthy,

and drug-free.

CLICK HERE TO DONATE NOW!

TWO MIAMI GARDENS

SCHOOLS HONORED

WITH RED RIBBON

CERTIFICATION

On May 25, 2011, the Mayor and

City Commissioners of Miami

Gardens recognized Carol City

Middle and Carol City

Senior High for becoming Red Ribbon Certified schools.

Both schools were awarded certification on May 18, 2011 along

with eight other schools nationwide. This prestigious award

celebrates schools that work with parents and the community as

partners to promote academic excellence through prevention.

The schools share this distinction with only 63 other schools

throughout the US. Visit www.RedRibbonSchools.org to see if

your child's school is Red Ribbon Certified.


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Marino Carbonell

Raymond Estefania

Debbie Goodman

Georgee Kluck

Judge Norma Shepard Linsdey

Maria Angela Lozano

Deborah Montilla

Maribeth Rouseff

Ed Stone

Mark Trouville

Vicky Carbonell Williamson


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July E-CATalyst