Program informs parents how to help kids make good decisions

It's More Than "Just Say No": Raising Resilient and Drug-Free Kids, a free program to help parents teach their 3rd to 8th graders how to make good decisions, will be presented by Maine Township’s MaineStay Youth & Family Services and Chicago Behavioral Hospital Tuesday, Feb. 5, from 7 to 8 p.m. Check in will be from 6:30 to 7 p.m. Advance registration at www.mainetown.com/community-education is requested as seating for this event is limited.

The program will be presented by Claudia Evenson, CSADC, who holds a certificate in Addiction Studies from Felician College and is a Certified Supervisor Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Counselor. She has worked in the addictions field for more than 27 years and currently serves as Community Relations Coordinator for Rosecrance, a private, not-for-profit behavioral health organization based in Rockford, that offers both inpatient and outpatient behavioral health services for children, adolescents, adults and families.

The program is appropriate for parents, community members and professionals and includes 1.5 free CEUs for social workers, professional counselors, marriage and family therapists, psychologists and nurses. Donations of magic markers, pencils, and boxes of Tootsie Pops will be accepted to support MCYAF (Maine Community Youth Assistance Foundation), a local nonprofit organization and community coalition which works to prevent adolescent drug and alcohol abuse and promote positive mental health among teens in Maine Township. MCYAF puts anti-drug messages on the candy and hands them out to teenagers.

“One of MaineStay’s core objectives is to help our local youth learn responsibility at an early age so they don’t make unhealthy life choices that can have permanent and devastating consequences,” said MaineStay Youth & Family Services Director Richard Lyon, MA, LCPC, CADC, CAMS-II. “We are delighted to have Rosecrance present to our parents and community members about this important topic.”

Maine Township’s MaineStay Youth & Family Services has served the mental health needs of the Maine Township community for more than 40 years, according to Laura Morask, Maine Township Supervisor. "We are proud of the support that MaineStay provides to promote healthier families by providing affordable strength-based counseling and comprehensive programs focused on prevention and education," said Morask.

For more information about Maine Township and its MaineStay department, call 847-297-2510 or visit the Maine Township website at www.mainetown.com.