Speakers at the Garrettsville-Hiram Rotary Club on January 14, 2019 were Mantua mayor Linda Clark with Start Talking Portage and Karen Kravitz of the Portage Mental Health and Recovery Board who both spoke of programs dealing with the opioid crisis facing the county and the nation. These included making known information on signs, resources, steps to use in dealing with situations and care for survivors.
Help and education are available, often through such organizations as Drug-Free Clubs of America which is becoming active in the Crestwood School District. These require financial support and discussion of the social consequences of addiction.
The MHRB offers programs through TownHall II and the Portage County Health District involving a 90-minute presentation giving information and raising awareness of such aspects as the use of Narcan to avoid opiate deaths.
Ted Lysiak brought up the fact that school superintendents in the county are working to organize a Mental Health Fair which might be co-ordinated with the approach of the Drug Free Clubs and the MHRB to the advantage of citizens throughout the county; a venue (or venues) will be sought. Garfield is already engaged in a program encouraging useful coping mechanisms for students. More needs to be done and will be, with local support.
The Dictionary Project has already distributed dictionaries to Amish school students and will be getting the Rotary-stamped dictionaries out to students in Garfield Elementary ASAP. The 4-Way Speech Contest is rapidly approaching in April. Local contestants will be chosen in March. English departments have been alerted.
Happy Bucks were ponied up for the two speaking opportunities of the day, scrapbooks,a trip to Florida and what happened there, a spot on the dean’s list, the accomplishments of the club under president John Crawford, the company assembled and two funerals of consequence.
Next meeting on January 28, at Cal’s II, Sky Plaza, Garrettsville, at noon
