April 2023

We are beyond excited to share all of the upcoming events, recent activities and news from Waunakee Community Cares Coalition. Our work is focused on keeping Waunakee healthy and resilient.  We do this by engaging, empowering, and educating our community in the spaces of alcohol, drug, & nicotine prevention, as well as mental health. In our monthly update, we will offer content, ideas and action steps to engage in this impactful work. Each month will bring strategies and ideas on how to keep Waunakee healthy and resilient.  We hope to grow a community of like-minded members to create a better place for us all to live healthy, love abundantly and leave healthy legacies.

Much gratitude, WCCC Team

The month of April is National Alcohol Awareness Month - a charge that is a priority for the WCCC and a key focus as we launch into prom and graduation season for our youth!  Keeping our students and community safe in these spaces becomes a focal point as we put together programming for this month and WOW, do we have a robust line-up for our community. We also use the month of April as a launch pad for May and Mental Health Awareness Month.

First and foremost, we want to remind our adults that research shows that children start to form their earliest opinions about alcohol beginning in elementary school. Help your child sort out what they hear from friends or see on TV, before someone hands them a drink. Start talking to kids about the dangers of underage drinking around age 8. Don’t worry; it’s easier than you may think. You can have a small talk anytime, anywhere.​ Click HERE for more.

We also have 4 community events and 4 school events focused on prevention, mental health, and making positive choices regarding substances.  You are not going to want to miss any of them. More details below!

It is also National Drug Take Back Day on April 22nd!  Safely dispose of your unused prescription drugs and sharps at the Police Department between 10-12:00 PM. 

Wishing you health, resiliency, and the magic found in connection.  Thanks for ENGAGING in our work!

We would like to feature Jodie Sorenson this month as the recipient of -

The WCCC Healthy and Resilient Advocate Award 2023
 

The members of the Waunakee Community Cares Coalition (WCCC) are very excited to have been invited to participate in the Waunakee Community Awards Program.  The WCCC was founded in 2014 under the leadership of various community leaders. Thanks to that leadership, the WCCC has a clear Mission which is, “ A Healthy and Resilient Waunakee.” Today the WCCC is on solid footing and will continue to strive to maintain our solid foundation and continue our focus on, “ A Healthy and Resilient Waunakee.”  How did the WCCC move from a tenuous and shaky start to a viable, stable coalition?  Through the efforts and advocacy  of individuals who refused to give up on their belief that the WCCC was needed in the community and could make a difference in the lives of the youth and all residents of the Waunakee Community School District.  

One individual in particular stood out for their tireless advocacy and work to establish the WCCC. An advocate is defined as, “ a person who publicly supports or recommends a particular cause or policy.”  The recipient of the inaugural WCCC Healthy and Resilient Advocate Award refused to give up when the will to establish the WCCC waned.  This individual resolutely refused to let the dream of establishing WCCC wither and die.  They worked diligently with local and state level leaders of existing coalitions to learn what worked for them, pitfalls to avoid, and next steps to take in establishing a strong coalition.  This person was instrumental in providing the leadership to ensure the Drug Free Communities Grant was written correctly and ultimately in the WCCC receiving this grant.  This person tirelessly attended SOR and SWAY Meetings, national level CADCA (Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America) trainings, and was omni-present at community health fares, “National Night Out”, and WAKE (Waunakee Kids Expo) events.  Her efforts resulted in the WCCC securing and distributing hundreds of Lock Boxes, Lock Bags, Detera Bags, refrigerator locks, and gun locks.  This person has been an amazing leader, especially over the course of the last three years as the Waunakee Community Cares Executive Board Chair. 

It is the pleasure of the WCCC to present the inaugural Waunakee Community Cares Coalition Healthy and Resilient Advocate Award to Outgoing WCCC Executive Board Chair Jodie Sorenson.

Join us on Sunday, April 23rd for the Awards Program honoring Jodie and so many other community leaders. RSVP @ Waunakee Chamber of Commerce

What we are reading, watching, or listening to?

For this month Zach Gowen, our upcoming keynote speaker for the middle and high school - shares what he is reading!

Right now I'm reading The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk. It's a fascinating dive into how past traumatic events can manifest themselves in physical ways later in life. The brain still remains the final frontier in science and I want to know more about it so I read about it! 

-Zach

What's next for the WCCC?

April 12                Hot Topics in Prevention- Waunakee Library

April 19              Survive and Advance Workshop- Waunakee Library

April 20               Zach Gown Assembly - Waunakee HS

April 20              Ambassadors for Change Leadership Summit- WHS

April 22                National Drug Take Back Day- Police Station

April 26                Strong You for Community - Waunakee Library

April 26                WCCC Virtual Membership Meeting

May 3             Michelle Kullmann & Community Narcan Training - WHS