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 |
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The month of November is extremely busy for the WCCC. We are excited to share why! First off, on the national stage, Lung Cancer Awareness becomes a focal point for us and others around the country. Vaping nicotine and other substances, which leads to lung cancer, has become a challenge for our youth and a priority for our coalition beginning in 2018. Our resource center is filled with information about detection of various vaping tools found in our community, as well as the dangers of using these products. You may have even seen our billboard this month showcasing these items. We encourage parents/guardians to talk your youth about the dangers of vaping and the importance of healthy choices. More on this topic below! Secondly, we are also engaging in a comprehensive visioning session for our community. Last year, the WCCC worked with the Waunakee School District and Public Health to administer the Youth Risk Behavior Survey and Focus Groups to gather data about the health and resiliency of our youth. We are now using this data to have community conversations about how we can work collaboratively to tackle the challenges facing our youth. Please let us know if you'd like to be a part of this important process - December 7th - 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM. Lastly, in partnership with the Waunakee Public Library and the Psychotherapy Center of Waunakee, we are excited to lead a community conversation about trauma, prevention, and mental health. Please join us as we continue to strive to achieve our mission of keeping Waunakee healthy and resilient, through the screening of "The Wisdom of Trauma". Trauma impacts us all and this documentary helps us to understand the ways in which it shows up in addiction, mental health and other ways in our life. Join in on the conversation as we invite the community to support each other as we learn and understand more about trauma together. Everyone is welcome to this free event. More information below. Wishing you health, resiliency, and the magic found in connection. Thanks for ENGAGING in our work! |
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Each month the WCCC plans to showcase one of our amazing partners that are doing impactful work and serving our community in our theme for the month. This month we showcase Ryan Sheahan from Dane County Public Health and our efforts to educate our community about the dangers of tobacco products (below is our billboard this month) | | |
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Ryan Sheahan has lived in Waunakee for 8 years with his wife Amy, and their three children; Jackson (7th grade), Nick (5th grade), and Reagan (1st grade). They enjoy playing sports, traveling, and connecting with family and friends. 2022 was a busy year for travel, as they went to Turks and Caicos for spring break, and New York City in August. Ryan currently volunteers his time as the Grade Level Coordinator for the 5th grade Waunakee Baseball program, and assists in coaching other sports for all three of his kids. Ryan has been a Public Health Program Coordinator at Public Health Madison & Dane County for over 20 years. Until recently, he coordinated Public Health's tobacco prevention and control program, with a brief two-year stint for Covid response efforts. In the last year, Ryan has shifted his work to alcohol harm reduction. Most of Ryan's focus is on evidence-based prevention strategies and policy. Examples include smoke-free and vape-free workplace policies, school policy, underage tobacco compliance inspections, zoning policy, and Place of Last Drink (POLD). Ryan has been a member of the Waunakee Community Cares Coalition for 7 years, and is currently a Director on its Board. He helped to write the grant that secured federal Drug Free Communities (DFC) grant funding, and enjoys applying his expertise in the substance misuse prevention field to WCCC. He looks forward to continued involvement in the years to come to help Waunakee stay healthy, safe, and resilient. | | |
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Check out our website to find out a plethora of resources focused on alcohol and drug prevention. | | |
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What we are reading, watching, or listening to? |
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This month we have the opportunity to watch "The Wisdom of Trauma" together! A Community Conversation about Trauma, Prevention, and Mental Health - Please join members of the Waunakee Community Cares Coalition as we continue to strive to achieve our mission of keeping Waunakee healthy and resilient, through the screening of "The Wisdom of Trauma" in cooperation with our partners at the Waunakee Community Library. Trauma is the invisible force that shapes our lives. It shapes the way we live, the way we love and the way we make sense of the world. It is the root of our deepest wounds. Dr. Maté gives us a new vision: a trauma-informed society in which parents, teachers, physicians, policy-makers and legal personnel are not concerned with fixing behaviors, making diagnoses, suppressing symptoms and judging, but seek instead to understand the sources from which troubling behaviors and diseases spring in the wounded human soul. Please join leaders from our community at a public screening on November 30, 2022, for the film called ‘The Wisdom of Trauma’. Trauma impacts us all and this documentary helps us to understand the ways in which it shows up in addiction, mental health and other ways in our life. Join in on the conversation as we invite the community to support each other as we learn and understand more about trauma together. Everyone is welcome. This is a free event funded by the Waunakee Community Cares Coalition. The film is about 90mins long with discussion afterwards. Screening locations and times: Waunakee Public Library, 1 pm to 3:15 pm Waunakee Public Library, 5:45 pm to 8:00 pm Please share with your friends, family, and community! Much gratitude, WCCC Team |
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About the film - The Wisdom Of TraumaAbout the film Watch trailer The interconnected epidemics of anxiety, chronic illness and substance abuse are, according to Dr Gabor Maté, normal. But not in the way you might think. One in five Americans are diagnosed with mental illness in any given year [1]. |
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What's next for the WCCC? November 3 Visioning Session - Small Group November 8 Waunakee School Board/DEI Presentation November 16 WCCC Lions Club Presentation November 18 SWAY Presentation with General Price November 30 Wisdom of Trauma Screening December 7 Community Visioning Session - Large Group |
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