Thursday, March 16, 2006

Town Hall Meeting Addresses Underage Drinking Situation

Star Staff Report

As part of a nationwide effort to address the issue of underage drinking, CLEAN Inc., the community coalition for healthy youth and families, will sponsor a town hall meeting devoted to address the issue in the community.

The event will take place at 7 p.m. March 28 at the Shenandoah University School of Pharmacy, Winchester.

Representatives from Winchester City Public Schools, Frederick and Clarke county schools, Winchester and Frederick County PTOs, Powhatan School, Shenandoah University, Virginia ABC, Law Enforcement, and Boys & Girls Clubs of the Northern Shenandoah Valley have all participated in organizing the event.

The town meeting will include a presentation followed by an interactive forum with a panel of community leaders with a range of expertise in the field.

This panel will include Elizabeth Kellas, Juvenile Justice; Philip Pate, Winchester City councilman and adolescent psychologist; Jay Hessler and Mark Gleason, Northwestern Community Service Board members; Sherrie Lattimore, parent representative; and Fernando Pantoja, ESL Department Chair, Handley High School.

Similar town meetings will be held across the country on March 28. The forums will be followed up by middle school classroom teach-ins.

This event is made possible by a grant from SAMSHA, the U.S. Department of Health, and Human Services Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration.

For further information, contact Linda Jones at 722-3589, e-mail Linda.Jones@Cleaninc.org, or visit www.cleaninc.org.