Community Coalition of Forest County Receives Awards

Forest County has once again proven that it is ahead of many other Wisconsin counties in the area of substance abuse prevention.

In a virtual ceremony on July 1, 2020, Marshfield Clinic Health Systems Northwoods Coalition, a conglomerate of community coalitions dedicated to substance abuse prevention, presented four awards to The Community Coalition of Forest County (CCFC) and their members:

Prevention Coalition of Excellence Award

To CCFC for significant improvements to a community in the area of prevention. The CCFC has long brought passion and drive to the many prevention programs and community partnerships in which they have been involved.

Innovative Prevention Program

To CCFC for their participation in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) 2019 Prevention Week held May 12-19, 2019.

The week included a Prevention Parade, a Recovery Walk, and a cookout that included speeches from local authorities. All of these events engaged community youth and both local tribes, Forest County Potawatomi and Sokaogon Chippewa.

Outstanding Prevention Professional Award

To Jorge Cisneros for his strong passion to make a difference in people’s lives. Jorge has changed lives by sharing his own personal story about recovery and continues to promote “Good Medicine” and using cultural ways to help people heal.

Jorge works tirelessly to lead planning for prevention events, and represents the Forest County Potawatomi Tribes prevention efforts in Coalition meetings. He initiated “See Something/Say Something, Stop the Dealing, Start the Healing,” and worked with the jail population to teach and advocate for resources to help people successfully transition into the community.

AmeriCorps Member of Distinction

To Elizabeth Mary Thornton for serving two terms as a Marshfield Clinic Health Systems AmeriCorps Recovery Corps recovery coach for the Community Coalition of Forest County. Her accomplishments include supporting many community events, being an advocate to help people make positive changes in their lives, assisting Laona School’s Guidance Counselor Jason Bertrand with the implementation of the BOTVIN LifeSkills program, and helping form a transition team to address the needs of the jail population. She continues to serve in her community and has signed on for another year of service for CCFC.

Congratulations to this amazing group of individuals and community members!

MORE ABOUT THE COMMUNITY COALITION OF FOREST COUNTY (CCFC)

The CCFC) is a 501 (3) (c) Non-Profit Organization that was formed in 2008 for the purpose of informing and engaging all age groups and cultures in our diverse county in a collaborative effort to measurably improve the health and well-being of our residents with a focus on substance abuse and prevention. The CCFC meets the second Tuesday of each month at 1:30 p.m. Currently these meetings are virtual due to Covid-19.

Extension Partners with the Community Coalition of Forest County

In a 4-part video series offered by the Community Coalition of Forest County we are focusing on:

-understanding mental health and mental illness

-understanding addiction and current drug use trends in Forest County and Wisconsin

-understanding trauma and stress its impact on youth and adults

-wellness and stress reduction activities and local mental health resources.

We will be calling on local people and professionals from Forest County to share their knowledge, experience, and resources. In this first video of this series Lynn McCorkle of Crandon and Mary Thornton of Laona help us to understand the components of mental health and recognize signs that we or others in our life are struggling and may need help

2020 Northwoods Coalition Awards Ceremony

On July 1, 2020, the Northwoods Coalition announced their 2020 awards virtually and we are excited to share the following awards:

Prevention Coalition of Excellence Award: Community Coalition of Forest County

Innovative Prevention Program: Community Coalition of Forest County for our participation in SAMSHA’s 2019 Prevention Week

Outstanding Prevention Professional Award: Jorge Cisneros

AmeriCorps Member of Distinction: Elizabeth Mary Thornton

Congratulations to this amazing group of individuals and community members!

post

Community Coalition of Forest County Interest Survey

The Community Coalition of Forest County recently surveyed Forest County middle and high school youth regarding prevention efforts in our county. The youth we surveyed responded that they are looking for role models and to participate in positive healthy activities in our area.

As part of our efforts to address those requests, our Coalition has hired Vive18 to present to the three local high schools on April 8, 2020. VIVE18 is a peer lead sustainable prevention program for teens, giving them skills to promote positive sober events in their communities. The Community Coalition of Forest County has secured $1500 in donations/grants from Conway True Value to offer mini-grants to middle and high school age county residents planning activities/events that will be distributed after the presentation.

The Community Coalition will need adult volunteers willing to work with the youth on the VIVE18 events; however, we are expanding our reach in order to build a base of volunteers and mentors that can be contacted to build/create/participate/promote youth activities across the county. This may range from one-on-one or group activities.

We know that our county residents have hidden talents, hobbies and interests to share.  We hope to find out what those are so that we can reach out to individuals when we have a need for assistance with event planning that will promote life-long learning and enhance the quality of life for Forest County residents.

Give us your talents, passions and interests and we’ll help you find a place to share them!

Racing 4 Recovery

Join Brad Seavers and his Racing For Recovery team on Saturday, August 24th at 2 pm at Mole Lake Casino Lodge. This event is free! We will have giveaways and Brad will have his Pro Lite truck along with some of the buggies he races. Fun for the whole family!

NATIONAL PREVENTION WEEK 2019

The Community Coalition of Forest County would like to invite you to celebrate National Prevention Week (May 12th-19th) with a parade hosted on Crandon Main Street at noon on Saturday, May 18th. Directly following the parade will be a cook-out at the Crandon Community Building featuring
music, speakers, and children’s games.


National Prevention Week is brought to us by The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), who sponsors a national campaign that takes place annually. This year’s theme is “Inspiring Action Changing Lives”. This event will raise awareness of the types of services available for Alcohol and Other Drugs (AODA) and educate community members of the ongoing efforts that are taking place to prevent substance abuse and mental health illness.

This a community wide endeavor, involving all three school districts. The schools are invited to participate in the parade, along with their pep bands. Also in attendance will be representatives of both the Potawatomi and Sokaogon Chippewa tribes. We are encouraging business owners, to participate not only to show support for a substance-free lifestyle but also to advertise their businesses as promotors of a better Forest County. A healthy community is very attractive to area visitors and encourages our youth to stay in the area or return here after they graduate from college.

Read More

Wabeno Area Players to offer Written Off screening

Please join the Wabeno Area Players on Thursday, April 4th, 2019 for a community screening of the documentary “Written Off”. The event will be held at the Nancy Volk Auditorium in the Wabeno Area High School. The Forest County Healthy Department will also offer a Mock Teen Bedroom display beginning at 5:30 p.m. for those 18 and older. A discussion panel will be available after the screening. The documentary is free and open to the entire community.

The film tells a gripping tale and challenges stigma. In 2016 more Americans died from overdoses than in the entire Vietnam War conflict. And yet those new casualties are rarely considered victims of disease.

The film chronicles the life of Matthew Edwards, a Crandon High School graduate, whose addiction to opioids began at age 15, after being prescribed pain medicine for minor surgery. His grippingly honest writing reveals the secrets he tried so hard to conceal throughout a decade long struggle to escape addiction. Matthew’s mother, Jane Funk, currently a teacher at Crandon High School, published the book What I Couldn’t Tell you: one Man’s Struggle with Opioid Addiction in June of 2017 and worked with filmmakers Molly Hermann and Rob Lyall on the “Written Off” documentary.