Summit on Emerging drug Trends

BBCC Hosts Community
Summit on Emerging Drug Trends

to Educate and Find Solutions on Behalf of Our Kids

Bloomfield Hills, MI - On Friday, January 24 from 8:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. at the Lutheran
Church of the Redeemer, Birmingham, the Birmingham Bloomfield Community
Coalition (BBCC) will be bringing Ken Krygel, drug and alcohol recognition
expert, instructor at Macomb Community College Criminal Justice Training Center
and former Detroit Police officer, to provide some eye-opening evidence of what
is really going on with drug trends in Southeastern Michigan and our community
at BBCC’s Community Summit on Emerging Drug Trends.

Mass
media has covered such topics as: Cory Monteith from “Glee” dies from a ‘bad
batch’ of heroin. Miley, Madonna and others sing and rap about Molly. Synthetic
drugs are banned in Michigan so our kids can’t get them, right? So what does
any of this have to do with the kids in our
community?

According
to Carol Mastroianni, executive director of BBCC, “We live in a world where
kids are connected to each other globally in a way that us, as parents and
adults, are not connected to each other even locally. Technology is like
another appendage, for most kids, and social media is fueling bad behavior in
our tweens and teens by taking ‘news’ to the next level and blurring the lines
of what is safe and not safe; what is appropriate and inappropriate and, in
turn, making it all seem like not such a big deal (including doing drugs). “

Ken’s presentation is
especially unique because he will be bringing several eight- foot display
tables showing the latest drugs and drug paraphernalia. Everything he brings has
been picked up in arrests or is readily available over the counter or online
for tweens and teens to get high. Ken is
the “go to” person in our region and has presented to hundreds of schools, police
departments and organizations, including at the DEA regional conference and DEA
Leadership training on current drugs of use and raves.

After
the presentation, attendees will breakout into dialogue groups to further
discuss key aspects of the presentation, what is happening in our community and
how we can work together to prevent future substance use by our youth.

All
community members who want to be in the know and a part of the solution to keep
our kids safe and substance free are encouraged to attend.  There
is no charge, although donations are welcome. A light breakfast will be served
compliments of KIND. RSVP needed by January 21 to cmastroianni@bbcoalition.org or
call 248.203.4615. Please indicate what community sector you will be
representing: 1) parents, 2) business, 3) media, 4) schools, 5) youth-serving
organizations, 6) law enforcement, 7) religious/fraternal organizations, 8)
civic/volunteer groups, 9) healthcare professionals, 10) state/local
government, 11) other substance abuse organizations.

BBCC believes “Knowledge is
Power” and for this reason we strive
to empower our community by providing factual, timely information about
substances so you can make an informed decision.

The Birmingham Bloomfield Community
Coalition’s mission is to raise
awareness and mobilize the entire community to prevent the abuse of alcohol,
tobacco and other drugs, with a focus on our youth.   The Youth Action Board (YAB) is a group of
volunteer high school students from area public and private high schools who
meet on a regular basis to plan and organize safe, fun and substance-free
activities for teens. Their goal is to provide youth with a positive voice and
presence to peers and the broader community. The Student Athlete Project (SAP)'s mission is to become an
advocate for our student-athletes with a primary focus of reducing alcohol
abuse. SAP’s goal is to inform student-athletes on the risk of alcohol/drugs,
increase awareness of alcohol/drug abuse and provide resources to those student
athletes who may need help. SAP strives to create leaders on our athletic teams
who make positive choices. For more information on BBCC, visit the
website at www.bbcoalition.org  or call 248.203.4615.