On behalf of the Malden Kiwanis, Healthy Malden would like to invite you to participate in the Second Annual Family Fun Day. This Kiwanis event is open to all area families and enjoyed a tremendous turnout last year.

This fun-filled family event will take place at Devir Park on Saturday, August 15th from 10 am - 4 pm. The event will have an 18-hole miniature golf course, a moonwalk, and other inflatable rides for children along with some added attractions. There will also be plenty of burgers and hotdogs. In addition to partnering with healthy Malden for the incredibly successful Healthy Kids Day, Malden Kiwanis benefits numerous children's charities ranging from Kiwanis' Pediatric Trauma Unit to the Reading is Fundamental Program (RIF)

"Let Me Prove It" empowers teens to resist drugs

(NECN: Alysha Palumbo, Arlington, Mass.) - Studies show nearly half of all teens try an illicit drug before they graduate high school. And as the school year ends, temptations rise.

Just last month, a local pilot program called "Let Me Prove It" began, aiming to reduce those numbers by giving teens the opportunity to prove they're drug free... and influence their friends to do the same.

16-year-old Patrick O'Neill is an Arlington High School junior who plays football, lacrosse and runs indoor track. With a bright future ahead of him, O'Neill says he has steered clear of the peer pressure to experiment with drugs.

"As a student athlete I know that drugs can really affect how well you do in school and athletics."

But O'Neill is hoping to use his own peer pressure - positive peer pressure that is - to try to influence his classmates to prove their drug-free.

"Hopefully we can chip away at the people who do do it and try and prevent people from doing it."

It's all part of a campaign called "Let Me Prove It" created by Waltham-based drug test manufacturer First Check.

"It's a really unique approach to a drug prevention program, because it puts the power in the hands of the teens."

Right now it's a pilot program being tested out in both Arlington and Malden.
A handful of prominent high school juniors in each community have volunteered to take an at-home drug test.

As ambassadors to the program, they recruit their friends and classmates to take a test... and like a spider web, the program aims to weave its drug-free message through the schools.

"They go out to their friends who are clean and get them started on this program and then it starts to reach the kids who are mostly clean and then maybe hopefully we can reach the kids who say, you know what, I hear what they're saying, it's making sense to me, so I'm just going to go clean."

As executive director of the group Healthy Malden, Kevin Duffy knows this won't prevent all teens from doing drugs. But he believes it will be more effective than previous programs where parents concerned about drug use pushed the drug tests on their kids.

"When you have an adult or an authority figure talking to them, they almost always see that finger wagging and they hear that tone of voice. When it's kids talking to kids, they take it as advice, they take it as counsel and they actually use this in their decision-making."

"So this is the First Check home drug test and here's how it's works, you put your specimen in the cup - and in this case, we'll use water - you close the lid, you put it on a flat surface and in about five minutes you get your results."

"It works similar to a pregnancy test in the fact that it's a line interpretation test - you will get a control line which shows that the test is working, then if you get a line for a drug that means there is no drug detected, meaning a negative test."

First Check provides the $40 tests for free to the ambassadors and their recruits. They say the tests are 99% accurate, providing results for twelve different drugs.
"Marijuana is the most commonly abused drug but we also test for cocaine, methamphetamines, opiates, and then under the prescription drugs we test for things like oxycodone, benzodiazapine and other pain killers."

O'Neill says he's confident this will help reduce drug use in his school.
"I think it'll work fairly well. There are some very committed kids who are willing to go the extra mile to hand out the tests and get everyone committed to the same program."

And it pays to participate - the ambassadors earn rewards for how many students they recruit - ranging from $20 iTunes gift cards to a $2,000 college scholarship.

Original story and video available here:
http://necn.com/Boston/Health/2009/06/10/Let-Me-Prove-It-empowers/1244638598.html

Sending a message about drunk driving: School administrators plead with students to make safe decisions

By Natalie Miller / Malden Observer  Fri May 22, 2009

MALDEN - Graduation is looming and prom is just around the corner; but the faces of Malden High School seniors were somber Monday morning as they witnessed what it would be like to be involved in a prom night car crash.

The Malden High School group, “Students Against Destructive Decisions,” along with Healthy Malden, organized a mock prom night crash outside of the school May 18 to show the devastating and life-altering effects of drinking and driving.

The morning’s lesson hit especially hard this year, as the mock crash was held in Malden just days after a real life post-prom crash left one pedestrian dead and another injured in Saugus over the weekend.

According to reports from the Saugus Advertiser, Jonathan Caruso, 18, of Saugus, has pleaded not guilty to charges of motor vehicle homicide by reckless operation, operating under the influence of alcohol and being a minor unlawfully transporting alcohol.

Police reports state that Caruso was behind the wheel of a Chevy Cavalier that slammed into a mother and daughter who were walking their dog on Essex Street Saturday morning. Caruso told police that he drank 10 beers while celebrating prom with friends. Police also discovered four beer cans inside the open trunk of the car, according to the report.

The Saugus mother was pronounced dead at the scene, and her daughter is in fair condition at Mass General Hospital.

Fran MacDonald from Cataldo Ambulance has been helping to organize mock car crashes in many high schools in Massachusetts for 18 years, as both a consultant and, for the last 10 years, as an employee of Cataldo. She held a mock crash in Saugus just two weeks before last Saturday’s prom.

 Mock crash

The mock prom day crash held in Malden Monday morning was assisted by members of the Malden police and fire departments, Cataldo Ambulance, Sica Towing and Norton Funeral Home.

The scene was recreated and responded to just as a real crash would be, said Assistant Fire Chief Jack Colangeli.

“What we did here is exactly what you’d see in an actual incident,” he said.

Sica Towing supplied the two vehicles that were involved in the “crash,” and students from the high school’s SADD group acted out the mock crash, which began as screaming students fled their car and tried to get rid of the empty beer cans before police arrived on the scene.

Meanwhile, a student lay “dead” in the street, a victim of the crash. Other students were trapped inside the second vehicle.

Fake blood and fake brains were placed in the street next to the “victim,” played by senior Matt Zunitch. Two students are “arrested” on scene by members of the Malden Police, as emergency crews tended to the injured parties of both vehicles involved in the mock crash and the Jaws of Life were used to get to the other students.

Onlookers consoled each other as emergency crews worked to clean up the accident and police spoke to witnesses.

Members of the senior class looked on in silence as the scene unfolded Monday morning, until they finally filed into the auditorium of the high school to attend the mock wake and funeral of their fellow students.

A casket was placed on stage, surrounded by flowers and mourners, as SADD member Taylor Lombard, who has been best friends with Zunitch since gave the eulogy. She talked about growing up together and their plans for prom, college and the future. She warned students that life is a fragile thing and no one knows how long they have.

After the mock funeral, MacDonald spoke to students about the message behind the mock crash and about the incident in Saugus.

“His life is over,” she said of Caruso. “Instead of going to more parties, graduation, he is being arraigned as we speak… A second decision can change your life.”

Julie Briggs, physical education teacher at Malden High and mentor to the SADD program, said what happened in Saugus is, “so sad.”

“You send a message and send a message, but someone wasn’t listening,” she said to students Monday.

MacDonald and Briggs both stressed to students that the point of the mock crash isn’t to scare them, instead they both gave an emotional plea to the senior class to think about good decision making.

“This class is unbelievable,” said Briggs. “Be smart the next couple of weeks…I want you to have good memories; a good life. You are in charge; you are responsible.”

Malden Principal Dana Brown echoed the sentiments of Briggs and MacDonald.

“We are not going to scare you into doing the right thing,” he said. “I’m pleading, begging you to make good decisions.”

He reminded the students to support each other in doing the right thing.

“Let’s have everyone on the stage for the June 7 graduation,” he said. “Let’s have a good, safe few weeks.”

Students then heard from quest speaker, Joan Aeschlimann, school nurse at Saugus High School, who told students that she gave the same lecture to her students in Saugus two weeks ago.

“I am a single mother,” she began as she recounted the story of how her husband died in a fiery car crash after consuming alcohol earlier in the day. He had to leave the house to see a patient, and Aeschlimann said she is just glad her 11-year-old daughter wasn’t in the car at the time, and no one else was injured as a result of her husband’s actions.

She also spoke to students about the tragic ending to Saugus’ prom last weekend, telling students that yes, “Jonathan is a good kid. Jonathan killed someone… You know, my husband was a really nice guy.

“This one 18 year old kid make a stupid decision,” she said. “Please enjoy your prom; look beautiful. Enjoy senior week, but don’t make a stupid decision.”

 A SADD reaction

Malden’s SADD group holds seminars throughout the year on a variety of destructive behaviors, such as drug use, teen pregnancy, depression, and relationship abuse.

SADD member Jillian Dervishian said the mock crash and funeral was really hard to see. It’s hard to think about a fellow classmate being killed that way, she said.

“We always see Matt in the hallway,” she said.

Even though he didn’t really die, said fellow SADD member Christina Valent, it was hard to see his picture on the casket.

Lombard said it was weird writing his friend’s eulogy.

“When I was reading it, I was thinking, ‘This could be real.’ It could happen to anyone,” she said, adding that a lot of kids think they are invincible, that it couldn’t happen to them.

Colangeli said student reaction usually spans from horror to concern.

“People don’t realize until they see with their own eyes how horrific these events can be,” he said. “It’s extremely important for kids to see the effects of drinking and driving.”

Healthy Malden’s Kevin Duffy said the organizers of the mock event try to make it as realistic as possible so students feel the tragedy of lives lost young.

“It is the reality of this mock moment that drives home the danger of these destructive decisions,” he said. With the media’s glamorization of drinking, it is vitally important for students to be firsthand witnesses to the deadly consequences of driving after drinking, and we hope these lessons stay with them long after they are home safe and sound from their prom.”

Original story with photos can be found here:

http://www.wickedlocal.com/malden/news/x2085725987/Sending-a-message-about-drunk-driving-School-administrators-plead-with-students-to-make-safe-decisions

HEALTHY MALDEN’S PREVENTION TASK FORCE PRESCRIPTION DRUG DISPOSAL

Healthy Malden to Partner with the Board of Health and the DPW
MALDEN—On Saturday, March 28th Healthy Malden, in conjunction with the Malden Department of Public Works and the Malden Board of Health, will offer an expanded Quarterly Recycling Day to create a systematic collection of hazardous materials that threaten the well-being of our city. Residents will be able to drop off unused and expired prescription drugs as well as over-the-counter medications in an effort to keep these drugs out of home medicine cabinets where children can get them. Healthy Malden’s Prevention Task Force will accept these medications at the DPW, located at 356 Commercial Street, between the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

In addition to the Prescription Drug Disposal, the DPW will be conducting their regular recycling efforts towards tires, cathode ray tubes, televisions, computer monitors, car batteries, motor oil, oil filters, paints, and used electronic equipment. Furthermore, Healthy Malden will conduct a needle collection program while the Board of Health will accept products containing mercury. These mercury items, which include thermostats, mercury switches, elemental mercury, fluorescent light bulbs and button batteries will be accepted free of charge. Thermometers may be exchanged for a new one.

There is a fee for some of the recyclables including: $2 per car tire; $20 per truck tire; $5 for CRTs/Televisions, $1 for batteries, $1 for each gallon of motor oil (no antifreeze or transmission fluid) and $2.50 for used oil filters. Latex, oil and acrylic paints as well as stains and varnishes will also be accepted. The cost to recycle 1 to 5 gallons of paint is $10; $15 for 6 to 10 gallons; $20 for 11 to 15 gallons; and $25 for 16 to 20 gallons; $3 per gallon after 20 gallons (paint will be recycled between the hours of 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.).

To the editor:
The National Football League Championship Football game, the Super Bowl, is nearly as famous for its commercials and halftime shows as it is for the game itself. And with the last two years having the highest number of viewers ever, that means nearly 194 million people watched more beer commercials than any other type of commercial.

But how many of them are under-aged youth? Because youth who see more alcohol advertisements on average drink more than those who do not see the ads, alcohol industry marketing standards say alcohol ads should not target youth or promote heavy consumption. But with millions spent on research that provides advertisers with TV viewer and consumers sales insights, alcohol advertisers know who is watching and when and the Center for Alcohol Marketing and Youth at Georgetown University has documented widespread exposure of youth to alcohol ads and marketing on television, radio, the Web, and magazines.

For example, between the years 2001-2003, 750,000 alcohol ads aired with 180,000 more likely to be seen by underage youth than an adult. Other findings are that youth see three beer ads for every five that an adult sees on television, and in 14 of the 15 largest media markets, underage youth heard more radio alcohol advertising per capita than adults over the age of 21. Additionally, youth saw 45 percent more beer and ale ads and 27 percent more distilled spirits ads in magazines than did adults.

The long-term consequences of underage drinking are real and tragic. Those who begin drinking before age 15 are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence than those who wait until they are 21. And while research has shown that heavy alcohol use by adolescents has long-term effects on brain development, it also plays a substantial role in the three leading causes of death among youth: unintentional injury, suicide, and homicide. Furthermore, nearly one in four teens (24 percent) say that alcohol and drug use led them to do more sexually than they had planned and teen girls who binge drink are 63 percent more likely to get pregnant in their teen years.

While many consider adolescent drinking a rite of passage, underage drinking is marked by significant abuse. Ninety-two percent of the alcohol consumed by 12-14 year olds and 96 percent of the consumption by 15-17 year olds is done when drinkers are having five or more drinks at one time. Across the United States, one out of seven eighth graders report having been drunk in the last year and by age 18, 70 percent of teens have had a drink.

Healthy Malden has worked on educating both adults and youth on the dangers of underage drinking for years. We have produced many shows for parents and guardians on the dangers of alcohol and drug use and those shows remain available for viewing at any time on our Web site, www.HEALTHYMALDEN.org.

Through educational programs created in partnership with the Malden Public Schools, the annual Youth Risk Behavior Survey indicates that we have lowered the incidences of alcohol drinking among middle-schoolers from 37 percent to 29 percent in the last four years. Just as importantly, we have also lowered the perception of peer use of alcohol from 35 percent to 13 percent in that same time frame.

Unfortunately, 44 percent of those same Malden middle-schoolers reported seeing alcohol ads in the last 30 days. Therefore, we echo the United States Surgeon General’s call that the alcohol industry has a public responsibility related to the marketing of its product. We also call upon parents and guardians to talk to their children about what they see on television and help them understand how commercials are used to sell products, services, and images that are not always based in reality. The reality is that teen alcohol consumption is unhealthy, unsafe, and unacceptable.

Kevin Duffy
Executive Director
Healthy Malden, Inc

As posted in the Malden Observer:
http://www.wickedlocal.com/malden/news/opinions/letters/x1851009663/Letter-Super-Bowl-commercials-deluge-youth-with-alcohol-messages