Catalyst

Informed Families Catalyst

These Three are Key

Posted by Informed Families on June 24, 2023 at 10:32 PM

What do Education, Prevention, and Law Enforcement have in common?

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Topics: drugs, opioids, summer, fentanyl, miami, mental health

38th Annual Informed Families Dinner at Joe’s Stone Crab

Posted by Informed Families on June 17, 2023 at 11:50 PM

Helping Kids Grow Up Safe, Healthy, and Drug-Free

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Topics: Joe's Stone Crab, drugs, opioids, summer, fentanyl, miami, mental health

Summertime Safety: Educating Kids on the Dangers of Substance Misuse

Posted by Informed Families on June 10, 2023 at 9:43 PM

Summertime is a season filled with joy, adventure, and the perfect opportunity for kids (and educators!) to take a break from their studies and enjoy some well-deserved fun.  However, it's crucial to acknowledge that the summer months can also present potential risks, particularly when it comes to substance misuse among children. 

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Topics: drugs, opioids, summer, fentanyl, mental health

How to Help Your Child Succeed in Life

Posted by Informed Families on May 29, 2023 at 1:30 PM

When 13-year-old Dillon Reeves noticed his Michigan school bus driver’s head drop forward and her hands fall from the steering wheel, he raced to the front of the bus, turned the wheel to avoid hitting a car at the intersection, and hit the brakes.

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Topics: marijuana, brain development, social media, drugs, opioids, myths, fentanyl

Teens, Fentanyl, and Social Media—A Lethal Combination

Posted by Informed Families on May 20, 2023 at 4:36 PM

On Valentine’s Day, 2021, 19-year-old Logan Rachwal had an argument with his girlfriend and popped what he thought was Percocet, a painkiller that he bought on the social media app Snapchat. Logan fell asleep and never woke up.

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Topics: marijuana, brain development, social media, drugs, opioids, myths, fentanyl

Shattering the Myth of Marijuana’s 'Harmlessness'

Posted by Informed Families on May 15, 2023 at 10:58 PM

These days, it seems marijuana use has become as acceptable as a glass of wine with dinner. In addition, more states have become enamored of the revenue that comes with legalizing and taxing the drug.

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Topics: marijuana, brain development, drugs, opioids, myths, fentanyl

U.S. Launches New Weapon in War on Fentanyl

Posted by Informed Families on April 30, 2023 at 10:05 PM

The tragedy of fentanyl continues killing Americans: more than 107,000 in 2021, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) figures.

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Topics: drugs, opioids, fentanyl

President's Message - January 2020

Posted by Peggy B. Sapp, President & CEO on January 2, 2020 at 9:00 AM

A New Year and A New Start    

Welcome, 2020! Cheers to the start of a new year and a new decade.

We are encouraged by the recent findings from the annual Monitoring the Future survey.  In the past year, the use of illicit drugs (other than marijuana) among 12th graders remains low. The misuse of prescription medicines and the use of alcohol and tobacco cigarettes continues to decline as well. However the number of youth vaping marijuana and nicotine is rising.

In the 1980s, we were fighting to keep our kids safe from cocaine, big tobacco and underage drinking. Today we are battling against opioids, vaping and binge drinking. The drug trends may change, but education and simple, clear communication remain key in keeping our youth healthy and drug free.

Informed Families has been fortunate to have such terrific partners help us spread our prevention messages. We are once again partnering with Publix to promote our Lock Your Meds campaign and messaging in all of their pharmacies this month. We are also working with the Florida Blue Foundation to increase awareness of the opioid epidemic and promote good mental health over the next three years.  

Informed Families will continue to deliver on our mission to educate, enable and empower students, parents and communities to work together to keep children healthy in 2020. We are off to a great start!

Peggy

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Topics: President's Message, drug trends, underage drinking, binge drinking, publix, drug free, drug prevention, nicotine, tobacco, drug use, opioids, alcohol use, mental health, vaping

Prevention Awareness Key in Fight Against Opioids

Posted by Informed Families on April 26, 2019 at 9:15 AM

Informed Families President & CEO Peggy Sapp was invited to participate in a round table discussion about the opioid epidemic on Saturday, April 20. Organized by Congresswoman Donna Shalala, the panel was moderated by Rodrigo Lozano, LCSW, from the National Association of Social Workers and included John W. Newcomer, M.D., president and CEO of South Florida Behavioral Health Network in Miami, FL, Judge Victoria Sigler and Howard Rosen, Esq., head of narcotics in the State Attorney’s Office.

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Topics: lock your meds, prescription drugs, overdose, Peggy Sapp, drug prevention, drug use, opioids

President's Message - February 2019

Posted by Peggy B. Sapp, President & CEO on February 26, 2019 at 1:11 PM

How We Pass Down Values To The Next Generation

From the moment our children are born, everything we do, every choice we make and every action we may or may not take communicates our values. Our kids are absorbing our every move, soaking up our interactions with them and with others.

We want them to learn right from wrong, how to be kind to others, how to recognize and manage their emotions and how to be honest, responsible and fair. Not only are our children more pleasant to be around when they learn these things, but they are more likely to be happy, perform well in school and become a productive members of society. 

The loss of our great supporter, friend and philanthropist Betty Chapman this past week is a great reminder that we have the ability to not only pass values down to our children and their children, but we can pass down values in a community. Betty’s dedication to her community will continue to influence others to give back to their communities for decades to come.

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Topics: President's Message, parenting, lock your meds, children, opioids, parents

About Us

We teach people how to say no to drugs and how to make healthy choices. To reduce the demand for drugs, Informed Families has focused its efforts on educating and mobilizing the community, parents and young people in order to change attitudes. In this way we counteract the pressures in society that condone and promote drug and alcohol use and abuse. The organization educates thousands of families annually about how to stay drug and alcohol free through networking and a variety of programs and services .

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