La Center United Newsletter
June 2021
La Center United coalition meetings are on hold for summer. Coalition meetings are set to resume Thursday, September 14th. Follow La Center United on social media, or lacenterunited.org or follow this newsletter for calendar updates
New Community Member Welcome Basket
La Center United Partners with Community Organizations and Local Businesses To Welcome New Community Members
La Center United has partnered with community organizations and local businesses to compile baskets with local information and swag items to welcome new neighbors to the community.
Each basket consists of: a La Center United welcome letter, brochures, and/or business cards from local businesses, churches, and volunteer groups, a treat from Sadie & Josie's bakery, a face mask, a La Center United: bandana, pop-socket, pen, and lanyard, a small notebook, to-go “youth first” bag, key chain, La Center Museum Centennial newspaper, and calendar with historical pictures of La Center.
If you are a new community member or know a new member of the community who may be interested in a community welcome basket please contact lacenterunited@gmail.com.
You can still participate in this community basket project through any of these ways :
1) Collect flyers, business cards, and swag from all the local businesses, churches, groups, etc to help them feel the love of La Center. If you know of any of these people or groups that would be interested. Please message me or any La Center United member to connect (~50 1-page flyers should be plenty), or email us at lacenterunited@gmail.com with "welcome basket" in the subject line.
2) Volunteers are currently meeting virtually on Wednesdays at 7 PM to organize basket collection and planning to compile more baskets/ delivery.
3) We are seeking ways to "know" when new families move in so the baskets can be delivered.
Happy Pride Month!
Rainbow Walk
Date: Saturday, June 26th
Time: 4:00pm
Location: La Center Bridge to Holley Park
Contact: Erin Smelser ersmelser@gmail.com (310) 227-3868 (Email and Text are best as my reception at home is weak) Cecelia Franks is also the contact for the event, but she works long hours, so I can handle daily details.
Facebook: Clark County PRIDE!
Med Disposal
Is your medicine cabinet full of expired prescriptions and over-the-counter medications you no longer use?
Your medicine is prescribed for you. What’s safe for you might be harmful to someone else. Any medicine can come with adverse reactions when used with other medications, not taken as prescribed or when taken by someone other than who it was prescribed for. Moreover, when medications are stored in an insecure location or disposed of improperly they can be accidentally ingested or misused by others and end up in the environment and our waterways. By taking precautionary steps to safeguard your medications that include proper disposal and secure storage you are choosing to protect yourself, your loved ones, and the environment. These are all important reasons to make medication safety a priority and a normal part of your life.
Safeguard your medication by taking these precautionary steps:
- Properly dispose of expired and unused medicine for free at medication drop box kiosks located in participating retail and clinic pharmacies and law enforcement offices or use a mail-back service to safely dispose of medication. To protect the safety of others and the environment, do not place medicines in the trash or recycling, and never flush them down the toilet or sink. To find a nearby medication dropbox or request a mail-back envelope, go to https://med-project.org/locations/washington/.
- Store medication in a secured location at home and on the go. For more info on safe storage, please click here.
- Speak with your pharmacist or physician about all the prescriptions and over-the-counter medications you’re taking for possible adverse reactions.
- Follow medication instructions completely, even if you feel better. Speak with your physician if you feel your medication isn’t working or if you no longer wish to take a medication.
- Never share or take a prescription that wasn’t prescribed for you. It’s dangerous and illegal.
- Have honest conversations with friends and family about the dangers and risks of misusing prescription drugs.
* If you or someone you know is suffering from addiction to opioids, now is the time to get help. Programs are available across Washington state to help you live an opioid-free life. Find out more at www.GetTheFactsRx.com. *
Applications For Clark County STASHA Peer Educator Team are currently open
What: Clark County STASHA is an excellent leadership opportunity for young people interested in gaining volunteer experience, building connections with others, and learning valuable new skills.
Who: Clark County youth who will be 12-19 years old in the 2021-2022 school year and who feel they may benefit from increased involvement in their community. Applicants do not need any volunteer or leadership experience to apply.
Learn more and apply: visit www.clarkcountystasha.org.
STASHA staff are available to meet with potential applicants or those who wish to share the opportunity with the youth via Zoom to talk about this opportunity and answer any questions they may have. Any interested youth are welcome to reach out to schedule with us (contact info below).
Questions? If you or your potential applicants have any questions, please contact Alaina Green (Program Coordinator) at 564.397.5841 or alaina.green@clark.wa.gov
Applications are due no later than Friday, June 11.
La Center Farmers Market
Summer Internship Opportunity for Youth
Summer Works
Looking for a summer internship? Consider SummerWorks 2021.
SummerWorks connects motivated young adults to businesses for paid summer jobs! Paid internships available for young adults ages 16 - 21 that are currently enrolled in school, meet IEP or 504 eligibility requirements and live in Clark, Wahkiakum, or Cowlitz counties.
Professional development opportunities are provided to prepare you for job placement. Participants are placed with an employer that is the best fit for them.
To get involved contact the staff below or visit www.nextsuccess.org.
Clark County:
Becky Mohagen
360.952.3453
Cowlitz & Wahkiakum Counties:
Christine Katon
360.355.3119
The Prevent Washington State Rural network is seeking photos
What does your community look like? Submit photos today!
What do rural communities look like?
What does it mean to be rural?
What are the greatest strengths in your community?
We would like to capture all of the above, and more, in photos of rural communities across the state. We're building an online "stock photo library" of pictures that rural community members, like you, submit to us.
There is a significant lack of representation in marketing and promotional materials that accurately reflect rural lifestyle and culture. We would like to address this together so that our partners, supporters, and members can use appropriate images in prevention campaigns, fliers, posters, social media, and more.
Click here to submit your photos!
All images will be reviewed by our Toolkit Workgroup committee before being included in our online toolkit. The online toolkit should be published in June of 2021. Any images of youth or minors will require a permission form that can be signed online by parents and guardians at the time of submission, or at a later date.
Share Your Story
The Rural Network is gathering stories of success and innovation to create an online gallery of ways people have overcome obstacles, adapted prevention materials, or created new implementation strategies for prevention.
Take the five question survey to help us get a sense of what's working in your area.
Eventually, all submissions will be available online in a gallery that will help members and prevention practitioners become more innovative in their approaches to this work.
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Our Mission:
Inspiring our community to be safe, healthy and resilient
Preventing destructive behavior through open access to education and environmental strategies
Supporting those in need, sharing ideas, and offering help
Our Vision:
A healthy and resilient community for youth and families
Email: lacenterunited@gmail.com
Website: http://lacenterunited.org/
Phone: 3609523488
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lacenterunited