McKenzie County ND

More and younger youth in Watford City are “stepping up” to the mission of choosing to build a better future through abstinence from drugs, including nicotine and alcohol.

“We have six, and as many as 12 interested, Junior High students at Watford City High School who are active in the new Junior High Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) Chapter we have just started in Watford City Public School,” announced SADD adviser Katie Paulson during the April 23 meeting of the Watford City Community Coalition. “The Junior High SADD Chapter is going!”

Katie also informed the group of the assigned tasks of the Gatekeeper students. Reader: REFER TO THE PREVIOUS STORY, in addition to the following story about Gatekeepers expanding into more sources of strength.

Twenty five people from Watford City, Keene, Alexander and Halliday gathered in Watford City’s Civic Center on Monday night, April 14 to discuss positive ways to prevent youth suicide. Mark LoMurray through Outreach Services, Inc. of Bismarck shared his copywrited materials and had the four groups of people share how they have overcome stresses their lives.

“Remember, tell someone,” states LoMurray. “Get your friend, child or family member to help and begin building multiple supports. Don’t try to keep them safe by yourself.”

Gatekeepers “mug” for the camera

Dr. Gary Ramage, MD at McKenzie County Healthcare Systems says, “There are no good reasons whatsoever to consume alcohol under the age of 21, only serious consequences. Take this message out into the community!’

Excerpts from his panel presentation notes given March 31 in Watford City’s Civic Center will follow.

First, I would like you to follow this link to Tina Foreman’s article in the McKenzie County Farmer. It is good only until early Wednesday morning, April 16, 2008, when the successive Internet issue replaces the current one, so I recommend obtaining the April 9 issue so you, the reader, may also read Neal Shipman’s editorial on page 2, calling for action on the part of parents and community.

Returning to Dr. Ramage’s account of underage drinking…. (more…)

Youth suicide is a problem in McKenzie County, and we (everyone in this county) has an open opportunity to learn how to prevent it through a Gatekeeper/Sources of Strength training event to held in the Watford City Civic Center Monday, April 14.

There is no school that day, and Mark LoMurray, the contractor and trainer from the North Dakota Mental Health Association, a work record with the North Dakota State Health Department, including some 10 years of experience in suicide prevention which has won him national attention, will present his focused program to the youth from 12:30 (noon) to 4 p.m. and to adults from 5 p.m. until 7:30 p.m.

This training is free, thanks to a Youth Suicide Prevention grant award, includes a free meal, thanks to the McKenzie County Horizons program-Leadership to Reduce Poverty, and the information goes beyond recognizing the suicide warning signs.

All people should call Katie Paulson at 842-4584 in order to register and/or obtain more information.

Katie is the coordinator of the Suicide Prevention grant and also serves as the Watford City High School Students Against Destructive Decisions Chapter adviser. Registration could also be obtained through the McKenzie County NDSU Extension Service office at 444-3451. Mark is on the far left and Katie is on the far right.

Goals and objectives will be planned for the public school’s next three to five years on Monday evening, April 7, 2008 at 7 p.m. in the Watford City High School Media Center. McKenzie County Public School District No. 1 and its school board of directors invite the public to participate. They will address the current and future condition of the school district.

Everyone is welcome to attend. A report of the meeting will be made available at the district office regarding the events of the April 7 meeting.

The questions and answers following the 11-member panel presentation brought the evening to an end at 8:30. Roughly 60 people attended from across the county, and everyone got a chance to eat, ask questions and gather information.

“This is a national as well as a local problem that can only get better if everyone comes together and takes action against the underage drinking problem,” states Karen McDaniel, Region 1 Substance Abuse Prevention coordinator who presented the power point show at the Town Hall Meeting addressing underage drinking March 31, 2008 in the Watford City Civic Center.”Taking the keys away doesn’t prevent these things from occurring,” stated Karen as she read the statistics about 5,000 young people under the age of 21 dying as a result of underage drinking.

• 1,900 from motor vehicle crashes
• 1,600 from homicides
• 300 from suicide
• hundreds from other injuries such as falls, burns and drownings

Underage drinking is a leading public health problem in the United States, and the U.S. Surgeon General has been alerted to new research indicating that the developing adolescent brain may be particularly susceptible to long-term consequences from alcohol use. His call to action has resulted in hundreds of town hall meetings held around the country just like this one.

Some of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey Results from Watford City public school system were reported on slides. (more…)

Do you like to fish? Do you like to listen to music? Do you have a hobby that you could share with others? Do like to hear stories of days gone by? Do you like to listen when others talk and share about their day? Do you like to put puzzles together? Do you like to cook? Do you have an extra 30 minutes in your  week that  you could share with some one else?

 If you do, then perhaps being a mentor to a young person or some one of the grandparent generation may be just the opening you have been waiting for.  

Take a look around your community and see who would benefit from just 30 minutes of your time. YOU will be surprised at what you see. Those 30 minutes can make a difference.

If you are interested or know of someone who would like to be a mentor have them contact Peggy at 701-570-9398 to learn more about this great opportunity.

Do you have time?

The McKenzie County Horizons Program for leadership development and poverty reduction has answered the basic questions:

Where are we?

How we got here?

What have we accomplished?

Here’s the answers:  http://mckenzie.communityblogs.us/our-vision/our-success-story/ 

On Friday March 28, Alexander ladies gathered at the Trinity Lutheran Church basement to give a hand to the Lewis and Clark Trail Museum. Some ladies created greeting cards to sell at the museum, others added printed museum pictures and slogan stickers to 3 x 5 notebooks. The notebooks will be used to promote the museum and some will also be available at the gift shop for a nominal fee.

Other folks took a look at a large box of photos and identified what they could. Shelly Haugen, an avid scrap booker, has taken on the task of creating scrapbooks for museum visitors to enjoy.

Holly Helling spearheaded the day and designed the stickers for the notebooks. Dorothy Reil and Teresa Forthun also assisted with card making.

The Teacher Learning Center of Williston loaned a die cut machine and various dies to the group.

Coffee and cookies were provided courtesy of the First International Bank and Trust of Watford City with a branch office in Alexander.

Photos courtesy of Holly Helling.

If you think our community has no problem with underage drinking, think again. Prevention Coordinator Karen McDaniel’s power point presentation of McKenzie County underage drinkers graphically shows how the students in Watford City’s Risk Survey perform the risky business above the statewide average and above others in this region.

Ten members of the Community Coalition and the McKenzie County Horizons program met today to finalize plans for the Monday evening, March 31 Town Hall meeting to be held in the Watford City Civic Center.

If you think you’ll miss the supper, think again. The supper, served at 6 p.m., is free: lasagne, salad and a brownie for dessert.

Bring your appetite for improving the health of our community.

The panel discussion follows McDaniel’s power point presentation of the current facts about underage drinking in McKenzie County. Different points of view will come from each panel member: Dr. Gary Ramage, Sheriff Ron Rankin, Northwest District Director of Juvenile Cort, Unit 4 Chris S. Myers, and Jerry Chapman, Mercy Recovery Center Addiction Counselor. From our county, Heidi Garmann, Northwest Human Services Counselor; Steve Holen, McKenzie County District #1 Superintendent; Daryl Vance, Watford City Police Chief and Ben Weltikol, Watford City Fire Department.

Moderator Pastor Tim Swenson of Arnegard will also represent the McKenzie County Ministerial Association.

Insights will be offered by the Watford City Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) Chapter Advisor Katie Paulson and SADD student Missy Morken will speak to the problem as they see it.

The 11 presenters promise to deliver the “goods” on their topic in just four minutes each and a timer will hold them to it. Questions from the audience will be carried forward by ‘facilitators’ to serve each table.

Discussion groups will have five minutes to map out ways to convince youth and young adults that avoiding alcohol consumption is to their benefit. The final 15 minutes means sharing the mapped out solutions and a feedback short-form should be filled out by each person, please.

To you who say…”The youth are the future,” come out Monday evening and help them make it be a good future with some mapping to prevent criminal behavior, accidents, health problems and poverty.