Cobb Alcohol Taskforce Coordinator, Cathy Finck, Receives Prevention Pioneer Award

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November 12, 2010, Marietta, GA – Cobb Alcohol Taskforce is proud to announce that Cobb Alcohol Taskforce Coordinator, Cathy Finck, was awarded the Prevention Pioneer in Georgia Award. The award was given by the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health, Developmental Disabilities and Addictive Diseases at a recent 4th Annual Georgia School of Addiction Studies at a conference recently held in Savannah, Georgia.  The award was given to Finck and five of her peers in acknowledgement of their continual dedication and contributions to prevention in Georgia.   

The award ceremony included a brief recap of Cathy Finck’s career in prevention: 

“Cathy Finck has worked in the substance abuse field for 22 years and her experience mirrors the theme of this year’s conference…from Prevention to Treatment to Recovery. Cathy has pioneered efforts for involving Georgia families in substance abuse prevention, treatment and recovery systems and services.  Cathy has consulted with many organizations on substance abuse related issues for children and families, community mobilization and coalition building, environmental system change, strategic planning and public policy. Some of the organizations Cathy has worked with over the years are: Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration, Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Parent Resources & Information for Drug Education, Georgia Department of Human Resources, Georgia Council on Substance Abuse, Georgia Children and Youth Coordinating Council, The Council on Alcohol and Drugs, Cobb County Safe and Drug-free Schools’ Prevention Intervention Center, National Families in Action and Cobb Community Collaborative. Currently Cathy serves as Coordinator for the Cobb Alcohol Taskforce, as 2nd Vice President for the Georgia Coalition to Prevent Underage Drinking, and as a SAMSHA Consultant for the Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Substance Abuse State Infrastructure Grants.”

About the Cobb Alcohol Taskforce - Cobb Alcohol Taskforce is an alliance of individuals and organizations which mobilizes and challenges Cobb County adults to reduce underage drinking and youth binge drinking, by advancing strategic enforcement, policy and education goals.

U.S. Dept of Justice & Health and Human Services Award Almost $76 Million to Enhance Adult & Juvenile Drug Treatment Courts

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2010
WWW.OJP.GOV

Office of Justice Programs (OJP)
Contact: Michelle Muth Person
(202) 307-0703

U.S. DEPARTMENTS OF JUSTICE AND HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
AWARD ALMOST $76 MILLION TO ENHANCE ADULT AND JUVENILE
DRUG TREATMENT COURTS

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs' (OJP) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and the Department of Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) awarded nearly $76 million in Fiscal Year 2010 grants to enhance the court services, coordination, and substance abuse treatment capacity of adult and juvenile drug treatment courts. Drug courts promote treatment approaches rather than traditional incarceration for people drawn into the criminal justice system because of substance abuse related problems.

There are more than 2,200 drug court programs currently providing services to adults and juveniles across the nation. In judicially supervised settings, these specialized courts effectively integrate substance abuse treatment, mandatory drug testing, sanctions and incentives, and support services needed to recover and steer clear of further involvement with the juvenile and criminal justice system. "We know that drug courts are central to reducing drug abuse and to keeping communities safe. These grants will help communities launch new drug courts and enhance courts where they already exist," said Laurie O. Robinson, OJP's Assistant Attorney General.

New Barton Center Director Appointed

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Barton Child Law and Policy Center Newsletter
 

Dear Child Advocates, this update contains:

New Barton Center Director Appointed

Applicants Sought for 2011-2012 Robin Nash Fellowship

Placements Sought for 2011 Emory Summer Child Advocacy Program

Georgia Child Welfare Legal Academy, December 9, 2010

Student Perspective: Barton's Runaway Youth Project

 

 
  
 As many of you know, the founding Director of the Barton Child Law and Policy Center, Karen Worthington, left this fall to move closer to family and pursue an independent consulting practice.  We are grateful for Karen's many wonderful contributions over the years, and she is dearly missed.  Replacing Karen has been a difficult task, because her vision, energy, and commitment have gotten the Center to where we are today. 
After an extensive search, we are thrilled to announce that we have found an extraordinary person to lead the Barton Center through the next phase of our work.  Emory Law School has appointed Melissa Dorris Carter to serve as the next Barton Center Director.  Melissa has been closely associated with the Barton Center for years.  Her legal career as a child advocate started first with an internship through the Center's Emory Summer Child Advocacy Program, and then with two years as the Barton Post-Graduate Fellow in Law.  Since then, Melissa has had a distinguished career, including work in leadership positions in the federally funded Court Improvement Projects of both Georgia and Illinois, and in private practice as an adoption attorney.  She served for three years as Deputy Director of Georgia's Office of the Child Advocate before being appointed by Governor Perdue as the Director of that office in February of this year.  In addition to her work experience, Melissa brings to the Barton Center her credentials as a published scholar on child welfare policy; the relationships she has built working as a pro bono attorney, as a federal child welfare reviewer, and as an active member and former chair of the State Bar's Juvenile Law Committee.  Melissa will joining the Barton Center effective December 1, 2010.   
New Barton Center Director Appointed
 

 

Cobb Alcohol Taskforce Celebrates Red Ribbon Week with Youth Council Summit and PSA Contest

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Alisa Bennett-Hart
PR Specialist
Cobb Alcohol Taskforce
pr@cobbat.org
770-861-5758 mobile
678-819-0877 fax
www.cobbat.org
 
COBB ALCOHOL TASKFORCE CELEBRATES RED RIBBON WEEK WITH YOUTH COUNCIL SUMMIT AND PSA CONTEST
October 22, 2010, Marietta, GA – Cobb Alcohol Taskforce recognizes Red Ribbon Week, October 23 -31, 2010, the Nation’s oldest and largest drug prevention program reaching millions of Americans during the last week of October every year. Scheduled taskforce activities are as follows:

Cobb Alcohol Taskforce will hold a Youth Council Summit at The Walker School on October 23, 2010. The event will be a day full of fun with interactive activities led by youth delegates of the Cobb Alcohol Taskforce Youth Council – Take It Back chapter. Youth facilitated workshops will focus on giving youth a voice that will shake up adult attitudes and beliefs about underage and youth binge drinking. Cobb County middle and high school aged youth who represent an existing school or community youth group will be in attendance.  The Youth Council will develop youth-led projects to reduce underage and youth binge drinking throughout the year and will come back together in the Spring of 2011.

Attorney General Holder Unveils Defending Childhood Initiative

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Department of Justice
Office of Public Affairs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, September 23, 2010

Attorney General Holder Unveils Defending Childhood Initiative
$5.5 Million in Grants Awarded for First Phase of Initiative

WASHINGTON – Attorney General Eric Holder today officially unveiled Defending Childhood, a new Department of Justice initiative focused on addressing children’s exposure to violence. The goals of the initiative are to prevent children’s exposure to violence as victims and witnesses, mitigate the negative effects experienced by children exposed to violence, and develop knowledge about and increase awareness of this issue. “For me, the issue of children’s exposure to violence has been both a personal and professional concern for decades. As our nation’s Attorney General and as a parent, it remains a top priority,” said Attorney General Holder. “Through renewing and refocusing our efforts to serve our nation’s most vulnerable and most distressed children we can transform the country we love for the better – one child at a time.”

A key component of the initiative is a multi-year demonstration program.

Expungement Forum: “Is There a Real Second Chance in Georgia?”

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PRESS RELEASE

Expungement Forum: “Is There a Real Second Chance in Georgia?”

WHAT: This year approximately 400,000 Georgians will be arrested for a criminal offense. A number of these cases will notresult in convictions. However, these Georgians will still face substantial barriers that restrict their access to employment,housing, education and other basic benefits of citizenship. The Georgia Justice Project, Georgia STAND-UP, Georgia Black United Fund, The Atlanta North Georgia Labor Council and United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta are co-sponsoring a forum on criminal records and the collateral consequences thereof. “Is There a Real Second Chance in Georgia?” is a daylong event that will further the discussion on ways to address the needs of Georgians with arrest records and opportunities for assistance.

Welfare Watch – GA Conference on Children and Families

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Welfare Watch - September 23, 2010 - Georgia Conference on Children and Families

The Georgia Conference on Children and Families (GCCF) comes at a most appropriate time.  Georgia's way of caring for its at-risk children in its child welfare, juvenile justice, behavioral health and developmental disabilities systems is rapidly changing. It is a time of sometimes overwhelming rapid change with new paradigms of thinking and acting. This economic crisis is causing both public and private agencies to identify their core activities.  Data is becoming increasing important as it drives all direct services to evidence based practices.  Family and community are important players in the system that once only had the "experts"  at the table.  The panacea of programs has been replaced with systems of care that includes all aspects of the child's life. This Conference serves the needs of stakeholders in child welfare to understand this change and even to embrace it. Just as Georgia is being seen as one of the leading states in the nation in child welfare work, stakeholders are struggling to keep up.

Cobb Alcohol Taskforce Seeks Youth to Participate in Summit

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Cobb Alcohol Taskforce to Hold Youth Council Summit Hosted by The Walker School –

Seeking 100 Cobb County Youth to Participate

September 23, 2010, Marietta, GA – Cobb Alcohol Taskforce will hold a Youth Council Summit at The Walker School on October 23, 2010. The event will be a day full of fun with interactive activities led by youth delegates of the Cobb Alcohol Taskforce Youth Council – Take It Back chapter. Youth facilitated workshops will focus on giving youth a voice that will shake up adult attitudes and beliefs about underage and youth binge drinking. Summit attendees will receive branded t-shirts and drawstring bags; beeligible for drawings for gift cards; receive community service learning and hours; and receive community recognition for participation in a project aimed at making a difference in underage and youth binge drinking. Cobb County middle and high school aged youth who represent an existing school or community youth group are invited to register to attend this free event.

Millions Go to Youth Programs Nationwide

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WASHINGTON - The Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs (OJP) today announced $60 million in discretionary awards to leading national organizations to strengthen, expand and implement youth mentoring activities and youth development programming throughout the nation. An additional $37 million in grants to local mentoring organizations will be awarded in Fiscal Year 2010. These grants are administered by OJP's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. "These awards are part of an ongoing commitment by the Department of Justice to give young people an opportunity to participate in activities that will enrich their lives," said Laurie O. Robinson, OJP's Assistant Attorney General. "Through these organizations, youth are provided programs that help keep them in school, out of trouble, and most importantly, put them in direct contact with caring adults who provide crucial support and guidance."

Georgia Judge Heads National Council

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Judge Michael Key of Troup County, Georgia was sworn in Tuesday as the new president of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges at their annual conference in San Diego. Key has been a juvenile court judge since 1989, and is past president of the Georgia Council of Juvenile Court Judges.  He has been honored twice with the President’s Award, and was named Child Advocate of the Year by the Young Lawyer Division of the Georgia State Bar Association.  Judge Key sits on the bench part time, and is a partner in the law firm of Key and Gordy, in LaGrange. The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges has 2,000 members and is based at the University of Nevada in Reno. Read the full news release here.