More than a helping hand

More than a helping hand

By Gonzalo Cadima, Senior Director United Way of Broward County  Commission on Substance Abuse

      Twenty five years is the time it has taken to build and maintain one of the most effective community drug prevention coalitions in the United States, the United Way of Broward County Commission on Substance Abuse (the “Commission”). There are literally thousands of organizations across the county and right here in our own Broward County working to improve the quality of life for its residents. What makes the Commission stand out? There are numerous qualities that continue to make the Commission one of the most relevant and dynamic organizations in the history of these movements.

The first quality is relevance. It is sad, but true – too many of Broward’s children and teens continue to consume alcohol and other drugs. The Commission’s long standing focus of empowering moms, dads, grandparents and all important adults in a child’s life with many of the critical tools they need to be as successful as they can be, is likely its strongest character asset. All adults in a child’s life need support as they work to keep children making healthy choices. To name a few the Commission offers training, current research sharing, technical support, materials and connectivity through its committees, initiatives and task forces, so likeminded people have a forum to exchange their needs and that have worked.

The result of this persistent and dynamic strategy is that Broward County has a current pulse on sub-stance abuse in this community. Together we have reduced the number children and teens who make the choice to use alcohol or other drugs. When a new drug trend emerges, the Commission rallies its vast and varied group of talented and committed volunteers to stay in front of the trend, and makes sure the new information is shared quickly in a concerted effort to keep the trend at bay. There is still much to, but we continue to stay the course.

Every pocket of our diverse community has received support and resources to help keep those children and families making healthy choices on the same path, and for the children and families that are hurting because of substance use, the Commission continues to be a committed resource with a broad based team of hundreds of volunteers wanting to help.

For more information about the Commission’s programs, trainings, and volunteer opportunities, please call us at (954)760-7007 or visit us at www.drugfreebroward.org