What two words make you cringe more than “public speaking”? You may be able to name a few, but for many people the fear of this is real, myself included. So, to help with my fear, I joined a club that makes you give public speeches to improve on this. The odd thing about this…
Blog
The Power of Hope and Optimism
Can you believe it? It is November! The leaves have changed, and the weather has cooled down. It is the season we all look forward to in Arizona—fall and another year is ending. It is the time to reflect and feel grateful for all the things in our life. Big or small, there is something…
Facts You Need to Know About Counterfeit Pills and Our Teens
Marissa received a call from a family member telling her a picture of her 15-year-old son Issaiah is circulating on Snapchat, and he’s passed out. The post said he took a Percocet. She got a call informing her what hospital her son was at, and when she arrived at the hospital, the doctors said we…
Back-to-School Tips
Adjusting After the COVID-19 Chaos of 2020 It’s that time again, time to hear the morning rush. “Time to get up! Where is my backpack? Did you brush your teeth? Did you pack your lunch? Let’s go, we are going to be late!” Yup, it is time to prepare for Back-to-School. This school year will…
ACEs
What if I told you the new gateway to addiction is something that cannot be smoked, swallowed, snorted, or injected; and your child may have been exposed to it and not even know it. The cartels cannot make it and dealers cannot sell it, but it is still prevalent in society. You as a parent…
This is Why I Carry
I carry it because my friend was not a junkie. I carry it because the doctor said it was safe. I carry it because others do not. I carry it for your child. I carry it for over 70 Arizona youth that died last year and wished someone carried it. Plain and simple, I carry…
Catch Me
The WOW Coalition and Youth4Youth are working with 8th graders at multiple local schools helping youth develop social-emotional life skills. The program called THRIVE, is a resiliency program designed to empower teens with knowledge and tools to divert high-risk behavior and thrive in today’s culture. Today’s lesson was “Identifying Emotions,” teaching youth how to name what…
Parental Alert
What was your world like when you were ten or fifteen years old? How did you spend time with friends? What was neighborhood safety like? Did you have a cell phone? Did you have a smartphone? Was there even anything such as internet safety? Was there an app for that? As parents, we must make…
The Exit Plan
Last September, we helped parents understand the importance of having “The Talk” with their children. Today, we want to expand on bullet point #5 — Build your child’s strategies and skills to avoid alcohol and drug use and talk about The Exit Plan. You and your family need to develop some strategies and skills to help…
Better & Stronger
We made it through 2020, and I think we can all say 2020 was not without its fair share of hardships. Life can be hard all on its own, but then you mix in a global pandemic and all the aftermath that comes with it, things can feel very overwhelming. Some ask, where does it…