Washington County Gives, Today!

Today’s the Day! Washington County Gives Day, to be specific! Today, May 2,  the Washington County community will come together for 24 hours of generosity. From 12am-11:59pm a share of every donation made to local nonprofits will be matched with a pool of $30,000 in funds provided by the major sponsors and the Community Foundation of Washington County MD. In addition, $18,000 worth of prize money will be available, including random prizes that any nonprofit can win.

If you have been thinking of making a gift – large or small – to a local nonprofit, the opportunity for matching gifts and other funds means that your contribution will have an even bigger impact today.

Why give to Teens Have Choices? 
Let’s be honest… we don’t have any cute furry puppies to save, or little kids with bowl haircuts and big eyes that pierce your soul. What we do have is a small but dedicated staff and Board who care very much for the youth in our community and who want all of our youth to have bright futures because of the healthy choices they make today. Your donation will help us to empower teens to make healthy decisions, which is important because, frankly, that’s not something that occurs naturally for everyone. We accomplish this by providing information for teens and their parents in schools, at community events, at churches, and online! We coordinate community resources and plan events that will help our teens deal with issues like sex, relationships, and substance use. We do all of this with just two staff and limited time and money. In other words, we NEED your support!

Need a better reason? Anyone who donates $100 or more to Teens Have Choices will receive two Regal Cinemas movie tickets, and everyone who donates to us will be entered to win a Dinner & a Movie package: A $50 Outback gift card, and two tickets to the Regal Cinemas! You can donate right now.

Teens Have Choices relies on community support to accomplish our mission. As a small nonprofit operating on a slim budget, Teens Have Choices can always use your support – financial or otherwise. There are many ways you can make a difference for the youth of Washington County! Here are just a few:

• Subscribe to our e-newsletter and stay up to date on what’s happening at Teens Have Choices.
• Like us on Facebook; follow us on Twitter. (We’re on Pinterest and Instagram, too!)
• Be a guest blogger – share your thoughts about teen life, parenting, making healthy choices.
• Help out at special events – volunteers are needed for our Just Teens event on Friday, October 25, 2013.
• Join our development committee and help us build sustainability.
• Our Faith-Based Initiative always welcomes new members.
• Do you work with youth or are part of a youth-serving agency or organization? Join our Positive Youth Development Partnership.
• Concerned about the effects of underage drinking and binge drinking among young people? We’ve formed a brand-new coalition of concerned community members, organizations, and agencies to help address this issue in Washington County. Join Drug Free WC!
• Join our Board of Directors and help guide our future initiatives.
• Consider an in-kind contribution: copy paper and office supplies, paint for our new office space, technical support or other resources. We could really use some file boxes to help us with our office move next week!

You may also want to share some Day of Giving support with our community partners. Nearly 50 local nonprofits are participating, including:

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Washington County
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Washington County
• Community Action Council
• Community Free Clinic
• Girls Inc.
• Hospice of Washington County
• Lead4Life, Inc.
• Memorial Recreation Center
• Volunteer Washington County

For a complete list of participants, visit Washington County Gives.

What ever you do to show your support, we appreciate it. Your support for any of your community nonprofits ultimately helps all of us! Thank you!

May is National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month and tomorrow, May 1, is the 12th Annual National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. On the National Day and throughout the month of May, teens nationwide will be asked to visit StayTeen.org to participate in the popular National Day Quiz, which delivers teen pregnancy prevention messages and challenges them to think carefully about what they might do “in the moment.” The message of the National Day is simple and straightforward: Sex has consequences.

This year, for the first time, teens will be able to access the quiz on computers, tablets, and smartphones and they will be able to insert themselves and their friends directly into the quiz by creating personalized avatars. In addition, teens who share their feedback on the National Day Quiz by completing a short survey after the quiz will be entered into a drawing for a $25 iTunes gift card.

The quiz is pretty fun! In addition to creating your own avatar, you get to personalize your own special guy or gal “crush” and your BFF, who will each play a role as you step through various challenging situations. And, unlike real life, if you decide you aren’t happy about a choice you’ve made, you can easily select “do over.” Let us know what you think about this year’s quiz!

What else is happening for the National Day? For our third year in a row, Teens Have Choices will be “tweeting the day” on May 1. Our tweets will include information about the day, links to the quiz on StayTeen.org, current local and national stats, and information about local resources that are available for teens in Washington County. Look for the hashtag #ND13.

Join us later in the month, May 18th, as we celebrate the “Day of Hope” in Hagerstown, a community event with music, food, and prizes, where we’ll engage teens and parents in a variety of activities and give away free information toolkits to parents and teens.

Resources

• Looking for local resources for teens? Start here.
• You can get more information by requesting a free information toolkit for teens, parents – or both. (Free for Washington County residents.)
• Still have questions? We have answers! You can send us your questions via our anonymous online form or use the BrdsNBz teen textline, available for Washington County teens ages 13 to 19.

If you are a teenager, you’ve never known a world without HIV and AIDS. Want to change this for future generations? Join us today as we participate in the first National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day – a day to learn about the impact of HIV/AIDS on young people as well as a day to refocus on realizing an AIDS-free generation.

You can find out just how much you know about young people and HIV/AIDS by taking our short quiz – some of the answers might surprise you! After that, learn what you can do to help increase awareness and reduce the risk of HIV and AIDS, and find out where you can get tested in Washington County.

Teens in Washington County can get free, confidential HIV testing at the Washington County Health Department. In addition, the Health Department is the only location in the area that offers rapid screening via a simple finger prick, meaning you’ll get your results within 30 minutes instead of a couple of weeks. The Health Department provides counseling for everyone undergoing testing for HIV.

Washington County Health Department Teen Services
1302 Pennsylvania Avenue, Hagerstown, MD
Every Wednesday 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm
No appointment necessary
New clients 19 years of age and under
All Services are confidential. Call 240-313-3296 for more information.

Visit our local health services page for other locations where teens in Washington County can obtain free and confidential services, including pregnancy and STI testing, and free condoms.

Of course, the best way to prevent HIV infection is to:

• Not have sex and not share needles to inject anything.
• If you are sexually active, use latex condoms for all types of sex to reduce the risk of getting HIV/AIDS. Free condoms are available at the Washington County Health Department, the Community Free Clinic, and Tri-State Community Health Center (details here).
• Admit to yourself it could happen to you and then you can protect yourself.
• REMEMBER, you can’t tell by looking if someone has HIV.

Looking for more information? Want to know how you can do your part to end HIV/AIDS? Check out these online resources:

• YouthAIDSday.org
• AIDS.gov – Learn the basics of HIV/AIDS.
• Act Against AIDS – Get the facts and share the facts. Get tested. Get involved.
• CDC VitalSigns – HIV among youth in the US
• MTV’s It’s Your (sex) Life – HIV/AIDS 101

What else can you do? Share information! Help change attitudes and beliefs about HIV and AIDS by joining in on the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Teens Have Choices invites you to participate in Kick Butts Day 2013 on March 20.  Join the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids:

For decades, Big Tobacco has marketed its deadly and addictive products to young people like you. Thanks to a 2009 law passed by Congress, the Food and Drug Administration has restricted some forms of tobacco marketing.  However, in the U.S. alone, tobacco marketing still totals $8.5 billion a year – that’s nearly one million dollars every HOUR!  Their method may be more subtle, but their goal remains the same: to get young people like you to smoke.

We need your help. We want to know: how is tobacco marketed to you? Do you see it in stores, magazines or social media? What tobacco marketing tactics do you encounter in a day? A week?  A month? Show us.

What you’ll need: smartphone with camera, Instagram, walking shoes!

Participating is easy:

1. Download Instagram from the Apple App Store or from Google Play.
2. Take a photo with your smartphone of any tobacco marketing you encounter. Keep your eyes peeled:
   * At convenience stores
   * In drug stores
   * At the mall
   * When you’re reading magazines or newspapers
   * On social media
   Note: Use common sense. Don’t take pictures where or when you’re not supposed to or include people who haven’t given you permission.
3. Write a brief description of the photo. Tell us what we’re looking at. Where did you take the picture – and how is it an example of Big Tobacco targeting kids? Don’t forget to include the city and state where you took the picture.
4. Upload your photo to Instagram. Tag your pictures #TobaccoTargetsMe.
5. Your pictures will appear in the Kick Butts Day online gallery. (Note: Your Instagram feed must be public for this to work.)

We also encourage you to tell your friends about this project! The more people we have participating, the more powerful the message will be.

A note on preparing your Instagram account:

In order for your photos to be searchable through #tobaccotargetsme, you must set your privacy settings to share photos. You can learn more about privacy settings here.

No Instagram? No problem!

Email your photos to tobaccotargetsme@kickbuttsday.org and we will push them out on our own Instagram account, @KickButtsDay

In addition to your picture, please include the following information in your email:

• Your first name and last initial (so we can give you credit!)
• The city and state where you took the picture
• A brief description. Tell us what we’re looking at. Where did you take the picture – and how is it an example of Big Tobacco targeting kids?

What you’re looking for—examples:

• Candy-flavored cigars
• Large advertisements outside convenience stores or gas stations
• Other tobacco products (new products including snus, smokeless)
• Colorful products/displays
• E-cigarettes
• Tobacco products/ads near candy
• Discounted products

Do’s and Don’ts

Do:

• Submit a photo every time you see tobacco marketing.
• Write a description so we know the context of your submission.
• Be polite. If a store owner asks you what you are doing, tell him/her you are doing research on advertising for a school project. If he/she asks you not to take photos, then don’t.
• Tell your friends about this project!

Don’t:

• Submit pictures of other people using tobacco.
• Take pictures in movie theaters.
• Submit irrelevant or inappropriate photos.

Help! My pictures aren’t showing up in the gallery!

It may take a few hours for your images to appear in the gallery. The Kick Butts Day team needs to approve the images to make sure that we’re not posting inappropriate materials. Other reasons why your images aren’t showing up:

• You may have mistyped #tobaccotargetsme (An easy mistake on a small keyboard!)
• In order for your photos to be searchable through #tobaccotargetsme, you must set your privacy settings to share photos. You can learn more about privacy settings here.

About Kick Butts Day

Kick Butts Day is a national day of activism that empowers youth to stand out, speak up and seize control against Big Tobacco. The next Kick Butts Day is March 20, 2013. We’re expecting more than 1,000 events in schools and communities across the United States and even around the world.

On Kick Butts Day, teachers, youth leaders and health advocates organize events to:

• Raise awareness of the problem of tobacco use in their state or community;
• Encourage youth to reject the tobacco industry’s deceptive marketing and stay tobacco-free; and
• Urge elected officials to take action to protect kids from tobacco.

Kick Butts Day is organized by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and sponsored by the United Health Foundation. The first Kick Butts Day was held in 1996. For more information, visit tobaccofreekids.org or kickbuttsday.org. To find out what Washington County is doing about tobacco, visit Tobacco Free For Life-Washington County.

The following essay was written by a student at E. Russell Hicks Middle School:

Words enveloping your soul; embracing it as the pieces are cut- as if you were a piece of paper. Standing there silently as they tear you apart. As the pieces of your heart fall to the ground, you pick them back up just to be shoved into the ground.

But you get back up and insist you can keep going. You’re using so much tape on your heart and soul, you’re running out. There’s not enough for you to keep yourself together. And now that they’ve destroyed you heart and soul, your mind’s next. But you’ve already lost it- the words continually playing in your head. Over and over again until you feel like you’re going to explode!

The hallways are a battle field as people shout names from across the hall. You look back to see the attacker to have them vanish. Because they’re cowards and couldn’t say the words to your face. No more tape left, you advance down the hall: Head down, books gripped so tightly your knuckles become white. You’re not strong enough though and someone slams them out of your hands and your papers and book go everywhere, along with your secrets.

Teachers tell you to ignore them. They don’t know how hard it is for you tell someone if it seems like no one cares? How can you say your heart is tearing every time “they” whisper ugly or gay? How can you say that you’re not okay? How can you explain to someone that you can’t take it anymore?! That you want it to end? That you want to end; your life?

How can you fight back?! How can you fight back when you don’t know the words to say? How can you fight when you’re at breaking point? That the only thing you can do is actually fight?

Because whatever is swimming in your head is wrong. Because you’re beautiful! Your heart, your soul! You’re somehow hanging on to that thread that appears so thin. Why prove them right? Why prove to them that they won and end it? What makes you think that you can leave everyone behind? That no one will be affected?

Why?

Why leave when you have so much to live for? Your family, your friends, your spouse… Why leave that all behind? Because of an insignificant person or persons that think they have the right? Why let them win?

You will always have someone whether you believe it or not. And I want you to know that- Because I want to make a different. I understand how it feels- to appear invisible; nonexistent. And that’s why I wrote this- Because I’m one who gets it.

I want to be an inspiration.

Hey guys, this is my follow up blog for my initial one about the death of Laisha Gross. I felt that I had missed some key points about bullying and I had more to explain about what happens in school. I hope any speculation or ideas can be reaffirmed in a different way in this post. One thing I can say is that we don’t know why Laisha did what she did. She might or might not have been bullied and she might or might not have had troubles at home. Even if we don’t know for sure what happened, we should still look at bullying. Plus, this is from my younger perspective. With this, parents and teachers know what is going on they can help. For anyone looking for help, the Maryland Youth Crisis Hotline is available 24/7 at 1-800-422-0009.

Honestly, to tell the truth, I cannot lie about what goes on in all schools now. Parents and teachers have to be aware of what really happens. I don’t know how the influence came to be, but in 6th grade mature topics are thrown into conversation. This is a positive and negative thing. Politics, social issues, and real news topics are discussed. Also, there is young influence about sex, drugs, girls and guys being gay, and illegal and immoral activities, possibly influenced from music and other forms of media.

Social media is a good thing and a bad thing. I’ve been able to catch up with people I’ve looked up to in elementary school and meet friends of my friends who are now my good friends. The thing is though, these sites are so vast, that children are not protected from things that children should not be seeing. With adults being unfamiliar with this technology, they take for granted their kids are being angels and are only talking to their friends about school and sports.

The topics are outrageous to be honest. Most of my news feed and Twitter feed is trash. And I think the pressure and rapid change of pop culture is leading to collapse of self-independence. Right now, people judge you on your looks and clothes. You build reputations off of one event. Everybody has a social group, even though it might not seem like that. Egos have never been higher. People are just so disapproving of other people, if they are not like them.

Technology has allowed people to talk to somebody without being face-to-face. One cannot see human reactions such as a sad face, blushing, and happiness. That seems to be a problem about socializing through technology. When harassment takes place through technology, that bully can be more confident, they may be more narrow-minded as they are just reading words. That person cannot see that reaction that all humans know: those little movements that show somebody being uncomfortable, afraid, or shy.

Teachers overlook a lot of details in the classroom, from my perspective at least. Some teachers don’t understand what students go through, and those troubled students are the one’s who are called out by the teacher all the time. That teacher may not know the circumstances for that student, and I don’t blame them. What happens now in real life for kids is incredible. It’s hard to grasp though. Only with empathy it seems people can truly help somebody. Or at least acting like that. That isn’t true though. You don’t necessarily have to be or have been in that person’s shoes to help somebody. A good friend or just somebody to talk to can really help out a person. There’s no need to be a therapist or a wizard of sorts to help somebody and offer a lending hand. If an apple a day keeps the doctor a way, an act of niceness can go along way for somebody who’s down.

Parents need to really help, too. I cannot emphasize the difference of what it was like years ago for parents. Before, I believe insults weren’t as intense as they are now. Physiologically, parents may have bumps in understanding their child’s situation initially. They have a perspective molded over years, and it is so different now than it was before. Handling new situations may be hard for some. Parents though, can help their children.

I really think communication is important in any relationship, secrets lead to bad habits and lies. Parents really need to talk to their kids, and be accepted. A problem is that sometimes kids are to scared to tell their parents the truth, and they keep feelings and thoughts bundled inside. If students are unable to talk to a family member honestly, I believe they can talk to a school’s guidance counselor.

Affects of some of these serious situations are, if not treated, depression, loss of sleep, and suicidal thoughts. This is not some reading from the back of a prescription pill bottle, but friends have told me this. Something needs to be done. Words do hurt a lot. Everybody is different, and they hurt differently. I don’t think I can be so easily hurt anymore. I realized before what was actually going on around me. It came to me just one day but now I’ve become more aware of what was happening around me.

I’m not trying to put any of the blame on adults in this blog post, but the thing is, not every 13 year-old will think as I do. Naivety and ignorance are bliss in a sense. Children need an adult influence in their life to lead them in the right way. I have friends and know people who have grown up without a true parental figure, an adult you can talk to about anything and who understands you. These people can struggle with different aspects of life. Being open to anybody can change one’s view on topics. They will hear different opinions, gain advice, and rethink things.

image courtesy morgueFile.com

One person, such as myself, cannot spread the word. Plans need to be made, events, gatherings, and action. Everybody has to be aware of the situation of bullying, and how big of a threat it poses to kids now. Everybody has the chance to be heard. Every school has its problems, but from what my friends in other schools have told me, bullying, teasing, messing around and other forms of disheartening communication need to be addressed.

As a whole community, people can do something as long as there is a drive to advocate for real change. This problem isn’t some one time thing, it’s a reoccurring problem, that needs to be noticed by all. Teachers, parents, students, really will try to go for change. This is something that affects children. Students, I believe, will be interested in this. It’s something that can be related to, unlike some choices about lights and budgets.

Bullying needs to – and will -  stop,

Phoenix

Check out this video about a man who has dealt with bullying as a kid. I found this meaningful and deep.

Hey guys, before you keep on reading, it would be nice if you stopped for a brief moment of silence.

On Sunday, February 17, 2013, Laisha Gross attempted suicide by hanging. The young girl did not die right away, but was sent to a D.C. hospital where she died on Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at 6:15 A.M. after sustaining injuries. That same day, at 9:50 A.M. all teachers at E. Russell Hicks read a letter that announced Laisha’s death. All I heard, was silence. None of us seemed to process the fact. None of us knew the girl either in our Geometry class.

Regardless of my previous sentence, everybody was stunned. I feel like I speak for everybody in my class, and most of the people in the school at that moment, when I say that we’ve all heard of people committing suicide. None of us really thought anybody would do it, even with lots of people with suicidal thoughts and depression. As the letter was read to just under 800 kids at the same time, emotions and thoughts flowed in after a minute of realization.

From what I believe, the B.O.E. sent members to assist our two amazing guidance counselors. Everybody who needed somebody to talk to about the situation at hand was welcomed to. As I went to DI and lunch I saw a what I call a memorial for Laisha in the cafeteria. A picture of her on a huge pink sheet of paper was put up on the far wall opposite the lunch line across what Hicks students refer to as, “The Pit.” Just about everyone signed the wall.

That wall, was took up by the 8th grade alone, as we had 1st lunch. By the end of the day the size of that pink sheet going from the ceiling to the floor was tripled. 7th graders were crying and my Spanish benchmark was postponed. Our teacher had the student for Spanish and she couldn’t bear giving the 7th grade class the benchmark, so she didn’t for us. The day itself, was one I did not experience in full, as I am not a 7th grader. I could only observe.

I felt it necessary the next day, as an announcer on the morning broadcast team, to ask for a moment of silence for the whole school. I felt that was something I could do at least to pay respects. I had a field trip that day to see Henry V in Washington D.C. so I was unable to see how the school was the next day. But when I got home and went on Facebook, I learned more about possible speculations about what pushed the girl to committing suicide.

I do not want to jump the gun on anything or anyone, because that would be unprofessional and assuming is not what needs to be done in this situation. I have heard though, that a girl in the 7th grade might have bullied that girl, or that she had trouble at home. Most likely, being a student at the school, the cause was bullying. Three years tells you a lot about the status quo of any place, especially an educational one.

With this incident, I’ve rethought a couple things over the past couple years, and I’m pretty sure all of the 8th graders have along with most of the school. I don’t want to blame anybody for the circumstances everybody has faced, but I think this deserves some cognitive truth about what really goes on in school now. School is not what it was like years ago, I think this generation with all the technology at our hands has made us ignorant.

With the generation gap between the teachers and the students, I think they take it for granted that 11-14 year olds aren’t maturing faster. I can’t even explain it, but what I can explain, teachers need to be more interactive with their students. The teachers can’t just be sitting at their desks and letting their students work. The teachers really need to find out what students are doing, what they’re talking about really, instead of playing innocent.

Everybody except for a literal 2 people in every grade say something mean to other people. For us 8th graders, it honestly seems like we’re just playing around. We grew up with this type of joking around. But when somebody takes it too far, especially to another person who isn’t like us, it may become damaging. Maybe this is the truth, or it’s just from my hardened perspective as a person who doesn’t really take insults or jokes to heart.

Parents. are also this way, too. Older parents are most likely naive about what goes in their kids’ lives. Parents really need to talk to their kids, and be accepted. A problem is that sometimes kids are to scared to tell their parents the truth, and they keep feelings and thoughts bundled inside. If students are unable to talk to a family member honestly, I believe they can talk to a school’s guidance counselor.

From experiences and peer knowledge, my school’s counselors are amazing. People are here for anybody that needs help. Finding the right person, is the hard part, but there is somebody that people can talk to. As I write this, today, Monday for myself, two girls were going to fight three times today. After what happened at E. Russell Hicks, I don’t understand why somebody would attempt to harm another person. That’s something I can’t understand.

The point of this blog post is not to rant about what can be changed and what’s wrong with society, it’s to show everybody that this modern day consumer materialistic society can over come the challenges brought in 2013. There’s always that one person, out of 7 billion, that can help you. I know humans aren’t perfect, but if you say something mean to somebody, say “sorry, I was wrong.” That’s a good habit to practice. Learn from this mistakes, don’t be hypocritical and communicate and teach your experiences. Just be nice. Please.

Bullying needs to – and will -  stop,

Phoenix

________

image courtesy morgueFile.com

Young people in our community have been touched by violence and by the tragic loss of a young life this week. Memorial Recreation Center, Inc. is hosting a candlelight vigil at 7 pm on Monday, February 25, as part of a STOP the VIOLENCE/STOP the ABUSE campaign. Together, we can work together to recognize and respond to abuse and bullying.

If you are concerned about the effect of violence on young people in our community, please join in on Monday. Memorial Recreation Center is located at 109 West North Avenue, Hagerstown.

For more information, visit Memorial Recreation Center on Facebook.

image courtesy morgueFile.com

Young people in our community have been touched by violence and by the tragic loss of a young life this week. Memorial Recreation Center, Inc. is hosting a candlelight vigil at 7 pm on Monday, February 25, as part of a STOP the VIOLENCE/STOP the ABUSE campaign. Together, we can work together to recognize and respond to abuse and bullying.

If you are concerned about the effect of violence on young people in our community, please join in on Monday.  Memorial Recreation Center is located at 109 West North Avenue, Hagerstown.

For more information, visit Memorial Recreation Center on Facebook.

In light of a recent teen suicide tragedy, one of my students said, “I don’t understand how someone could be so upset to do that to themselves.”

Sometimes, no matter how together a person may seem on the outside, the inside may be full of hurt and pain. This pain can be completely consuming, overwhelming. It feels like there is no hope, no one cares, there is no reason to go on.

What could possibly make someone feel this way, especially at such a young age? Well, there are many things that can trigger these feelings. For instance, bullying, abuse (physical or emotional,) a broken family, just to name a few. True, these are all things that someone could seek help for. But sometimes, asking for help is just too much. There can be shame, sadness and fear. The thought of asking a stranger (and sometimes even a trusted adult) is too much to bear.

Why would God allow a thing like this to happen? Something that we as humans struggle to understand is free will. God loves us so much that rather than making all of our decisions for us, he chooses to give us free will. Every decision in this life gives us freedom to choose. We must also remember that God does not “allow” death to happen. In fact, the bible tells us that God only brings life. You can read more about that, here.

The truth is, we may never know what goes through a person’s mind when they make the choice to take their own life. But we do know this: because of our faith in God, we are never alone. No matter what we feel like today, what troubles surround us, God has promised us a grace and peace. BUT, we have to trust and believe in Him to accept that peace.

“So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Does this scripture tell us that life in Christ will always be full of fun times and warm, fuzzy feelings? Absolutely not! Without trials, without pain, without doubt, the need for hope and peace would not exist. We cannot fully experience God’s grace and love without the need to find it! We will never know and fully understand God’s plan in this world or understand what He’s doing and why He’s doing it. However, we DO KNOW who He is and that if we trust in Him, He has an eternal reward for us. That friends, is worth the wait.

A great movie about teen suicide is called, “To Save A Life.” It follows the life of a student who thought he had it all, until his friend takes his own life. This movie explores the guilt and pain that comes along with those left behind from a suicide. It also covers things like peer pressure, dating and relationships, and bullying. You can check out the trailer, here.

If you or you think someone you know needs help, don’t be afraid to speak up. If there is no one in your life you feel you can talk to, please visit our  resource page, or visit help4mdyouth.org , which features an online chat option.

“There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.”

Concerned about the effect of violence on young people in our community? At 7 pm on Monday, February 25, Memorial Recreation Center is hosting a candlelight vigil for our community’s young people as part of a STOP the VIOLENCE/STOP the ABUSE campaign.

In 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. said “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today!”

Dr. King had a powerful vision for our nation and a determination to turn that vision into reality. Just as Dr. King’s vision was essential to his accomplishments, every young person needs to have a vision – or dream – for their future. What is your dream for the future? You probably have more than one, from personal goals about your education, your future career, and starting your own family, to  goals that have to do with the difference you can make in your community and in the world.

Teens Have Choices, Volunteer Washington County, and Anderson Photographs are celebrating MLK Day with an “I Have a Dream” photo session at the Valley Mall. Children and teens will create signs at the photo booth illustrating their own dream for their future. For example, “I Have a Dream… that one day I will go to college,” “I Have a Dream… to become a firefighter when I grow up.” A photographer from Anderson Photographs will take photos of each young person and their dream, and Teens Have Choices will post them online for everyone to see!

The photo booth will be at Center Court at Valley Mall – across from the Bon-Ton.

For volunteer opportunities in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., please visit Volunteer Washington County.

In addition to the photo booth, Washington County teens are invited to join us for a photography project from 10 am until noon the same day. Join us as we compose images of Washington County and other themes for use online. Have fun while earning Student Service Learning hours! Click here for more information about the teen photography project.