Details

Created: September 18 2014

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – United Way of Broward County Commission on Substance Abuse is asking Broward County families to mark Monday, September 22nd on their calendars to take part in the national initiative "Family Day – A Day to Eat Dinner with your Family." United Way of Broward County Commission on Substance Abuse, in partnership with YMCA of Broward County; Memorial Healthcare System; H.O.M.E. S Inc.; Susan B. Anthony Recovery Center; Family Central; Community Access Center; Urban League of Broward County and the African American Research Library, are encouraging families to participate in Family Day, which emphasizes the importance of eating dinner together on a regular basis. United Way of Broward County Commission on Substance Abuse has been participating in Family Day for the past eight years.

"We are excited to once again participate in the national movement, Family Day, to help encourage Broward County families to have dinner together and re-connect with each other to help keep children drug and alcohol-free," said Kathleen Cannon, President & CEO of United Way of Broward County. "Although the times certainly have changed, these issues are still very present in our children's lives. Eating dinner together as a family a few times a week can open the lines of communication and make all the difference in the world to a child."

Family Day is a national initiative that was started in 2001 by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University to remind parents that frequent family Dinners Make a Difference. The purpose of this initiative is to encourage busy families to get together and have those important conversations that may be missing. While there are no silver bullets – substance abuse can strike any family regardless of ethnicity, affluence, age or gender – the parental engagement fostered at the dinner table can be a simple, effective tool to help prevent substance use/abuse among our youth. The goal is to provide a quality Family Day program to the community, engaging 5,000-7,000 adults and youths from September to November.

The facts can be startling to anyone who is not fully present in their child's life. In Florida, nearly 1/3 of high school students report to having their first drink of alcohol by age 13 or younger. The younger the substance abuse occurs, the greater the risk for addiction as an adult. For parents and guardians looking to make a change, there are very simple ways to start becoming more involved such as committing to having a family meal at least a few times each week; learning to communicate via technology to make it easier to stay connected; opening your home for your children and their friends and discussing their interests; securing your alcohol supply at home; answering their questions and listen to what they say; and making it known that you have a zero tolerance policy.

United Way of Broward County Commission on Substance Abuse encourages all families in South Florida to evaluate what it means to spend dinner time together and the long-term positive effects it will have. This simple daily act is a proven way to help keep American children drugs and alcohol-free.

For more information about Family Day, please visit www.unitedwaybroward.org.

About United Way of Broward County
United Way of Broward County is a volunteer driven, community-based, non-profit organization servicing Broward County for 75 years. United Way of Broward County mission is to focus and unite the entire community to create significant lasting change in the impact areas of Education, Income and Health, the building blocks for a better life, which positively impacts people's lives. United Way of Broward County is the catalyst for change and convener of partnerships that unite the hearts, minds, and resources within the Broward community. For more information, visit www.UnitedWayBroward.org.

About the United Way of Broward Commission on Substance Abuse
Celebrating its 25th year in the community, United Way of Broward Commission on Substance Abuse (UWBCCSA) is a broad-based substance use/abuse coalition dedicated to empowering its diverse community to live healthy and drug-free. Its primary role is to serve as a coalition-building organization that brokers partnerships between federal, state and local agencies to foster, develop and enhance integrated counter-drug efforts throughout Broward County and to search for innovative and effective ways to address the issue of substance use/abuse. Like UWBCCSA on Facebook at www.facebook.com/uwbccsa.