LIHU‘E — April is Alcohol Awareness Month, and Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. issued a proclamation that also declared a name change for the county’s Anti-Drug Office. “The office is now called Life’s Choices Kaua‘i, and their tagline is ‘empowering our
LIHU‘E — April is Alcohol Awareness Month, and Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. issued a proclamation that also declared a name change for the county’s Anti-Drug Office.
“The office is now called Life’s Choices Kaua‘i, and their tagline is ‘empowering our community to be drug-free,’” the mayor said last week.
The mission of Life’s Choices Kaua‘i is to bring together community resources and service providers to combat and prevent substance abuse, build stronger families and foster a healthier community, he said.
Theresa Koki, who has served as coordinator of the Anti-Drug Office for the past five years, said that the name change offers her team a new beginning.
“I’m very proud of the accomplishments of our office, and look forward to doing a lot more in the prevention of alcohol and substance abuse and addiction on Kaua‘i,” Koki said in a statement released by the mayor’s office.
The Life’s Choices Kaua‘i team has scheduled the following events for April in recognition of Alcohol Awareness Month:
• Friday at Wilcox Elementary School— “Alcopop” presentation during Parent Night
• Wednesday and Thursday, April 18 and 19, Waimea High School —“Shattered Dreams” presentation
• Tuesday, April 24, 6 to 8 p.m., Historic Waimea Theater —“Getting to Outcomes” town hall meeting.
The program will include a presentation on statistical information from the county’s data bank and a showing of two videos, “Shattered Dreams” and “Wasted.”
Refreshments to be offered include hot dogs, popcorn and beverages.
• Saturday, April 28, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Kaua‘i Police Department headquarters in Lihu‘e — “Spring Cleaning and National Take Back Day”, when unused alcohol and prescription drugs will be collected.
The Anti-Drug Office, now known as Life’s Choices Kaua‘i, was established in 2003 by the late Mayor Bryan Baptiste with the support of the Kaua‘i County Council as a community-based effort to address illegal drug use on the island.
A collective vision developed by the community serves as the foundation for the Kaua‘i County Community Drug Response Plan, and it includes these goals:
• Engage and empower Kaua‘i residents to make the choice to be drug-free.
• Develop local access to affordable, effective drug treatment and support that offers hope for a happy, productive life without drugs.
• Unite the community to resist drug use, provide caring treatment and support for those affected by drug use, and support law enforcement efforts to reduce drug-related crimes.
For more information, visit www.kauai.gov/lifeschoiceskauai.
Or contact Koki at 241-4925 or tkoki@kauai.gov.
