TOP PHOTO: Campbell United, Campbell County’s Anti-Drug Coalition held a meeting on Thursday at TCAT at noon. Community leaders and invested individuals joined together for the event.

By Charlotte Underwood

JACKSBORO, TN (WLAF) – The momentum continues with Campbell United, Campbell County’s re-established anti-drug coalition, as community leaders and invested individuals continue holding monthly meetings and brainstorming sessions.

The anti-drug coalition met Thursday at TCAT from noon to 1pm to discuss possible projects and programs to help Campbell County, as well as continue building contacts and networking with organizations within the county.

The meeting was led by Catherine Brunson with Prevention Alliance, and it centered around identifying community partners and contacts in those organizations such as the faith-based community, schools, healthcare, businesses, the court system, city, county and elected officials and more.

Catherine Brunson with Prevention Alliance led Thursday’s Campbell United anti-drug coalition meeting at TCAT in Jacksboro.

Contact information for organizations like Springs of Life, Bridges to Recovery, Celebrate Recovery, Community Health of East Tennessee, local leaders, and many more were discussed and recorded by Brunson.

Representatives listed in these “community partner,” groups will be contacted by Campbell United Coalition Director Charlsa Honeycutt and interviewed to get their take on how the coalition can best serve the county.

A big take-away on Thursday’s meeting was the need for preventative drug programs available in the community, especially within the schools.

General Sessions Judge Bill Jones weighed in on the subject, saying he saw a lot of cases with middle school age kids.

“I see a lot of truancy cases, fights, drugs, and a lot of kids have dependency and neglect problems with their parents,” Jones said.

Scott High School student Kate Burress (left) spoke briefly at Thursday’s Campbell United meeting about her experiences with Scott County’s anti-drug coalition The Stand and how it was helping the youth of her county. Vickie Jones, right, addressed Campbell United members about the Youth Service-Learning Initiative, which she directs in Scott County’s high schools.

According to Brunson, “truancy can often be an early indicator of drug problems.”

The need for a Boys and Girls Club in the county was also discussed briefly.

Jones said he had a meeting set up this week with the Boys and Girls Club of Knoxville about starting one in Campbell County. 

According to Jones, the need is there, and he hopes the groundwork will be laid for Campbell County to establish its own club, perhaps in the Dewey Hunter Center in LaFollette.

“There’s a lot to this and we are in the early stages of seeing if we can establish one here in the county; obviously there is a great need, and the hope is to get one up and running, but it’s not definite yet,” Jones said.

Those in attendance on Thursday also heard from Vickie Jones with Scott County’s anti-drug coalition the Stand, which has been in Scott County for around 20 years.

She is the Youth Service-Learning Initiative (YSLI) Director which is a program in the two high schools in Scott County operated through their county’s anti-drug coalition.

Vickie Jones spoke about the program in the schools and the difference in is making in their youth.

Through the initiative, she spends two days a week in Scott County High and two days a week in Oneida. 

“We go into the schools, and we talk to the kids. It’s all about prevention. I teach the ACES, Adverse Childhood Experiences, to the kids. We are trying to get the kids to understand how to break the generational pattern and change their mindset. A lot of these students don’t know they have potential until they are told,” Vickie Jones said.

The program is unique in that it involves the students with how it is operated.

“We have a board of directors made up of students from both schools. The program is youth led, and adult guided. Their big job is to oversee our youth coalition and it’s working! At our first meeting, we had four kids show and at our last meeting, we had 106 students,” Vickie Jones said.

The youth coalition meets once a month at the Boys and Girls Club in Scott County. They have multiple committees on what is affecting today’s youth, such as drugs and alcohol, sexual abuse, foster care and more. According to Jones, the students “use their voice to decide what service projects they do and how to help their peers.”

“It’s been wonderful for these kids to get them active in their community, so they see, and they understand the issues better than a lot of us adults because these issues are happening to them … When you are in a room with people in need, you get to see poverty and it has eyes.  It looks you in the eyes, and it breaks your heart. We have children out here fighting against this,” Vickie Jones said.

For those interested in more information about the Campbell United anti-drug coalition can contact Director Charlsa Honeycutt at 423.907.2908. Campbell United’s next meeting is Thu., June 13 at noon, at TCAT Jacksboro, located at 265 Elkins Road. Organizers encourage community leaders, nonprofits, organizations, and others to join. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 05/10/2024-6AM)

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