With National Volunteer Week quickly approaching, I'd like to acknowledge the hundreds of volunteers that support Eagle

County youth and family services. The incredible support gained from volunteers keeps our wheels turning, ensuring appropriate care and precision in our service delivery. Volunteers serve as mentors, emergency responders, data entry specialists, coaches, and community organizers. Positions range from one-time event support roles to full-time AmeriCorps*VISTAs and multiyear board members, providing direction and oversight to organizations. Motivations may include connecting with one's community, contributing to a specific cause, utilizing or developing skills, and meeting new people. No matter the impetus, selfless individuals who give tirelessly to others to support young people are truly making a difference every day in Eagle County and beyond. Established in 1974, National Volunteer Week stands for inspiring, recognizing, and encouraging people to seek out ways to engage in their communities. National Volunteer Week begins on April 15 and offers a wonderful opportunity to recognize those that have made a difference to you and to your organization, and to get involved in a new venture to serve others. "Faced with what seems like an impossible task, a group of folks will do well to remember the African proverb: When spider webs unite they can tie up a lion." - Johnnetta B. Cole

~ Michelle Hartel, Executive Director

Eagle County Schools Walking Mountains Bright Future Foundation CSU Extension Samaritan Center of the Rockies The Literacy Project Red Ribbon Project SOS Outreach Eagle Valley Alliance For Sustainability Avon Police Department Early Childhood Partners Colorado West Regional Mental Health, Inc. 1st Bank Eagle County EMS Prevention Committee Envision.Believe.Create. Foundation Suicide Prevention Coalition of the Eagle Valley Bravo! Vail Valley Music Upward Bound - Colorado Mountain College Eagle Valley Library District Second WInd Fund Vail Valley Salvation Army Girl Scouts of Colorado The Youth Foundation

Speak Up Reach Out, The Suicide Prevention Coalition of Eagle Valley is a group of individuals throughout Eagle County who are dedicated to providing suicide prevention education and resources for those in need. Our goals include reducing the number of suicides in our county, providing educational resources in our schools and community organizations, and to provide a comprehensive site for community resources. Speak Up Reach Out (SURO) is committed to preventing suicide in Eagle County by providing suicide prevention education and training programs, awareness programs, intervention and postvention resources and improving access to care. What motivates all of our volunteers varies greatly. Some are driven by the loss of someone to suicide but refuse to be silenced. Some are driven by personal struggles and stories, while others are driven by taking pride in maintaining an open and collaborative culture in order to address our community wide suicide problem at all levels. We are focused on preventing the heartbreaking loss of a life that doesn't need to end short. By setting high standards, we are dedicated to the continued growth of Speak Up Reach Out. Speak Up Reach Out meetings are held on the third Thursday of every month at the Avon Council Chambers from 3 to 4:15 p.m. We are always looking for new members and volunteers to get involved in our organization. A volunteer could do anything from teach SOS (Signs of Suicide), a suicide prevention class in middle and high schools, take a gatekeeper training, support fundraising, provide your skills as a grant writer, or help support families or survivors. Please contact Meredith Van Ness for more information or to get involved at meredith@speakupreachout.org or (970) 748-4410. Also please check out our website www.speakupreachout.org.

Earth Day: April 22

The first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, activated 20 million Americans from all walks of life and is widely credited with launching the modern environmental movement. Growing out of the first Earth Day, Earth Day Network (EDN) works with over 22,000 partners in 192 countries to broaden, diversify and mobilize the environmental movement. More than 1 billion people now participate in Earth Day activities each year, making it the largest civic observance in the world. To find events throughout Colorado, click here.

National Library Week: April 8-14

First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country each April. It is a time to celebrate the contributions of our nation's libraries and librarians and to promote library use and support. All types of libraries - school, public, academic and special - participate.

National Volunteer Week: April 15-21

Healthy Counties, Healthy Families: Fun Run & Resource Fair

Join your friends and neighbors to see what Eagle County has to offer! Kick the day off by participating in the Public Health 5K Fun Run/Walk. Finishing awards and door prizes will be presented to runners. Then, share a community breakfast with representatives from the county and towns and finally, join us for a resource fair to learn more about a variety of youth and family services offered throughout the county. Date: Saturday, April 28 Schedule of Events: 8:30 a.m.: Public Health 5K Fun Run/Walk ($5 entry) 9:30 a.m.: Community Breakfast 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.: Resource Fair Volunteers are needed for the fun run and resource fair. Please visit www.eagleyouth.org for more details. If you are a youth or family service provider interested in a booth, please email bpantzer@eagleyouth.org. To register for the run/walk, please visit www.wecmrd.org. For more information, call 970-328-8808 or 970-949-9250.

Established in 1974, National Volunteer Week has grown exponentially in scope each year since, drawing the support and endorsement of all subsequent U.S. presidents, governors, mayors and other respected elected officials. National Volunteer Week is about taking action, encouraging individuals and their respective communities to be at the center of social changediscovering and actively demonstrating their collective power to foster positive transformation.

Global Youth Service Day April 20-22

Global Youth Service Day is an annual campaign that celebrates and mobilizes the millions of children and youth who improve their communities each day of the year through service and service-learning. Established in 1988, Global Youth Service Day is the largest and longest-running service event in the world, and the only day of service dedicated to children and youth. GYSD is celebrated each year in over 100 countries.

Active Parenting of Teens Series: Plug into your teens/tweens

What: During this six session series, parents like you will gain the knowledge, skills, and tools needed to turn the challenges of raising a teenager into opportunities for growth and empowerment. You will learn: methods of respectful discipline; skills for clear, honest communication; strategies to prevent risky behavior; insight into important issues such as teens online, drugs, sexuality, bullying, and depression; and much more. Additional information here. Dates: Wednesdays April 25, May 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 Time: 5:30-8 p.m. Location: Avon Public Library Cost: $50/person for six sessions; $75 per couple for six sessions; includes free dinner. Scholarships are available for qualifying families To Register: Call 970-949-9250 or email eeves@eagleyouth.org (space is limited)

Alcohol Awareness Month

Alcohol Awareness Month, held every April, was founded by and has been sponsored by National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) since 1987. During NCADD Alcohol Awareness Month, NCADD and NCADD's National Network of Affiliates reach out in communities across the country to bring the American public information about alcohol and alcoholism as a chronic, progressive disease, fatal if

Safe2Tell: An Anonymous Reporting System

ERYC is excited to be collaborating with Eagle County Schools and the Safe2Tell program, providing financial and marketing support. Safe2Tell provides YOUNG people a way to report any threatening behaviors or activities endangering themselves or someone they know, in a way that keeps them safe and anonymous. The program focuses on kids and the issues they face today. This program was based on the Columbine Commission Report's recommendation that students need a safe and anonymous way to keep lines of communication open. They realized that tragedies could be prevented if young people had a way to tell someone what they knew without fearing retaliation. To make a report, call 1-877-542-7233 from anywhere, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The call is free. You may also make a web-tip at www.safe2tell.org. Remember, your identity is safe. No one will ask for your name or number. There is no caller I.D., no call tracing, no call recording, and no call forwarding. We only want to hear your concern and try to help.

untreated, and genetically predisposed.

Eagle County & ERYC: Volunteers are needed for the Healthy Counties, Healthy Families Fun Run & Resource Fair Saturday, April 28. Volunteers are needed for fun run set-up (7-8:30 a.m.), registration (7:30-8:30 a.m.), and directing & breakdown (8:30-10 a.m.), breakfast (8:45-10 a.m.), resource fair set-up (9-10:30 a.m.), welcome person and traffic director (10:30 a.m. - Noon), and breakdown (Noon-1:30 p.m.). For more information or to sign-up, please call 970-949-9250 or 970-328-8712. The Literacy Project: The Literacy Project is looking for volunteer tutors for Berry Creek Middle School and Homestake Peak School during the school day. Volunteers are also needed who can tutor basic Mandarin and Chemisty during after school hours at Battle Mountain High School. Please contact Sloan at 949-5026. Eagle Valley Alliance for Sustainability: The Eagle Valley Alliance for Sustainability needs volunteers as Zero Hero and to man Zero Waste stations at various town of Vail events, including Taste of Vail's eighth annual Colorado Lamb Cook-off on April 5 and Sunday Farmers' Markets, Gourmet on Gore, Teva Games and October Fest. The Alliance will donate as much as $120 to your club if you send 10 volunteers to staff one event. For more information, email tracy@eaglevalleyalliance.org, call 970-827-9999, or read more here.

SOS Outreach: Food Drive

Members of SOS Outreach's Year 3 University organized a food drive service project to benefit the food pantries at the Salvation Army and the United Methodist Church in Eagle. University students recruited other university students to help volunteer and staff the drive. Four truck loads of food were donated!

Battle Mountain High School: Project Graduation

Battle Mountain High School Project Graduation is hosting a fun, alcohol and drug free, supervised event for the BMHS and Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy's graduating classes of 2012. The event will be held Monday, April 2, 5:30 p.m.: at the Avon Recreation Center on May 26. Project Graduation aims to help seniors make a mature and responsible decision on how to celebrate their accomplishments by helping to provide a safe graduation venue. For the past 19 years, parents of seniors have hosted a memorable evening of music, games, prizes and surprises, free of drinking and driving and the potential reckless behavior that proves fatal for many graduating seniors across the country. This event is one which the overwhelming majority of graduates enthusiastically attend, following their graduation ceremony.

Red Canyon High School Gallery Night Monday, April 2 & Tuesday, April 3: Red Sandstone Elementary kindergarten informational meeting and registration Wednesday, April 4 & Thursday, April 5: Red Hill, Gypsum, Eagle Valley, Homestake, and June Creek

For more information or to support BMHS Project Graduation, contact Janet Mueller El-Bitar at 970-306-2388 or info@astellabook.com.

Elementaries kindergarten informational meeting and registration Tuesday, April 10: Eagle Valley Middle School Extravaganza Wednesday, April 11 & Thursday, April 12: Avon Elementary kindergarten informational meeting and registration Monday, April 16 - Friday, April 20: Spring Break

Walking Mountains: Ice Age Day What: Join Walking Mountains and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science for Time Scene Investigations and The Discovery of Snowmastodon, an Ice Age World in the Colorado Rockies. Time Scene Investigations will allow you to come face to face with mammoths, mastodons, and real scientists! Students use scientific inquiry to learn about the Ice Age, how their backyard has changed through time, and what scientists are learning about the Snowmass Village area and the Ice Age creatures that used to live there. During The Discovery of Snowmastodon presentation you'll learn more about the excavation at Ziegler Reservoir near Snowmass Village and the revelation of this high elevation ice age ecosystem. When: Saturday, April 7 Times: Time Scene Investigations 11 a.m. & 2 p.m.; The Discovery of Snowmastodon 5 p.m. Location: Walking Mountains Science Center RSPV: Call 970-827-9725 (space is limited) For more information: Click here The Red Ribbon Project: Talk is Power What: Join the Red Ribbon Project for "Talk is Power," a presentation designed specifically for parents, guardians, family members, and youth serving professionals who want to sharpen their skills around talking with youth about sexuality and sexual health. Participants have the opportunity to explore their own values around sexuality in a safe and non-judgmental environment. Also explored is how to respond to difficult questions about sex and sexual health and how to plan an effective conversation with a young person. Dinner will be served and live Spanish translation will be available. When: Thursday, April 12 Time: 6-8 p.m. Location: Miller Ranch Community Center, Edwards RSVP: 970-827-5900 or denise@redribbonproject.org 4-H: Fun Days What: Spend a couple of days during Spring Break with 4-H County Couny Council members making cool crafts, playing exciting games, and having fun with other kids your age. When: Tuesday, April 16 & Wednesday, April 17 Time: 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. (both days) Location: Eagle County Fairgrounds Exhibit Hall Cost: $25/4-H members; $30/non-members (per day - includes food, snacks, and supplies) Sign-up: Call 970-328-8630 by April 9 Eagle County Sheriff's Office: National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day What: The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has scheduled another opportunity to safely dispose of prescription drugs. Americans that participated in the DEA's third National Prescription Drug Take-Back

P.O. Box 4613 Edwards, CO 81632 (970) 949.9250 eagleyouth.org

Day in October 2011 turned in more than 377,086 pounds of unwanted or expired medications for safe and proper disposal. When: Saturday, April 28 Time: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Location: Battle Mountain High School

Trainings
A Jolt of Reality

Development
fundraising opportunities CoBiz Cares Foundation

Recent Findings
Volunteering and Health for Aging Populations. This e-newsletter highlights recent findings from research affliliates of National Institute of Agingsupported centers. Volunteering keeps older adults remaining socially active after retirement, which research suggests helps maintain mental and physical health longer than other older adults. Today's Research on Aging, Population Reference Bureau, August 2011 (Issue No. 21). enewsletter link Regulating Availability: How Access to Alcohol Affects Drinking and Problems in Youth and Adults. Gruenewald, P.J. (2011). Alcohol Research and Health (Vol. 34, No. 2). Article Link. Engaging Communities to Prevent Underage Drinking. Fagan, A.A., Hawkins, J.D., & Catalano, R.F. (2011). Alcohol Research and Health (Vol. 34, No. 2). Article Link.

Immigrants are part of the fabric of our communities. The more we understand both our own "cultural lens" and our own values, the more we can positively interact with people with different world views. We are influenced consciously and unconsciously by acquired patterns of thought and behavior. These patterns impact the way we interpret events. How we make decisions and the way we learn and the way we evaluate others. A JOLT of Reality will explore these concepts through stories, interactive activities, role plays and reflection. Participants will learn that multiculturalism is a process based on Milton Bennett's "Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity," be able to identify their own assumptions and stereotypes based on Hidalgos Cultural Construct, learn how to deal with actions or behaviors that may be "culturally" driven and different from our own, and learn thought and speech patterns from a variety of cultures. Date: Monday, April 23 Time: 9 a.m. - 1p.m. Location: Miller Ranch Community Center RSVP: Email Beth Pantzer or call 949-9250 Deadline: Wednesday, April 18

Purpose: The Foundation's 2012's focus areas are all in the human services area and are as follows:

Youth Development, Shelter and Crisis Services: organizations that shelter, nurture and develop youth. Include group homes, shelters and orphanages; camps and youth ranches serving the needs of at-risk children; or recreation and youth service organizations. Children's and Family Services: child care, adoption, foster care, family counseling, parenting education, or other advocacy and child welfare services that strengthen families and promote the well-being of children. Food Banks, Food Pantries and Food Distribution

Networking
There will be no ERYC member networking for the month of April. However, please consider joining us for the Healthy Counties, Healthy Families Resource Fair. April is the month to celebrate Eagle County and festivities will wrap-up with a showcase of what the county has to offer. Join your fellow youth and family service providers for this event and get to know one another while the community gets to know you. Date: Saturday, April 28 Time: 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Location: WECMRD Fieldhouse,

Grants will be in the amount of $5,000 or less and will be given to Colorado (Denver metro area, Boulder County, Eagle County area) and Arizona (Maricopa County) not-for-profits/programs.

Remember
Deadline for May newsletter submissions: Friday, April 20 Email: Beth Pantzer Contact: E-mail Tara Rojas, call 720-264-5509 or 602-222-8993, or visit CoBiz Financial.

Deadline Options: Friday, April 6 or Friday, July 6

Edwards Cost: FREE Registration: Email Beth Pantzer or visit www.eagleyouth.org for a form. Deadline: Monday, April 16

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