Many people in Brattleboro are aware that opioids and other drugs harm some of our community members. One organization that works on this problem is the Brattleboro Area Prevention Coalition, or BAPC, for short. Among other things, BAPC members help facilitate the collection of unused opioids like oxycontin, so that they can be removed from Brattleboro, and disposed of; help smokers who want to quit find the resources to do so; help local bars train their staff so that they don’t accidentally serve teenagers; teach young children how to avoid getting poisoned by pills that look like candy, and many other harm-prevention related activities.
BAPC also promotes and strives to support the good life that we are lucky enough to enjoy here in Brattleboro; community singing, after-school activities, games, rope-climbing and more.
Are you interested helping with this work? Are you interested in learning more? On Thursday, October 25, the Brattleboro Area Prevention Coalition is meeting at the Windham Regional Career Center at 80 Atwood Street, in the Cusick Conference Room, from 3:30 – 5 PM. There will be snacks and drinks. Attendees will learn about the latest results from the annual Youth Risk Behavior Survey, and BAPC staff will learn what the community thinks they should focus on in order to improve life in this town that we all love. We also will discuss the possibility of a name change for our organization, one that captures all of what we do, and somehow magically still uses the letters, “BAPC.”
All serious suggestions will be considered, and humorous ones laughed at. “Big Animals Pull Cars”? That probably won’t work. Put on your thinking caps and help us with the possible rebranding of the organization.
One other serious topic on our agenda is to vote on Julianne Eagan becoming a board member. Eaggen is the Curriculum and Assessment Coordinator for the Windham Southeast Supervisory Union BAPC needs your thoughts, and hope some of you who are reading this might attend. For more information contact Cassandra Holloway, Scott Kaltenbaugh or Rolf Parker at 802 257 2175 or 802 579 6047.
