This month we have two amazing sponsors, TransAmerica Network Agency and Avoyelles Youth Coalition. Our monthly luncheons provide members with updates, education, and networking opportunities.
Transamerica has been helping people feel better about the future for more than 100 years. We provide investment, retirement, and life insurance solutions to more than 11 million customers throughout the U.S. But the way we see it, our responsibility goes beyond our clients’ accounts. We’re in the business of helping people live well and empowering them to create a better tomorrow through the financial and health-related habits they form today. We help people prepare by providing solutions that consider the whole picture. That’s the power of the Wealth + HealthSM connection.
The Avoyelles Community Camp; Youth Coalition was enacted in 2003. The Louisiana Legislature and the Louisiana Children’s Cabinet passed Act 1225 of the 2003 Louisiana Legislative Session. This act mandated that each parish create a youth planning board. These boards had the responsibility to address many issues and needs of our local youth and help youth address some of their needs. The role for the youth planning board was to encourage positive and healthy development. The youth coalition is comprised of volunteers that include stakeholders from education, behavioral health, social services, faith- based community, business community, law enforcement, judicial system, parent organizations, moms and dads but above all, our youth.
The youth coalition has had several platforms over the years which dealt with mental health, suicide prevention, truancy and the platform that we are currently addressing is Reducing Underage Drinking in Avoyelles Parish Ages 9-20. Did you know that Avoyelles Parish ranks in the top 10 parishes in the State of Louisiana for underage drinking beginning at the age of nine? That is correct, at age 9. There were five categories that Avoyelles Parish ranks number “1” in the entire State of Louisiana and they are as follows: 1) 30 Day Use of Alcohol (youth consuming more than 5 alcoholic beverages within a 30 -day period), 2) Binge Drinking, 3) Parental Permission, 4) Relative Permission, 5) Over 21 years of age providing the alcohol. These statistics are gathered by the CCYS Community Caring Youth Survey which is conducted every two years in the 6 th , 8 th , 10 th and 12grades.
The student ambassadors that are members of the youth coalition have done an amazing job on helping to spread the message and that is for our youth to make healthy choices and to understand the dangers of underage drinking.
Mrs. Donna Desoto is the coordinator for the Avoyelles Youth Coalition. Her passion has always been to help young men and women of Avoyelles Parish.
