Canton, Massachusetts · Saved source text
Article 3 - Hear Reports Appointed at Prior Town Meetings - 2021 CAASA Annual Report_Final.pdf pdf file
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Report of the CANTON ALLIANCE AGAINST SUBSTANCE ABUSE (CAASA) Steering Committee Charles Doody, Interim Chair, Fiscal Manager & Fire Chief 801 Washington St. Harriet Burak, Vice Chair & Community Member Canton, MA 02021 Kenneth Berkowitz, Police Chief Telephone 781-821-5000 Janet Donnelly, Secretary & Community Member www.cantonalliance.org Derek Folan, Interim Superintendent, Canton Public Schools James Goodrich, Public Health Nurse/Sanitarian, Health Department Associate Members Cindy Bonner Bob Burr Barbara Casaly Lisa Lopez Robin Tobin Janet Donnelly Mike Mahan Diane Tynan Carolyn Elkort Phyllis Moore Dan Whitely Ryan Gordy Charles Rae Since 2013, the Canton Alliance Against Substance Abuse (CAASA) has addressed the reality of youth substance abuse in our town. Our mission is to reduce the use of drugs and alcohol throughout the community, with a primary focus on youth, by encouraging healthy decision making and providing resources that address prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery throughout the lifespan. This year, we balanced internal and external work. Our committee was awarded a federal seed grant from the Drug Free Communities (DFC) Support Program. One goal of this grant is to increase community collaboration. We continued to outreach key community stakeholders and vision for the future. We re-engaged with important sectors like business, youth, and religious/fraternal organizations. We laid the essential groundwork needed to grow our membership: updating and clarifying internal policies, revitalizing our print and online resources, and bolstering our print and social media presence. Our group looked within ourselves in an identity-conscious leadership workshop, facilitated by an accomplished scholar in the field of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. We welcomed a Program Manager, Interim Program Director, and Program Director to oversee grant and reporting requirements within CAASA. We continued our work with an Evaluator that assists with data analysis because we are committed to guiding our programs with data. Our external work comprised of community collaborations as well as CAASA-driven initiatives.
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In May, we invited Jon Mattleman to present “Teens and Tech: The Connection to Mental
Health, Anxiety, and Substance Use.” As always, community education on substance use and
tangential topics is a mainstay of our mission.
We continued to worked closely with Canton Public Schools. Our August backpack giveaway
was an exciting project in which CAASA funded free backpacks to all CPS students in grades
four and five. These are particularly formative years for students’ health and decision-making.
The backpacks featured the Canton “C” and CAASA logo and were filled with goodies.
We proudly supported the Canton Farmers Market and the Canton Parks and Recreation
Department’s Trunk or Treat.
CAASA activities have waned with staff transitions and COVID-19 uncertainty. We have,
however, forged forward with our staples:
Well-attended monthly meetings, held both in-person and virtual
The Celebration of Life
Sponsorship of scholarships for graduating high school seniors
Many thanks to our residents who volunteer their valuable time and talents to the committee. Our
collaboration and commitment allow for a multi-faceted approach to the question of substance
use in Canton.