THANK YOU - - to the Youth Who Served on 420 and Our Community Partners!

Thank you to all the great kids who did community service on April 20th, making it a day of positive and restorative action - - and thank you to our community partner agencies who provided the service projects!

At TLC Meals on Wheels, the youth and some supportive adults sorted food items into meal packages that will be delivered to homebound individuals (frequently folks who are older or disabled):

At Boots and Saddles Therapeutic Riding Center, youth volunteers worked with Tina doing "dirty horse-related chores" like hauling feed out into the pastures and mucking out stables.

The service project with Douglas County Sheriff's Office involved cleaning the grounds of the Justice Center, complete with orange vest....  :)

At the community garden located at Hidden Mesa Open Space, the Cooperative Extension office had youth volunteers clearing some weeds in the orchard that will eventually provide fruit to local food banks.  AWESOME!

InterFaith Community Services had a big day of food collection, with teams of kids staked out at local grocery stores, encouraging shoppers to pick up something extra for those individuals and families out there without enough to eat.

All of the youth who served four hours or more on April 20th will be eligible for prizes in a drawing that will be conducted at the end of this week - - good luck, and thanks for giving back to the planet!

Take Back 420 is a project of the Substance Abuse Coalition of Douglas County - - contact the site moderator for more information, to participate in Take Back 420 next year or to join the Coalition.

Take Back 420! Get Involved!

"Do all you can with what you have,
in the time you have,
in the place you are."                                                                                      

Nkosi Johnson (South African boy who of AIDS at age12 after creating "Nkosi's Haven" sites for fellow AIDS sufferers; from an interview with ABC's Jim Wootenin 2001)

April 20th.  It's a day with not-so-great associations in Colorado, across the country and throughout the world.  But it's also two days before Earth Day and it's the same weekend as the Global Youth Service Day - - days when people all over put their hands and hearts to work for the good of the planet and our fellow planet-dwellers.  "Take Back 420!" means that the youth of Douglas County are going to make April 20th memorable - - for SERVICE.  It will be known for the good things our kids do and for all that is wonderful about our teens.

We invite youth from across our community to join in on a massive wave of youth service on April 20th - - click on the link above to:

1.  SELECT the type of service you want to do 

2.  SIGN UP with the organization that is hosting the project you've selected

3.  SERVE on April 20th!



Here's some of what you can expect to achieve:

> Be entered into a drawing for cool gift cards if you serve four hours or more on 4/20

                Two cash prizes in the amount of $100.00!
                A Visa gift card in the amount of $50.00!
                Yet ANOTHER $50.00 gift card!
                Target $25.00 shopping spree!
                CostCo gift card for $20.00!
                Gift cards for Chipotle, Five Guys Burgers & Fries, BTO!

> Increase your chances of winning - - your name is entered again for every extra four hours of service you do on 4/20!

> Earn hours toward the 20 hour community service requirment for high school graduation

> Learn about needs in our community and organizations who are addressing those needs

> Do something that makes your heart and soul feel terrific


"Take Back 420!" is a project of the Substance Abuse Coalition of Douglas County, working since 2006 to advocate for evidence-based approaches to substance use prevention and to make sure that our community has the full gamut of substance abuse prevention, assessment, early intervention and high-level intervention. For more information, please visit the Virtual Substance Abuse Resource Fair at http://substanceabuseresources.blogspot.com/ to see what's available in and around Douglas County.

THANK YOU to our donors:  Pamela Dickinson, CeDAR, Professional Counseling Services, Carla Turner, Target, CostCo, Chipotle, Five Guys Burgers & Fries and BTO.