Brought together by the Community Coalition Against Violence and Drugs, the organizations held an inaugural fair at Monroe and Second streets in Paducah to raise community awareness about drug abuse and underage drinking in McCracken County.

“We’re trying to change society’s acceptance of underage drinking,” said Ellen Walsh, a coalition member. “Then we want parents, other adults and kids to know that there is help to prevent addictions.”

The seven participating organizations were:

Kentucky Delta Rural Project, a Department of Health and Human Services agency responsible for improving health care services for low-income and uninsured residents.

Zack’s Hope, a suicide prevention and coping organization.

Faith Partners of Paducah, four Paducah-based churches that work together to provide drug abuse support.

Purchase Area Tobacco Coalition for Health.

Four Rivers Behavioral Health.

McCracken County Sheriff’s Department.

Alcoholics Anonymous.

Through their combined efforts, organizational leaders hope to obtain state and federal funding to develop a strategy to prevent substance abuse in McCracken County.

“Our purpose is to prevent overlapping operations and provide a more effective strategy that deals with community problems,” Walsh said.

For example, Faith Partners and AlAnon both offer peer support groups for people dealing with addictions. But Faith Partners’ purpose is to begin the conversation about a person’s possible problem.

“We’re really tying to dissolve the silence about addiction, stop the person from having to suffer alone, and prevent the beginning of a downward spiral usually experienced by someone that has a drug or alcohol problem,” said Dr. Paul Mullikin, pastor of Arcadia Church.

For the Kentucky State Police and the sheriff’s department, the fair provided an opportunity to expose parents and school children to the warning signs of addiction and drug paraphernalia.

“You don’t want to introduce kids to those things too (early in life), but if the child recognizes that something is dangerous then they know not to touch it,” said Trooper Dean Patterson, state police information officer at Post 1 in Mayfield.

Patterson hauled an 18,000-pound trailer to the fair that provided clues about the existence of neighborhood drug labs and the graphic effects of drugs on a body.

McCracken Deputy Sheriff Colleen Pennebaker handed children colorful Drug Abuse Resistance Education workbooks that contained decision-making exercises about drugs and peer-pressure.

“We’re trying to explain to children why a drug is bad for them,” Pennebaker said. “It makes it easier for them to decide to say no.”

Contact Michael de los Reyes, a Paducah Sun staff writer, at 270-575-8652.

Story © Paducah Sun 9/6/2009