Events

Each year the Waterford Coalition For Youth kicks off the new year with a great family celebration at our annual TASTE OF WATERFORD. Thanks to Rick Nini, CEO and President of Corporate Eagle Companies (formerly titled Tradewinds Aviation) and his dedicated staff, the multiutde of guests from all sectors of our community enjoy a musical, memorable, activity-filled evening!

This year we saddled up and rode into the WILD, WILD WEST,complete with line dancing, live music, a DJ, a caricature artist, children's activities, complimentary valet parking, raffles, prizes and awards! Families and people of all ages had a great time.

Be sure to check out the great pictures taken by our two photographers, Forever in Photography and Photography by Mari. Photographs can be ordered from their websites.

Many thanks to our generous sponsors for supporting this event.

Community Forums

In January, 2008, the Coalition began a series of educational forums for parents, community members and youth. The first one focused on depression and suicide in youth.

Forums will continue to be held the first Monday of each month from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. Our March forum takes place on Monday, March 3, 2008 at the Waterford Township Police Department and focuses on the dangers of internet use in our youth. Learn helpful tips to monitor and teach your children and teens how to safely utilize the computer.

Please call the Coalition to make a reservation for any of these forums at 248-618-7424.

• January 7, 2008: Teen Depression and Suicide
• February 4, 2008; Drugs and Inhalants
• March 3, 2008: Internet Predator
• April, 2008: No Forum

Project Sticker Shock - Spring, 2008

For many years, the Coalition has participated in a county-wide initiative with 15 other Oakland County Coalitions entitled Project Sticker Shock. This project is sponsored by the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office and involves teams of Coalition-chaperoned youth placing bright orange stickers on multi-packs of alcohol, reminding purchasers that it is illegal to provide alcohol to minors, and in addition, the financial and legal consequences of doing so.

The accessibility of minors to alcohol through purchasers of legal age, via siblings, older friends and even parents, has become a serious and wide-spread problem throughout our community and even our country.

The Coalition is planning to implement Project Sticker Shock again this year and welcomes student and adult volunteers. Please join us in connecting our community together in the health and welfare of all its citizens!

Check out previous Project Sticker Shock events in our media page! The youth worked extremely hard as we visited many businesses in our community. Owners that we spoke with appreciate this collaborative project and report that they receive positive responses from their customers. They value the effort and feel it promotes awareness and education about underage drinking.

If you would like to volunteer to participate in Project Sticker Shock, 2008, please call the Coalition. We welcome your time, energy and commitment to making our community a safe place for all its residents.

Underage Drinking is not a Minor Problem - Spring, 2008

The most common place youth gain access to alcohol is in their own homes or their friends' homes. Parents may make the mistake of believing they are protecting their children by providing alcohol to teens in their own home and taking away their car keys. Not true.

It is physically and mentally harmful for anyone under the age of 21 to consume alcohol and illegal to provide alcohol to anybody under the age of 21, even in your own home. By doing so, you are breaking the law and could face large fines and jail time. Underage drinking is NOT a "rite of passage." It takes our entire community working together to change this dangerous and all too common attitude.

Read more about preventing underage substance abuse

Waterford Memorial Day Parade - May, 2008

In May, the Waterford Coalition For Youth hits the highway - Dixie Highway, that is - as a participant in the Waterford Memorial Day Parade.

A very special thanks goes to SUNSET BOATS on Dixie Highway in Waterford, for continuing to provide a spacious and comfortable pontoon as transportation for the Coalition on the parade route. We appreciate their generosity each year. If you would like to participate with the Coalition in paying tribute to our veterans, please call us to sign up for the 2008 parade! We have a great time preparing for the event, so please plan to join us.

P.A.Y. Night (Parent And Youth Night) - Yearly every Monday evening

Monday nights are PAY (Parents And Youth) nights at the Waterford Big Boy on M-59, just East of Airport Road. Studies prove that families who spend time eating together reduce the risk of their children smoking, drinking and getting involved in drugs. So Big Boy volunteered to help make it more economical for families to accomplish this. Families eating with their children under the age of 18 between 5:00 and 8:00 PM will be given 15% off their bill. Bring this coupon to get your discount. Hope to see you there! Check back often as we hope to add additional community restaurants to our lineup of P.A.Y. Night participants! STAY TUNED!

See the flyer for this event.

3rd Annual Job Shadowing Day - April, 2008

Each year the Coalition collaborates with the Waterford Area Chamber of Commerce in Job Shadowing Day. Students from our three Waterford School District Middle Schools participate in an on-the-job experience with their mentors, then join together for a luncheon and keynote speaker.

By sharing their work experience with the youth, business mentors provide students with role models for their future and help them to better understand what they will need to do to prepare for their careers. It is a rewarding and enjoyable experience for all. Many of our mentors have participated every year and we truly appreciate their time and dedication to our community's youth.

The 3rd Annual Job Shadowing Day is scheduled for FRIDAY, APRIL 18, 2008. To join this annual effort in 2008 as a mentor or an event sponsor, please call the Coalition at 248-618-7424. We welcome all career fields.

See the flyer for this event.

Rachel's Challenge - November, 2007

Rachel's Challenge took place October 31, 2007 and November 5-9, 2007. Please visit our Rachel's Challenge Page for an in depth look at this inspiring and moving week of events. This was an amazing and first ever collaborative endeavor of this magnitude between the Coalition, the School District and the entire Wateford community. The program reached almost 5500 7th-12th grade students in the Waterford School District. Rachel Scott was the first student killed in the Columbine High School tragedy on April 20, 1999. The Rachel's Challenge Organization was created to reach students across our country to decrease school violence, while creating and increasing kinder, more compassionate schools and communites.

The overwhelming response from students, staff, parents and community members in attendance at any of the 10 assemblies, 5 peer trainings or community-wide evening forum was filled with positve feedback; "What a powerful, wonderful challenge to all of us." "WOW!! What a powerful presentation. The message was phenomenal, the speaker was awesome and I don't think there was a dry eye in that auditorium. I hope the WCFY and the district will bring this back again for even more people to experience it." "I thought that the program was excellent. I observed students really look at at others after they left. Their eyes said, "I'm glad you see me for who I am...Programs like Rachel's Challenge teach self determination." "It reaches into kids' and adults' hearts for what's inside all of us as human beings and giving reassurance and encouragement to reach out to others, ultimately affecting the environment around us." "My son wanted nothing to do with this program. After he saw it, he talked to me for over an hour about it and wants to be a part of the F.O.R. (Friends of Rachel) Club." "Last night my son gave me a really big bear hug and told me he really appreciates all I do for him and that he loves me. He kind of held on extra long, too!"

If you would like to purchase pictures from the event as seen here on the web, please contact Unique Image Photography Studio at www.uniqueimagestudio.com