Our Community Convenes - May 26, 2016

Presents 

Our Community Convenes 

at the Polk State Center for Public Safety Auditorium

121 Jim Keene Boulevard in Winter Haven

 Thursday, May 26, 2016

10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Sharing data to help our community be safer and better informed

For event information, please call Donna Swygert, StandUP Polk Coordinator at (863) 802-0777

A High-Potency Form of Marijuana “Shatter” Becoming Popular on the East Coast

A High-Potency Form of Marijuana “Shatter” Becoming Popular on the East Coast

According to a recent report aired on Houston TV station ABC-13, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents are seeing an increase in a type of high-potency marijuana known as shatter, wax, or 710. 710 turned upside down, spells oil because it is a concentrated form of marijuana oil.

In its 2015 National Drug Threat Assessment, The Drug Enforcement Administration said that marijuana concentrates are growing in popularity and that the drug’s ease of use through portable vaporizers presented new challenges for law enforcement. DEA agents have seized many of the marijuana concentrates over the past year, which are often made by users and hidden in beauty product containers.

Shatter is legal for recreational use in the states of Colorado and Washington, and is also sold in medical marijuana dispensaries in other states, according to The Washington Post newspaper. In December, it was reported that forms of shatter are now starting to appear on East Coast of the United States.

Some varieties of shatter have been found to have as much as 90 percent THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. That is about five times the potency of unrefined smoked marijuana, and more powerful than standard hash oil. Shatter is a thin, hard layer that is similar to glass. It can shatter if dropped.

DEA special agent, Wendell Campbell explained that many of the concentrates are made by filtering butane, a highly flammable product, through the marijuana plant. He also commented, “If you’re looking at something that has three, five, seven, or nine percent THC content, that’s a drastic difference to somebody that is consuming something with 80 or 90 percent THC content.”

Recovering addicts report their experiences and effects after experimenting with this new high-potency marijuana as: “You become very incoherent. You can’t really function; you’re just supremely stoned,” said one recovering addict. Another reported, “It just goes straight to your head. It’s like the next level of being high.”

For more information, please visit Partnership for Drug-Free Kids at www.drugfree.org

Sources:  Join Together, Partnership for Drug-Free Kids at Drugfree.org (www.drugfree.org), WABC-TV Houston (www.abc13.com) 

NATIONAL PRESCRIPTION DRUG TAKE-BACK DAY Saturday, April 30, 2016

NATIONAL PRESCRIPTION DRUG TAKE-BACK DAY
Saturday, April 30, 2016

Polk County, FL – StandUP Polk, local law enforcement agencies, and event partner GiveWell Community Foundation are proud to join The Drug Enforcement Administration and its national and community partners for National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on Saturday, April 30, 2016, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, for citizens to dispose of all unwanted, unneeded, and expired medications in a safe manner.

National Prescription Drug Take Back Day aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medication. Many Americans may not be aware that medicines in home cabinets are highly susceptible to misuse and abuse. Studies show that many are obtained from the home medicine cabinet of family and friends. In addition, many people do not know how to properly dispose of unused medicine, often flushing them down the toilet or throwing them away – both potential safety and health hazards.

Our community’s Prescription Drug Take-Back Day will include the following locations in Polk County for citizens to turn in unused, expired, or unwanted Human and Pet Medications, including over the counter medications, vitamins, and other medication in liquid and solid form, for safe and proper disposal. Medications should be placed in a clear, air-tight plastic bag.  

Drop-off locations from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm are:

Auburndale Police Department – 2 Bobby Green Plaza, Auburndale, FL
Davenport Police Department- 16 Bay Street West, Davenport, FL
Haines City Police Department – 35400 Highway 27, Haines City, FL
Lakeland Police Department – 219 N. Massachusetts Avenue, Lakeland, FL
Lake Alfred Police Department – 190 N. Seminole Avenue, Lake Alfred, FL
Lake Hamilton Police Department – 100 Smith Avenue, Lake Hamilton, FL
Lake Wales Police Department - 133 E. Tillman Avenue, Lake Wales, FL
Winter Haven Police Department – 125 N. Lake Silver Drive NW, Winter Haven, FL

Unwanted medications, excluding those in liquid form, may also be taken to the county’s permanent drop site locations at the Police Department locations in Auburndale, Haines City, Lake Alfred, Lakeland and Winter Haven. Medications may be safely disposed of at home by dissolving them in water, mixing with coffee grounds or cat litter, pouring into a zip lock bag, and disposing in the trash. To avoid harming lakes and ground water, please do not dump medications into the toilet.

Previous medication collections held in Polk County since 2010 have resulted in over 6,500 pounds of recovered pharmaceuticals safely disposed of via incineration.  For more information on the local Prescription Drug Take-Back event, please contact StandUP Polk at (863) 802-0777.

2016 Project Prom Shopping Days

InnerAct Alliance Board Members Spread The Word About Project Prom Shopping Days

Front row: Karen King,  Lori Edwards,  Jeanette Wallace

Back Row: Dick Pellegrini, Bishop Willie Mincey, Hazel Sellers, Kevin English, Ginny Wolfe, Dub Palmore

UthMpact 2016 Project Prom Shopping Days 

It’s not quite April Fool’s Day yet, but some of the InnerAct Alliance Board Members were “Foolin’ Around” at the March board meeting, held at the Project Prom Store, to help spread the word about the remaining UthMpact 2016 Project Prom Shopping Days on Friday, April 1 from 4 pm to 8 pm and Saturday, April 2 from 10 am to 4 pm to distribute prom formal wear to students in need.   

High school students can visit the Project Prom store location at Lakeside Village, 1429 Towne Center Drive, between Loft and Chico’s. with a Polk County School ID and sign a pledge to celebrate drug-free and receive their formal wear for FREE! 

UthMpact encourages safe driving and healthy choices when celebrating and the goal is to promote a fun and safe prom night. Since 2013, nearly 500 prom ensembles have been provided to young women and men. 

For more information, contact Samantha Barwig, UthMpact Coordinator, at (863) 802-0777. Visit our website at www.projectprompolk.com and www.uthmpact.org. 

Project Prom Fundraising Raffle

 Fundraising Raffle

Polk County, FL – Project Prom of Polk County and UthMpact are happy to announce an Exciting Fundraising Raffle for a Brand New 7-Piece Living Room ensemble, including sofa, love seat, coffee table, two end tables, and flat screen television and cabinet, plus 5-Piece Dining Room set. This beautiful furniture package, compliments of Badcock Home Furniture and More, is valued at $1,000!

Raffle Tickets will be sold at the Project Prom Gala & Fashion Show, hosted by UthMpact and sponsorship partners MIDFlorida Credit Union and Badcock Home Furniture and More, on Friday evening, February 26, 2016 at the Cleveland Heights Golf Course in Lakeland. Tickets are also available at www.projectprompolk.com. All proceeds will benefit the UthMpact Scholarship fund for deserving high school seniors. For purchases of over $100 worth of raffle tickets, please contact us directly at (863) 802-0777. 

Raffle Tickets Cost:
1- $5.00	21- $55.00
2- $10.00	23- $60.00
5- $15.00	25- $65.00
7- $20.00	27- $70.00
9- $25.00	29- $75.00
11- $30.00	31- $80.00
13- $35.00	33- $85.00
15- $40.00	35- $90.00
17- $45.00	37- $95.00
19- $50.00	39- $100.00

For more information on the Gala & Fashion Show or Furniture Raffle, please contact Samantha Barwig, UthMpact Coordinator, at (863) 802-0777, or visit www.projectprompolk.com and www.uthmpact.org.

UthMpact Coordinates 2016 Project Prom and 2nd Annual Gala & Fashion Show February 26, 2016

UthMpact Coordinates 2016 Project Prom and
2^nd Annual Gala & Fashion Show February 26, 2016

With Spring just around the corner, it is almost Prom Time! Unfortunately for some teens, the expense of this special event could make attending prom out of reach.  UthMpact, along with our sponsorship partners MIDFlorida Credit Union and Badcock Home Furniture and More, is proud to present the 4^th year of Project Prom to provide formal wear and accessories to deserving high school students in our community who might not otherwise be able to afford the expense of Prom Night. Additionally, UthMpact encourages safe driving and healthy choices when celebrating.

UthMpact is excited to announce the 2^nd Annual Project Prom Gala & Fashion Show, which will take place on Friday evening, February 26, 2016, at the Cleveland Heights Golf Course in Lakeland. Tickets for this fun night of Fashion, Fundraising, and Fun are available now for $10 pre-order and also available at the door for $15. Participants can enjoy the latest and greatest in Prom attire, dance to great music, and donate gently used formal wear for girls and guys that will be donated to teens who may not otherwise be able to afford them.

We are asking for assistance from our local community to support this effort by donating gently used dresses, shoes, purses, jewelry, men’s suits, tuxes, ties, and accessories. You may also make a cash donation to Project Prom. Formal wear donations may be dropped off at the InnerAct Alliance office, 621 South Florida Avenue in Lakeland, weekdays from 8:30 am – 4:30 pm; or at Vintage Warehouse Lakeland, 4308 Wallace Road in Lakeland, Thursday through Saturday, from 9:00 am – 2:00 pm.

Student Shopping Days to distribute prom formal wear to those in need will take place on the following Fridays from 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm: March 4, March 11, and April 1; Saturdays from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm: February 20, March 5, March 12 and April 2; at the old Coldwater Creek storefront in Lakeside Village, 1429 Towne Center Drive, in Lakeland (in between LOFT and Chico's). High school students with a Polk County School ID can sign a Project Prom Pledge to celebrate drug-free and receive their formal wear for FREE!

Since 2013, nearly 500 prom ensembles have been provided to young women and men. UthMpact's goal is to promote a fun and safe prom night. For information on formal wear donation, student shopping days, or to purchase tickets to the Gala & Fashion Show, please contact Samantha Barwig, UthMpact Coordinator, at (863) 802-0777. Visit our website at www.projectprompolk.com and www.uthmpact.org. 

UthMpact Presents 2016 Project Prom

OF POLK COUNTY, FLORIDA

UthMpact Presents 2016 Project Prom

It is almost Prom Time! Unfortunately for some teens, the expense of this special event could make attending prom out of reach.

For the 4^th consecutive year, teen leaders from UthMpact, along with support from community partners, are proud to present Project Prom to provide formal wear and accessories to deserving high school students in our community who might not otherwise be able to afford the expense of Prom Night.

We are asking for assistance from our local community to support this effort by donating gently used dresses, shoes, purses, jewelry, men’s suits, tuxes, ties, and accessories. Cash donations will also be accepted. Formal wear donations may be dropped off at the InnerAct Alliance office, 621 South Florida Avenue in Lakeland, weekdays from 8:30 am – 4:30 pm.

Since 2013, nearly 500 prom ensembles have been provided to young women and men. UthMpact's goal is to promote a fun and safe prom night. 

For more information, please call Samantha Barwig at (863) 802-0777 or visit www.projectprompolk.com and www.uthmpact.org