Take a Stand campaign makes strides in valley

As 2021 quickly comes to a close, Take a Stand Against Meth wants to let the public know their campaign has come, since the initial planning meetings in 2018.

In early 2018, it became quite clear that the Chippewa Valley was in the middle of a methamphetamine crisis. Meth was draining the community and leaving its devastating mark on everyone.

The community needed change and needed it immediately. As a result, community leaders collaborated to create the Take a Stand Against Meth campaign, a proactive movement to decrease the devastation of the highly addictive drug.

Chippewa County saw a 50 percent increase in referrals to Child Protective Services since 2015; a 193 percent increase in out-of-home child placements; and a 256 percent increase in meth-related referrals to the district attorney.

The campaign, filled with partners throughout the Chippewa Valley, knew they had to reduce the number of methrelated referrals to the district attorney and the number of children removed from their homes.

The core team works to achieve the following:

• Creating opportunities for an anonymous tip line and education related to reporting crime tips. These opportunities include implementing Crime Stoppers, creating an interactive online video introducing Hidden in Plain Sight, as an education tool to help parents and guardians learn more about drug use, and introducing the Not Even Once grade school curriculum, developed with CESA 10.

• Increasing faith and service organization involvement. This includes foster care recruitment, support in the jail, and working directly with Narcotics Anonymous and Alcohol Anonymous.

• Gaining buy-in from area businesses related to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), resiliency, drug trends and professionally supporting those individuals currently in recovery.

If anyone is interested in volunteering or wants to stay upto- date on Take a Stand activities, visit takeastandagainstmeth. org.