Benton County Drug Free Group Joins With Boys & Girls Club

Drug Free Benton County Coalition members will kick off a methamphetamine awareness campaign in downtown Bentonville later this month.

This year held many changes for the group. Federal money through the Drug-Free Communities program ends after 10 years. That grant was overseen by the Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce.

A new agreement moved the coalition under the Boys & Girls Club of Benton County as of Aug. 1, said Rick McLeod, president of the Drug Free Benton County Coalition.

"We saw this as an opportunity to transform ourselves," McLeod said.

The name has also changed. Last year they were known as Drug Free Rogers-Lowell. The new Benton County name speaks to the broader area the group represents, McLeod said.

Their focus has always been on taking the drug-free message to kids, McLeod said. October has traditionally been Methamphetamine Awareness Month. School resource officers are already at schools and do the bulk of the presentations, McLeod said.

A Sept. 26 kickoff will bring several local police departments and their specialty vehicles to the square while volunteers host a cookout starting at about 11 a.m., McLeod said.

Area police departments contributed to create the coalition's $7,000 budget for this year's event, he said. The loss of the federal grant money means the public will not see public service announcements that normally accompany the educational push. The coalition is researching other grants, he said.

Parents and teachers have written him citing the benefit of the annual education program, said Jon Simpson, Bentonville police chief. His office will host a training program for officers the day before the Sept. 26 kickoff. About 1,000 junior high school students will hear presentations in Bentonville during the month of October, he said.

Sixth- through eighth-graders are old enough to understand the dangers of drugs, he said. They're also at a critical age where they may have the opportunity to try them.

Parents sometimes hesitate to bring up the topic, Simpson said, but kids don't automatically know what to think of an issue such as drug use. Movies might make drugs use seem cool, he said. The truth about drugs isn't glamorous.

"Kids should know the risks," Simpson said.

A proactive approach is key to combat drug use, said Nathan Smith, Benton County deputy prosecutor.

Smith has helped with presentations before. Part of the presentation shows a progression of mug shots and illustrates how methamphetamine use can change a person's appearance.

"If I show kids a picture of a person whose teeth have rotted out of their mouth, they're a lot less likely to do meth -- I think," Smith said.

Methamphetamine, marijuana and abuse of prescription pills are the most common cases he sees in Benton County.

It's easier to stay out of the criminal justice system than to rehabilitate through it, Smith said. And it's easier for kids to break the cycle if they know the dangers inside it, he said.

"Meth is one of those things you think happens to other people," he said.

There 's always a cost to drug use, said Kim Umber, coalition secretary. An addict will lose his job, family ties and could end up homeless.

"We're all affected. Every family knows somebody," Umber said.

For Umber it was her daughter who struggled with methamphetamine addiction and died at 25.

Reaching kids early with a prevention message is important, she said, but there also needs to be a message of hope to those who have struggled with addiction.

"We all mess up," she said.

The coalition will continue to work to prevent tobacco use, to educate teens and pre-teens about the risks of underage drinking, prescription medication abuse and illegal drugs, McLeod said.

The Boys & Girls Club of Benton County will host coalition meetings and keep the books, said Jacob Hutson, chief professional officer for the club. Connecting with the coalition brings the club closer to volunteers with expertise and passion about preventing drug abuse, Hutson said.

Both Hutson and McLeod said there will be opportunities for youth involvement. Those plans haven't been developed yet, Hutson said.

"Overall we feel good about where we're going," he said.