Engage City Church, in the city of Huber Heights, will be kicking off the start of their new program, Now You Know. The program centers around educating parents, adults and students about drugs that have been affecting the Dayton area.
At their Sunday worship experience, Engage City Church released the dates of their informational nights.
Their Parent and Adult Night, geared toward adults and parents of all ages, can receive information about identifying and reacting to drugs that are becoming increasingly popular, and will be on April 15 at 5:30 p.m. at Wayne High School in their Performing Arts Center.
Just less than a month later, the program will also host a Parent and Student night on May 6 at 5:30 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center at Wayne High School. This informational night will be geared towards students, teaching them to avoid dangerous substances, as well as how to respond when offered or encountering any person with these substances.
James Burke, a member of Engage City Church is directing this program. He has developed a team of youth from the church to assist him in delivering this message, while also getting a better understanding of a student outlook on the possession and use of drugs.
Engage City Church posted to their Facebook saying, “The overdose epidemic is a very real and very troubling problem plaguing the State of Ohio.”
The events goal is to educate parents and families about the addictions that have been statistically prominent in recent years and how they can be avoided.
Dayton is ranked in the top 10 of cities in the nation for drug overdoses. Drugs like fentanyl and carfentanyl are becoming more popular in this area, these drugs being deadly at even the touch. Carfentanyl is 100 times more poisonous than fentanyl, though both are dangerous opioids.
Engage City Church hopes to turn this into a well known program in the area that students and their parents can be involved in, keeping kids from developing lifelong addictions to deadly substances.
If you are interested in attending the event, or would like more information about the upcoming parent, adult and student nights, visit the Engage City Church Facebook page to watch their informational video. You can also email them at nowyouknowecc@gmail.com with any questions regarding the event.
Parents, students and adults are all welcome, regardless of the city they live in, or schools they attend. The event’s purpose is to inform people of all ages.
Kelsey Fitzpatrick
Reporter