Allamakee Prevention Advisory Group
The rising concerns over substance misuse, problem gambling, teen pregnancy, and more led a group of concerned citizens and professionals to start meeting to address these difficult topics. Allamakee Prevention Advisory, formed in late 2021, has a mission to “advocate, educate, and provide awareness to positively impact the health and wellness of Allamakee County.” The group provides valuable feedback on the county’s culture, trends, and concerns while making recommendations on evidence-based practices and strategies to implement across the community.
Allamakee Prevention Advisory is an opportunity to collaborate across agencies and to highlight available services and work being done. At a recent Allamakee Prevention Advisory meeting, Postville Police Chief Matt Ellis mentioned that the community could use more education about human trafficking. Upon hearing this, Bethany, a member of Allamakee Prevention Advisory and a Dating Violence Advocate at the Domestic Abuse Resource Center, took up the charge and began planning a lunch n’ learn about human trafficking for May 2022. The official date, location, and time will be announced in the near future.
Those living or working in Allamakee County are welcome and encouraged to attend. The perspectives of parents, business owners, faith leaders, youth-serving organizations, other nonprofit leaders, individuals in recovery, and more are needed for this work to be successful. “We cannot do this alone or in a vacuum,” says Jenny Rose, Prevention Coordinator at Helping Services for Youth and Families. “We need the whole community involved to make a community-level change.”
Allamakee Prevention Advisory meets monthly for one hour on the 2nd Thursday from 11:30-12:30. The location of the meeting rotates between Lansing, Waukon, and Postville. The next meeting is Thursday, April 14, 2022, at Nutmegs Bakery and Cafe in Lansing. All are welcome to attend. Visit allamakeeprevention.com or contact Jessica Rupp at 563-387-1720 or jrupp@helpingservices.org for more information.
