MEDIA ROOM > Press Release

Major General Arthur T. Dean
Family Day Launch - Remarks
September 4, 2003, 10:00 A.M.

Thank you. I am very pleased to be here to help recognize the significance of Family Day and CASA’s research that emphasizes the importance of parents spending quality time with their children.

CADCA, Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America, is an 11-year-old non-profit organization that was created by the President’s Drug Advisory Council in 1992 to serve as the national representative for the growing community anti-drug coalition movement. We now represent over 5,000 coalitions that are composed of local members of their community like youth and parents, the media, school systems, the justice system, faith leaders, health providers, law enforcement, elected officials, business leaders and civic groups.

CADCA’s mission is to strengthen the capacity of community coalitions to create safe, healthy and drug-free communities. We provide our members with technical assistance and training, public policy, media strategies, marketing programs, conferences and special events.

Family Day is important to CADCA because CASA’s research supports what CADCA knows to be true--children are less likely to smoke, drink or use illegal drugs when their parents are actively involved.  Having dinner with your children is an outstanding way to have parents and children talk about and discuss this critical issue—substance abuse, America’s number one health problem.

Therefore, having a program supported by numerous mayors, governors and even our President helps to reinforce the importance of parents spending quality time with their children.

Family Day has given many of our coalitions a vehicle to highlight problems associated with substance abuse among our youth and provide them with positive alternatives. CADCA has encouraged community coalitions to take action and make Family Day a reality in their respective communities by asking mayors to proclaim Family Day, by including civic and business leaders in Family Day activities, by creating programs that involve every facet of the community and by distributing important materials explaining the research that CASA has conducted.

Coalitions celebrating Family Day have met great enthusiasm and success. In Greater Williamsburg, Virginia the Historic Triangle Substance Abuse Coalition not only secured a Family Day proclamation, but also convinced the county parks and recreation department to cancel evening activities so that employees can go home and spend time with their families. In addition, 20 local restaurants have agreed to give discounts to families eating dinner together on Family Day.

The Kentucky Agency for Substance Abuse Policy in Frankfort is promoting Family Day by hosting a lunch with local school children, their parents and state officials with Lieutenant Governor Steve Henry and Mrs. Heather Henry as hosts.

The Coalition for Drug Abuse Prevention in Winston-Salem, North Carolina has produced a Family Day segment highlighting community efforts that will air throughout the month on the local cable access channel. Posters and flyers with the Family Day theme are also being sent to the homes of 14,000 area middle school students.

These are only a few of the many Family Day activities that CADCA’s coalition members have scheduled across the country. Coalitions are creating activities and events for parental engagement with their children, which will lead to changed attitudes about substance abuse.

Together, let us make certain that Family Day is not merely an activity celebrated on the fourth Monday of September, but it will be used as a vehicle to strengthen families across America.