Amherst Parent Connection

Sandy Matakovich
   President & Founder, Amherst Parent Connection
  (440) 785-9476 cell
  (440) 988-3659 home
  matakos@oh.rr.com

 

Upcoming Events

January 13, 2010
2010 KICK OFF MEETING Flyer

Elyria Chronicle article about underage drinking involving our Amherst youth

Open letter from APC founder (Dec. 21, 2008):

The sad reality is that this stuff happens everyday, in every city, state, and country. Amherst is not insulated or immune to the ills of temptation and experimentation. Most every parent of a teenager knows that his or her child could fall prey at any time to the same issues that have happened here.  In Amherst and the larger Westside Community, one of our biggest problems is underage drinking.  The proof is in the statistics supplied by our Amherst Police Department. Click on the APD Annual Report for 2007: http://www.amherstpolice.net/2007%20Annual%20Report.pdf   On page 21, it shows the entire list of Juvenile Criminal Offenses on record from 2005-2007. The sharpest increase falls within the category of Liquor Violations - Under Age Consumption. Since 2002, this number has risen, year over year from 24 arrests in 2002 to 94 arrests in 2007. And these are only the ones on record for getting caught. Based on this data, Amherst has an ever-growing issue with underage drinking. Some of the other offenses that show an increase are: Open Containers in Motor Vehicles, Public Intoxication, Unruly - Delinquent Child-Contributing, Discharging Firearms, and Criminal Trespassing.

This is why I started the Amherst Parent Connection [APC] in 2006. I wanted to bring information and resources into our community on how to better understand our teenagers' world. APC's goal has always been to bridge the gap, stay the course, and remain the priority influence in raising healthy, respectable, responsible, and productive youth in Amherst. 
 
APC has partnered again this year with the Westlake Parent Connection [WPC] and the Parent2Parent Westside Network [P2PN] to focus on Underage Drinking and Prevention for 2009. Please visit the website at http://www.parent2parentnetwork.org to see the many events scheduled that are all Free and Open to the Public for every parent in any community.

Remember, it takes a village to raise a child, so lets work together to raise the best youth within our community! If you want to get involved in APC, pleast contact me. I would welcome your ideas and support.
 
Sandy Matakovich
440-988-3659 home
440-785-9476 cell
matakos@oh.rr.com



Lorain County Mental Heath Resources
Families Anonymous - A Beacon of Hope: Are you at your wits’ end?  Does someone you love have drug, alcohol or behavioral problems?  We can help. Read their open letter to the P2PN.
Local Meeting Schedule Description of Services

Lorain County Youth pages

Listing of Lorain County Resources/those accepting new patients.

How the Amherst Parent Connection began...
The idea to start the Amherst Parent Connection grew out of an innocent conversation with another parent at a soccer game, about five years ago.  I was sharing a playground bench at the BeaverCreek Soccer Fields, with a Westlake soccer mom. Read the entire article as it appeared in the high school newspaper.


Next Meeting
No meetings have yet been scheduled for the 2008-09 School Year.

Looking for Volunteers
I'm looking for volunteers to help me get this initiative going.  If you would like to help out in any way, please contact me.  Remember, "It Takes A Village To Raise A Child!"  Let's make Amherst the Village of Choice for EVERY Child!

MISSION:

Our group’s mission is to become a strong community resource that raises awareness on issues that affect our youth through education, information, and communication. Our group meetings, events, and workshops are free and open to the public. We are a participant of the Parent-to-Parent Westside Network, and our website is www.parent2parentnetwork.org. On our Amherst webpage, you can find the 2007 meeting schedule, past meeting minutes, upcoming events, and links to other topics that affect our youth.

It is our greatest goal that we—Amherst Parent Connection—bridge the gap, stay the course, and remain the priority influence in raising healthy, respectable, responsible, and productive youth in Amherst and in the larger Westside community. It takes a village to raise a child, and we want Amherst to be the village of choice for all children!




Meeting Archive
Thursday, Feb. 1, 2007, Internet Training, Minutes

Monday, November 13, 2006 at 7:00pm
Clickhere for Minutes

The results of the Communities That Care Youth Survey Report for 2006 was conducted in October.  This survey was distributed to 996 total students, in grades 6, 8, 10, and 12.  A summary of the findings are as follows:  [see link].

Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Kick-off meeting of the proposed Amherst Parent Connection group was held on Wednesday, October 18, 2006. Click here for complete minutes of the Oct. 18th meeting.

If you are from another school district, please attend and spread the word.  We welcome EVERYONE!  Please contact Sandy Matakovich (amherstparentconnection@gmail.com) if you have questions.

Complete Meeting Schedule (No December mtg.)
Starting in 2007, we will have a regularly scheduled meeting on the 1st Thursday of every month at 7:00 p.m. at the Amherst Main Street Community Center.
Click here for Complete Schedule.

Helpful Sites/Information
40 Assets PDF - One Page sheet