This year, LiveFree! will be featuring High School and Middle School clubs from Bay Area schools. Today we're featuring the Largo Middle School LiveFree! Club.

Number of members: 45

Year this club began: 2012

How has the Largo Middle School LiveFree! Club been involved in the community this year?
Attended the NOPE Candlelight Vigil at Largo Central Park in October; a few students attended the Red Ribbon Family Fun Festival with their families in October; Participated in the Great American Teach-In in November, Posted signs throughout the school about being Drug-Free. Made signs for Red Ribbon Month and handed out Twizzlers with a Red Ribbon attached and a drug-free message attached to the ribbon. In December, the club joined together to promote collecting donated gifts for CASA, and collected over 70 gifts and clothing for the St. Pete CASA location.

What are your future goals as a LiveFree! Club?
Increase their knowledge and awareness and focus more on the positives, and what percentage of students are NOT doing drugs or alcohol. They will be studying up on the new fliers and handouts, and split into teams of 4 to a topic, and will present and educate the other students in the club on the topic they vow to become an “expert” about. Teams have already been formed for the presentations. New recruitment efforts will go out and membership is expected to expand and include additional students.

“We are the LiveFree! Club from Largo Middle School. We joined with CASA in helping abused kids and their mothers,(so they would have a better Christmas). Almost every member brought in a new item to donate to the shelter. We want to be hands on with different organizations, and we would like to make a difference in our community!”  -Milany S. and Jennifer C. – 8^th grade students at Largo Middle.

This year, LiveFree! will be featuring High School and Middle School clubs from Bay Area schools. Our first club is the Northeast High School LiveFree! Club.

Number of club members:  34

Year this club began: 2009

How has the Northeast High School LiveFree! Club been involved in the community this year?
“In the LiveFree! Club we work toward making the community a better place. So far this year, we have been responsible for our own booth at Red Ribbon Week (Family Fun Festival) at Vinoy Park; taken part in the NOPE Candlelight Vigil, and collected donations for CASA and cell phone for soldiers. We joined the LiveFree! Club to make a change and encourage fellow classmates to do the same. The events are always a lot of fun and T-shirts aren’t bad either!”   – Katherine S., Destiney S., and Jenny N.

What are your future goals as a LiveFree! Club?
“I joined LiveFree! to help people become aware of drugs and their effect on the mind and body. Hoping maybe they would rethink doing them and/or stop doing them. Being in the LiveFree! club we not only help (with) drug awareness, we try to help the community as a whole.”  – Elycia R. and Breana R.

“I LOVE LiveFree! !!”  – Always, Samantha B.

These three scenarios were created by the LiveFree! Club of Dunedin High School to be used as conversation starters between parents and youth at meal times. Choose one and get the dialog started today! See Part I of our Dinner Dilemmas here.

Situation 1:  You decide to go the beach with your friends, but when you decide to leave, your friends tell you that if you don’t at least smoke once, they won’t loan you money for the bus (you have no money for the bus).

Dilemma:  On the one hand, if you don’t smoke, you can’t go home and you will get into trouble. On the other hand, if you do smoke, you get to go home, but your mom will be able to tell you were smoking and you will be in trouble. You could have avoided all of this by staying home and telling your friends that you couldn’t hang out, but you didn’t know they would make you smoke.

Discussion:  What decision would you make and why?

Situation 2:  You go to a party with lots of people, and they begin to offer you drugs and alcohol.

Dilemma:  On the one hand, you could do the drugs and drink the alcohol (look cool). On the other hand, you could decline the drugs and alcohol (look lame).

Discussion:  What should you do and why?

Situation 3:  Stephanie and Hector have been arguing constantly at practice. Terri overheard one of their arguments.

Dilemma:  On the one hand, Terri could say something to them to help them work out their problems. On the other hand, Terri could ignore them and pretend like she doesn't’t know they are arguing.

Discussion:  What should Terri do? Why?

LiveFree! is a coalition of community members with a vision to reduce substance abuse in our community by creating a safe, healthy community through public and private collaborations to educate and create public awareness, promote advocacy and develop healthy solutions to issues of youth substance abuse.

These scenarios were created by the Dunedin High School LiveFree! Club to be used as conversation starters between parents and youth at meal times. Choose one to get the dialogue started today!

Situation 1:  Your parents are out of town and your friends tell you they want to throw a big party at your house, but you don’t want them to have a party at your house.

Dilemma:  On the one hand, you could disobey your parents’ rule about no parties and please your friends. On the other hand, you could tell your friends you are going ahead with other plans and not have the party (it’s against your parents’ rule).

Discussion:  Should you please your friends or your parents?  Why?

Situation 2:  Your friend is in an abusive relationship and she shares her secret with you.

Dilemma:  On the one hand, you could tell a trusted adult to help her.  On the other hand, you could be a good friend, keep the secret, and hope for the best.

Discussion:  What should you do? Why?

Situation 3:  You’re out in the mall and your friends want you to “grip” (steal).

Dilemma:  On the one hand, you don’t want to disappoint your friends by walking away and doing the right thing. On the other hand, you don’t want to disappoint your parents by being sent to jail for stealing.

Discussion:  What should you do?  Why?

LiveFree! is a coalition of community members with a vision to reduce substance abuse in our community by creating a safe, healthy community through public and private collaborations to educate and create public awareness, promote advocacy and develop healthy solutions to issues of youth substance abuse.

Working parents often use the “too busy” excuse for their lack of exercise, while in reality, even some of the busiest individuals still manage to fit exercise into their daily lives. The CDC recommends regular physical activity for all individuals, to promote good health and reduce risk for many diseases. Being busy doesn’t mean you should put off physical activity altogether. Here are some great tips on how to incorporate physical activity and exercise into your daily routine:

Make the Most of Your Morning!
The time when you first wake up is the perfect time to fit a little exercise into your routine. Try doing some stretching and other simple exercises right when you get out of bed. You can do jumping jacks, sit-ups, crunches or a few yoga poses.

Commit to a Lunchtime Workout
Most working people get an hour lunch break—so why not use it for workout time? Completing a short, high-intensity workout is just as good as a long, regular workout. If you don’t have a gym membership, try walking or running around your office complex during your lunch hour. But don’t forget to refuel (eat) when you get back!

Build Exercise into Your Daily Routine
Even the simplest daily activities can be a form of physical activity. If you work at a large office complex, try parking farther away so you have to walk a longer distance. Take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator.

Use the Buddy System
If motivation is what you really need to get you going, a buddy can definitely do the trick. Find a friend or family member who also wants to start exercising, and get to it together. Your buddy will encourage you to keep going, and vice versa.

Make It a Family Affair
Need to spend some time with the kids, but itching for a workout? Family activities are a great way to get some physical activity in! Go for a bike ride, play baseball, have a dance party or go for a walk together after dinner.

Staying healthy and physically active helps set a good example for your children, so they will do the same. The LiveFree! Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition of Pinellas County is dedicated to helping teens make good choices. Visit us online to find out how you can help the teens in your life say “no” to drugs.

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Between being the parent of a busy teenager and working, you’re probably pretty busy yourself. You might want to eat healthier, but find that you don’t have the time to eat breakfast, pack a healthy lunch or make a nutritious dinner. Here are some ways you can keep up with your busy lifestyle and still make sound nutrition decisions.

Breakfast First, in More Ways Than One!

Breakfast is not only your first meal of the day, but it’s the most important. The nutrients you miss when you skip breakfast can’t be made up throughout the rest of the day. Foods with complex carbs, protein and healthy fat are the best for keeping full and energized all day. Here are great options for busy parents:

· Fruits that you can grab and go: apples, bananas, oranges, raisins

· Low-fat dairy products: yogurt, yogurt smoothies, string cheese, cottage cheese

· Mini whole grain bagels or breads spread with peanut butter or light yogurt spread

· Enriched whole grain cold cereals or hot cereals you can make in the cup (at work)

· Egg sandwich on whole wheat English muffin or mini whole wheat bagel

Have It on Hand

The CDC recommends stocking your pantry with healthy foods that you can mix and match for lunches and dinners, so you have plenty of options to choose from. For healthy lunches and dinners you can make in a jiffy, keep the following items on hand:

· Canned tuna or salmon

· Fresh fruits or canned fruits in natural juices

· Frozen fresh fruits for smoothies

· Whole grain breads/pita/muffins

· Frozen and canned veggies

· Canned beans

· Peanut butter

· Plain low-fat yogurt

· Frozen boneless, skinless chicken breast

· Olive oil

· Ground turkey breast and lean ground beef

· Salad mix and veggies/other topping for salads

Healthy Snacks

While it may be so easy to go down to that vending machine at the office, it’s not your best option. Instead of hitting up the vending machine, keep plenty of healthy snacks at your desk. Here are some snacks that you can keep at the desk and feel good about eating:

· Granola bars

· Trail mix

· Dried fruits

· Mixed nuts

· Low-fat or whole grain snack crackers

· Dry cereals

Choosing healthy foods to stock the pantry with will give you plenty of good options to choose from for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Eating healthy will also set a good example for your kids and teens to follow. The LiveFree! Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition also strives to set good examples for youth in society, by promoting awareness of substance abuse prevention here in Pinellas County. To find out how you can get involved, visit us online today.

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