Alpharetta Rotary Club Granted Charter For Tackling Drug Addiction

From Alpharetta Rotary: The Rotary Club of Alpharetta Granted Charter for Rotary Community Corps of Alpharetta – Communities Addressing Addiction

The Rotary Club of Alpharetta was awarded a charter for the Rotary Community Corps of Alpharetta – Communities Addressing Addiction on February 10, 2017 with recognition from Rotary International.

Rotary Community Corps (RCC) are organizations developed through Rotary to bring together groups of people committed to changing the world through service projects. What is unique about RCC is that volunteers can be participants from any organization. Members of a RCC can help plan and carry out projects in their community towards any cause they find relevant to their community. Currently, there are over 8,500 corps in over 90 countries, with presences in urban and rural areas.

The Rotary Club of Alpharetta decided to establish a Rotary Community Corps and chose their specific cause, Communities Addressing Addiction. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health’s most recent survey (2013), an estimated 24.6 million Americans aged 12 or older had used an illicit drug in the month prior to the survey. That figure was up 8.3 percent from the survey in 2002. The Rotary Club of Alpharetta recognizes that with the large exposure of American teens and adults to illicit substances, organizations need to be in place to support and encourage conversation about this topic, and establish solutions in our own communities.

Based on a rapid rise in heroin overdose deaths in the North Fulton area, as well as an increase in addiction, the Alpharetta Rotary Club decided to utilize and mobilize strategic partners to help combat the addiction crisis within the community. CAA Alpharetta is partnering with Pathways2Life to educate high schools about addiction; Alpharetta Police to share the realities of drugs in our area; GA Overdose Prevention to educate the community about Narcan; and Leadership N. Fulton donated Web Design.

Jason Binder, President of the Rotary Club of Alpharetta, says, “The Rotary Club of Alpharetta will provide ongoing guidance and financial support to the group. The Club has also provided volunteers and aided marketing efforts toward the different awareness events throughout the year. Programs will also be implemented in high schools with the help of our Interact program. We intend to use this model and launch throughout the state and country using local Rotary Clubs to leverage their already established presence and structure.”

Rotary Club of Alpharetta

The Alpharetta Rotary Club was chartered on March 23, 1983. Its membership is comprised of approximately 115 men and women representing a broad base of business and professional activities in our community. We are committed to making our community, both locally and worldwide, a better place for all of us to live. We meet every Friday morning at 7:15 AM for breakfast, fellowship and a program with speakers from the academic, business, professional, political and entertainment arenas of metro Atlanta. Visit us on the web at www.alpharettarotary.com

Photo courtesy of Alpharetta Rotary (Past President Kirk Driskell shares how Rotary is tackling the Addiction and Heroin Epidemic in North Fulton. Credit: Rotary Club of Alpharetta)