Warwick Valley Prevention Coalition will hold Youth Appreciation Night on Aug. 7

WARWICK — The Warwick Valley Prevention Coalition will hold its second annual Youth Appreciation Night on Tuesday, Aug. 7, as part of the “35th Annual National Night Out” (NNO) crime and prevention event.
The Prevention Coalition will honor the commitment that the Warwick Valley Community Center’s Youth Advisory Board (YAB) members have to their community.
YAB members have volunteered at community center fund raisers and offered their services to various local organizations.
Activities have ranged from working at the Halloween Haunted House to conducting a community scan of alcohol outlets for the coalition and have included raising funds, making banners for events, trees for Treecycle and decorations for the June Pride Parade.
During the week of National Night Out, youth will be volunteering for a week to become advocates for substance use prevention. They will learn about prevention strategies and how to make a difference in underage substance use.
At the Youth Appreciation Night, YAB members will receive a certificate of merit for their service from the coalition.
The Youth Appreciation Night and National Night Out event is supported by the Town of Warwick Police Department and other coalition members.
From 5 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 7, all youth aged 12 through 17 are invited to attend the Teen Center. There will be youth activities, a visit with the police and refreshments. Adults are welcomed to stay and find out about parenting resources in our community.
Coalition members also will be on hand to answer questions about preventing alcohol and other drug abuse by youth.
National Night Out, which is sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch will involve more than 16,500 communities from all 50 states, U.S. territories, Canadian cities and military bases around the world.
National Night Out is designed to:
• Heighten crime and drug prevention awareness;
• Generate support for, and participation in, local anticrime efforts;
• Strengthen neighborhood spirit and police community partnerships; and
• Send a message to criminals letting them know neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.
For more information, call Annie Colonna at 845-986-6422 ext. 4.