Suncoast Rehab Center Community Outreach Activities

At Suncoast Rehab, we take seriously our commitment to help our community with drug education and prevention, volunteering with community activities, and otherwise working to improve the world for our children and grandchildren who will inherit what we do today.

Drug Education and Prevention

Drug addiction usually starts unknowingly in youth. Many times the kid or teen isn’t given the proper information about how certain substances negatively affect the body and mind, nor the addictive qualities of certain substances. It is important to enlighten the future generations as to what drugs are, what they do and how they affect the body and the mind. Knowledge is considered power. The more our youth are educated about drugs, the better choices they can make to not only stay clear of them, but encourage friends and family, who may be in trouble, to take a different route or seek help themselves.

There are 3 ways we address this need: Sponsored drug education kits in schools, live drug education lectures in schools, drug education informational e-newsletters.

Sponsored Drug Education Kits in Schools

Throughout the year we sponsor Drug Education Kits in elementary, middle and high schools in counties across the state of Florida. There are teachers who will use these kits year after year to educate the children in each class.

Here is what some local high school students had to say about the DVD presentation at their school:

“[My thoughts changed about drugs after hearing the talk] ’cause I learned more information and the testimonies of the people kept it real. Don’t do drugs. Thank you.”

“[The video I liked,] It was fun because it made me laugh but it was informational too. Thank you, [it] will give me one more thing to tell my mom, dad and brother to not take drugs.”

“[What I liked most about the video was] the main guy talking, got to the point and was funny. [I learned] that THC soaks up nutrients in your body like calcium. Don’t do drugs.”

Live Drug Education Lectures in Schools

Suncoast delivers live drug education lectures in schools as part of a nationwide campaign. This tends to bring all the kids together on a higher level, plus it also drives home the message. These lectures are highly energetic and interactive which engages the students.

During National Red Ribbon week Suncoast drug education staff presented live drug education lectures to four classes at three different schools, totaling over 100 students. The purpose was to promote being drug-free and also to enlighten the students about the harmful effects of drugs.

In January 2013 Suncoast drug education staff delivered live drug education lectures as part of NIDA’s Drug Facts Week.

Here are what some of the students had to say from the lecture:

“This was a good presentation and it’s going to turn kids drug free. It might even change kids!”

“[I learned] that drugs take your vitamins away and that when you take drugs, you won’t be able to do things. … it is very bad for people to take drugs … it is a bad decision to take drugs.

Drug Education Lecture with over 70 students in attendance

So stay DRUG FREE!”

“It was awesome. I didn’t know about drugs. Don’t do drugs, they can mess up your body.”

“What I liked was learning about what the drugs do to you. … It was a good presentation.”

Drug Education Informational E-Newsletters

The Suncoast newsletter comes out once a month and is completely dedicated to drug education and rehabilitation education. There can be a lot of misleading, confusing or incorrect information about drugs that can unfortunately lead people to making wrong decisions. Also, sometimes rehab/treatment is misunderstood and confusing which can lead a person away from the exact help they were looking for. With our monthly newsletters, we research different topics and VERY SIMPLY present the topic in the newsletter so that any person can easily understand it.

To subscribe to our newsletter, scroll to the bottom and enter your email address.

To see some of our articles, click on the side-bar links.

Volunteering and Community Activities

Throughout the year Suncoast staff volunteer at different community activities in order to give back to our community and “pay it forward” where we can.

Some of the activities we have been involved in over the years:

Suncoast Rehab Center Charity Golf Tournament

In 2012 we held our first annual Charity Golf Tournament to bring awareness of our mission to Saving Lives, Reuniting Families and Rebuilding Communities and to raise money for our scholarship fund/drug education efforts. As a result of this tournament, we were able to award two scholarships to deserving people who desperately wanted but weren’t able to afford private treatment.

It was a huge success with many sponsors including Ed Morse Auto Way, PostcardMania, John King Morris/Super Skate, Novus Medical Detox, Natures Dynamics, Honka Automotive, Trainor Printing and Promotions, Say No To Drugs Race, Dixon Golf, The Weisenbergs, Baker & Baker Motorsports, The Sober World, JOTO Public Relations, Progress Health & Fitness, Printing in a Box, PrescriptionAddictionRadio.com, drugrehab.org, Judy Queener Biggart, Dr. Robert Karol DMD-PA, Toucan Partners LLC, Modern Coin Mart, Brian Andrus and Michele Lloyd.

Toy Drive for Orphans

Here is what the head of the orphanage had to say, “Thank you so much for holding a toy drive Saturday for the orphanage! And thank you so much to everyone who came and donated!!! We love you and do appreciate your love and support!”

Food Drive for the Local Underprivileged in Clearwater, FL

We collected up a load of canned and other non-perishable food for the local RCS food back on Clearwater, FL.

Holiday Cards for the Service Personnel Overseas

We wrote and sent over 200 Christmas and Holiday cards in coordination with the American Red Cross Military Support.

Relief for the Hurricane Sandy Victims

We collected up over a van load of clothes and materials needed for the Hurricane Sandy Victims. Once we took all the items down to St. Pete, we helped the local firefighter load the U-Haul truck until it was packed and then we took 2 van-loads back to Clearwater to another drop-off station for the Sandy Victims.

Annual Say No To Drugs Holiday Classic Race in Clearwater

Aaron from SRC with Jackie Yost, winner in the 80+ category

We volunteered again at the annual Say No To Drugs Race in December in Clearwater, FL. Suncoast is a proud sponsor of this race and also spent many volunteer hours before, during and after the event to assist in many ways towards an overall successful event.

Here is what one of the race organizers had to say: “I wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart, for all of your help in making today’s race a success. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! Couldn’t have pulled it off without you!!!”

If you know of an activity in our local area that can use volunteers, please email us here and we will see if this activity will fit on our calendar and within our sphere of authorized activities.