Youths Matter: Keeping kids safe, and sustained, includes showing them support

Most parents are in tune with the issues and concerns about kids’ exposure to unhealthy things, but this publication, along with other efforts by law enforcement and programs by the county Prevention Network, can serve as a helpful tune-up.

The publication includes a variety of insights; perhaps the most basic one is this: “Help your children establish realistic personal goals in academics, athletics and social life.

“Encourage and help them to achieve these goals.” Italics are ours.

We can all, not just parents, encourage our youth to participate and excel in positive activities. The opportunities are extensive for attending or otherwise supporting the things kids are involved in, or projects that offer positive alternatives for youth in our communities. St. Francis House, The Next Door Inc., Start Making A Reader Today, Little League, middle school sports, and Community Education are just a few of the ongoing programs always deserving support.

In the near term, many events and programs are ready for anyone to show up and pay an admission price (if any). They include Kids Soup, scheduled Thursday at Springhouse, and the plays at Hood River Middle School and Hood River High School opening Thursday, Tongue Twister Tournament for SMART on Friday, and the Horizon Hawks’ playoff game, also on Friday.

It’s not too late to form a team for the March 8 Bowl for Kids’ Sake for Big Brothers/Big Sisters of the Gorge, and mentors are always needed there.

The high school and middle school AVID program (Advancement Via Individual Determination) seeks tutors; a training is planned Feb. 28 — call 541-387-5704 for details.

Add to that the Community Work Day program by the high school, coming April 29: in it, HRVHS students spend a day working at a local business or organization, and turn their earnings over to a fund that is donated to a needy local organization to be determined.

In Hood River County, young people are always up to something good. Supporting their efforts can be entertaining or educational, or both, and has the immediate effect of bolstering what the kids happen to be doing, be it music, drama, or community service projects.

In addition, it sends a signal to other kids, be they younger or less-involved. It says, “People who know you, as well as those who don’t, will make an investment of time or money to observe or help experience what you are pursuing.”

Supporting these efforts shows kids they matter, and that their creative and positive pursuits are what drives them as individuals and the community as a whole.