July 9, 2020
By: Dwayne Page
Join the effort to fight substance abuse in our community by supporting the annual Community Yard Sale fundraiser for the DeKalb Prevention Coalition Saturday, July 11 in the parking lot of the county complex on South Congress Boulevard.
The event will be held from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. featuring a yard sale and lunch. COVID-19 safety procedures will be observed and all proceeds will be used to support the mission of the coalition to reduce dependence on harmful and potentially lethal substances such as prescription drugs, alcohol, and tobacco.
Lisa Cripps, Coordinator of the DPC, said the community has already generously donated clothes for the yard sale and everything will be reasonably priced. “We have lots of pocket books, tons of shoes in all sizes, kids clothes, teen clothes, men and women clothes and in many of the great name brands. We also have a few pieces of furniture and quite a bit of toys. Its just $1 to $3 dollars on all items. For lunch we will be serving chips, hot dogs, and drinks for $5.00 and we’ll have bake sale goodies too so everybody come out and join us for lunch,” she said.
In addition to the food and shopping opportunities, free white cloth reusable masks will be available for those concerned about the COVID-19 pandemic as well as free Narcan kits and training in the proper use of Naloxone.
“Narcan or Naloxone Nasal Spray is recommended for the emergency treatment of a known or suspected opioid overdose. It has been proven to be an extremely effective medication that stops opioid overdoses and saves lives. It can be sprayed into the nose of a person who has overdosed and it usually takes about two minutes to work. After administering Narcan to someone who has overdosed, the person will regain consciousness. We will have trainers there Saturday under a tent and they will be able to train you in less than 10 minutes. You will also get a free Narcan kit just for participating,” said Cripps.
Although the Coalition receives grant funding to help further its mission, local funding is also vitally important. “We run off of a grant from the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services but that is regimented on how we can spend our money so we need some extra to go along with that and this fundraiser is one way we get those extra dollars. All money raised will go back to our community to help reduce substance abuse here,” added Cripps.