CASA Columbia Family Day 2015
I am honored to join 24 other First Spouses as an Honorary Chair of CASAColumbia Family Day 2015. CASAColumbia – the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University - is a national nonprofit research and policy organization focused on improving the understanding, prevention and treatment of substance use and addiction. And Family Day is a national movement to celebrate parental engagement as an effective tool to help keep America’s kids substance free. According to CASAColumbia, research shows that children with hands-on parents are far less likely to smoke, drink or use other drugs. As a mother and former teacher, vice principal and principal, I know that parental engagement matters in helping prevent substance use in our kids. It can be as simple as sitting down to eat dinner as often as possible or asking your children about their day while driving home from school – every little bit counts. Greg and I always made attending Audrey’s school activities and spending as much time together at home a priority. The key is being engaged in your children’s lives. For more ideas about how to celebrate Family Day, download CASAColumbia’s Family Day Parent Toolkit. Remember: Be Involved. Stay Involved. Let’s all join together to commit to spending quality time with our sons and daughters. Happy celebrating!
