The phrase “it takes a village to raise a child” is based on the philosophy that everyone in a village must help in raising the young. The phrase greatly reflects the importance of instilling values, responsibilities, and life lessons that the people of the village must share and instill in their youth. Creating opportunities for families to engage in healthy, prosocial activities is one way that Up North Prevention is working with other agencies in the community to make a positive impact on the growth of our youth.
The Kiddie Games and Tractor Pull at the Rogers City Nautical Festival is a great example of collaboration by community agencies that want to be part of the village. Working with Zonta, the Department of Health & Human Services, District Health Department #4, the Michigan State Police, State Farm, Edward Jones, the Alpena Alcone Area Credit Union, 4-H, and city and county police departments built a fantastic event that was attended by 187 youth and their families. Fun kids games, great prizes, community resources and engaging activities, fingerprinting, and the Hidden in Plain Sight Trailer were all part of this connective event. Events such as this provide occasions to work together to live out the entire phrase, thus making a difference in the lives of our children, all while helping them to become healthy, happy adults through the opportunities we provide them as a village.
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