Children living with a parent who uses drugs or alcohol often navigate a world of uncertainty where their physical and emotional needs go unmet, said Amy Ferguson, program coordinator of Rise Up.

“Since they also may encounter situations of instability, we work with their families to find the resources they need to be the parents they want to be,” she added. “Because of all these factors, we applied for and have received a state grant that will help us lend even more support to these kids and their families.”

The Rise Up Task Force is under the umbrella of the Central Kansas Partnership, which recently received the $50,000 DECK grant.

DECK stands for Drug Endangered Children in Kansas; the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) awarded the grant.

“We are so grateful for this grant to help us support children and families who are living in uncertain or unstable environments,” Ferguson said. “Rise Up now has more opportunities to create local partnerships that connect families to the proper resources.

“The goal is to empower families to embrace a life without substance use,” she continued. “Children deserve to live in a calm environment so their physical, emotional and educational needs are met.”

The grant funds are earmarked for three specific items, along with a few operational expenses. One item is Peer Navigators who take people to treatment or other recovery-related appointments.

The second item is the Father Initiative, which is in its infancy. Three men are in training to be facilitators for the program; more information will be announced in the near future.

The third project is called Timbi Talks About Addiction. 

“The goal is to show parents how to use gentle language that explains addiction and allows hope for drug-endangered kids,” Ferguson explained. “It is gratifying that the state okayed these three projects, which we had outlined for them.”

Ferguson and Marissa Woodmansee, Juvenile Services executive director, wrote the grant.

A previous $130,000 KDHE grant to the Central Kansas Partnership was used primarily to train individuals and organizations about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE).

“This type of training is crucial,” Ferguson commented. “It helps us seek new ways to make life a little easier for kids who think they have no one to turn to when life becomes overwhelming.”

When determining an ACE score, 10 yes-no questions are involved. A few examples are:

• Did a parent or other adult in the household often swear at you, insult you, put you down or humiliate you?

• Did a parent or other adult in the household often push, grab, slap or throw something at you?

• Did a person ever touch you, or have you touch their body, in a sexual way?

• Did you often feel that your parents were too drunk or high to take care of you or take you to the doctor if you needed it?

Another section of ACE involves resilience. It asks for rankings that include definitely true, probably true, not sure and probably not true. Examples are:

• I believe that my mother loved me when I was little.

• When I was little, other people helped my mother and father take care of me and they seemed to enjoy it.

• We had rules in our house and were expected to keep them.

• I believe that life is what you make it.

Rise Up is only one of multiple CKP task forces, which strive to build grassroots efforts to promote health, wellness and rural-community prosperity.

The task forces work on specific issues such as parenthood, and prevention programs that focus on the use of alcohol, drugs and tobacco.