Geneva Dist. 304 to present 'Drugs & Alcohol: What Geneva Parents & Community Should Know'

Geneva Community Unit School District 304 will host an upcoming program to engage parents, community members, and local officials in a discussion about the reality of drug and alcohol use among students.

"Drugs & Alcohol: What Geneva Parents & Community Should Know" is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 25, at Geneva High School, 416 McKinley Ave.

The program includes keynote speaker Tim Ryan, school administrators, local law enforcement and support services.

A founder of A Man in Recovery Foundation, Ryan is a former addict and ex-convict who lost his son to a heroin overdose. The Naperville resident has dedicated his life to helping others find recovery, and he will be delivering some sobering statistics about students' drug and alcohol use.

"To be aware is to be alive," Ryan said in a recent TEDx Talk with Naperville residents, stressing the need for communities to engage in the discussion about drugs and alcohol. "How are we going to expose the truth if we don't talk about it?"

Organizers hope the event will spur some much-needed conversation around this topic, featuring a Q&A session with audience members and a panel of local experts.

"We believe that the presence of drugs and alcohol is a bigger issue in our community than people realize," said Geneva High School Principal Tom Rogers. "Our goal with this program is to provide information about all the support resources that are available right here in our community."

This event will feature information tables from local resources, which to date include:

• A Man in Recovery Foundation, Naperville;

• Rosecrance treatment program;

• Lighthouse Recovery treatment program;

• Operation Snowball drug prevention program;

• Geneva Police Department;

• Kane County Sheriff's Department;

• Kim Boatner, a licensed clinical social worker, certified alcohol drug counselor and private practitioner.