WENDOVER — With the arrival of summer holidays comes an increase in unmonitored time for youth, which can often lead to a surge in underage drinking. Wendover Mayor Mike Crawford and West Wendover Mayor Emily Carter have joined with several key partners throughout the Wendover Community and both Tooele and Elko County to urge local parents to set clear family rules about no underage drinking, thereby safeguarding kids during the summer.
Local leadership continues to encourage organizations to join in the fight to keep kids alcohol-free.
“As a community, we understand the immediate and long-term value of protecting our youth, and ensuring they grow up free from any level of addiction,” said Wendover Mayor Mike Crawford. “To ensure the safety and wellness of our youth we need the support of all aspects of the community. Since underage drinking is a community problem, it requires a community solution.”
West Wendover and Wendover City have partnered with ParentsEmpowered — Utah’s underage drinking prevention initiative — to build a community workgroup to promote a message about the negative consequences of teen drinking and what parents can do to prevent it.
“We are very proud of the citywide commitment from both the public and private sectors to keep our kids alcohol-free,” said Emily Carter, mayor of West Wendover. “We understand the lifelong implications alcohol can have on a developing teen brain, and we aim to ensure all teens grow up free from the potential devastation caused by underage drinking.”
Leadership from Peppermill Casino, Wendover High School, Partners Allied for Community Excellence (PACE), Valley Behavioral Health. West Wendover Police Department and Tooele County Sheriffs Office will join Wendover and West Wendover Cities to launch the initiative at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Lacombe Baseball Fields, 800 Florence Way
As part of the initiative local law enforcement will display custom messaging on the sides of their patrol cars that reminds parents of the laws related to keeping kids alcohol-free.
“Bottom line, underage drinking is against the law. and for good reason,” said Tooele County Sheriff Paul Wimmer. “We see this initiative as a great opportunity to urge adults not to provide alcohol to kids. We hope parents understand their role to keep kids from consuming alcohol.”
In addition to the police car messaging, public service announcements will also appear on garbage trucks, street banners, posters at local recreation centers, and at entrances to public schools.
Speakers for the event on Wednesday will also include Doug Thomas, director of Utah Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health; Principal Clint Spindler and student Brenda Bermejo of Wendover High School; and Saul Andrade, director of Media for Peppermill Resort and Casino.
Speakers will showcase the campaign, discuss the expected results from the partnership, and answer questions about the concerns related to underage drinking.
ParentsEmpowered is a statewide campaign focused on eliminating underage drinking in Utah. Its primary goals are to educate parents about the dangers of underage drinking and provide them with proven skills to help their children remain alcohol-free.
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