Spring Hill Presbyterian Church in Byrnes Mill will host a parent seminar on teenage drug and alcohol abuse on Monday, March 3.
The event will begin at 5 p.m. at the church, 6247 Upper Byrnes Mill Road. It is open to area parents, and admission is free.
Byrnes Mill Police Chief Frank T. Selvaggio and Spring Hill Pastor Dave Stain are organizing the seminar, the fifth one to be held in as many years.
“Our goal is to provide parents with information on how to recognize the signs of drug and/or alcohol abuse in their teenage children and to provide resources to those parents to help keep their children safe,” Selvaggio said.
Beginning at 5 p.m., attendees will be able to speak with approximately 25 resource groups, including Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), Missouri Poison Center, HEAL: Stop Heroin Inc., Compass Health and the Jefferson County Health Department.
Selvaggio said some new resource groups will appear at the seminar this year, such as Celebrate Recovery, First Impact, Embark Behavior and Chestnut Health Services.
He said the event also will feature a display named “Hidden in Plain Sight,” which recreates an average teenager’s bedroom and will show between 60 and 70 places kids could hide drugs and other illicit substances.
At 6:30 p.m., the Drug Enforcement Administration will offer a presentation on fentanyl awareness entitled “One Pill Can Kill,” Selvaggio added.
After the DEA presentation, parents may visit the resource booths at 7:30 p.m., with the event expected to end around 9:30 p.m. or 10 p.m.
Lifesaving information
Five years ago, Selvaggio decided to put the seminar together with Stain, who also serves as Byrnes Mill Police Chaplain, because of the rise in teenage drug overdoses in the area. “Too many kids were (overdosing),” Selvaggio said. “I don’t know where else parents could find all of these resources … and at least one set of parents every year says it saved their kid’s life.”
Despite the seminar’s success, Selvaggio said he still has faced difficulty in getting out the word about teen drug use to the public.
“Parents are busy … we are having (the seminar) during this time of year because most (spring) sports haven’t started yet for kids,” he said. “I think part of it is also fear; they don’t think it could happen to them.”
Selvaggio said about 40 parents attended last year, and he hopes to see more this year.
He also emphasized the fact that the event isn’t just for parents from Jefferson County.
“We’ve had parents come in as far as St. Charles.”
The event is not for children, but Selvaggio said he would like to offer more youth-focused programs to address the problem with drug and alcohol use in the future.
“I’d also love to have (seminars) in different places, like Pevely or South (St. Louis) County,” he added.
Selvaggio said those interested in providing resources at the event or signing up to be a speaker should email him at ftselvaggio@byrnesmill.org or call him at 636-677-7727, ext. 288. For more information, visit the Byrnes Mill Police Department Facebook page.