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By BARTON PERKINS | Staff Writer

COLUMBIANA – Central Alabama Wellness and the Tri-City Impact team are putting on their third annual Prevention Works Back to School Bash on Saturday, July 29. The event will have popcorn, carnival games, a live DJ and many other fun activities. The Back to School Bash will take place for the first time at Shelby County High School and run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

During the Back to School Bash, more than 300 book bags filled with school supplies will be given out to anyone who needs one. There will also be drug and alcohol education opportunities for anyone interested.

The Back to School Bash is the first event in the ‘Prevention Works campaign’ put on by Central Alabama Wellness and the Tri-City Impact Team to help provide resources and information about drug and alcohol use by underage people.

“The objective is to give information about drug and alcohol prevention and educate the community,” said Zina Cartwell, prevention director for Central Alabama. “We want to empower parents.”

With recent events with Officer Minter in Pelham, the dangers of alcohol abuse and drunk driving are still on the minds of many in Shelby County.

“We’re always striving to empower and to uplift the community as much as possible,” Cartwell said. “And try to reach the community in many different areas. We want to build families and have open conversations about the dangers of drugs and alcohol. We give out information and different resources to help families with those conversations.”

One of the big topics families will be educated about is the dangers of social hosting. Social hosting is when parents knowingly provide their children with alcohol in exchange for expecting them to remain at home if they drink.

“A lot of times when parents buy their children alcohol, they think ‘well as long as I have them in my home where I know it’s safe, then everything will be okay,’” Cartwell said. “Parents usually don’t realize the risks and liabilities they take on when they do that.”

The Back to School Bash and all of its resources will be open for anyone in Shelby County to attend.