Impact Prevention hosts Winter Break Bash

While schools in Lawrence County and the Tri-State were closed for the holidays between Christmas and New Year’s Day, one group of students still took the time to come out and both have fun and plan for events their nonprofit has coming up.

Impact Prevention hosted a Winter Break Bash at Spare Time in Ironton on Dec. 29, where those in the nonprofit’s youth groups could come and enjoy bowling, skating, pool and other leisure activities.

“We just wanted to give them something cool to do,” Meagan Joseph, a certified prevention specialist with the group, said.

Based in Ironton, Impact Prevention focuses on after-school programs, as well as youth-led prevention programs in local schools, with project events taking on issues such as drug prevention, suicide prevention and bullying in school’s. A theme of inclusion is a common one at the nonprofit’s events, such as its annual Suicide Prevention Walk at the Lawrence County Courthouse each fall.

“We’re learning about drug prevention,” Lindsee Williams, a high school student from Minford, said of some of their work on Friday, in addition to the fun.

Rilee Gilliland, a fellow Minford High Schools student, said one goal of the day was to work to prepare for their annual youth summit of students from Lawrence and Scioto counties.

Featuring teams from most schools in Lawrence County, that event takes place at Ohio University Southern later this month.