A
SSOCIATED
N
EWSPAPERS OF
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ICHIGAN
P
AGE
2
April 27, 2017
P
LYMOUTH
- R
OMULUS
Help wanted
Literacy Council seeks volunteers
School hosts ‘Community Night’
Bowling benefits animal shelter
The Romulus Police Department will
participate in the 13th Annual National
Prescription Drug Take Back Day this
Saturday.
The collection of unused or out-of-date
drugs is planned to begin at 10 a.m. April
29, at the Romulus Police Department
located at 11165 Olive St. Citizens can
bring unused medications (no liquids) for
disposal. This service is free and anony-
mous. No questionswill be asked.
According to national statistics,
America is experiencing an epidemic of
addiction, overdose, and death due to the
abuse of prescription drugs, particularly
opioid painkillers. According to the 2015
National Survey onDrug Use andHealth,
6.4 million Americans ages 12 and older,
2.4 percent of the population, abuse pre-
scription drugs. That total exceeds the
use of cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens, and
methamphetamine combined. The
majority of prescription drug abusers
report that they obtain their drugs from
friends and family, including from home
medicine cabinets. Overdoses from all
drugs are now the leading cause of injury-
related death in the United States, sur-
passing deaths from motor vehicle crash-
es or firearms.
The goal of Drug Take Back Day, a col-
laborative effort with state and local law
enforcement agencies, is to remove
potentially dangerous controlled sub-
stances from medicine cabinets by pro-
viding an opportunity for the public to
surrender expired, unwanted, or unused
pharmaceutical controlled substances
and other medications to law enforce-
ment officers for destruction.
Last year 447 tons of unwanted pre-
scription drugs were collected nation-
wide during the National Prescription
Drug Take Back Day. The Romulus
Police Department accounted for nearly
12 pounds of unwanted prescription
drugs.
For more information, contact Capt.
Joshua Monte at the Romulus Police
Department, (734) 955-8858.
More than 16 local organizations and
100 guests attended the inaugural
CommunityNight at Romulus Elementary
School earlier thismonth.
The event was an effort to build a col-
laborative community culture in an edu-
cational setting, a plan Positive Behavior
Coach Leticia Horry took for approval to
school principal Gretchen Notarro, who
supported the idea.
Horry enlisted the volunteer help of
student leaders at the school who worked
diligently organizing the event, which was
an effort to connect the school, students,
community organizations and elected offi-
cials.
Political leaders in attendance includ-
ed State Sen. Hoon-Yung Hopgood and
State Rep. Erika Geiss. The two, who both
regularly volunteer in Romulus schools,
informally met with school leaders and
parents and discussed education.
Hopgood and Geiss commented that they
are strong supporters of public education
and are working hard to make positive
improvements at the state level.
Representatives of the Romulus Police
and Fire departments were on hand to
help build vital trust between the citizens
and the Public Safety Department.
Romulus Fire Department Lt. John
Thiede distributed fire safety information
and talked to parents while a police offi-
cer met with members of the community
and provided junior police badges to the
youths.
“We want kids to know that they can
reach out and contact us if they have infor-
mation that will keep the community
safe,” said a spokesman from the public
safety department.
Other community organizations partici-
pating included representatives from:
Wayne County Community College, City of
Romulus, Girl Scouts of America, Fur
Angels Pet Therapy, Romulus Athletic
Center, Romulus Public Library, Wings
Financial, Gleaners Food Bank, Cherry
Hill Dental, Chartwells and Delta Air
Lines.
The 13th Annual Romulus Animal
Shelter Bowling Fundraiser is set for 7:30
p.m. Friday, May 12 at Romulus Lanes.
This annual event which helps support
the Romulus Animal Shelter is dedicated
to the memory of Frank Ayers. The 9-pin
No Tap Tournament will include handi-
cap doubles and singles events, ladies and
men's mystery games, snacks and cash
prizes.
The entry fee is $25 per person and
space is limited to the first 72who register.
For more information, or to register,
call Romulus Lanes at (734) 941-1640,
Councilman Bill Wadsworth, (734) 941-
0616 or JoeOzog at (734) 941-3466.
Drug Take Back Day set
The Plymouth-Canton Community
Literacy Council, a volunteer, non-profit
organization aiming to improve conver-
sation literacy skills for adults who
speak English as a Second Language
provides free one-on-one tutors and con-
versation group tutors in the Plymouth-
Canton community. The group is seeking
volunteer tutors in the area.
Organizers noted that there are usual-
ly at least 10 students on the waiting list
for help at any given time. In 2016, 108
tutors in the community provided more
than 6,300 hours of tutoring services to
promote literacy for students from the
United States and more than 25 foreign
countries.
Volunteer literacy tutors do not need
any prior experience. Tutors receive
comprehensive training before volun-
teering in a setting of their choice for
just 1.5 - 2 hours each week, a
spokesman said. The next training class,
which includes about 12 hours of
instruction spread out over two days,
will take place from 6-9 p.m. Thursday,
May 18 and from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Saturday, May 20.
As a non-profit organization, the liter-
acy council charges $40 for training to
cover the cost of training, materials and
food. Advance reservations are required,
and can be made online at
mouthcantonliteracy.org/ or by calling
the literacy council at (734) 589-0011.
The mission of the Plymouth-Canton
Literacy Council is to provide adults
with basic reading, writing, and commu-
nication skills, so theymay participate in
their community and reach their fullest
potential in life. For more information
about ways to get involved, or to sign up
to be a tutor, visit
literacy.org.
