Here’s some data that Kate Boyle and Jacqui D’Louhy had in mind when they thought of ways New Canaan could mark April as Alcohol Awareness Month: Families that have dinner together five to seven times per week are 33 percent less likely to abuse alcohol or drugs.
Family time lowers the risk of mental health problems, substance abuse and eating disorders, said D’Louhy, youth and family services coordinator at the New Canaan Department of Human Services. Boyle works there as youth and family services specialist.
So this month, the pair are launching a campaign that’s designed to document, share and celebrate family togetherness. During “30 Days of Family,” residents are encouraged to snap photos of what they’re doing with loved ones, and then to share them with the community through Boyle (details on how to do that below).
L-R: New Canaan Department of Human Services Youth and Family Services Coordinator Jacqui D’Louhy and Youth and Family Services Specialist Kate Boyle with Anna Valente-Krolikowski, owner of Baskin-Robbins, are promoting “30 Days of Family,” a new initiative designed to celebrate family togetherness in New Canaan during April, which is Alcohol Awareness Month.” credit=”Michael Dinan / NewCanaanite.com
“We want to highlight the importance of families coming together, to have activities and make it a priority,” Boyle said. “We thought we’d make it hip by having people do a selfie that we would then display. We have a lot of ideas of things that people can do together and we got local businesses involved.”
That last piece, bringing in local businesses and organizations, is a critical part of the initiative, Boyle said, as it extends the concept of family from a private home to the larger New Canaan community.
So, for example, Connecticut Sandwich Company—newly opened over on Grove and Pine Streets, opposite Zumbach’s Gourmet Coffee—is offering 15 percent off all month on family purchases. Gates Restaurant is serving up a $14 chicken dinner for every Tuesday in April, and New Canaan Toy Store is discounting family games this month, 5 percent.
Baskin-Robbins owner Anna Valente-Krolikowski is serving up 99-cent soft serve cones with customers who come in as a family.
“That’s what Baskin-Robbins is all about: Doing things as a family,” she said Tuesday morning of her participation in “30 Days of Family.”
The initiative is designed to address what many agree is a major problem in New Canaan of alcohol and substance abuse, including among our youth.
“There’ a problem in town,” said Valente-Krolikowski, mom to three kids in New Canaan Public Schools. “There is truly a problem. I have my own children. It starts at home. This starts at home. Police can’t control this. You [human services] can’t control this. People need to spend time with their kids.”
And for this month, when families are doing something—or nothing, say, just relaxing together—they can share that sense of togetherness with a selfie that Boyle will then share with the larger community.
Those photos can get to Boyle one of three ways:
- Emailing Boyle at kate.boyle@newcanaanct.gov
- Hashtagging the photos #30daysoffamily on Instagram or Twitter
- Posting it to New Canaan Youth Services’ Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/NewCanaanYouthServices
Other local businesses and organizations involved in “30 Days of Family” include Water Stewart’s, New Canaan CARES, New Canaan Police Department, New Canaan YMCA, Silver Hill Hospital and Grace Community Church.
Boyle and D’Louhy put together a placard that can be found at participating organizations and businesses throughout town. It includes information on family-friendly events this month as well as suggestions for things to do together.
Here it is:
