The impact of substance abuse on children and families was the focus on Tuesday when the Volunteer Center of Greene County held a meeting of its Community of Promise program at Tusculum College.

The main topic during the noon-time meeting was a recap of a recent community forum that highlighted substance abuse and its impact on children and families.

The forum was hosted March 11 by Greene County Sessions and Juvenile Court Judge Kenneth Bailey Jr., at the college's Annie Hogan Byrd Building auditorium.

The forum sought to educate parents, teachers, social workers and others in the community about alcohol and drug use and its adverse effect on youth and families.

According to Judge Bailey, who spoke at the Community of Promise meeting, there are many things that parents can do to positively affect their child's attitude toward drugs and alcohol.

Most notably, he said, was that parents should keep the lines of communication open between themselves and their child.

One easy way to make themselves available for conservation, Bailey said, is to have family sit-down dinners at least twice a week.

Bailey also noted that there is a strong need in this community for a positive mentoring program for local at-risk youth. "We're in desperate need for mentors in this community," Bailey said.

Volunteer Center board member Bob Windham, who attended the community drug forum, stressed the importance of parents getting involved with their child's life.

"I think our biggest need is to educate parents," Windham said. "Parents have to be parents. They have to speak up and set rules with their children," he said.

Parents should not make excuses for their children or defend them when they break rules -- either at home or at school, Windham added.

At the same time, he said, parents should also praise their children when they do the right thing and tell them that they are proud of them.

In other matters at the meeting, Mary Fitzpatrick, executive director of the Volunteer Center, said that a future goal of the Community of Promise committee is to develop an anti-drug coalition in Greene County.

Fitzpatrick did not provide any specific plans for the coalition or how it would connect with its targeted youth population in the county.

However, she did say that the coalition would be working in conjunction with the Washington County Anti-Drug Coalition.

Following the meeting, Jennifer Berven, a representative of the Washington County Anti-Drug Coalition, said that the organization has received a $38,000 state-funded grant from the Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services to be used for anti-drug services in the community.

A portion of that grant money, Berven said, was recently used by herself and Fitzpatrick for a trip to Washington, D.C., to attend a National Youth Initiative leadership conference.

In addition to Berven and Fitzpatrick, others who attended the conference were: Donna Bowers, a volunteer and former staff member of the Volunteer Center.

Also attending were Greeneville High School students Dunkan Gibson, who is Bowers' son, and Chaz Story.

Gibson and Story were nominated to attend the event by the local Boys and Girls Club, of which they are members, Bowers said.

Also during Tuesday's meeting, Bowers submitted a Community of Promise plan for her church, Pruitt Hill United Methodist.

Those in attendance at the meeting were also shown an anti-drug video produced by the Courage to Speak Foundation.