Coalitions Brave Historic Blizzard for CADCA Forum

Last week's historic blizzard may have shut down the federal government, but it didn't stop community coalition leaders from attending the country's leading conference for substance abuse prevention. About 1800 coalition leaders, community sector members and others from across the United States and several countries braved long layovers, multiple flights and slick roads to come to CADCA's 20th Anniversary National Leadership Forum.

Held at the Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center just outside of Washington, D.C., CADCA's National Leadership Forum was as exciting as it always is, with most of the workshops, major speakers and networking activities intact. However, with the Washington, D.C. area hit by more than two feet of snow, many thought no one would be able to make it. But when you’re talking about community activists, it takes more than a blizzard to stand in their way. Some came from as far away as Palau and Guam. The Cherokee Nation wasn’t able to get all of its registrants into town, but still had an impressive delegation of over 70 people.

“Congratulations on another incredibly successful Forum! Despite the horrible weather challenges, you and your talented staff did a superb job of making schedule adjustments, maintaining a positive attitude, and providing on-the-ground help to make it as easy for attendees as possible,” said the Oregon Partnership’s Judy Cushing. “I was pleased to see as many people eventually get there – despite closed airports!!! That says something about their commitment to CADCA and their eagerness to attend the Forum to learn.”

Another attendee was equally thrilled with the Forum:

“I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the 2010 CADCA Forum. The workshops, the networking, the true pep rally for substance abuse prevention advocates - WOW! I cannot express loudly enough just how much I enjoyed being a small part of this Forum,” said Annette Wilson, with the McMinn Anti Drug Coalition Aiding Teens coalition in McMinn County, Tenn. “Kudos to those in charge of this event who were able to pull it off during the blizzard of the century!”

The Forum offered participants an opportunity to learn effective strategies to solve their community's substance abuse problems, network with their peers, and to hear from the country's leading experts on drug prevention, treatment and recovery. Despite the Federal government shutting down, several federal leaders were able to make it to the Forum and provide keynote remarks, including R. Gil Kerlikowske, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP); Adolfo Carrion, White House Director of Urban Affairs; Howard K. Koh, M.D., M.P.H., Assistant Secretary of Health, U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services; and Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT), who received CADCA’s National Leadership Award.

During the opening plenary, ONDCP Director Gil Kerlikowske expressed how surprised he was at the number of people who made it to the conference.

“I’m so impressed with all of you who made so many sacrifices to be able to be here. It’s an amazing tribute to all of you,” he told the audience. “But quite frankly, I expected nothing less!”

Capitol Hill Day is a central part of every National Leadership Forum, and a big reason why the conference is held in the DC area. With the federal government being closed, many of the appointments were cancelled. However, about 200 people were still able to meet with their lawmakers. To support attendees, CADCA provided transportation to the Hill in stretch Hummers. One group that was able to meet with their member of Congress included students from Wyoming, who had an appointment scheduled with Sen. John Barrasso, (R-WY). Their story made their community’s local newspaper.

“It was really nice,” said Juli Miller, one of the four adult chaperones, in an article in the Rawlins Daily Times. When they arrived at the Senate offices, Sen. Barrasso was one of the only people around, Miller said.

After their meeting, because it was a slow day on Capitol Hill, Sen. Barrasso took the students on a personal tour of the Capitol building, even taking them to areas normally restricted to the public. “We didn’t have to worry about running into anyone else,” said Nicole Reed, Rawlins High School sophomore. “It was nice to have our senator actually take us instead of just having a tour guide.”

The enthusiasm of CADCA’s annual Capitol Hill Day rally, which is normally held in front of the Capitol building, was not dampened despite being held indoors. Actor, activist, author and CADCA Board Member Christopher Kennedy Lawford, who is in long-term recovery, ignited the crowd with a rousing speech about the science of addiction and the importance of substance abuse prevention.

“We know that addiction is a developmental disorder that starts in adolescence, for which effective prevention is critical…that’s why it’s critical that we have prevention strategies, policies and practices in place that restrict access, and availability, encourage enforcement and consequences, while simultaneously driving use rates down,” Kennedy Lawford told the enthusiastic crowd.

Thankfully, two Federal Town Hall sessions still took place as planned, with directors of various federal agencies answering questions from participants and engaging in lively discussions. CADCA secured 2 seasoned media professionals to serve as session moderators: author and NPR contributor Patrice Gaines and WAMU radio host and commentator Kojo Nnamdi. The theme of the first Federal Town Hall was “Substance Use Disorders, Health and Healthcare,” and it featured Rear Admiral Eric Broderick, Deputy Administrator for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA); Fran Harding, Director of SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP); Dr. Tim Condon, Deputy Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse; and Dr. Kenneth Warren, Acting Director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

The theme of the second Federal Town Hall was “Restoring America’s Communities,” featuring Michele Leonhart, Acting Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration and Denise Viera, Deputy Director of DOJ’s Community Capacity Development Office.

“CADCA thanks all who registered for our 20th Anniversary Forum, and the many who were able to attend despite the ‘Blizzard of 2010.’ We were able to host another successful conference—because of YOU!” said CADCA Chairman and CEO Gen. Arthur Dean.

Editor’s Note: While many were able to attend the CADCA Forum, there were many who unfortunately did not make it due to the storm. In order to provide all registrants with as much information as possible, CADCA will post major keynote addresses and workshop presentations on its Web site in the coming days. In addition, CADCA worked out an agreement with the Gaylord Hotel so that all hotel room cancellation requests would be honored. While CADCA’s cancellation policy does not permit refunds after Jan. 29th, due to the historic nature of this snow storm CADCA is working with its Board of Directors and its insurance company to address requests for refunds. Click here for more detailed information.