Letter to Editor: Above the Influence Campaign

Dear Editor:

I’m writing to thank the Danvers Patch for supporting the Above The Influence campaign that DanversCARES ran this spring.  The enthusiastic response we have received from the community for the successful campaign has been very gratifying.

This program was made possible by special funding provided by a Beverly Hospital Collaborative Community Health Grant as well as significant support by Beverly Hospital at Danvers.

We would also like to thank the many businesses that took a leadership role in supporting the Above The Influence campaign, including: Cakes for Occasions, Custom Cup Café, Daily Harvest Café, Danvers People To People Food Pantry, Danvers Rotary Club, East Boston Savings Bank, Giovanni’s, Goodies Ice Cream, Lorraine Roy Designer Collections, Panini Pizzeria, SaraLena, Simon Malls, and Supreme Roast Beef & Seafood.  We know the businesses of Danvers are continually asked to contribute to a wide-variety of worthy causes and we truly appreciate your involvement of this campaign and support of our mission to support youth and families of Danvers in making healthy decisions.

We would also like to thank the school administration, teachers, and staff for their support.  Whether it was allowing us to paint the football field with the Above The Influence logo, taking time from their class to tell students about the artwork contest we held for the campaign posters and calendars, or simply talking to students about the campaign, it truly made a difference.

In fact, in a recent meeting, Mark Strout, Assistant Principal at Danvers High School stated, “The Above The Influencecampaign has absolutely changed the culture and climate at Danvers High School. The campaign showed the kids that there were people that really cared about them and helped change the direction for many of them.

It is important to DanversCARES to involve community members in all that we do. We all learned something through this campaign, and we encourage those of you who might not be familiar with it to log onto www.danverscares.org and check out DanversCARES on Facebook.  Influences – good and bad – surround us every day.  It is how we choose to respond to these influences that can make a direct impact on us.  This is particularly important during the teenage years where external influences might affect their decisions more than adults.  Please take the time to talk with the teenagers in your life and make them aware of both good and bad influences that surround them and explain how making good decisions now can benefit them later in life.  

We hope to see all of you at the DanversCARES/Beverly Hospital at Danvers photo booth at Endicott Park Day on June 30thwhere we will have information about the Above The Influence campaign available.

Sincerely,

Peg Sallade, Director

DanversCARES