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Welcome to the official Kansas Family website...
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Introduction

What You Can Do

Family Day

Kansas Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free

Kansas Youth Leadership Summit (KYLS)

Red Ribbon

SADD

Downloadable Resources (PDF):

Fast Facts on Minimum Legal Drinking Age (MLDA) - NEW!

Fast Facts on Underage Drinking in Kansas - NEW!

How Does Alcohol Affect the World of a Child? booklet


De qué Manera Afecta el Alcohol el Mundo de un Niño?


Surgeon General's Call to Action March '07


Drugs, Brains, and Behavior
The Science of Addiction

Alcohol Alert on Underage Drinking from NIAAA

Keeping Kids Alcohol Free-Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free

Mantengamos A Los Niños Libres De Alcohol: Estrategias Para Entrar En Accion

Hosting Underage Drinking Parties:  Criminal Liabilties

Science, Kids and Alcohol:  Research Briefs

USA Today article
Laws crash underage drinking parties


Dad Defends Teen Drinking Party - 60 Minutes segment

Stay Smart, Don't Start!

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Kansas Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free

 

The Kansas Leadership Committee to Keep Children Alcohol Free is working to educate and change the public's perception of underage drinking. With information distribution through movie slide advertising, public service announcements and working with partners across the state, Kansans will see that underage drinking is not a "Rite Of Passage".

NEW!  KS Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free Releases White Paper on Underage Drinking in Kansas - January 2010     Click here to access

Mission | GoalsSpokesperson | Committee | Not In Our House (NIOH) | NIOH Resources | Partners | PSAs | National

Mission

To reduce the use of alcohol by youth in Kansas.

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Goals

  • To educate the public about the incidence and impact of early alcohol use by Kansas youth;
  • To energize the public to address this issue within their families, schools and communities in a sustained way and to work for change;
  • To focus the attention of State policy makers and opinion leaders on the seriousness of the problem of alcohol use by young children; and
  • To make the reduction of alcohol use by children a state priority.


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Statewide Spokesperson


FIRST LADY STACY PARKINSON


The KS Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free is a Governor's spouse initiative, and the KS Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free Committee is pleased to announce that First Lady Stacy Parkinson, wife of Kansas Governor Mark Parkinson, will serve as the statewide spokesperson. 

Stacy is a dedicated wife and mother of three children, Alex, Sam and Kit.  Her training, talents, and interests in children will be a welcome addition to the mission of KS Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free.

As a volunteer and leader in projects designed to enhance the quality of life of her fellow Kansans, she has served as a precinct committee person; co-chair of the Sunflower House's Valentine Gala; the University of Kansas Cancer Center's Treads & Threads; Alzheimer's Association's "Memories in the Making" Art Auction; Sunflower House Capital Campaign; SAFEHOME Capital Campaign; Medical Missions Foundation's Art for the Children Gala; and the Johnson County Parks and Recreation Stems Garden Event. She was the honorary co-chair of the Birger Sandzen Gallery Capital Campaign, and she was named Co-Citizen of the Year by United Community Services of Johnson County. She also is involved with Olathe Schools First and TLC for Children.

Parkinson earned a juris doctor from the University of Kansas School of Law in 1984, and she has practiced law in both the public and private sectors.


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KS Leadership Committee


The Kansas Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free Committee is comprised of members of state agencies, community coalitions, businesses, state associations, law enforcement, and community volunteers.  Members represent the fields of health care, law enforcement, substance abuse prevention, education, transportation/traffic safety, and media.  Kansas Family Partnership, Inc. oversees the Committee and Michelle Voth and Keri Renner serve as co-chairs and may be contacted at (800) 206-7231.

The Kansas Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free Committee includes:

Michelle Voth - Committee co-chair - Kansas Family Partnership, Inc.

Keri Renner - Committee co-chair - Kansas Family Partnership, Inc.
Pete Bodyk - Kansas Dept. of Transportation - Bureau of Transportation Safety
and Technology
Gary Caruthers - Kansas Medical Society

Ed Clement - Community volunteer

Joyce Cussimanio- Kansas SRS-Addiction and Prevention Services

Tim Edwards - Community volunteer

Sarah Fischer - Kansas Strategic Prevention Framework-State Incentive Grant Project

Steve Halbett - Kansas Dept. of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Safety
and Technology
Jim Hanni - AAA of Kansas

Holly Higgins - Kansas Farm Bureau

Janelle Martin - Douglas County Community Health Improvement Project

Laura Jones - Kansas Department of Education

Larry Kibbee - Kansas Elks

Lee Kibbee - Kansas Elks

Ed Klumpp - Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police

Debbie Lawson - Kansas PTA
Peggy Mast - Kansas House of Representatives

Mike Padilla - Kansas Department of Revenue - Alcoholic Beverage Control

Jim Spence - Kansas Department of Revenue - Alcoholic Beverage Control

Jane Stueve - Kansas Department of Health & Environment

Teresa Walters - Emporians for Drug Awareness

Marlou Wegener - Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas

Capt. Art Wilburn - Kansas Highway Patrol

Norraine Wingfield - Kansas Traffic Safety Resource Office
Sally Zellers - Safe Streets of Topeka/Shawnee County

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The State of the State on Underage Drinking in Kansas


NEW!  KS Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free Releases White Paper on Underage Drinking in Kansas - January 2010

Click this link for the white paper

Click this link for an accompanying summary

Click here for order form


Underage drinking is a significant issue that affects every Kansas community and it is a huge drain on our state budget.  The Kansas Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free Committee has developed a white paper to educate communities and state leaders about how underage drinking affects Kansans. 

The white paper outlines the effects of underage drinking; youth alcohol use rates in Kansas; the economic impact of underage drinking; current Kansas policies to reduce youth access; and suggested policy changes and effective strategies to address this issue.

The Kansas Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free Committee encourages you to distribute this document widely throughout your networks via e-mail, newsletters, listserv, social networking pages (facebook, Twitter, etc.,) and Web sites.  For questions or additional information about the document, contact Keri Renner at: krenner@kansasfamily.com or Michelle Voth at: mhvoth@kansasfamily.com or call Kansas Family Partnership at 1-800-206-7231. 

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Not In Our House campaign


In 2007, the Kansas Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free unveiled a new campaign called "Not In Our House," aimed at educating parents, the public and key leaders about reducing access to alcohol by Kansas youth in our homes and our communities.  Kansas Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free tied their campaign to materials that The International Institute for Alcohol Awareness, Scholastic and The Century Council had published in 2006.  This presented an even greater partnership to distribute awareness materials regarding social hosting and underage drinking.      

You may have heard the term, "social hosting," but were unsure of it's meaning.  Social hosting or unlawfully hosting is generally defined as providing and/or serving alcohol to a young person who is under the minimum legal drinking age.  It can take place in a party-like atmosphere or by any adult simply providing alcohol to young people and their peers for them to drink.  It can even extend to parents and homeowners who are not on the premises and/or did not provide the alcohol.

  • Social host liability refers to laws that hold non-commercial individuals responsible for underage drinking events on property that they own, lease or otherwise control.
  • You may not need to actually serve or provide alcohol to underage guests to violate these laws.
  • The penalties for breaking this law include possible jail time, and the potential for criminal or civil lawsuits, as well as public humiliation for breaking the law.
  • By violating the law, you are sending every child you know a message that can have risky consequences.


History of the Kansas Social Host Law  - (Social Hosting)

Kansas passed a social host law in 2004, a.k.a. Paul’s Law, named for Paul Riggs, a Lenexa teen who was killed while driving home from a friend’s party, where he and other teenagers had been drinking.  The friend’s parents were home during the party while the teens drank alcohol.  After Paul’s death, his mother, Debbie Riggs, attempted to have a social host law passed in the Kansas legislature to protect the youth of the state.

 

The social host law established a new crime of “unlawfully hosting” where persons under the age of *18 consume alcoholic beverages or cereal malt beverages.  Unlawfully hosting minors consuming alcoholic liquor or cereal malt beverage is now a Class A person misdemeanor, for which there is a minimum fine of $1,000. 

During the 2007 Legislative session, the law was changed to define a minor as "under the age of 21" instead of *18.  A minor in Kansas is defined as under the age of 21.

During the 2009 Legislative session, a bill was passed to add the words "or recklessly" to the phrasing 'Unlawfully hosting minors consuming alcoholic liquor or cereal malt beverage is intentionally or recklessly permitting a person's residence or any land, building, structure or room owned, occupied or procured by such person to be used by an invitee of such person or an invitee of such person's child or ward, in a manner that results in the possession or consumption therein of alcoholic liquor or cereal malt beverages by a minor.'

Access K.S.A. 21-3610c here

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Not In Our House Downloadable Resources


We appreciate your interest in our downloadable items.  The following materials were created by Kansas Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free.  When using or distributing these resources, we encourage you or your organization to give credit to Kansas Leadership or Kansas Family Partnership.  If your organization intends to promote the Not In Our House campaign and you want to use any of the related phrasing or graphics, please contact Keri Renner.  Thank you!

Social Hosting Promotional Piece (All pdf copies-see below)

For more information, regarding the Kansas initiative for underage drinking and social hosting campaign, "Not In Our House," please contact Keri Renner at (800) 206-7231.


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Partners of the "Not In Our House" Campaign


Partner listing - a list of current partners for the campaign

Partnership Agreement - if you're interested in partnering with us!

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Public Service Announcements

     

The Kansas Leadership Committee to Keep Children Alcohol Free, with the help of the Kansas Highway Patrol and First Lady Stacy Parkinson, have produced a public service announcement (PSA) directed towards parents and those who host underage drinking parties for youth.

Copies of the PSA have been distributed to television media outlets and will air on stations throughout Kansas.

Click the "Play" button on the videos below:


 
     

Kansas Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free spokesperson, First Lady Stacy Parkinson, recorded radio public service announcements regarding social hosting and adults providing alcohol or beer to youth. These PSAs will be distributed and played on radio stations all throughout Kansas.  

<-- click to play
<-- click to play

For more information, please contact Keri Renner, Director of Communications &
Statewide Networker at (800) 206-7231 or via e-mail.

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Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free

Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free, a unique coalition of Governors' spouses, Federal agencies, and public and private organizations, is an initiative to prevent the use of alcohol by children ages 9 to 15. It is the only national effort that focuses on alcohol use in this age group. The initiative was founded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and has been joined by additional Federal Sponsors.

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  Kansas Family Partnership • 5942 SW 29th St, Topeka, KS 66614 • (800) 206-7231 • (785) 266-6161 • (785) 266-6149 fax
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