Community Action Team Programs for Osage County
Osage County Anti-Drug Community Action Team (OCADCAT)
The board of directors and Community Coalition address drug misuse in Osage county. They provide educational resources to students at every grade level in both public and private schools. The coalition also organizes events focused on the prevention of drug use, including the Red Ribbon Parade and community town hall meetings.
Other ways the coalition promotes abstinence from drug use are recognizing a student of the month at schools, engaging community members in the creation of murals focused on drug prevention, awarding a scholarship to a high school senior each year, providing bathroom door readers with anti-drug messages for schools, conducting annual student surveys, providing anti-drug advertising, promoting and assisting with suicide prevention programs and recovery resources and outreach, and securing speakers for school assemblies who speak about various prevention subjects regarding alcohol, drugs, and vaping.
Agritourism
Osage County Agritourism is a community-based initiative designed to increase tourism opportunities for Osage County with the goals of increasing tax revenue and financial resources for the county. The advisory group increases the visibility of the county, its resources, and businesses by bringing visitors to Osage County to experience its culture and beauty.
Events supported by this initiative include the Annual Taste of Osage County, which highlights county-produced food, crafts, gifts, and agriculture. The agritourism group is comprised of businesses, schools, religious institutions, residents, elected officials, and teachers in Osage County.
Osage County Future Workforce Prep Program
The Osage County Future Workforce Prep Program is a community-based initiative designed to match local high school students seeking alternatives to secondary education with local employers seeking highly skilled, highly qualified workers. Through school-based events, businesses educate students about the requirements of obtaining employment and the responsibilities required to maintain that employment. Upon graduation, it is expected that students who have participated in this initiative will apply for and be sought out to fill positions available throughout the county.
Local businesses and manufacturing plants also sponsor a monthly breakfast for the senior class at each high school in the county. To support this initiative, a Reality Enrichment and Life Lessons (REALL) Simulation is hosted at high schools to highlight both proactive and reactive decisions that students might make, and to show them the impact these decisions might have on their futures.
System of Care (SOC) /Osage County Unmet Needs
The Osage County SOC is a partnership of local organizations including schools, public health agencies, the Department of Mental Health, members of the clergy, Missouri Family Division, law enforcement, the Missouri Juvenile Division, family members, special needs organizations, and community leaders focused on meeting the mental health needs of children, youth, and families. Partners work together to assist families and children living in Osage County. As part of the initiative, the SOC provides individualized services to meet the unique needs of the family, basing services on the family’s strengths and goals. Services are family-driven and youth-guided and are culturally and linguistically reflective of the family’s needs.
The team also sits as an Unmet Needs Committee for the county and addresses any community needs not otherwise met.
Osage Caring Projects
Osage Caring Projects (OCP) provides gifts for families that are in need during the holiday season. OCP matches local sponsors — made up of churches, schools, businesses, organizations, clubs, and utilities — with families to ensure that children have the clothes they need and gifts they desire for Christmas. Donations are made directly to OCP and volunteers shop for and wrap gifts for families. Registration from eligible families begins in October and the program wraps up prior to December 25. OCP is a grassroots organization dependent on donations and volunteers to succeed. Each year the group provides for approximately 120 families and 350 children. CMCA provides office space to register families and assists with the drop-off and pick up of items each year.