20 Stories of Impact

Educating people – especially young people – about the dangers of using substances they don’t fully understand is important to preventing drug misuse and avoiding social pressures to engage in potentially harmful behaviors.

An important corollary is to equip young people with knowledge and coping skills so that drugs don’t become a refuge to avoid the pressures and problems associated with everyday living.

Says Kendra Ruddy, Prevention Manager at the Alliance, “When I was a student going through school, I was not taught ways to understand what emotions looked like or felt like in my body or even how to cope with them in healthy ways. I had no idea what mindfulness was or what breathing exercises were or how they could help me. Now, at the Alliance, we are teaching students as young as seven years old about how it's okay to have big feelings so long as you learn how to understand what those look like AND how to deal with them in healthy ways.”

Kendra oversees prevention educational programming for the Alliance. She’s been with the Alliance since May of 2019, starting as an intern while she completed her degree in Community Health Education at Central Michigan University. She says, “While completing my internship at the Alliance, I quickly began to realize the dynamic work that the Alliance does. This organization is filled with very passionate, smart, and motivated individuals who all share one of my main goals- helping others and leaving a positive lasting impact. Aside from the work that is being done, I simply enjoy my time at the office. The environment is collaborative and kind, and fun! I remember telling my internship coordinator, ‘If I could work at a place like this, that would be awesome.’ Luckily for me, after I completed my internship there was a position open for Youth Program Coordinator.”

The Youth Program Coordinator position gave her the experience and skill sets to move into prevention and wellness, designing educational programming and managing the area.

“This is a great place to work,” she says. “The Alliance provides opportunities to the people who work here that simply don’t exist at other places. This is an organization where you are not stuck in one spot- there are many opportunities to grow, learn, and try something new. I started out as an intern, then moved into a coordinator role, and eventually worked my way up to Prevention Manager. During the past five years - and still to this day - I am allowed the opportunity to attend trainings and meetings that not only relate to the work we do here at the Alliance, but also help me grow as a team member, as a prevention specialist, as a manager, and as an educator. Leadership at the Alliance is dedicated to their employees, providing opportunities that support and empower them. That alone makes the Alliance truly special place for those of us who work here.”

But is the rubber meeting the road? Is the Alliance making a difference in the community?

Says Ruddy, “I know we are making positive changes in the community. Our programs are data driven and our data shows that students who finish our programs are learning new tools to deal with their emotions, how to manage relationships and even how to be more mindful on social media. Anecdotally, students tell me how what we taught them has helped. I had a student tell me after class one day that they struggle with anxiety and get worked up easily. They explained that the other day they were having a tough time but remembered what we had talked about in our ReNEWed lesson. They found a quiet space, did a breathing exercise and were able to calm down and get back to their day. Stories like this affirm that positive change is happening.”