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The Rotary Club of Batesville, IN, in partnership with local businesses and organizations, provides community forums on critical issues to our community.
Herb Stepherson Speaks to Our Community :
Heroin Epidemic | November, 2018
We brought Herb Stepherson, author of Junkbox Diaries, to the Southeastern Indiana YMCA and the schools in Batesville and Oldenburg to speak about his experiences as a recovering drug addict. Herb had an honest, inspiring, and hopeful message to share with our students and our community. Thanks to the Coalition for a Drug-Free Batesville, the Southeastern Indiana YMCA, and a grant from Rotary District 6580. Photos are from Herb’s presentation to the community at the Y, including the K-5 winners of our anti-drug poster contest.
Critical Issues Forum 3 :
Domestic Violence | October 26, 2017
Our third Critical Issues Forum was held on Thursday, October 26, 2017, at the Southeastern Indiana YMCA in Batesville. The topic of this forum was Domestic Violence. We had representatives from several organizations and agencies specializing in dealing with this issue, who shared information and ideas about what’s being done and what remains to be done about domestic violence in our area. Approximately 60 people attended. Our thanks to the following organizations for partnering with us to promote and present this forum:
- Safe Passage, Inc.
- Coalition for a Drug-Free Batesville
- Southeastern Indiana YMCA
- Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce
- The Herald-Tribune
- Margaret Mary Health
- WRBI Radio
Critical Issues Forum 2 :
Heroin Epidemic: The Silent Victims | April 20, 2017
Our second Critical Issues Forum was held on Thursday, April 20, 2017, in the Conference Room of the Batesville Casket Company’s Doll Plant. The topic of this forum was The Heroin Epidemic: The Silent Victims. An audience of over 70 citizens listened as we focused on the effects of heroin addiction on children and families. We acknowledge and thank our partners:
- Batesville Casket Company
- Coalition for a Drug-Free Batesville
- Margaret Mary Health
- Hillenbrand, Inc.
- The Herald-Tribune
- Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce
- WRBI Radio
- Southeastern Indiana Voices for Children
Our forum moderator was again Kim Linkel, Director of the Coalition for a Drug-Free Batesville. The panel of speakers included Ryan King, Ripley County Circuit Court Judge; Tonya Ruble-Richter, Executive Director of Southeastern Indiana Voices for Children; Justin Rowland, Family Case Manager for Indiana Department of Children’s Services in Decatur County; and Sarah Brichto, Executive Director of Children’s Advocacy Center of Southeastern Indiana. We were pleased to have several members of the media in attendance from Batesville’s Herald-Tribune newspaper and WRBI radio, plus Juliet Macur, a reporter for The New York Times.
One Book, One Community: The Heroin Epidemic | January 30, 2017
The Batesville Memorial Public Library, in partnership with the Batesville Rotary Club and the Coalition for a Drug-Free Batesville, sponsored a One Book, One Community program featuring the book Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic by Sam Quinones. Copies of the book are available for checkout at the library, and for purchase at The Bookshelf in Batesville. We continue to encourage everyone in our community to read the book and become informed on this very critical issue.
Join the discussion on Facebook:
Dreamland – One Book One Community, Batesville Indiana
Critical Issues Forum 1 :
The Heroin Epidemic | September 29, 2016
Our first Critical Issues Forum was held on Thursday, September 29, 2016, at the Batesville campus of Ivy Tech Southeast. The topic of our first forum was The Heroin Epidemic: Locally, Statewide, and Nationally. The forum was attended by over 60 citizens from the Batesville community and beyond. We acknowledge and thank our partners:
- Coalition for a Drug-Free Batesville
- Margaret Mary Health
- The Herald-Tribune
- Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce
- Ivy Tech Community College Southeast
Our forum moderator was Kim Linkel, Director of the Coalition for a Drug-Free Batesville. The panel of speakers included Stan Holt, Chief of Batesville Police; Senator Jean Leising, Indiana Senate District 42; and Melanie Douglas, Regional Director of U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly’s Southeastern IN office.
Article on the Critical Issues Forum by Diane Raver of the Batesville Herald-Tribune (Oct. 5, 2016)
Rotary Club of Batesville, Indiana, USA 