OSAGE COUNTY  — Members of the Osage County Anti Drug Community Action Team (OC-ADCAT) recently voted to hire Lorie Winslow to serve as the organization’s first executive director. 

“I’m honored to have been selected by the OC-ADCAT board and I look forward to bringing new resources to the community with this position,” said Winslow, who was one of the founding members of the organization.

A committee was formed to screen, interview, and recommend a person for the position. OC-ADCAT board members Charlotte Bellsmith, Beth Billington, Andrea Holloway, and Kim Sallin, along with HR specialist Kristal Hall, conducted the search and selected Winslow.

“Lorie’s grant reading and writing experience, and her proven ability to interact with children and families regarding sensitive issues is really what put her above the other candidates,” the committee said. “The panel felt Lori’s extensive grant experience, combined with her prior involvement in OC-ADCAT and her passion for ensuring a safe, drug-free future for the children in our community, made Lorie the best choice for OC-ADCAT.  The panel is confident that Lorie’s educational background, and dedication to the children in the community make her a perfect fit for the executive director position.”

Winslow began working remotely Nov. 1 with the hope of moving into the office being renovated at the Larapin Properties (Barefoot Storage) facility owned by Ron Helmig.

“Ron has been great to work with,” said Winslow. “He’s donating part of the monthly cost, and he’s not only renovating space so we’ll have a classroom, conference room, and office, but he also plans to develop a place for kids to go.”

Winslow’s salary and the office space are funded by a $100,000 grant through the Missouri Department of Mental Health (DMH). This one-year grant will be reviewed by the DMH ahead of a second year, the maximum length of the grant. However, Bellsmith has been researching a long-term grant that would, if approved, secure the position for at least 10 years.

Winslow hopes to be in the office by Jan. 1. In the meantime, she will undergo substance abuse prevention training and seek out grants that will help the community.

“We plan to implement evidence-based programs that have proven to be effective for kids and families,” she said. “I’ll spend time learning these programs and finding facilitators to help implement them.”

A lot of her time will be spent finding appropriate grants and applying for them, along with letting the community know what services will be available.

“It’s all about making healthy life choices,” said Winslow. “There are already a lot of good resources here in Osage County. We are very fortunate to have a large, successful college but there are things we can offer students at State Tech as well.”

Suicide prevention, drug, and alcohol abuse, and mental health issues are important issues to address.

“We want everyone to have a voice,” said Winslow. “We still have mental health needs and this is a great way to provide resources to those who need help. Suicides have gone down but it was scary a few years ago. This problem won’t go away overnight.”

Winslow has been previous grant reader for Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and the United States Department of Education. This experience has given her numerous ideas for programs that would benefit Osage County.  “I wanted to participate in some of these programs while I was principal at Linn but we did not have resources aligned properly for things to work,” she said. “I think working on a county-wide basis with this group will be the right fit to apply for many opportunities for our youth.”  

As a retired educator of 27 years with 18 in administration, Winslow said she is excited about continuing to work with the families and youth in Osage County in a new capacity.  

Alcohol use by underage individuals and addiction across the board are being addressed by OC-ADCAT. Winslow said she hopes to develop partnerships with the Ministerial Alliance, Central Missouri Community Action (CMCA), and others to develop prevention strategies.

“Kids especially need to know what dangers lie ahead with the choices they make,” said Winslow.

This is not all about telling kids what they shouldn’t do. Winslow said the nice thing about the location of the new OC-ADCAT office is the proximity to other facilities.

“We’ll have the new all-inclusive playground right there at the park and the pool is right across the street,” said Winslow. “Kids that utilize our facility will have a place to play and have fun, which is really important, as important as understanding the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse.”

Families will also be able to utilize the OC-ADCAT office to search for resources online while Winslow provides a starting point and additional information.

“We get to create a strong presence in the county to help families and their children,” said Winslow. “Hopefully, together, we can do great things to improve the lives of many people.”

Part of Winslow’s duties will be continued training, including trips to Washington, D.C., and Georgia.

“That’s an exciting opportunity,” she said. “I’ll get to meet others doing what I’ll be doing, and that may provide ideas I can bring back to Osage County.