Cass County’s second annual Smart Summer campaign kicked off Monday morning with a visible show of support encompassing law enforcement, the court system and Lansing legislators, including state Sen. John Proos of St. Joseph and state Reps. Sharon Tyler of Niles and Matt Lori of Constantine.

“We’ve taken it up several notches this year,” E.J. McAndrew, substance abuse prevention coordinator for Woodlands Behavioral Healthcare Network, said in the Kincheloe room of the 1899 courthouse.

“We’ve been able to secure a little funding,” which will be showing up in the form of three billboards” driving home three awareness messages — set boundaries, monitor activities, stay connected.

She said they are located along M-60 outside Niles, near Family Fare in Dowagiac and by McDonald’s in Cassopolis, with a fourth erected later this summer in another part of the county.

Sheriff Joe Underwood agreed. “This is our first big kickoff where we’ve invited a lot of people” for Smart Summer, a 12-week campaign pioneered by the Kalamazoo Substance Abuse Task Force.

Each week, a new question prompts parents with a thought-provoking statement on a particular topic.

The CASS Coalition Facebook page will be listed to assist parents in accessing current information as well as review previous topics.

Goal of Smart Summer is to increase parental involvement in their children’s lives in a positive, pro-active manner, leading to a decrease in risky behaviors, such as substance abuse, in the lives of their children and other youths.

CASS Coalition will be running this year’s campaign simultaneously with Kalamazoo County beginning June 13 through the week of Aug. 29.

They hope to place posters in 100 locations addressing issues including being aware of where kids are and who their friends are, alcohol and drugs, Internet safety and being a role model.

“Through education, community standards, outreach and enforcement, we will promote what’s best for health and safety of Cass County residents,” Underwood said. “I think we have to have those four components to be successful. We have good partners — the Cass County Prosecutor’s Office, represented by Prosecutor Victor Fitz — Woodlands, also represented by Executive Director Kathy Emans, Michigan State Police, Classic Hits 101 FM/910 AM (WGTO), Cassopolis Family Clinic Network, represented by Executive Director Mary Geegan Middleton, Judge Susan Dobrich’s Cass County Family Court and the Sheriff’s Office.”

Fitz spoke to the impact alcohol abuse can have on kids.

“Alcohol use can be very much romanticized,” Fitz said. “One of the most compelling statistics it brings to the forefront is that if a kid is drinking by 15, they are five times more likely to be alcohol dependent or an alcoholic. It’s very real. It can result in criminal activity with kids, highway problems, problems with sexual activity, addictions and can impact their future,” from college to job applications.

State Sen. John Proos, R-St. Joseph, spoke as the father of three young children and as a son.

“I’m concerned who they run with in the neighborhood and on the soccer field. We have a responsibility beyond just ourselves as parents to model behavior. Not to confront is to condone.”

“You’ve got to pay attention to who your kids are running around with,” Lori said. “Sheriffs run criminal histories every day for employers. You have to screen who they’re running around with and have the guts to say, ‘No, I’m sorry.’ If your kids are going to a house, make sure the parents are there.”

Tyler urged parents to “stay up to date on the latest trends,” such as bath salts, spice and ivory wave. “These are all dangerous synthetic drugs with effects similar to cocaine that are made and marketed to young adults in the last two to three years. You would not use these bath salts in your tub or season your food with this spice. Last week the Michigan House of Representatives passed my bill to ban the chemical in bath salts, but they’re still out there for the time being. Legislators and Congress cannot pass bills fast enough to outlaw these dangerous new synthetic drugs, so it’s important to know what’s going on at your kid’s school, in your neighborhood, in your town, in your state.”