Denise Continenza has been making the rounds to garner support for Communities That Care.

Continenza, a family consumer science educator with the Penn State Extension Service, serves as coordinator for Communities That Care, or CTC.

The initiative is described as an "operating system" that involves families, schools and the community in an effort to prevent adolescent problem behavior.

"None of those three [family, schools, community] can do it alone, so we will be doing it together," said Continenza speaking to the Coplay Community Days committee during its March 25 meeting.

Continenza also spoke to the Coplay Town Watch March 20.

Community Days Chairman Steve Burker expressed his support and invited Continenza to consider setting up a stand at the festival to promote CTC and spread the word.

Coplay Town Watch members also pledged their support.

As part of the CTC initiative, students in grades 6, 8, 10 and 12 in both the Whitehall-Coplay and Salisbury school districts took the Pennsylvania Youth Survey. It asked questions about how youth see the community, what they do with their time and what problems they face.

Whitehall students completed the survey in November and Salisbury students took it in February.

The results are expected this week, Continenza said. These results will tell CTC organizers both about the needs of area youth and the strengths of their respective communities.

A CTC committee will interpret those results in an effort to suggest directions CTC can take in the next year. CTC will not be able to solve all problems or to have an immediate significant impact. It is designed to address one or two problems at a time, Continenza said.

The CTC initiative, which is currently funded by a grant administered by the Center for Humanistic Change, is seeking volunteers to serve on one of the many committees working to get the initiative off the ground. These include data analysis, community resource assessment, sustainability, public relations, program development and youth engagement, among others. Volunteers are welcome to be involved as little or as much as they wish.

For more information, contact Continenza at 610-391-9840 or via email at dhc128@psu.edu.