Troy Community Coalition Celebrates With 'Celebrities'

Efforts by the are saving lives and helping to attract businesses and employees to the city, supporters of the non-profit said Thursday at the organization's annual Celebrity Night Dinner.

"As you work to attract the best and brightest, a key aspect is quality of life for children – one that is drug and alcohol free," Jerry Rush, senior director of government and community relations for Troy-based Meritor said. "Quality of life ties to quality of workforce."

Rush said that's one of the reasons Meritor – which employs more than 10,000 employees worldwide – has been a longtime supporter of the Community Coalition's mission, and a major sponsor of the annual event, which was held  at the.

More than 200 coalition members and supporters attended the dinner, which serves as the organization's main fundraiser each year.

Marianne Wiwel, executive assistant at the coalition, said corporate, community and individual support for the organization's programs has become critical in recent years with the loss of federal and state support. At the same time, she said challenges facing adolescents and teens are persistent and evolving.

"One of the things we are dealing with – with the legalization of (medical) marijuana – is that the perception of risk has diminished to kids," Wiwel said. "The other is prescription drugs."

The Community Coalition raises awareness by working with the school district, city, Troy Police Department and others in the community to raise awareness among young people and by offering programs that help to teach children how to make responsible decisions. Efforts start at the fourth-grade level and proceed through early adult years.

While the overall messages remain fairly constant, the number of potentially bad choices available to kids seems to increase each year.

Kevin Dietz, an award-winning reporter with WDIV Local 4 News, served as master of ceremonies for Thursday's celebrity dinner. As a longtime Troy resident, Dietz said drug and alcohol issues have become even more relevant to him since he has children in high school.

A WDIV story Dietz produced about the various ways teens are consuming alcohol undetected, including soaking gummy bears in vodka and eating the candy to get drunk came from a conversation with his 16-year old son.

"I looked into it, and sure enough it's going on," Dietz said Thursday. "It's gone wild ... it's everywhere, on the east and west coasts. Kids are so viral today, it's been the No. 1 story on our site for six weeks."

Cindy Stewart, who served on this year's celebrity dinner committee, said special guests often include comedians, musicians and other entertainers. This year, the coalition Legends Live, which performs tribute shows featuring entertainers from the '50s and '60s, including Buddy Holly, Patsy Cline and Jackie Wilson impersonators.

Dietz, who has helped host the celebrity dinner for the past three years, said efforts the coalition is making is saving lives.

"If you can stop them before they start – that's key," he said about preventing kids from doing drugs and drinking. "If you wait until they start, they're already in trouble... They (the coalition) are saving lives in our community. You don't know whose life, but they are saving someone's life."