Beyond the Bell Macon-Bibb, in partnership with Greater Lizzieboro Baptist Church, invites residents of Macon-Bibb County to a community-wide celebration of youth and family. This free event will take place from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 9 at Greater Lizzieboro Baptist Church, 1180 Fort Hill St. Macon, GA 31217. This celebration will have free food, community speakers and opportunities for raffle drawings to win fun prizes.

At the community celebration event, Beyond the Bell will provide information on programs and services that work to assist young people and their families live healthy, safe lives avoiding substance abuse. Attendants of the celebration will have the opportunity to hear from Rev. Dr. Derek Dumas, the Greater Lizzieboro Baptist Church pastor.

Beyond the Bell works to provide education and support to young people and their families in the prevention of alcohol, marijuana and tobacco use and abuse. “We use evidence-based strategies to help better equip our community in providing a safety net of tools for young people,” said Executive Director Sandra Dean Executive Director Sandra Dean. “We are thrilled to partner with Greater Lizzieboro Baptist Church to provide a mission-oriented day of family fun for the community.”

Alongside community events, Beyond the Bell provides programs to the community including the “Botvin Life Skills Training”, which consists of a 7-week groundbreaking substance abuse and violence prevention program which is designed to promote mental health and positive youth development.

The organization also runs a “Positive Social Norms” campaign which focuses on the fact that people’s behavior often is influenced by their perceptions of what is “normal” or “typical.” The problem is that people usually severely misperceive the typical behaviors or attitudes of their peers. For example, if people believe most of their peers drink alcohol, then they are more likely to choose to drink, as well. Using social norms communications to inform people that most of their peers do not drink alcohol can potentially lead them to avoid alcohol use.

For more information about Beyond The Bell and its programs/resources, please visit www.beyondthebellkids.org.