On Saturday, February 17, Families Facing Addiction and Children of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse (COASA) hosted an ice skating party at Steriti Rink to celebrate Children of Addictions Week with families and friends from all over the state. Attendees gathered for pizza and cake before heading onto the ice for some skating!
One of the event organizers, Donna White, explained how important it is for families to have access to events like this. “There aren’t a lot of programs available for these kids, so we are making an effort to ensure that they have access to the resources that do exist out there.”
COASA (Children of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse) is the MA affiliate to the National Association for Children of Addictions) and a program of the Robert F Kennedy Children’s Action Corps. The organization advocates for children impacted by alcohol and other substance-use disorders in their families.
Director, Maureen McGlame, noted, “The children we work with live with the unspoken rules of don’t talk, don’t trust, and don’t feel. What we do is teach them how to break these rules without getting hurt or hurting anyone else. We help them understand they didn’t cause this to happen, can’t control it and can’t cure it. They learn how to differentiate between the person(s) in the family they love and the illness(es) they have. Empowering them helps them be able to have compassion while at the same time taking care of themselves. The process of healing through connection and coaching is ongoing.”
Each year, COASA also offers a day camp available to COASA kids in July. They collaborate with the Laboure Center to provide camp activities for kids between the ages of 7 and 17. The camp is free, fun, empowering and challenging. For more information on it and other services please contact Maureen McGlame, Director, Mmcglame@rfkchildren.org or 617-272-5039.
