Golf tourney ‘exceeds expectations’

The drug treatment program at Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School in Thunder Bay has only operated for one year, but its impacts are already being felt.
Students around 16 or 17 years of age, and as young as 14, have used the program to overcome the use of prescription drug abuse. Two intakes, averaging eight students each time, have gone through the program.
DFC principal Jonathan Kakegamic said they started the program to help students kick the habit, but to also make them feel good about themselves.
“They’re grieving,” he said of DFC students who attend the school.
Students come from remote First Nations in northern Ontario. Kakegamic said those students have often faced a lot of trauma in their young lives. That could be abuse or losing friends to suicide. More often than not, those youth don’t have positive means to cope with the trauma they endure. As a result, some turn to drugs.
The 14-day program is housed at an off-site physician’s office and is overseen by a pair of volunteer doctors and four nurse practitioners.
Kakegamic said the goal of the treatment program, aside from detoxification, is to provide counselling. Once an optional part of the program, counselling is now mandatory. They want to get to the root of the problems and help students stay off the drugs. Kakegamic said they realize the students need the support.
“To expect them to quit on their own is unrealistic,” he said.
Knowing how powerful and addicting Oxycontin can be, Kakegamic wasn’t surprised when some students re-entered the program for the second intake.
Through the counselling, they allow the students to feel, to be mad, to be sad. But they find ways to help students in the program to overcome their problems and to make them feel good. It’s all about acknowledging the little successes, Kakegamic said. And improvements are being made.
“We notice they are doing better in school,” he said.
But after two intakes, the program was discontinued. And with the school year ending, they decided to hold off. Now there is uncertainty about keeping the program going long term.
But thanks to the efforts of Mike Mckay and Travis Boissoneau, there is some short-term relief. The longtime friends decided to help in any way they could to curb the problem of prescription drug abuse. So they took their passion for golf and decided to hold a fundraiser tournament.
The June 17 Raising Awareness Together Golf Tournament raised $3,600. Around 100 players took part. Mckay said the tournament exceeded their expectations.
“Given the importance of the cause we figured there was going to be a good response,” he said.
Based on that success, the organizing committee has agreed to host another event next year.
“Although the tournament was a success, the drug addictions in our communities continues and the fight against this is far from over and there is a lot more to be done,” Mckay added.
Kakegamic was grateful for the money. He said it will help keep the treatment program running in the short term.
However, for the program to continue, Kakegamic said the federal and provincial governments have to step up and provide funding.
Not only that, he said First Nations need to get involved. He said it will take the efforts of many to keep the program going.
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