Shiloh Problem Solvers Bring Youth Face-To-Face With Life's Hazards

Garrett Jones grabbed the tongue out of the mouth and launched into an enthusiastic presentation about the dangers of smoking.

"There are two types of cancers on this tongue," the fifth-grader explained as he pointed to the lesions on the rubber model.

As if that didn't turn your stomach, Jones was also prepared with a "hairy" tongue commonly found in the mouths of longtime smokers. The greenish lump looked like it had been sprinkled with pencil shavings.

Jones, 10, and his outfit, Crush Your Butt, was one among several organizations set up Monday at Kennedy Park during the Shiloh Problem Solvers' Winter Festival. All had the common purpose of improving the quality of life.

The Winter Festival was the brainchild of Pastor Clarence Clark, who heads the after-school program Shiloh Problem Solvers. Monday's event is the culmination of his work to bring a united front among all community organizations.

That's critical to success, said William Robinson, who works in the recently opened Boys & Girls Club in Hillside Estates.

What's needed is to bring together all the ideas among groups like Head Start and the Dawn Center to find what's best for the community, he said.

"We don't need to reinvent the wheel, just push it together," he said.

Equally important is to improve parents' involvement in their children's lives. Clark prepared an event that would draw children, but with resources on hand for the parents that came with them.

James Yant, a member of the Hernando County School Board, has found that more parental involvement equals fewer dropouts and discipline problems.

"Kids will always behave better with their parents around," Yant said.