Cousin of late rocker Kurt Cobain to speak
at local suicide awareness vigil on September 9

Bev Cobain, cousin of late rock star Kurt Cobain (front man for the band Nirvana), will be the keynote speaker for an upcoming suicide awareness vigil sponsored by the Raft Crisis Hotline, a program of New River Valley Community Services. The event will take place on Thursday, September 9
at the Virginia Tech Drillfield,
beginning at 6:30 p.m. More

NRVCS announces closings for Labor Day
All New River Valley Community Services clinics and offices will be closed on Monday, September 6 in observance of the Labor Day holiday. Please note that this does not apply to 24-hour/residential programs. Normal business hours will resume on Tuesday, September 7.

NRVCS assists Pulaski County Schools with grant to address needs of middle school students
Pulaski County Public Schools has been awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of Education in the amount of $266,159 to address the mental health needs of students at both Dublin and Pulaski Middle Schools. The grant is the result of a collaborative effort between the school system and New River Valley Community Services (NRVCS), the area’s public provider of mental health services. More

Collins elected Chair of NRVCS Board,
Hiss to serve as Co-Chair
The New River Valley Community Services (NRVCS) Board of Directors at their June 24 meeting elected Vicky Collins to serve as Chair for Fiscal Year 2011 and Robert Hiss to serve as Vice-Chair. Collins and Hiss assumed responsibilities of their new roles on July 1, 2010.

Collins, who replaces outgoing chairman John Muffo, is one of two representatives from the City of Radford on the NRVCS Board. She also currently serves as Director of the City's Department of Social Services. Collins has served on the NRVCS Board since 2007.

Hiss, the Assistant Administrator for Pulaski County, has served on the NRVCS Board since 2008. He is one of three Pulaski County representatives on the Board.

Muffo was recognized at the meeting for his service and leadership as Chair the past two years.

Next NRVCS Board meeting
The NRVCS Board of Directors will not hold a meeting in July. Instead, the Board will hold its next meeting on Thursday, August 26 at Randolph Park in Dublin. The meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m. and will be open to the public.


Potential health risks of energy drinks
are cause for alarm
The U.S. energy drink market is currently worth nearly $10 billion in annual sales and beverage giants from Coca-Cola to Anheuser-Busch are vying for their share. Health officials and youth advocates warn that consumption of these high-caffeine drinks - many of which also contain high volumes of alcohol - can lead to potentially devastating health issues. Full story


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