Florida Fights Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder will host a community action summit to engage and
educate the public on the dangers of drinking while pregnant and its effect on children.The summit, Oct. 20-21 at the TCC Capitol Center, will include panel discussions on government
resources and impacted groups, details on the campaign, effective grass roots outreach and
breakout brainstorming sessions to discuss how to utilize and develop strategies for the local
community.

The summit is sponsored by the Florida Developmental Disabilities Council. Executive
Director Debra Dowds said, “We want to get individuals to be torchbearers to carry the message
about FASD and that it is 100-percent preventable.”

The two-day conference will include speakers from the Florida Department of Health, Children’s Homes
Society of Florida and the Governor’s Office of Adoption & Child Protection.

Kathryn Shea, president and CEO of The Florida Center for Child & Family Development, said her
organization was participating in the summit “raising awareness for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum
Disorder and preventing any more babies to be born with it in Florida.”

Shea said the purpose for the event is to “educate everyone who has an investment in healthy
children.”

Shea mentioned one of the most surprising statistics concerning FASD.

“One of the highest groups for binge drinking happens to be women 25 to 35 years old with a
college education who earn more than $50,000,” Shea said.

Dowds said, “Fetal alcohol exposure is a leading cause of non-hereditary intellectual disabilities and
it’s preventable. If women don’t drink while they’re pregnant (their children) can avoid behavior
difficulties, neurological abnormalities, disabilities that are preventable.”

To register, visit www.fasd-fl.org and click on Summit 2010.

If you go 

What: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder summitWhere: TCC Capitol Center, 300 East Pensacola St.

When: 5-7 p.m. Oct. 20 and 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Oct. 21