Castlewood & st. Paul listening session
Join Dustin this Friday evening (9/29/23) at 5:30 pm at The Oxbow Center in St. Paul for a community listening session to share your thoughts, ideas, and concerns about Russell County Public Schools! The event will be in the Estonoa Room of The Oxbow Center, located at 16620 East Riverside Dr, St. Paul, VA.
Early Voting in person starts Friday, September 22 at the Russell County Registrar's Office! The Office is open from 8 AM to 4 PM and is located at 96 Russell St, Lebanon, directly behind the Courthouse. Check your registration or request a ballot by mail at vote.elections.virginia.gov. Vote Dustin Keith for School Board At Large!
Thanks to the Russell County Chamber of Commerce and Director Angie Carpenter for hosting a great Candidate Forum on September 19! #DK4RCPS presented a clear message about listening to community members, raising teacher pay, supporting youth mental health, and building coalitions based on common ground!
I am proud to announce that our campaign has been awarded the 2023 Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate distinction. This distinction signals that I am an advocate for gun violence prevention, gun safety, and responsible gun ownership.
Though gun violence conversations tend to focus on homicides, nearly six out of every 10 gun deaths in the U.S. are suicides. Gun suicide claims the lives of nearly 25,000 people in America every year, an average of 68 deaths a day. This tragic loss can be prevented.
Working professionally in suicide prevention, I am all too familiar with how devastating suicide is not only to families and loves ones of those lose, but also to entire communities, the "ripple effect" of suicide. Thoughts and attempts of suicide as well as depression and anxiety have been increasing among youth in our community as well, which is very troubling.
There are simple steps we can all take to help prevent suicides and gun violence:
1. Get trained to be more alert to suicide through one of the programs offered by the local CSB, such as safeTALK,
2. Reach out for help and have direct and honest conversations when people in our lives or you yourself are not in a good place mentally,
3. Safely secure lethal means such as guns and medications at home using locking storage devices.
Our local CSB has distributed thousands of gun locks and medication lock boxes in Russell, Buchanan, and Tazewell Counties and will continue to do so through local events and community partners.
If you or someone you know is in crisis or having thoughts of suicide, access the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. There is help. There is hope.
Though gun violence conversations tend to focus on homicides, nearly six out of every 10 gun deaths in the U.S. are suicides. Gun suicide claims the lives of nearly 25,000 people in America every year, an average of 68 deaths a day. This tragic loss can be prevented.
Working professionally in suicide prevention, I am all too familiar with how devastating suicide is not only to families and loves ones of those lose, but also to entire communities, the "ripple effect" of suicide. Thoughts and attempts of suicide as well as depression and anxiety have been increasing among youth in our community as well, which is very troubling.
There are simple steps we can all take to help prevent suicides and gun violence:
1. Get trained to be more alert to suicide through one of the programs offered by the local CSB, such as safeTALK,
2. Reach out for help and have direct and honest conversations when people in our lives or you yourself are not in a good place mentally,
3. Safely secure lethal means such as guns and medications at home using locking storage devices.
Our local CSB has distributed thousands of gun locks and medication lock boxes in Russell, Buchanan, and Tazewell Counties and will continue to do so through local events and community partners.
If you or someone you know is in crisis or having thoughts of suicide, access the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. There is help. There is hope.
There must be zero tolerance for bullying in school, and our approach for addressing bullying must be trauma-informed.
Bullying is nothing new but the ways in which it can occur, including online, have never been more accessible. This week, as we prepare to go back to school, I have heard stories about the impact of bullying on multiple families. Bullying is toxic, pervasive, but also completely preventable. It stems from trauma and a lack of understanding and empathy. Trauma can never be healed by more trauma, and violence is never a solution to bullying. Positive, open communication and healthy boundary setting can stop vicious cycles of bullying.
At a recent community event, I listened as a local family shared their experience with bullying last year and their concern for the upcoming school year. They said school staff didn't do enough to intervene when their child was bullied relentlessly by peers and responded to their child's trauma with discipline. They even said one staff member joined in the bullying of their child and used multiple slur words referring to their child in the classroom. This is absolutely unacceptable. Every child deserves to attend school and receive a quality public education, free from the threat of bullying, harassment, and discrimination, especially from school staff.
Today, at our annual Help, Hope, Healing Conference hosted by the community service boards of Southwest Virginia, we heard the story of Jaylen Arnold, an inspiring 22 year old survivor of bullying and international advocate for prevention. Jaylen was bullied and faced discrimination from the time he was 8 years old because he has Tourette syndrome and autism. Jaylen's story is one of hope and resilience, though, because he came through that experience and now leads a nonprofit foundation called Jaylen's Challenge, raising awareness about those with disabilities, and travels the world sharing his story with kids and adults alike.
Let's strive to be like Jaylen, taking the time to hear another's story, listening to someone's experience before passing judgement or making fun, because it can literally save a life. As mental health issues among youth grow more prevalent, I am extremely focused on these issues and addressing them collaboratively with every stakeholder at the table.
If you or someone you know is in crisis or having thoughts of suicide, access the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by calling or texting 988.
#DK4RCPS
Bullying is nothing new but the ways in which it can occur, including online, have never been more accessible. This week, as we prepare to go back to school, I have heard stories about the impact of bullying on multiple families. Bullying is toxic, pervasive, but also completely preventable. It stems from trauma and a lack of understanding and empathy. Trauma can never be healed by more trauma, and violence is never a solution to bullying. Positive, open communication and healthy boundary setting can stop vicious cycles of bullying.
At a recent community event, I listened as a local family shared their experience with bullying last year and their concern for the upcoming school year. They said school staff didn't do enough to intervene when their child was bullied relentlessly by peers and responded to their child's trauma with discipline. They even said one staff member joined in the bullying of their child and used multiple slur words referring to their child in the classroom. This is absolutely unacceptable. Every child deserves to attend school and receive a quality public education, free from the threat of bullying, harassment, and discrimination, especially from school staff.
Today, at our annual Help, Hope, Healing Conference hosted by the community service boards of Southwest Virginia, we heard the story of Jaylen Arnold, an inspiring 22 year old survivor of bullying and international advocate for prevention. Jaylen was bullied and faced discrimination from the time he was 8 years old because he has Tourette syndrome and autism. Jaylen's story is one of hope and resilience, though, because he came through that experience and now leads a nonprofit foundation called Jaylen's Challenge, raising awareness about those with disabilities, and travels the world sharing his story with kids and adults alike.
Let's strive to be like Jaylen, taking the time to hear another's story, listening to someone's experience before passing judgement or making fun, because it can literally save a life. As mental health issues among youth grow more prevalent, I am extremely focused on these issues and addressing them collaboratively with every stakeholder at the table.
If you or someone you know is in crisis or having thoughts of suicide, access the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by calling or texting 988.
#DK4RCPS
Dustin Keith for School Board
yard signs are here!
June 22, 2023- BIG NEWS! After much thought and reflection, I recently decided to run for the Russell County School Board, At Large and am now a certified candidate on the November 7, 2023 ballot!
I want this campaign to be centered on shared values in our community to fund our public schools & teachers with the resources they need, create safe & inclusive learning environments for all students, and best prepare Russell County students for the future. Overarching all these values, though, will be LISTENING.
The most important thing any of us can do for students, parents & guardians, school staff, and for our community is LISTEN. Through my work in prevention education, as a coach, with nonprofits and on boards, and in business, I have learned the value of listening and empowering others to tell their story. Only through listening and allowing folks to tell their story can we make collective decisions that raise up our entire community.
In many ways, local school boards are limited in what they can truly affect, especially with overall funding and compliance with state and federal policy, but the one thing school boards, and even individual members, can always do is listen, care, and connect to our community and tell our story, far and wide. I believe in this approach and use it everyday throughout my work.
And now, I'm asking Russell County voters to join this campaign, bring this approach to the School Board, and elect me as the next At Large Member.
With gratitude,
Dustin R. Keith
I want this campaign to be centered on shared values in our community to fund our public schools & teachers with the resources they need, create safe & inclusive learning environments for all students, and best prepare Russell County students for the future. Overarching all these values, though, will be LISTENING.
The most important thing any of us can do for students, parents & guardians, school staff, and for our community is LISTEN. Through my work in prevention education, as a coach, with nonprofits and on boards, and in business, I have learned the value of listening and empowering others to tell their story. Only through listening and allowing folks to tell their story can we make collective decisions that raise up our entire community.
In many ways, local school boards are limited in what they can truly affect, especially with overall funding and compliance with state and federal policy, but the one thing school boards, and even individual members, can always do is listen, care, and connect to our community and tell our story, far and wide. I believe in this approach and use it everyday throughout my work.
And now, I'm asking Russell County voters to join this campaign, bring this approach to the School Board, and elect me as the next At Large Member.
With gratitude,
Dustin R. Keith
