(Fighting) Drinking on the Job

Catherine LeVasseur has been working on issues that affect kids since she was a kid herself.

Catherine is the new coalition coordinator for M.A.D.E., Madison Alcohol & Drug Education, a position she's held since early November, but the Killingworth native and 2001 graduate of Haddam-Killingworth High School has a background in community work that goes back to middle school.

"I've been doing this since I was about 13 years old," she says, adding that she first got involved with the board of the Haddam-Killingworth Youth Coalition and her local Substance Abuse Prevention Council in Haddam-Killingworth, which is today known as the Health Communities Healthy Kids Coalition. "It was something I was really drawn to, so I joined and it gave me a lot of opportunities growing up."

That's an understatement.

Catherine's involvement took her to the state level by her senior year in high school, after she got involved with the Connecticut Coalition to Stop Underage Drinking at 14 and served as the group's youth coordinator for three years, later leading trainings at the state and national level and even working with local law enforcement on a compliance check operation.

"I was 16 years old and I would go undercover with the police to purchase alcohol to see what stores were selling and what stores weren't. It was really cool because at the end of the day, you could say, 'I made a difference.'"

At 17, Catherine was involved in writing the first draft of Connecticut's Social Host Statute, traveling to Hartford and pushing state legislators to pass the law, which makes it illegal for minors to possess alcohol on private property and for parents to host underage drinking parties.

Although she can't put her finger on why she was so passionate about fighting underage drinking as a young person, Catherine says that once she learned more about the problem, she was hooked: "There were so many things that were preventable that were affecting kids. They just needed to be educated and find positive things to do."

Catherine credits her upbringing, and parents David and Ann LeVasseur, with the strong sense of community she had even as a kid.

"Growing up, my father was a member of the Historical Society, the Lions Club, and other organizations, and always brought me to meetings. He was the first selectman of our town, so he kept me very involved," she says. "It's such a great feeling, to be so connected within your town. You feel like you value your town and the town values you."

Prior to coming to work in Madison, Catherine, who lives in Clinton, was program manager for the statewide Governor's Prevention Partnership, first consulting for the partnership while still in college at Central Connecticut State University, then working full time after graduating with a bachelor's degree in political science, a degree she says has come in handy.

"My focus throughout college was more on the local and state level, so I got a lot of use out of it up at the state capitol and still continue to stay involved in town," Catherine says, adding that she's still involved with the Partnership's volunteer group, the Coalition to Stop Underage Drinking. "Now I serve as a member on the coalition for the town of Madison."

That doesn't leave much free time, but Catherine is newly engaged and spends a lot of that time with family. But, although her wedding isn't until April, she says all the planning for her 100-guest wedding is done.

"I'm a planner, so everything was done within a month of us being engaged," Catherine says. "Now, we're just sitting back and waiting for April to come. Even the dress is already hanging at my parents' house."

Catherine and her fiancé Chris, who runs the computer labs at the New Britain school system, spend weekends with their dog Bill and Catherine's future step-daughter Niamh.

"Every weekend, we have Niamh, so I get to be a kid again, which is fun."

In 2012, Catherine has a lot on her plate and hopes "to influence the drinking and drug rates and continue to make sure the kids feel valued by the community and really feel like a part of the community."

For her, that's no sweat. She's been on the job for a decade.

"I've always been a very busy person. I like to keep busy and I've always wanted to feel like I'm making a difference."

To nominate a person of the week, contact Sunny Bosco at s.bosco@shorepublishing.com.

Contact Catherine LeVasseur at her office at Madison Memorial Town Hall at levasseurc@madisonct.org. To arrange a ride with Safe Rides, a confidential, student-to-student transportation service between 10 p.m. and 1:30 a.m. on Friday or Saturday, call 203-245-8347. Interested volunteers should call Melissa Balletto at 203-245-5656.