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From My Office: Denise F. Quirk
Taking a break with our Chairwoman of the Board, Judy Cornelius at the 15th International Conference on Gaming and Risk Taking held at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas in May 2013, I enjoyed many excellent moments of sharing stories and learning more about gambling research taking place around the globe. It was a poignant event which honored the founding father of the ICGRT, Dr. Bill Eadington. His family, fellow scientists and friends spoke with great respect for all the knowledge and excellence he contributed in gaming and economics. It was delightful to hear stories both from Judy, who worked by Bill’s side for 25 years and was intimately familiar with the workings of the ICGRT, and other friends such as Dr. Bo Bernhard of UNLV, who is doing a fantastic job of filling Dr. Eadington’s shoes and leading the next generation of professionals in our field. I was honored to be a recipient of a Caesar’s Scholarship and it made my experience at the conference even better!
It was a thrill to bring our Gambling Patient Placement Criteria (GPPC) manual to be shared during the book author’s showcase. The GPPC was shared and discussed again when Colin Hodgen and I presented, “ICD, DSM, ASAM, GPPC, OMG! – Taking the Disorder Out of Gambling Disorder,” as part of a panel discussion. We were warmly received and have been invited to take the presentation to another national conference. We will be presenting in Anaheim at the NCAD (National Conference on Addiction Disorders) September 23, 2013 with the esteemed Dr. David Mee-Lee, editor of The ASAM Criteria. It will be exciting to present to a new audience, as the substance abuse disorder groups that attend this conference are likely to be different than the folks we often meet at problem gambling conferences. It’s a great opportunity to share what is working so well at RPGC!
The Reno Problem Gambling Center was well represented at the ICGRT, including our Advisory Board member and the executive director of the Nevada Council on Problem Gambling, Carol O’Hare, Colin Hodgen of the RPGC and Renegade Counseling, and fellow Certified Problem Gambling Counselors and interns from around the state. This conference was filled with international specialists who bring incredibly significant and cutting-edge research to us. One of my favorites was learning about Internet gambling research in Australia from Dr. Sally Gainsbury of Southern Cross University. Anyone wishing to discover all of the great presentations will find them at http://www.unlv.edu/igi/conference/.
You can see that our focus for this newsletter is a combination of great accomplishments, great friends, and great opportunities to help more gamblers and their families. Coming up in a few short weeks will be our third annual Parking Lot Sale Fundraiser, on Nevada Day, Friday October 25th from 7:30 am to 5:00 pm at 527 Humboldt Street.
What can you do to help? Many things!
- First, you can donate new and gently-used items for the sale. Call me and we’ll have a day set aside for picking up donations.
- Second, you can help spread the word by forwarding this newsletter or a flyer (I’m attaching the flyer if you’d like to print or email it) to lots of family and friends.
- Third, you can bring yourself and your friends on the day of the sale and help us sell, or just shop and visit!
- Fourth, we need pop-up shade, and lots of it! In previous years the warm Nevada sunshine nearly melted some of our all-day volunteers…so please let Denise know that you are bringing shade; we can use at least 4 or 5.
- Fifth, advertising and marketing. What wonderful ways can you help us get the word out? TV? Radio? Newspaper? Bulletin Board? Blog? Facebook? Twitter? Instagram? Whatever your method is, we need you to share, please!
The really exciting thing about this year’s Parking Lot Sale is that there will be food trucks! We are lining up some delicious surprises for you to enjoy throughout the day on Friday October 25th, so tell others and please come and enjoy! I’ll be giving tours of the Center and gladly answering questions about all the good things we do throughout the day.
Thank you for your support!
Denise F. Quirk
CEO and Clinical Director, RPGC
(775) 284-7275 – dqprgc@gmail.com
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