The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has awarded the Crawford-Marion Board of Alcohol Drug Addiction and Mental Health (ADAMH) a Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support grant. Marion County was one of seven newly funded recipients in Ohio.
The DFC Program provides grants to community coalitions to strengthen the infrastructure among local partners to create and sustain a reduction in local youth substance use.Recognizing that local problems need local solutions, DFC-funded coalitions engage multiple sectors of the community and employ a variety of environmental strategies to address local substance use problems.
Brad DeCamp, Executive Director of the Crawford-Marion ADAMH Board, says “We are very excited about the possibilities this grant has for our community. Prevention is one of ADAMH’s primary priorities and we are looking forward to expanding our existing efforts with community partners.”
The grant was a result of the collective planning efforts by Drug Free Marion, a multi-sectoral consortium of public and private organizations serving Marion County.Drug Free Marion intends to reduce youth substance use by involving the community in strategies to create community change. Increasing parents’ knowledge of the harmful effects of underage alcohol use, marijuana use and vaping will achieve these goals.
Jodi Galloway, Executive Director of Marion-Crawford Prevention Programs, says “We are thrilled to receive funding to support the work of Drug Free Marion to prevention substance abuse among the youth in Marion. The success of our efforts depends on a strong community approach to promoting positive choices among young people.” Marion Crawford Prevention Programs will serve as the implementing agency for the grant.
This five-year grant will provide $125,000 per year in Federal funding to impact the community norms of acceptance of youth substance use.Addressing the community norms regarding underage substance use will impact youth alcohol, marijuana and vaping use.Increasing community collaboration will be achieved by increasing adult and youth coalition membership. It is the intent to provide information to coalition members, increase their level of skill and provide support by creating opportunities for community members to participate in activities that reduce risk factors and enhance protective factors.