East Haddam Local Prevention Council Gets Grant

Gil Kerlikowske, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), announced $7.9 million in new Drug-Free Communities Support Program (DFC) grants to 60 communities and 6 new DFC Mentoring grants across the country. The awards announced today are in addition to the nearly $76.7 million in Continuation grants simultaneously released to 608 currently funded DFC coalitions and 18 DFC Mentoring Continuation coalitions. East Haddam Youth & Family Services, Inc. from Moodus, CT was one of the grant recipients, and will receive $625,000 over 5 years to fund the initiatives of the East Haddam Local Prevention Council to prevent substance use among young people in East Haddam. 

The Drug-Free Communities Program supports community coalitions that facilitate citizen participation in local drug prevention efforts. The East Haddam Local Prevention Council (coalition) is composed of representatives from various sectors of the East Haddam community, including East Haddam Youth & Family Services, law enforcement, parents, youth, East Haddam schools, town government, East Haddam Parks & Recreation, religious and civic organizations, health care and business professionals, the media, and others working together at the local level.  The coalition will work to pinpoint some of the causal factors related to youth substance use, including alcohol, tobacco, marijuana and other drugs, and design targeted interventions to build the necessary assets to reduce substance use in East Haddam.

“America’s success in the 21st century depends in part on our ability to help young people make decisions that will keep them healthy and safe,” said Gil Kerlikowske, Director of National Drug Control Policy. “We congratulate this coalition on its work to raise a generation of young people equipped to remain drug free and ready to prosper in school, in their communities, and in the workplace.  While law enforcement efforts will always serve a vital role in keeping our communities safe, we know that stopping drug use before it ever begins is always the smartest and most cost-effective way to reduce drug use and its consequences.”

“Efforts to keep our youth drug and alcohol-free are critical to the health and safety of the East Haddam community.” said Toni McCabe, Director of East Haddam Youth & Family Services, Inc.

“The Drug-Free Communities Support Program recognizes the ability of the East Haddam Local Prevention Council to address issues in our community that increase the risk of youth substance use while promoting the factors that reduce that risk. This new funding will allow the East Haddam Local Prevention Council to use evidence-based prevention strategies and activities to mobilize and organize our community to prevent youth substance use.”