Pubdate: Sun, 25 Sep 2005
Source: Journal Review (IN)
Copyright: 2005 The Journal Review
Contact: http://www.journalreview.com/FormLayout.asp?formcall=1
Website: http://www.journalreview.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3548
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/walters.htm (Walters, John)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

A.H.E.A.D. RECIEVES $100,000 GRANT

The Office of National Drug Control Policy announced this week
Montgomery County will receive a $100,000 Drug-Free Communities
matching grant for the A.H.E.A.D. Coalition.

The grant was one of 535 continuation grants totaling $54 million
awarded today to community anti-drug coalitions across the country.
The goal of the existing projects and 176 newly-awarded coalition
projects, in all totaling 711 community coalitions, is to work
together to prevent and reduce drug, alcohol, and tobacco abuse among
youth. Coalitions are comprised of diverse groups of people, including
community leaders, parents, youth, teachers, religious and fraternal
organizations, health care and business professionals, law
enforcement, and the media.

"This is great news for the anti-drug efforts of Montgomery County,"
said Kelly Trusty, executive director of A.H.E.A.D. "The Drug-Free
Communities Program and other drug prevention efforts are important
elements of a balanced national drug control strategy. The A.H.E.A.D.
Coalition's over 200 members and partners are doing crucial drug
prevention work in our community and this additional influx of Federal
money will help us expand our efforts and reach more of our youth and
families."

John Walters, Director of National Drug Control Policy and President
Bush's "Drug Czar," said, "As a nation, we have made significant
progress in protecting our young people from the dangers of substance
abuse, with a 17 percent reduction in drug use over the last three
years. This grant will help the dedicated citizens of Montgomery
County contribute even more to this effort and will help build on the
important progress being made to keep our children healthy and drug-free."

"We are pleased to be working with ONDCP to administer the Drug-Free
Communities Program," said Charles Curie, Administrator, Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. "Some of the most
important work to reduce drug use comes from our Nation,s grass-roots
community coalitions. These coalitions, teamed up with our Strategic
Prevention Framework Grants to the states, create a powerful force
that can continue to drive down the numbers of young people using
illicit drugs."

The Drug-Free Communities Program provides grants of up to $500,000
over five years to community organizations that serve as catalysts for
citizen participation in local drug prevention efforts. To qualify for
matching grants, all awardees must have at least a six-month history
of working together on substance abuse reduction initiatives, develop
a long-term plan to reduce substance abuse, and participate in a
national evaluation of the Drug-Free Communities Program.

Created under the Drug-Free Communities Act of 1997, the Drug-Free
Communities Program has earned strong bipartisan support from
Congress. In December of 2001, Congress passed and the President
signed into law a five-year extension of the Drug-Free Communities
Act, authorizing $399 million in funds through Fiscal Year 2007.

In addition to the 535 continuation grants awarded today, another
$17.1 million will support the 176 new grants supporting additional
community coalition projects operating in all 50 states, the District
of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Since 1997, eight competitions have
awarded $320 million in grants to more than 1000 community anti-drug
coalitions. ONDCP administers the Drug-Free Communities Program in
conjunction with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration. 
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