Tempe Coalition Awarded $625,000 Grant From the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy

Five-year grant of $125,000 per year will fund the non-profit Tempe Coalition and its underage drinking and drug use prevention programs through 2022.

 

PHOENIX – October 5, 2017 – The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) is making it possible for Tempe Coalition to continue providing teen substance abuse prevention in Tempe through September 2022 with the award of a $625,000 grant, which will be allocated in increments $125,000 per year for the next five years.

 

The grant is aimed at reducing alcohol and marijuana use, and changing youths’ attitudes about addictive substances and the common misconception that substance use is not harmful.

 

This is the second time Tempe Coalition has received the Drug Free Communities Support Program grant, as the organization was awarded its first five-year grant in 2011. That grant money funded an initiative that helped to reduce underage drinking in Tempe by 12 percent during the past four years, according to findings by the Arizona Youth Survey, which is administered every two years in Tempe middle and high schools by the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission.

 

“Our new parent education materials are making dramatic strides in helping reduce the number of Tempe teens drinking alcohol,” says Craig L. Keller, Tempe Coalition Board Chair. “This renewed funding makes it possible for the Tempe Coalition to continue the momentum we have generated during the past five years.”

 

The grant comes through the Drug Free Communities Support Program, (DFC) created by the Drug Free Communities Act of 1997. It is the nation’s leading effort to mobilize communities to prevent youth substance use. In partnership with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the DFC Program provides grants to community coalitions to create and sustain a reduction in local youth substance use.

 

More than half of Tempe eighth, tenth and twelfth graders report they believe smoking marijuana regularly poses little or no risk of harm, according to the 2016 Arizona Youth Survey.

 

Through the Drug Free Communities Support Program grant, Tempe Coalition staff and coalition members will collaborate with community partners and work to shift the attitudes of students who believe there is no risk involved in using the drug.

 

“Tempe Coalition members support a vision that Tempe is a community where youth have the support and resources they need to make positive choices,” said Hilary Cummings, Tempe Coalition program director.

 

The current Tempe Coalition is made up of concerned citizens of the Tempe community, representing local businesses, faith based organizations, prevention providers, substance abuse treatment providers, school administrators, local government, law enforcement, parents and youth.

 

Community members interested in participating in Tempe Coalition activities can learn more by sending an email to [email protected]. The Coalition meets every second Tuesday of the month from 4 until 5 p.m. in the 2nd floor conference room at the Tempe Public Library, located at 3500 S. Rural Road in Tempe.

 

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About Tempe Coalition

 

The Tempe Coalition is comprised of residents and professionals who live and work in the community and strive to collectively advocate for the reduction of alcohol and drug use among Tempe youth. Tempe Community Council (TCC) serves as the fiscal agent of the Tempe Coalition. Tempe Community Council is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works in partnership with the City of Tempe, community organizations and dedicated individuals to serve as planner, researcher, advocate and resource to advance human services for all Tempe residents.