For information contact:
Betty Frank-Bailey
Director
Speak Up! Prevention Coalition
847 295 9075 office
847 736 3626 cell
frankbaileylead@aol.com
Press Release
WITH IMPRESSIVE NEW GRANT, LAKE FOREST/LAKE BLUFF TO BENEFIT FROM FRESH RESOURCES IN REDUCING TEEN ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE
IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 7, 2010
The SpeakUp! Prevention Coalition of Lake Forest, Lake Bluff, and Knollwood has been awarded a federal Drug Free Communities Support Program (DFC) grant by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The coalition will receive $125,000 during fiscal year 2010 and is eligible to receive up to $625,000 over a five year period. The funding is contingent upon the coalition matching the award each year with an equivalent value of financial and in-kind donations, which may include volunteer hours and donated or discounted professional services and materials.
"Speak Up! is honored and grateful to be recognized with this grant. We are so thankful for our many volunteers and partner organizations who have worked together as a coalition over the last four years, making this grant possible." said Betty Frank-Bailey, Speak Up! Prevention Coalition Director. "Teenage alcohol and drug use had reached alarming levels here by 2006, leading to the formation of the coalition. While we have had success in reducing youth substance abuse since then, this new funding combined with even greater community involvement will allow us to achieve significant progress in the years ahead. The coalition’s goal is to achieve a 10% reduction in alcohol, marijuana, and non-medical prescription and over-the-counter drug use by youth over the next 5 years. With this grant we can exceed that goal if everyone gets involved, including parents, youth, schools, police, local governments, churches, media, businesses, and health care and youth service providers. Lake Forest, Lake Bluff, and Knollwood will be a better, stronger community as a result of this grant and community participation."
Christine Letchinger, President, Village of Lake Bluff Board of Trustees added, "We have received this very competitive grant because we were able to demonstrate with data that we have a lean grassroots organization that is making a difference in the community. Our challenge now is that this grant must be matched with a combination of financial and in kind donations. We are planning a fund raising campaign in the near future."
Deputy Chief Glenn Burmeister, Lake Forest Police Department commented, "The police department is proud to be a partner with Speak Up! in youth substance abuse prevention. In these economic times we recognize the need for alternative funding for program initiatives such as those offered by Speak Up!. Our Lake Forest Police Association also has been a Speak Up! donor."
"Speaking from the school districts’ perspective, this grant could not come at a better time. The efforts of Speak Up! and LEAD are already paying off in the community. We can see this in the results from the Illinois Youth Survey that we gave our students last spring. An expanded effort will likely provide even more momentum and increase our trajectory toward improvement." remarked Dr. Julie Cooley, Assistant Superintendent of Student Services, Lake Forest School Districts 67 and 115.
Speak Up! Prevention Coalition Governing Board. Pictured from left to right: Deborahanne Reimer, Dick Block, Christine Letchinger, Deputy Chief Glenn Burmeister, Dr. Julie Cooley, Betty Frank-Bailey
The Speak Up! Prevention Coalition is guided by an independent Governing Board consisting of community representatives and the coalition holds community meetings on the third Wednesday of each month from 9 to 10:30 am at the Lake Forest High School Administrative Center, 300 South Waukegan Road, Lake Forest. Anyone interested in learning more about the coalition, making a donation, or becoming involved is encouraged to attend the next monthly meeting at 9am on September 15th or contact Betty Frank-Bailey at 847 295 9075 or frankbaileylead@aol.com.
ONDCP Director Gil Kerlikowske announced that Speak Up! is one of 170 community coalitions across the nation being awarded a new DFC grant this year. He said "The Drug Free Communities program embodies the Obama administration’s dedication to evidence-based community prevention efforts that protect the health of our young people. Data show that communities receiving DFC funding have seen significant reductions in past 30-day use of alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana among middle and high school students." SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde added "Action at the community level—in school rooms, community centers, churches and at kitchen tables—can help drive rates of substance abuse down. SAMHSA is pleased to join the Office of National Drug Control Policy in supporting communities that are bringing people together to create healthy and drug free environments for children." Approximately 1,600 DFC grants have been awarded to local community coalitions across the nation since the program was created in 1997.
Speak Up! Prevention Coalition is a community wide coalition dedicated to significantly reducing the level of underage drinking and other drug use in Lake Forest, Lake Bluff, and Knollwood. For more information, email frankbaileylead@aol.com or visit www.SpeakUpLFLB.com.
LEAD, a 501(c)3 organization, is dedicated to promoting healthy family relationships and preventing alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use, and other risky behavior by youth in Lake Forest, Lake Bluff, and Knollwood. For more information, email lead9075@aol.com or visit www.LEADweb.org.