Area students to attend national drug-free conference
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WORLAND – Thanks to a drug-free community grant, three area students will be attending a national convention of the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America in the Washington, D.C., area in February.
On Tuesday, Washakie County Youth Alternatives Administrator Sheri Gunderson and Washakie County Youth Alternatives Program Director Sarah Garcia notified the Washakie County Commission of the convention, to be held Feb. 4-7 in National Harbor, Maryland.
Two students from Worland High School will be selected to attend, and on the recommendation of Commissioner Fred Frandson, one student from Ten Sleep. The student will then be able to bring back what they learned and mentor fellow students in the school system.
The convention is intended to introduce students from around the country to civic leaders, law enforcement, teachers, and motivational speakers intent on creating drug-free communities and offering treatment for substance abuse.
The mission of CADCA (Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America) is to strengthen the capacity of community coalitions to create and maintain safe, healthy and drug-free communities globally. This is accomplished by providing technical assistance and training, public policy advocacy, media strategies and marketing programs, training and special events.
In August, Gunderson was notified that the county was one of three state recipients of a national Drug–Free Communities Support Program grant, awarded through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).
The $125,000 grant supports the efforts of the Washakie Prevention Coalition (WPC) in preventing and reducing youth substance use in Washakie County. The county will also be able to apply for continuation funding over the next four years, for a total award amount of $625,000 over five years.
The WPC was formed earlier this year, and Gunderson has been applying for the grant since January.
Garcia and Gunderson coordinate the program in Washakie County, working with the WPC and other community partners. The WPC includes the Office of the County Attorney, local youth leaders, the school district, law enforcement, parents, nonprofits, businesses, health care professionals and others. Its mission is to utilize community-wide collaboration to develop and implement effective strategies for preventing and reducing youth substance abuse in Washakie County.
More than 30 people from multiple organizations came together in a meeting Jan. 18 to form the coalition to join efforts to combat substance abuse in the Worland area.
The Washakie Prevention Coalition began seeking input and grant funding to address substance abuse with the youth, but also the entire community.
Lila Jolley of Washakie County Prevention Organization, said that there has always been a prevention coalition and that Washakie County Attorney’s Office Victims Witness Coordinator Bob Vines approached the coalition about the program Community That Cares. At the same time, Washakie County Youth Alternatives, with Sarah Garcia and Sheri Gunderson, was getting ready to apply for the Drug-Free Community program.
Gunderson said the Drug-Free program has similar goals with Community That Cares to bring community-wide efforts to address substance abuse.
The Drug-Free Communities (DFC) program originated in 1998, and is administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Congress established the SAMHSA in 1992 to make substance use and mental disorder information, services, and research more accessible.
“The grant is primarily for the education, prevention and reduction of substance abuse,” said Gunderson.
While the grant is open for five years to Washakie County, the coalition must reapply every year for funding.
