The St. Joseph Youth Alliance has received a grant to help strengthen their efforts to prevent and reduce youth substance abuse in Buchanan County through the Drug Free Community Coalition. The 5-year, $625,000 grant will be used for both individual prevention and environmental prevention strategies, including community education and awareness, compliance checks and party patrols. The Coalition, which has been a part of the Youth Alliance initiative since 2004, will also use the funds for youth and coalition leadership training.

 “We want to educate the community, and especially the youth, about the dangers of substance abuse,” said Angela Reynolds, DFC community organizer. “We want kids to know and understand the serious consequences of substance abuse. This grant will enable us to reach people in the community and reinforce the message ‘drug free is the way to be.’”

The goal of the Coalition is to reduce substance abuse among youth in Buchanan County and, overtime, reduce substance abuse among adults. By utilizing partnerships and collaborative efforts the group has made headway. Through their partnership with law enforcement agencies, the incidence of selling alcohol and tobacco to minors has been reduced, and compliance checks are conducted throughout the county.

 “The dangers of substance abuse are always lurking. We have to do all we can to empower the youth of our community to make good decisions, including the decision to stay drug and alcohol free,” said Reynolds.