Prevention Connections, a program of the Family Guidance Center of Warren County, which coordinates the Warren Hills Community Coalition, has announced that it has received a Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program grant to prevent youth substance use, including prescription drugs, marijuana, tobacco, and alcohol.

The DFC program, created by the DFC Act of 1997 is the Nation’s leading effort to mobilize communities to prevent youth substance use and is directed by the Office of the National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). Grants are provided to community coalitions to strengthen the infrastructure among local partners to create and sustain a reduction in local youth substance use.

“Since our first grant awards were made in 1998, the DFC Program has continued to expand its reach in communities across the country. It is a testament to the great work DFC coalitions are doing, together with community partner that include parent groups, schools, healthcare professionals, law enforcement, businesses, and others to prevent drug use and improve the health of communities,” said ONDCP Deputy Director James W. Carroll. “Our local DFC coalitions are a key part of this effort because they are relentless in their work to prevent youth from initiating drug use and ultimately, saving more lives.”

The Warren Hills Community Coalition aims to bring together professionals from multiple disciplines and parents who have a passion for the prevention and treatment of substance use or abuse within the Warren Hills Region. The coalition is excited to continue to use the grant as a foundation for its work to reduce youth substance abuse in the community.

“Prevention efforts in keeping our children from drug and alcohol use takes a community effort,” said Family Guidance Center of Warren County Executive Director Michele Eichorn. “Coalitions are at the front lines of the fight to end substance abuse and awards like drug free communities are vital to providing the resources necessary to continue our work with the coalition in Warren County.”

The stated mission of the coalition is to create a healthy and safe community that is free from substance abuse, addiction and related issues among youth throughout the Warren Hills community. The goals of the coalition are to reduce and prevent underage drinking and marijuana use among youth between 10 and 17 years of age by addressing access, norms and laws/policies and to reduce and prevent substance abuse in youth by generating positive, lasting environmental change. The Coalition does this is many different ways, from school presentations to public recognition events.

The Coalition is made up of local educators and counselors, law enforcement, business leaders, concerned residents, parents, and others who want to make a difference.

To learn more about Prevention Connections and the Warren Hills Community Coalition, visit www.preventionconnectionsnj.com or email Niki Sumka at nsumka@fgcwc.org.

The Family Guidance Center has been providing behavioral health services to the Warren County community for over 60 years and provides services to over 4,000 individuals each year who are diagnosed with a mental illness or substance use disorder. The individual, their family members and their communities are all impacted by this diagnosis.  Some realize their illness as a result of a crisis, others learn of their illness through their everyday struggles that keep them from living a life free of anxiety, depression or desperation.  Families can be just as fragile as their loved one as they learn how to cope and support their husband, wife, daughter, son, mother or father through a time in their lives when hope is just a word and not a reality.

For more information about the Family Guidance Center, including its locations throughout the county, full suite of services, how one can volunteer, and other details about the organization, visit www.fgcwc.org.

Photo; Several Coalition members celebrated the grant at the group’s September meeting: Left to right, Michael Calderon, Tri-County Substance Abuse Navigator, Erin Karl, Washington Township Schools, Jeanne Cassano, Supervisor of Prevention Connections, Niki Sumka, Warren Hills Community Coalition Project Assistant, Megan Wade, School Counselor, Washington Borough School District, Matt Hardy, Community Education Coordinator for Domestic Abuse and Sexual Assault Crisis Center of Warren County, and Peggy King, Youth Development Specialist School Based Youth Services program at Warren Hills Regional High School.