SUBMITTED PHOTO Belvidere Republican
Back to front, left to right: Gregory Puckett, CADCA; Justin Barber, Boone County Juvenile Proba-tion; Ellen Genrich, Boone County Health Department and Coalition Chair; Alyssa Lazzerini, Program Direc-tor of BCDPC; Jessica Perillo, Rosecrance; Arthur T. Dean, Chairman and CEO of CADCA; Melissa Bucalo, Youth Services Network; and Pat Castillo, Director of the National Coalition Institute and VP of Training Operations for CADCA.

On Tuesday, Feb. 4, the Boone County Drug Prevention Coalition was one of 148 community coalitions honored during a graduation ceremony at CADCA’s (Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America) 30th Annual National Leadership Forum, just outside of Washington, D.C. The coalitions received a graduation certificate for completing CADCA’s National Coalition Academy, a rigorous training program designed to increase the effectiveness of community substance use and misuse prevention leaders.

“We are so proud of the work that we have accomplished and the training that we received through CADCA. We are exciting about the progress and impact we are bringing to the community.”- Ellen Genrich, Coalition Chair

The coalition has continuously built relationships around the Boone County area and introduced their new Program Director, Alyssa Lazzerini, to the community. Since 2019, the coalition has provided many informational sessions around vaping and substance abuse topics to a wide variety of parents, school leaders and staff, youth, local colleges, and other organizations and businesses. The coalition also provided workshops around vaping at statewide conferences like the Cebrin Goodman Teen Institute and their parent conferences.

The coalition also introduced a new drug disposal bin to the Poplar Grove community in Candlewick Lake that has been up and running since April 2019. Local law enforcement empties the bin often and has made a significant impact on that community. A Youth Leadership Council was established and high school aged youth from all of the high schools in the community have been recruited to work alongside the coalition and developed some of their own projects and trainings for their peers. Students meet on a monthly basis and are currently in the process of planning recruitment for the following year. Recruitment begins in April 2020 for the 2020-2021 school year.

The Coalition also worked with local law enforcement and the State’s Attorney to create new language to an existing tobacco ordinance. Vaping was added in order to reduce youth use rates of nicotine/tobacco or other substances within school or community settings. This Ordinance is being enforced by local law enforcement, the Health Department, and local school Administrators.

CADCA’s National Coalition Academy (NCA) is a comprehensive, yearlong training program developed by CADCA’s National Coalition Institute. The NCA incorporates three, week-long classroom sessions, a web-based distance learning component, an online workstation where participants network and share planning products and free ongoing coalition development technical assistance. To graduate, coalitions must complete a rigorous curriculum. They must participate in all components of the NCA and complete five essential planning products that serve as the foundation of their comprehensive plan for community change.

CADCA’s Graduate Coalition Academy (GCA) completed its inaugural year and was designed to take coalitions to the next step of tracking implementation and reporting the long, intermediate and short-term outcomes of their efforts. Participants of the GCA were taught and mentored to enhance their effect in the community by improving their community assessment and logic models, developing comprehensive strategies targeting local conditions, and monitoring and tracking coalition and community implementation efforts to achieve coalition objectives.

CADCA’s National Leadership Forum is a four-day event packed with opportunities to learn the latest strategies to address substance use and misuse. Attendees have the opportunity to hear and learn from national prevention experts, federal administrators and concerned policymakers. Forum brings together approximately 3,000 attendees representing coalitions from all regions of the country and internationally, government leaders, youth, prevention specialists, addiction treatment professionals, addiction recovery advocates, researchers, educators, law enforcement professionals and faith-based leaders. It is the largest training event for the prevention field.

About the Boone County Drug Prevention Coalition

The Boone County Drug Prevention Coalition was established in 2013 as a product of a grant received by Rosecrance. The Coalition is comprised of local law enforcement, government agencies, youth-serving organizations, businesses, churches, parents, youth, and many others.

BCDPC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for all who live or work in Boone County, by promoting a lifestyle free from the abuse of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. We are an evidence-based program focused on youth ages 11 through 18 and their families.

The mission of the Boone County Drug Prevention Coalition is to use a community approach to reduce and prevent the use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs.

Our vision is to create a safe and healthy environment where youth feel empowered to make positive decisions concerning alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use.

 

 
 
 
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