The Marion County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition was one of 17 organizations around the state to receive a grant last week from the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services.
The local grant was for $25,000; the 17 grants totaled $580,000 for the Kansas Prevention Collaborative Community Initiative.
“The award to the Coalition is $25,000 for the next 10 months and is targeted at preventing underage drinking and marijuana use,” said Joy Mark, director of Families and Communities Together.
The money will be used to facilitate planning processes as guided by the Strategic Prevention Framework developed by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
KDADS, in which statewide behavioral health supports are centered, will be providing training for Coalition members, Mark said.
In addition, a community mobilizer will be hired to help enlarge the membership of the Coalition by making connections in county towns and sharing the organization’s activities.
Mark said county residents are welcomed to join the Coalition, which meets at noon on the fourth Wednesday of each month at the USD 410 district office in Hillsboro.
After the 10-month planning stage, the Coalition will be eligible to apply for a three-year implementation grant.
“The Coalition is grateful to the state for this opportunity,” Mark said. “It is a time of transition for the Coalition as it finishes its four-year federal grant next month and its membership ichanges composition.
“This grant will help us align ourselves and be effective in planning the next stages of prevention work for the health of our county’s residents.”