Tri-Community Coalition Receives $125,000 Grant

The Tri-Community Coalition announced Monday that it will receive $125,000 in grant funding from the Office of National Drug Control Policy this year.

The award is among nearly $76.7 million in continuation grants released to 608 currently funded Drug Free Communities coalitions and 18 DFC Mentoring coalitions nationwide, according to a TCC press release. Those grants are in addition to $7.9 million in new DFC  Support Program grants to 60 communities and six new DFC Mentoring grants, the release said.

The nonprofit – which provides college scholarships and works to help prevent and reduce substance use among young people in Berkley, Huntington Woods and Oak Park – learned in 2011 that , for a total of $625,000.

"America's success in the 21st century depends in part on our ability to help young people make decisions that will keep them healthy and safe," Director of National Drug Control Policy Gil Kerlikowske said Monday. "We congratulate this coalition on its work to raise a generation of young people equipped to remain drug free and ready to prosper in school, in their communities, and in the workplace.  While law enforcement efforts will always serve a vital role in keeping our communities safe, we know that stopping drug use before it ever begins is always the smartest and most cost-effective way to reduce drug use and its consequences."

The Tri-Community Coalition will use this year's funds to address underage alcohol, marijuana and prescription drug use, according to the press release.

"The Drug-Free Communities Support Program recognizes the great potential of the Tri-Community Coalition to help save young people’s lives," TCC executive director Judy Rubin said. "This new funding will allow us to continue to mobilize and organize the three communities we serve to prevent youth substance use.”

Visit www.WhiteHouse.gov/ONDCP for more information about the Office of National Drug Control Policy or the Drug Free Communities Support Program. Visit www.tricommunitycoalition.org for more information about the Tri-Community Coalition.