(Lincoln, NE) Gov. Dave Heineman today awarded eight community organizations and school programs with grants totaling more than $120,000 for substance abuse and violence prevention efforts. The funding comes from the Governor’s Safe and Drug-Free Schools & Communities Program.
Gov. Heineman said, “Meth and other drugs are a serious problem in our state and these programs are part of our front line of defense. I commend the many committed people behind these programs who understand the value of a proactive approach to the problem.”
The goals of the program are to decrease the number of youth who engage in substance abuse and/or violence; delay the age when youth begin to use alcohol, tobacco and other drugs; improve academic achievement; promote positive adult and youth relationships; as well as provide community support for youth, both before and after school.
Grant recipients include:
All Our Kids, Inc.: $25,000
Contact: Rebecka Kennedy, mentoring director, 402-930-3002
All Our Kids, Inc. is a comprehensive mentoring program serving 100 at-risk youth in the Greater Omaha metro area. The program targets middle school students who are not demonstrating academic abilities in the classroom and are at moderate risk of dropping out of school. Students are paired with adult mentors from the business community for leadership training, drug and alcohol abuse prevention, academic support, and community service.
Buffalo County Community Partners: $24,800
Contact: Denise Zwiener, director, 308-865-2280
Community partners are using an evidence-based program to target students at the eleven middle and high schools in Buffalo County, as well as the county’s general population with the goal of reducing the number of alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes.
CEDARS Youth Services: $22,500
Contact: Petra Smith, program manager, 402-437-8988
The Youth as Resources program provides drug and alcohol prevention service-learning opportunities for youth in diversion and after-school programs, in addition to those enrolled in alternative high schools in a seven-county area. Youth in Jefferson, Lancaster, Otoe, Saline, Saunders, Seward, and York counties will learn about reducing factors that contribute to substance abuse, becoming productive citizens, and improving academic achievement.
Hemingford Public Schools: $8,400
Contact: Judith Stewart, school nurse, 308-487-3328
Hemingford Public Schools utilized Nebraska Risk and Protective Factor Student Survey data in establishing the need to address risk factors with students in 6th grade. The school improvement committee will utilize the “Protecting You, Protecting Me” program, which is designed to teach children before their attitudes about alcohol use have been developed.
Omaha Nation Community Response Team: $21,725
Contact: John Penn, project director, 402-846-5281
The Omaha Nation Community Response Team is a coalition focused on improving the quality of life for the Omaha Tribe of Nebraska. It empowers youth to take action by building community and establishing a comprehensive, community-based substance abuse prevention system. The team will launch a prevention program for youth ages 8 – 18.
Sherman County Prevention Policy Board: $20,640
Contact: Mark Eurek, Sherman County Attorney, 308-745-0720
The Sherman County Prevention Policy Board is committed to working to reduce substance abuse by focusing on prevention. The Board is beginning an after-school and summer program to help provide activities for youth, discourage the use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, and improve academic achievement.
The Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities Program, administered by the U.S. Department of Education, strengthens community-based substance abuse prevention efforts.
