Nearly 30 people attended the Dec. 13 meeting of the Drug-Free Ashley County Coalition, either in person or via Zoom.
Coalition member Ronnie Donaldson made a motion on behalf of the nominating committee to re-elect Mandy Morris as treasurer and Cathie Hiller as secretary. Both of these are positions with one-year terms.
The motion was seconded by Vice Chair and Lead for Coalition Daniel Shelton Jr. and was carried by 14 yes votes. Three members who have voting privileges were not present.
The coalition discussed the 12 sectors described in literature provided by the Drug-Free Community Grant through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The topic was “Local Problems Require Local Solutions” and outlined the entities within a community whose participation and involvement in the coalition’s efforts are necessary for effective implementation of programs and processes related to creating a drug free environment.
The 12 sectors are youth, parents, businesses, media, schools, youth-serving organizations, law enforcement, civic and volunteer organizations, religious and fraternal organizations, healthcare professionals, state, local and tribal governments, and substance abuse organizations.
The execution plan for the CDC Drug-Free Community Grant is already in progress with Sharron Mims, coalition and training program manager for the State of Arkansas.
Janie Carter, D-FAC director, said although there is a steep learning curve and a lot of work to do, the coalition and its members will persevere at the task at hand.
Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration [DFA] grant status was discussed as well. The grant continues to be under review.
That grant involves work in a five-county area to reduce stigma surrounding substance abuse, treatment, and recovery and to enhance collaboration with law enforcement and the community to fight substance abuse.
The coalition’s guest speaker was Robert Holt, executive director of L.O.V.E. (Let Our Violence End) Healing Waters Outreach Center, who is a consultant for engaging youth organizations.
Holt said, “I don’t have all the answers.” He told the coalition, “In our work in 2023, I will share some paradigm shifts ... what has worked, what hasn’t worked and really think outside the box.”
Shelton and Mary Vaughn, grant manager for Phoenix Youth and Family Services are currently recruiting members from the coalition for the new Task Force for Meth.
Vaughn announced that Phoenix YandFS will be sponsoring a five-county meth conference with D-FAC coalition members in Monticello during the month of February and said she would appreciate ideas or suggestions for topics and guest speakers.
Sergeant Brianna Neugebauer is working on the Evaluation and Sustainability Committees. Neugebauer will provide a presentation as well as guidance at the January coalition meeting.
Neugebauer will be working with the membership and strategic planning committees on making sure membership packets are up to date as well.
The next D-FAC meeting will be held Jan. 10 at 4 p.m. at UAM College of Technology-Crossett. Anyone interested in joining the coalition or learning more about it is encouraged to attend.
