By Matt Stout
Posted Sept. 06, 2011 @ 06:01 AM STOUGHTON —
As Karen Hall understands it, recipients of a Drug Free Communities
grant are expected to demonstrate how their coalition can sustain
itself, should its initiatives go without federal assistance.
Hall – who oversees Organizing Against Substances in Stoughton, or
OASIS – said the program did the feds one better: It proved it.
A year after being denied renewal of its federal funding, OASIS this
past week was awarded a five-year, $625,000 grant, joining programs in
Avon and Middleboro as local recipients armed with help to curb youth
substance abuse.
They represent a portion of the 38 Massachusetts communities receiving
$4.5 million through Drug Free Communities, a 14-year-old program that
works in conjunction with the White House drug czar’s office.
But the Stoughton-based initiative is one of just five in the state –
and 87 in the country – to receive a new grant, which will allow it to
hire back a full-time prevention coordinator as well as a part-time
bilingual outreach worker.
Only California had more communities receive new grants this year than
Massachusetts, underscoring the region’s place among those hit hardest
by the national rise in substance abuse.
“We found out what the true meaning of sustainability was when we
didn’t have the funding,” said Hall, director of the Stoughton Youth
Commission, which oversees the community-based OASIS.
The coalition had received $100,000 a year from 2005-2010, helping it
support compliance checks by police at local liquor stores, drug and
alcohol surveys at the middle school and high school levels, and
family-strengthening programs.
When the coalition applied but was denied last year, it forced Hall to
reduce its prevention coordinator to a part-time position and ask
volunteers in some cases to triple the time they put into their efforts.
By July 25, OASIS had run dry of all its funding, leaving officials to
consider what else to “prioritize” to keep the mission going, Hall said.
Now, with $125,000 tabbed for each of the next five years, it can begin
looking to build again.
“Everybody worked together,” she said of the past year. “I think that made us much stronger for this year.”
The Avon Coalition for Every Student, or ACES, also was awarded
$125,000, its third installment of its five-year cycle. The grant
represents the coalition’s entire budget, director Chris Delano said,
which in the past year has been geared toward reducing marijuana use –
and its widely regarded misperceptions – in the school system.
For example, a 2009 survey of students grades 6-12 in Avon showed that
only 45 percent felt there was risk or harm in using marijuana. In this
past April’s survey, that number jumped to nearly 60 percent.
“So in that little piece, we are showing improvement,” Delano said.
“But when we look at it, we still have a lot more work to do.”
Middleboro Youth Advocates, a group that includes parents, substance
abuse agencies and members of local government, received its last
$100,000 installment of its five-year cycle.
Once strictly reliant on volunteers, the program now offers a variety
of programs ranging from ‘Parent Parties,’ where coalition members
educate small groups of parents in an informal setting, to surveys in
the school system that help measure the impact the group has made.
The coalition will re-apply for a new five-year cycle of funding next year, said programs director Sharon Seifert.
“Without the money, I’m very concerned all the work that we’ve done,
I’m hoping it doesn’t cease to exist,” she said. “You have to really
prove what you’re doing is making a difference. And we’re seeing it.”
But not all who applied locally received funding. Brockton Promise, a
community-based coalition that includes six different agencies – among
them Massasoit Community College and Stonehill College – had its
application denied after its grant lapsed in 2010.
It had received $100,000 per year for five years.
Attempts to reach Heather Arrighi, chairperson of the organization’s steering committee, were unsuccessful on Friday.
Matt Stout may be reached at mstout@enterprisenews.com.
READ MORE about this issue.
In Stoughton, They Weren't Buying it (Booze, that is)
By Kate Sullivan Foley
Thu Dec 3, 2009
Stoughton - Utilizing grant money, Stoughton Police took to the streets last week to deter crimes during the start of the holiday season.
On Tuesday, an army of officers conducted a “shoulder tap program” outside liquor stores in town. Officers teamed with teenagers through the Stoughton Police Explorers program to ensure that adults were appropriately informed of the laws surrounding buying alcohol for minors.
The teenagers, ages 16-18, stood outside the stores while the officers were close by in unmarked vehicles. As an adult approached the liquor store, the teen would ask the adult to buy an alcoholic beverage for them.
If the adult said no, the youth thanked them for being a caring adult and handed them a green card. The card explained the program and its educational purpose.
If the adult said yes, officers joined the teenagers and explained the shoulder tap program. They outlined the criminal consequences the adult would have faced had they continued with their action and been caught.
Purchasing alcohol for an underage person can result in punishment including a year in the House of Corrections, a fine of up to $2,000 or a loss of driver’s license for 180 days.
Of the 107 people approached, only one agreed to purchase alcohol for the minor.
“It was the most successful (program) yet in terms of compliance from the town,” Stoughton Police Executive Officer Rob Devine said.
Because the program was educational and not punitive, the one individual who agreed to make the purchase was not cited for an offense.
Devine said they were able to host the sting because of funding through a grant from OASIS (Organizing Against Substances In Stoughton). A “shoulder tap program” also was implemented during prom season last spring.
Dawn Fontaine, OASIS coordinator, said the funding came from a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration grant. As part of the proposal for the grant, OASIS set a goal of reducing drug and alcohol abuse through various objectives including stopping adults from buying alcohol from minors.
Thanksgiving week is always a good time to issue a reminder of the laws, especially to adults from ages 21-25, Fontaine said.
“They come home from college for the holiday, reconnect with old and often younger friends and end up being talked into buying alcohol for someone who is not quite 21,” Fontaine said.
She was very pleased with the results of the sting.
In addition to reaching so many people, she said, the sting was especially successful because it showed that many young adults are following the laws. There were four adults who initially appeared as though they were going to agree to buy for the teens, then reflected on the decision and ultimately said no, she said.
“They thought about it and made the right choice – that is really great,” Fontaine said.
Police also took to the streets on Wednesday night. This time, the extra four officers were monitoring bar traffic and being readily available to officers on details at various establishments throughout town. The night before Thanksgiving traditionally has been a busy and problematic night, Devine said.
“They managed to maintain a fairly quiet evening,” he said.
Officers were called to The Last Shot at 559 Washington St. to remove an unwanted patron, which was done without incident.
The additional staffing was funded through the last of a community policing grant provided by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The grant ran out Nov. 30. Funds from the grant also was used for additional officers on the busiest shopping day of the year.
Friday morning, several plain-clothed officers headed to retail establishments throughout town to watch for shoplifters. The department made the effort in conjunction with security departments at several retailers, Devine said.
"It was a way for us to let the business community know that we are there to support them," he said.
Stoughton's OASIS to help Foxboro develop program
By Candace Hall
Mon Sep 21, 2009
The Stoughton Youth Commission’s OASIS (Organizing Against Substances In Stoughton) program has received a $150,000 grant, which is one of just 10 nationwide.
The youth development grant, which will span over two years, will be used to help the town of Foxboro develop its own substance abuse program, through a mentor program.
Stoughton OASIS Coordinator Dawn Fontaine said the grant should help both Stoughton and Foxboro youth because it will be used to train people in substance abuse leadership, who will work with both towns. She said substance abuse programs fare better when surrounding communities also are active in preventing drug abuse.
“It’s about keeping our kids safe, and it takes a lot of towns working together to do this,” she said.
Fontaine said OASIS will hire a part-time program coordinator, and will pay stipends to about 20 other people who will assist with the mentoring, including teachers, police, pastors and business representatives.
She said the grant award also could help OASIS get another grant for the next five years, which will fund the gist of its program.
The organization, organized in 2004, received a $500,000 grant from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a subsidiary of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, shortly after its conception. With funding about to expire, OASIS is applying for another five-year grant, and Fontaine said its recent success should help bolster its application.
“It demonstrates we’re doing this well,” she said.
Candace Hall can be reached at cahall@cnc.com
* September 17, 2009 - Article in The Stoughton Journal about an upcoming event that we're organizing!
Local mom of teen victim will warn parents about alcohol abuse
By Kate Sullivan Foley
Thu Sep 17, 2009, 12:16 PM EDT
Stoughton - Every parent’s worst nightmare became reality for Kathi Meyer last October.
Next week, the Norfolk resident will share her tragic story at Stoughton High School. In a morning address to the school’s juniors and seniors, Meyer will talk about the alcohol-related death of her 17-year-old daughter, Taylor.
Later that evening, she will come back to the school and speak to parents.
Meyer’s story is undeniably sad. The reason she shares it, she said, is that it could happen to any family.
“When I’m done talking, about 70 percent of the kids are crying,” Meyer said.
She believes the tears flow because so many of the students are awakened to the reality of their own lives and those of their friends. They realize that what they are doing is very much like what Taylor was doing, she said.
Taylor had been drinking with friends at an outside party to celebrate homecoming when she walked off. She was found dead in a swamp two days later.
“Time after time kids come up to me and say I would never want to do that to my mother…she could never handle it,” Meyer said.
As hard as it is to speak about her loss, Meyer said she does it in order to impact the kids through a different perspective. So often, she said, students are addressed by an adult telling them to say no.
“I tell them the truth…I tell them what happened and what everyone has to live with now,” Meyer said.
In the second part of her appearance, Meyer’s speech is strictly designed for parents.
“I talk parent to parent…If I could do it all over again, I tell them everything that I would have done differently…I want them to learn from my mistakes,” Meyer said.
Dawn Fontaine, Substance Abuse Prevention Coordinator for O.A.S.I.S. (Organizing Against Substances in Stoughton) said she joined forces with S.A.D.D. (Students Against Destructive Decisions) to co-host the event.
“We thought that what she is telling audiences is exactly what we want our students and parents to hear,” Fontaine said.
In addition to Meyer’s speech, the event, which will be emceed by Stoughton Police Executive Officer Rob Devine, will also feature a talk by Bill Phillips from New Beginnings.
Phillips, a motivational speaker, started his organization in 1985 to promote awareness of alcoholism and other dependencies. His program focuses on helping young adults make responsible decisions based on current and accurate information regarding the effects and dangers of alcohol and drugs.
As a third part to the event, a Boston law firm, Campbell and Campbell Associates, will present information on Social Host Liability laws in Massachusetts.
Elyssa Schneider, Stoughton High School’s S.A.D.D. advisor, said the event is a great opportunity for parents to get the facts that they need about youth alcohol use.
“(Meyer’s) experience coupled with the host liability information provided by Campbell & Campbell Law Associates will serve as both emotional and legal reminders of the consequences of teen drinking, and will prove to be an eye-opening presentation for both parents and students,” Schneider said.
Research in Stoughton has already proven that when parents set clear rules about non-use of alcohol and substances, young adults and children pay attention, Fontaine said.
In nearly a half dozen recent surveys, 80 percent of students in grades 6 through 12 reported not using alcohol or drugs because their parents and families have clear rules about non-use.
“Parents think their kids don’t listen, but they really do listen,” Fontaine said.
The free event will be held Wednesday, Sept. 23 from 7-9 pm in the Stoughton High School Auditorium. For more information, contact Dawn Fontaine at 781-341-2252 or by email at DFontaine@Stoughton-MA.gov
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