Coalition Members: Northern Utah

CLICK HERE if you represent an organization that would like to be involved.

Bitly Link: bit.ly/3tg0FT8

CLICK HERE if you are a parent that would like to help support prevention efforts in the community.

The Discovery Family Coalition is a community collaboration that brings all sectors of the community together around a common goal: strengthening families and building resilience in youth.

Working together we maximize the power and resources of coalition partners to:

❏  Raise awareness of key issues in the community

❏  Create a coordinated approach to promoting a reduction in risk factors and increasing protective factors for our youth

❏  Address and combat problematic social issues such as drug and alcohol misuse, low commitment to school, and other elevated risk factors in the community

❏  Build capacity to create community solutions to community problems that benefit families individually and the community as a whole

❏  Serve as a central location to access family and prevention related resources

❏  Leverage new and unique resources in the community

❏  Seek new partners to help the coalition reach our goal

❏  Improve the relationship between the individual members/organizations that have never had an opportunity to collaborate.

❏  Serve as a catalyst for systemic change in the community

The work we do together will strengthen the community as a whole. Our coalition is only as strong as our members. Each member brings a set of skills, a point of view, and a greater capacity for doing good. We join our human and material resources together to create systemic changes for good in our community that we would not be able to achieve as independent individuals or separate organizations.

Our Coalition members come from many diverse backgrounds and sectors, including youth, parents, schools, city and government leaders, the business community, media, family focused community organizations, law enforcement agencies, religious organizations, civic and volunteer groups, healthcare professionals, elected officials, government agencies with expertise in the field of substance misuse, and other organizations focused on strengthening families and promoting mental health wellness. As we share solutions, support, and show solidarity with each other we can reduce risky behaviors among our youth such as substance misuse, violence, and suicide. 

As a member of the coalition you have an opportunity to contribute to the prevention efforts in our community in a way that works best for you. The Discovery Family coalition is unique in that we do not ask coalition members to attend monthly or quarterly meetings. Instead our Coordination Team will work with you one-on-one to determine what contribution(s) will work best for your situation. This could be any of the following depending upon your type of organization and the resources you have available:

❏  Helping connect families to the prevention programs by

→ Sending information out through mailing lists

→ Sharing coalition messaging via social media platforms

→ Including information in newsletters or blogs

→ Including links on member websites

→ Providing PSAs, write-ups and other free forms of advertising

❏  Providing the various components of coalition programs

→ Providing a Family Reward Event for qualifying families

→ Collaborating to plan FREE community events open to all families

→ Providing an ‘expert’ for Parent Conversations

→ Donating swag and giveaways to be used as incentives and rewards

❏  Providing funding to support coalition programs

→ Participating in the Annual Marketing Toolkit

→ Supporting the annual Summer Passport Program

Research is clear that prevention pays! 

For example, research has shown that effective substance abuse prevention can yield major economic dividends. The savings per dollar spent on substance abuse prevention can range from $2.00 to $20.00. Research on other types of prevention show similar results. When each coalition member contributes in ways that make the most sense for their situation, the impact can be even greater.

The Discovery Family Coalition programs ARE making a difference! Bach-Harrison is in the process of evaluating the Discovery Family Adventures program and will provide a report sometime this Fall. However, the evidence is overwhelming from reviews, direct communication with families participating in the coalition programs, and preliminary responses from the survey that our joint efforts are having a significant impact for good.

We would love to have you be an official part of prevention efforts in our community. Whatever you are able to contribute, even if it is simply helping us spread the word through your newsletters and social media, it will have a significant impact on our community. If you are willing to join us as a valued member of the Discovery Family Coalition, please complete this form. One of our coordinators will reach out to explore your participation.

Sharilee Griffiths, Coalition Coordinator

Meagan Waite, Assistant Coordinator

Tori Jones, Community Coordinator

Angela Allred, Community Coordinator

Haley Allmendinger, Community Coordinator

Justina Poulson, Community Coordinator

Melissa Bowles, Community Coordinator

Amanda Higgins, Community Coordinator

Tiffani Hess, Adventure Specialist