Local leaders and organizations were honored this morning for their continuous efforts to ensure drug prevention remains a first and foremost focus in each and every community in the Tristate. The Coalition for a Drug-Free Greater Cincinnati (CDFGC) held its annual fundraising Community Awards Breakfast which this year focused on celebrating “Partners, Prevention and Progress.” 

The awards and fundraising event got underway at 8:15 a.m. this morning at the Millennium Hotel in downtown Cincinnati. Approximately 150 individuals attended.

“The Coalition for a Drug-Free Greater Cincinnati would not be here today if it were not for its widespread partners devoted to prevention and progress in the Tristate,” said CDFGC President/CEO/Executive Director Mary F. Haag. “Today was a time to recognize the hard work and tenacity of so many different individuals and groups that mirror our mission of enhancing partnerships to educate, advocate and support locally-based community drug prevention coalition mobilization.” Currently, 17 drug prevention coalitions are members of the CDFGC. The Coalition is the only regionally-based drug prevention coalition in this area.

The following individuals and organizations were recognized for their outstanding work in combating substance abuse in Greater Cincinnati:

·         Former CDFGC Trustee/Former Evenflo and P&G Executive Rob Matteucci received the Founders Award.  

 ·         Urban Minority Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Outreach Program (UMADAOP) Executive Director Michael Langford received the Commitment to Community Award.  

 ·         Two drug prevention coalitions- Dearborn County Citizens Against Substance Abuse (CASA), IN and Stayin’ Alive, Franklin County, IN received the Outstanding Coalitions/Recognition of Youth Involvement Award.   

 ·         Archbishop Moeller High School Student, Brian Markgraf, received the Youth Volunteer of the Year Award.
For Markgraf, this award served as a true honor for his individual and community work he does on a regular basis. “This award validates all of my hard work in preventing the use of alcohol and other drugs in teenagers, “said Margraf. “In order to make our communities, families, and schools healthier, we need to prevent substance abuse on all levels. Unfortunately, engaging in risky behaviors such as underage drinking is socially acceptable; therefore, we need to educate the community about its dangers.”

Both CASA and Stayin’ Alive sang the praises of the youth in their community who make coalition work such a priority.

“CASA is thrilled to be honored for their work with youth,” said CASA Executive Director Donna Thacker. “Our area has some amazing young people who truly want to make a difference and CASA is thrilled to be working with them.”

Stayin’ Alive Executive Director Melinda Brown said, “Stayin' Alive is very pleased to receive recognition of the great accomplishments the youth are making in Franklin County. It truly is an honor to work with such outstanding future leaders to empower them with a strong voice to impact community change.”

Special thanks go out to CDFGC’s Community Awards Breakfast Committee Chair, Marianne F. Ivey, PharmD., M.P.H., FASHP, associate professor in Division of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy at University of Cincinnati; Karen Cheyne, RDH, dental hygienist; Mike Puccini, R.Ph., business development manager, The Kroger Co.; Cate Fopma Reinert, director of community development, NECCO; and Shadia Haddad with Merrill Lynch.

Ambassador Sponsor for the awards event was American Financial Group; Partner Sponsors were Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Merrill Lynch- Gearhart & Associates, and Keating, Muething & Klekamp PLL.

Media Contact: CDFGC Communications & Community Coordinator Amanda Conn Starner 513-751-8000 ext. 13 or aconnstarner@drugfreecincinnati.org. For more information about CDFGC, our website is www.drugfreecincinnati.org

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There's a new website that aims to make drug prevention and treatment information easier to understand for adults with reading levels between 5th-8th grade. The site called "Easy-To-Read Drug Facts" through the National Institute on Drug Abuse uses simple language, navigation and design features that break down some barriers to accessing information. An audio version of each page of site is available.

WCPO-TV's Jenell Walton interviews CDFGC's Executive Director Mary Haag about the Tristate's Campus Challenge contest. Full story and video clip here:

http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/news/region_central_cincinnati/downtown/students...

The numbers are in!  We are pleased to announce that the registration process for the 2012 PRIDE Student Drug Use Survey is complete and there are a number of new schools utilizing this valuable evaluation. The PRIDE Survey collects data on the prevalence of student drug use as well as attitudes, perceptions and other risk and protective indicators. These measures help gain a regional perspective on student drug use and help guide the work of prevention in a data-driven manner.

From now until mid-December, the survey distributed by the Coalition for a Drug-Free Greater Cincinnati (CDFGC) is being administered across the Tristate that will enable parents, local officials, law enforcement and communities to get a better understanding of what substance use issues are facing youth and their communities. This survey is taken every two years. This is the seventh survey cycle for CDFGC. This year alone, more than 76,000 students from 137 schools will be completing the survey.  Of the 137 registered schools, 59 are new to the process.  The number of registrations is up over 16,000 from 2009.  

The Coalition looks forward to working with area schools to help them understand the results of their data, and we thank them for making the survey a priority.  There is no doubt that this data will be a valuable tool for decision making in their communities.  This survey would not be possible without the generous support of our funding partners: SAMHSA (Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration),  The Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati, the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services, the Hamilton County Mental Health Recovery Services Board as well as our local member coalitions and local community partners.  The cost of the PRIDE survey is $1.40 per student, however with the noted outside funding, schools are asked to cover just 25 cents per survey. The results of the data will be released April 2012. Any questions regarding the Student Drug Use Survey can be directed to CDFGC Director of Coalition Strategies Nicole Schiesler at 513-751-8000 or nschiesler@drugfreecincinnati.org.