DRUG FREE COMMUNITY COALITION
YEAR IN REVIEW
2013-2014
I. Drug Free Communities Grant (DFC) – Goals
 Establish and strengthen collaboration among communities
 Reduce substance use among youth and, over time, reduce substance abuse among adults
Focus of the WORK will always be on 2 levels: Individual and Community Level Change
II. Review of Grant Information
 5 years –to end September 2018 - $125,000 per year - with option to re-apply for another 5 years
 Beginning Year 2 of the grant October 1 2014
III. Year I
Goal 1:
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Building CAPACITY (Resources Human and Financial) and INFRASTURE
Hiring of staff- Project Coordinator, Research & Special Projects Coordinator, Administrative Accountant, Evaluator
Individual Meetings with Coalition members and community partners
4 Committees were formed and Leads appointed – Membership, Communication, Surveillance/Data & Finance
Administrative Processes such as volunteer in-kind hour tracking, travel forms, budget spreadsheets for tracking
expenses, procedures for working with the City of Issaquah Finance Department (fiscal agent).
Met the required $125,000 community in-kind match for grant funds.
Goal 2: SUBSTANCE ABUSE PREVENTION INITIATIVES/PARTNERSHIPS
 Distributed 14,000 “What I Wish I Had Known” brochures, 5,000 “Where’s the Party” brochures, 5,000 “Legal
Marijuana and Our Teens” brochures.
 In December, January and February, hosted “Legal Marijuana & Our Teens” Forums, in partnership with
numerous community groups, at Sammamish City Hall, Issaquah High School and Liberty High School respectively.
Over 200 people attended the Forums, which featured student panels and expert speakers talking about the impacts of
the new recreational marijuana laws on teens.
 Partnered with Rotary Clubs of Issaquah and Sammamish to implement the “Influence the Choice” student video
contest. Over 120 students were involved in the contest, submitting fifty-four videos and volunteering over 400
hours of time. Ten winners were selected by a seven-member judging panel. Winning students were provided cash
prizes, including $800 for the Grand Prize winner. The Awards Ceremony was held at Issaquah High School
Performing Arts Center to honor the ten winners. Seventy parents and students attended.
 Drug Free Community Coalition co-sponsored the Issaquah Youth Summit at the Issaquah Community Center.
The theme of the summit was “Above the Influence” with a focus on reducing drug and alcohol use and abuse among
teens. The DFCC purchased T-shirts that were used in a training exercise, and paid the speaking fees for a break-out
session on how drugs affect the developing brain.
 Co-sponsored a Spring Clean of the Rainier Trail with 70 volunteers helping out. The Rainier Trail has been a
frequent site of drug-trafficking. Due to increased focus on the trail, the City of Issaquah has re-designated the area as
a city park, a designation that allows for enhanced law enforcement.
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In May, sponsored The Beat, a teen-produced page in the Issaquah Press. The focus of May’s The Beat was drug
and alcohol abuse among teens in the Issaquah School District area.
In June, the DFCC held a Regional Conversation About Drug Abuse for 68 regional community members. An
Executive Summary and data sheets from the conversation have been posted to the Healthy Youth Initiative website.
In follow-up to the Conversation, a special meeting with the Sponsor Leadership was convened in late August to
discuss the results from the initial Conversation and plan for a follow-up Conversation. In attendance were the
Superintendent of Issaquah Schools, Mayors of Sammamish and Issaquah, Executive Director of the
Issaquah Schools Foundation, and the Executive Director, Greater Issaquah Chamber of Commerce.
Coalition representatives participated in several City meetings to discuss and make final recommendations regarding
the relocation of the Issaquah Skate Park.
Training Opportunities over the year included:
o 5 members participated in the CADCA (Community Anti-Drug Coalition of America) National Training
Academy (3 week-long sessions). Graduation from the Academy is expected in November 2014 with
recognition of the Coalition’s accomplishment at this year’s 2015 CADCA’s National Leadership Forum in
Washington, DC
o 4 members participated in Positive Community Norms (PCN) training in Montana in July.
o DFCC training sessions were held during monthly Board meeting (Overview of DFC grant, Strategic
Prevention Framework, and PCN)
DFCC Annual Retreat in August resulting in “Action-Mapping” being completed for 2014-2015
In partnership with the Issaquah Police Department, DFCC purchased a permanent Prescription Drug Drop Box
that will be placed in the lobby of the police department. The unveiling of the Drug Drop Box will coincide with the
National Take Back Day on Saturday September 27th, 2014.
Coalition Members and Staff were asked to present at numerous speaking engagements & community events
Merger with the Issaquah Schools Foundation
IV. The Year Ahead….
 Continue to build on the foundation that has been set in place
 Organizational structure:
o Passing of By-Laws, Organizational Charts, Membership roles & responsibilities, recruitment of new
members
o Building Committee Structures in readiness for the work to be taken on
o Branding of coalition, vision, mission & name
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Addressing the work of reducing youth substance abuse use and abuse:
o Continuing to enhance and update Community Assessment – continue to gauge the “pulse” of the
community and mobilize accordingly; Expanding data resources from key community organizations
o Action-Mapping
o Evaluation
o Proposed focus of initiatives undertaken this year by the DFCC:
 Youth Leadership Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition to be fostered
 Influence the Choice Video Contest – with possible added Photo Voice & Writing piece
 Positive Community Norms – develop and implement framework for the community which could
include developing specific Social Norms, Social Marketing campaigns within schools, outside youth
serving agencies, etc.
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