Visiting Washington D.C. With Our Annual Report!

At the beginning of February, Regional Coalition Coordinator, Malissa Arnold and I were given the opportunity to attend the Community Anti-Drug Coalition of America (CADCA) Annual Leadership Forum. There, we were introduced to a rolling attendance of youth and community leaders from all across the United States and its territories. With people who are like-minded and steadfast in their mission to make a difference in their home states, we attended plenary discussions and workshops on many topics and subjects. This conference shined a light on the many ways we can improve our community, but also what we are doing right.

A highlight of the CADCA Leadership Forum experience is the opportunity to talk to our legislators. With such a rare opportunity, we took full advantage of the time afforded to us. With guidance based on the provided by Capitol Hill Day event staff and literature, we brought to our legislator's attention to the following: The Drug-Free Communities Program, which PCMC and MCADA are a part of, The (Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act) CARA program, the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP), which includes the STOP Act, the SPF/PFS programs (both of which PCMC and MCADA are or were a part of), and the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) Block Grant, along with informing our legislators of specific programs and efforts we are doing in our own communities. In order to provide a complete picture of what the Council and Coalition have achieved this year, we shared our annual report with our legislators. Here is the link to the annual report from our website:

https://www.mercercouncil.org/about-us/annual-impact-reports

And here is the link to the pdf version, as well as downloaded underneath this post:

https://www.mercercouncil.org/images/pdf/Impact_report_2021-Mercer_Council.pdf

If you or your organization would like to know more about our prevention work and our Coalition, please complete our interest form at PCMC Interest and join us for our monthly meetings on the second Wednesday of the month at 9 AM. For more resources and information, please visit Mercercouncil.org, Facebook.com/PCoMC or Facebook/MCPrevention, Instagram at PreventionMercerCnty, and find us on LinkedIn.