(Washington, DC) In an opening statement, Jack Claypoole, Directorof Drug Free Communities Administrator & Associate Deputy Director, Officeof National Drug Control Policy, Office of State, Local, and Tribal Affairs,energized attendees by emphasizing the job of DFC funded grant programs is"to save lives." This theme was reoccurring throughout today's seriesof informational and educational forums and seminars where it was clear theobjective of the collaboration at both the federal and local level was to"provide opportunities to foster healthy individuals and safe communitiesby effectively leading the Nation's effort to reduce drug use and itsconsequences."

Today's guest speakers included prevention champions from CADCA,ICF, SAMSHA, CSG, and Dr. Jeff Linkenbach from the Center for Health and SafetyCulture at Montana State University.

The opening plenary focused on "The Science of thePositive" and Dr. Linkenbach spoke on his belief that prevention is thework of growing the positive that already exists in our communities and thatthis orientation is the most Sustainable way to reduce the harm associated withthe misuse of substances.

Dr. Linkenbach remarked, "By embracing a positive approach,community members are more energized and hopeful to engage in
both change and transformation to improve health and safety. Dr. Linkenbach'sapproach provides DFC funded coalitions, like the Partnership, a framework toapproach our prevention work by examining three key components: spirit, scienceand action.

ICF International presented compelling data to support thepositive impact DFC Grant Projects have on local indicators such as alcohol andmarijuana use and provided information on how new grantees will contribute tothe sustainability of the model, both locally and at the federal level, byparticipating in the national evaluation measure and strategies. As part of thecommitment to working with the national evaluation team, the Partnership hascontracted with the Office of Community Research, Inc. and invested in bringingthe powerful ResourceDirect and POSIT Plus community mobilization tools to theGreater New Paltz area.

"We are excited about working with the Partnership and bringing ourcollective experiences together to empower the coalition to excel during thisinitial year of funding. OCR has been an active member of the Partnership formany years and is proud to work with the Partnership to provide exceptionalevaluation services. It is especially exciting to work within the localcommunity to build local capacity and opportunities through our web-hosteddirectory of resources, ResourceDirect, and our powerful adolescent riskscreening tool, POSIT Plus." - Jennifer L. McGahan, President andPrincipal Investigator

The Office has been a collaborative partner to many community programs and initiativesand is a champion of prevention efforts throughout the United States.

Local communities benefit directly from DFC funding as $.92 ofevery dollar are dedicated to prevention efforts at the local level. DFCleaders and champions ended the day by reminding funded communities that theyhave the power to impact hundreds of thousands of lives by empowering the localchampions so that every sector can stand up and use their voice to solidlystand behind young people and support their passions, talents and gifts andcommitment to remain drug free.

The New Grantee Meeting will be in Washington, DC from December 5through December 7, 2011.