Troy Drug-Free Coalition buoyed by $625K federal grant

For the next five years, Troy's Drug-Free Community Coalition will have a financial underpinning that should help it make strides against the infestation of illicit drugs that makes our city much less than it could be.

The organization has been notified it will receive $625,000 -- $125,000 grants each year for the next five -- from the federal Office of National Drug Control Policy. The feds say the Coalition will be working to promote a lifestyle free from the abuse of alcohol and drugs. If that sounds a bit vague, it notes that the financial grants are intended to facilitate youth and adult participation at the community level in youth drug prevention efforts.

Davia Collington, a prevention specialist with the Rensselaer County Department of Mental Health who is the coordinator of the coalition, is quoted in The Record saying “We are not powerless against the challenge of drug use among young people here in Troy. Research shows that prevention is the most effective tool we have to reduce the terrible consequences associated with drug use among young people. This new funding will allow us to help place more young people on the path toward success and enable them to live healthier and safer lives.”

Troy’s Drug-Free Community Coalition works to involve parents, youths, teachers, religious and fraternal organizations, health care and business professionals, law enforcement and media members in its programs. Any organization that can do that deserves a financial helping hand.

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