Prevention Council Of Roanoke County

THE ORGANIZATION'S MISSION IS TO FOSTER THE HEALTHY DEVELOPMENT OF YOUTH IN THE COUNTY OF ROANOKE, VA AND SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES THROUGH EDUCATION OF PREVENTION OF ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE.

1)THE KINDNESS PROJECT: THE KATHRYN B. MCQUADE FOUNDATION AWARDED $15,000 TO PB & J THEATER CO., THE PREVENTION COUNCIL OF ROANOKE COUNTY AND JOI NEURON. THE MISSION IS TO CREATIVELY LIFT UP CHILDREN, THE ELDERLY, THE UNDERSERVED, THE STRESSED, THE ISOLATED, THE NEGLECTED, THE INVISIBLE AND THE LONELY POPULATIONS OF OUR VALLEY WITH ACTS OF KINDNESS. SUPPORTING PARTNERS AND PARTICIPANTS ARE ROANOKE CITY SCHOOLS, SALEM PUBLIC SCHOOLS, ROANOKE PUBLIC LIBRARIES. ON JUNE 25TH, 2022, PB & J THEATER CO. PRESENTED BALLOONACY TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC AT THE GRANDIN THEATER. ON JUL 15, 2022 , THE ROANOKE TIMES FEATURED A RAVING REVIEW OF THE PRODUCTION.BALLOONACY WAS OFFERED TO SCHOOLS DURING KINDNESS MONTH IN FEBRUARY 2022, ALONG WITH OTHER RELATED KINDNESS ACTIVITIES. BECAUSE BALLOONACY IS WORDLESS, NON-ENGLISH SPEAKERS ARE ALSO ABLE TO BE FILLED WITH THE POSITIVITY CREATED THROUGH THE KINDNESS PROJECT.2) CARA: THE COMPREHENSIVE ADDICTION AND RECOVERY ACT GRANT WAS AWARDED TO THE COUNCIL JULY 1, 2021 AND RUNS THROUGH JUNE 30, 2026. THE TOTAL GRANT AMOUNT WAS $250,000 OVER THE 5 YEAR PERIOD. THIS ALLOWS THE COUNCIL TO PROVIDE AN OPIOID/OTC AND HEROIN PREVENTION PROGRAM FOR ALL 8TH, 11TH AND 12TH GRADERS IN ROANOKE COUNTY WHO DO NOT RECEIVE HEALTH CLASSES UNLESS THEY ELECT TO DO SO. IN COLLABORATION WITH THE SCHOOL SYSTEM AND OH STATE UNIVERSITY, THE COUNCIL HAS BEEN ABLE TO BRING GENERATIONRX, A PREVENTION CURRICULUM AND MESSAGING TO OVER 3000 STUDENTS IN THOSE GRADES THAT WOULD NORMALLY NOT RECEIVE EDUCATION AROUND THIS TOPIC. THE OUTCOMES OF THE YOUTH RISK BEHAVIOR SURVEY CONDUCTED IN FEBRUARY 2022, DEMONSTRATED THAT 30 DAY USE, PERCEIVED PERCEPTION OF HARM, AS WELL AS PERCEIVED FRIEND AND PARENT PERCEPTION OF HARM, ALL DEMONSTRATED POSITIVE OUTCOMES.3) PFS: THE PFS GRANT (PARTNERSHIP FOR SUCCESS) WAS AWARDED TO THE COUNCIL IN OCTOBER OF 2019. THIS GRANT IS A 5 YEAR GRANT OF AN AVERAGE OF $190,000 PER YEAR AND ALLOWS THE COUNCIL TO ADD MUCH NEEDED STAFF AS WELL AS FOCUS ON THE EDUCATION, PREVENTION, PROGRAM AND POLICY CHANGES AROUND UNDERAGE ALCOHOL USE, MARIJUANA USE AND METH USE. THIS GRANT ALLOWS US TO WORK WITH A VA EPIDEMIOLOGIST, OUR VA TECH DATA TEAM AS WELL AS ESTABLISH A BEHAVIORAL HEALTH EQUITY IMPACT GROUP THAT INCREASES OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH THE HISPANIC COMMUNITY. DESPITE THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON OUR COMMUNITY OUTREACH WE WERE ABLE TO PIVOT AND INCREASE OUR DIGITAL REACH WITHIN ROANOKE COUNTY THROUGH NEW PARTNERSHIPS.