Message from Janie Carter, outgoing CDC Drug-Free Communities Support Grant Project Director.
Dearest Friends and Colleagues,
Many of you already know about recent and upcoming changes in leadership for the Drug-Free Ashley County (D-FAC) Coalition. [We want to thank the editor and owner of our local newspapers, Ashley County Ledger and Ashley New Observer, for multiple articles that are sharing our news and on January 3 announced the new officers as well as a message from the new Chair, Eric Shoffner. Our other media partner, Qlite, KAGH and sister radio stations are very generous in providing news and PSAs that are continuously informing and promoting prevention of substance abuse for our youth and adult community. Thank you all!]
This message is to share with you that February 17, 2024 will be my last day as the part-time CDC Drug-Free Communities Support Grant Project Director. Our new Project Director is Mike Neal who is also the new D-FAC Vice Chair/Chair Elect and the pastor of the Church of God in Crossett. I am so thankful that God orchestrated the fulfilment of our prayers for new workers to take leadership positions for the Coalition.
BTW: No, I was not fired, and I will not be absent from Coalition membership and activities. In fact, the plan is for me to continue in a consultant capacity to help Mike transition into this federal grant world for the remainder of the fiscal year. For the next few weeks, we will be in the process of submitting the non-competitive proposal for Year 3 of our 5-year grant. And, at the end of Year 5, we plan to compete for an additional five years for the grant — because our community desperately needs to continue the work we have begun together.
Sector Leaders will be contacted soon by Mike and one or more of the new officers to get acquainted. Mike and his staff (Project Coordinators Lisa Riels and Elizabeth White) will be working with the new officers (Chair Eric Shoffner, Treasurer Gina Morgan, and Secretary Christi Carter) to help sector leaders realize their duties and responsibilities more fully and connect more efficiently with their sector members.
Let me take just a moment to remind you what twelve sectors are required: Youth, Youth-Serving Organizations, Parents, Education, Law Enforcement/Judicial, Media, Drug Treatment Providers, Healthcare Professionals, State & Local Agencies, Faith-Based Organizations, Civic/Volunteer Groups, and Businesses. Our most active sectors to date have been Education, Parents, Law Enforcement and Youth, We have about 50 youth involved thanks to our “Focus Groups” in both school districts as well as additional individual youth members who come to meetings and assist at events. We look forward to getting more interaction from the other sectors, and we welcome your ideas on getting you/them actively involved.
ALERT: We are in critical need for a business member to step up to replace our previous Sector Leader for Business!
Thank you for your dedication to the goals of the Coalition. Don’t minimize the importance of what each of you have done and will continue to contribute. As SRO Officer Robert Black said in his presentation at our February 13 meeting: “This isn’t a health problem, and it isn’t a police problem. It is everyone’s problem.”
So, it takes all of us working together. Amen
Janie Carter