The Lee County Coalition for a Drug-Free Southwest Florida serves Lee County, FL, an area encompassing urban, suburban, and rural communities with a population of approximately 462,455. Since its inception, the Lee County Coalition for a Drug-Free Southwest Florida has recorded a number of significant accomplishments, most notably, implementing a myriad of successful education programs such as Girl Power! as well as anger management, parenting skills, and drug-free workplace training. In addition, the group has been effective in disseminating information about substance abuse issues to the community through a coalition library, newsletters, an information and referral service, and the publication of "A Parent's Guide: Keeping Your Child Drug Free".
The Coalition employs a multi-domain strategy to achieve the following two goals: 1. reduce substance abuse by youth, and over time among adults, by addressing risk factors and promoting protective factors; and 2. establish and strengthen collaboration among communities, private non-profits, and federal/state/local governments. Coalition strategies include:
1. Providing drug prevention education;
2. Sponsoring drug-free alternative events;
3. Facilitating public service announcements on youth-oriented radio stations;
4. Increasing bonding between families and community through community activities;
5. Offering parenting classes;
6. Providing training to parents on drug-related gun violence;
7. Organizing anti-drug marches;
8. Formalizing partnerships with community anti-drug organizations and governmental entities; and
9. Building and maintaining media and corporate contacts to aid in coalition efforts.
CA/NCF
