A letter from our executive director
Dear Friends,
I want to begin by thanking you for your steadfast support of prevention and of our agency for the last three decades. It’s hard to believe, but Drug Free Action Alliance is now 30 years old and is undergoing another time of change.
We started modestly, meeting in the home of former First Lady Hope Taft, and working with parents to empower them to raise their children to not misuse substances. While working with parents is one of the most important things we do, we also realized the need for creating healthy communities as well as healthy homes.
Leading healthy communities in the prevention of substance misuse and the promotion of mental health wellness.
So with support from and in partnership with the Ohio Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services, we launched the Ohio College Initiative and the Statewide Prevention Coalition Association to create safe communities and colleges.
And, we created Parents Who Host Lose The Most: Don’t Be A Party To Teenage Drinking to help encourage compliance with underage drinking and social hosting laws across the country.
Then, we were chosen to manage the Know! initiative, which provides parents, teachers, and other caregivers with tips about preventing youth substance misuse.
Recently, we created the Ohio Youth-Led Prevention Network to tap into our state’s greatest and most-treasured resource, our youth. We also started The GAP Network in order to provide those who have suffered immeasurable loss an opportunity to prevent substance misuse, and we launched a problem gambling prevention program, SMART Bet, and statewide campaign, Be the 95%.
Now, today, we’re undergoing another evolution.
We’re changing our name to Prevention Action Alliance, and we’re expanding our mission.
Our new mission will be “Leading healthy communities in the prevention of substance misuse and the promotion of mental health wellness.”
Over the years, we’ve seen the importance of not only educating children on the dangers of substance misuse but also the importance of building healthy communities so that our youth aren’t polluted by their surroundings and turned towards misusing substances.
Similarly, we can’t allow our youth to be polluted from the inside. By educating about and promoting mental health wellness, we can nurture our youth and prevent substance misuse later in life.
We’ll continue to be the same agency you have come to know, and our focus will continue to be the prevention of substance misuse. Now, however, we’re taking a more comprehensive, proactive outlook on prevention.
I want to end this letter as I began it, by thanking you for supporting this organization. I know that with your support, we can continue to lead healthy communities in the prevention of substance misuse and the promotion of mental health wellness.
Sincerely,
Marcie Seidel
