Rep. Sherrill Announces $340K for Drug Prevention Programs in Pompton Lakes

PARSIPPANY, NJ — Representative Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) announced $340,417 in federal grants for the Pompton Lakes Prevention Coalition. The community engagement grants are funded by the Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“Kids deserve to grow up in an environment that supports good choices, and we are all better off when our youth have the tools and education they need to avoid drugs,” said Rep. Sherrill. “Thank you to the Pompton Lakes Prevention Coalition for your important work, and congratulations on earning this federal support.”

The Pompton Lakes Prevention Coalition builds and strengthens community collaboration in support of local efforts that foster a drug free lifestyle among youth and create a healthy community. The Coalition will use this grant by implementing programs and campaigns like Sticker Shock, Parents Who Host Lose the Most, Talk. They Hear You., Project Alert, Keep a Clear Mind, and Don’t Get Vaped In.

“This grant is very important to our community,” said Pompton Lakes Mayor Michael Serra. “This funding helps us educate and react to drug and alcohol concerns at an early age to help combat future problems with youth substance abuse.”

The Pompton Lakes Prevention Coalition was created to prevent underage drinking and marijuana use among local youth. This group of local citizens interview, survey, and collect specific information about Pompton Lakes and collaborate with various community groups to foster prevention.

“The Pompton Lakes Prevention Coalition is extremely grateful to be awarded continuation with the Drug-Free Communities Support Program,” said Ashley Lucyk, the Pompton Lakes Municipal Alliance Coordinator, who leads the grant. “This next phase of funding will help us to bring new programming to our local youth and community members. This grant allows us to foster drug free lifestyles and create change, and we are thrilled to continue these efforts.”

The DFC Program provides grants to community coalitions to strengthen the infrastructure among local partners to create and sustain a reduction in local youth substance use. Recognizing that local problems need local solutions, DFC-funded coalitions engage multiple sectors of the community and employ a variety of environmental strategies to address local substance use problems.

The Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program, created by the Drug-Free Communities Act of 1997, is the nation’s leading effort to mobilize communities to prevent youth substance use. Directed by the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the DFC Program provides grants to community coalitions to strengthen the infrastructure among local partners to create and sustain a reduction in local youth substance use.

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