StandUP Polk & UthMpact Coalition Coordinators to Attend National Substance Abuse Prevention Conference in Washington, D.C.

Members of the Coalition for a Drug-Free Polk are headed to Washington, D.C. this week to join nearly 3,000 substance abuse prevention and treatment specialists and advocates at the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America’s 22nd Annual National Leadership Forum, which will be held from February 6-9, 2012. The CADCA Conference is the nation’s largest training for substance abuse prevention and treatment professionals and researchers.

The forum agenda will include conference headline guest speakers, Gil Kerlikowske, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, and James Fowler, Ph.D., author of Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives, among others. Polk Coalition Coordinators, Lisa A. Jones of StandUP Polk, and Veronica Awai of UthMpact, will also have the opportunity to meet with the Florida members of both the House and Senate during CADCA’s Capitol Hill Day on February 8, 2012 to brief them on the coalitions’ local activities and programs.

“We are looking forward to having our coalition coordinators travel to our nation’s Capitol, and make the most of this outstanding opportunity to interact with other prevention specialists and learn the latest strategies to help keep our community safe from the harms of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug abuse,” said Angie Ellison, executive director of InnerAct Alliance, the agency that serves as the fiscal agent for the StandUP Polk (adult-based) and UthMpact (youth-based) Coalitions for a Drug-Free Polk.

StandUP Polk is a group of concerned citizens, law enforcement, community and business leaders working together to take a stand against drugs and bring about positive change for Polk County. UthMpact is the dynamic youth coalition of teen leaders committed to helping educate and deliver key substance abuse prevention messages to teens by their peers. This energetic group has developed anti-tobacco, underage drinking, and social norming campaigns currently being piloted in Polk County middle and high schools.

For more information about the Coalition for a Drug-Free Polk, please contact Lisa A. Jones or Veronica Awai at 863-802-0777, or via e-mail at: lisa.jones@inneractalliance.org or veronica@uthmpact.com.

CADCA is the national membership organization representing more than 5,000 coalitions and affiliates working to make America’s communities safe, healthy and drug-free. Its mission is to strengthen the capacity of community coalitions by providing technical assistance and training, public policy advocacy, media strategies and marketing programs, conferences, and special events.

For information about CADCA’s National Leadership Forum, visit http://forum.cadca.org/. Members of the media interested in press credentials to attend CADCA’s National Leadership Forum should contact Natalia Martinez Duncan at 703-706-0560, Ext. 256 or via e-mail at: nmartinez@cadca.org.