The Drug Free Montgomery County Coalition awarded nearly $48,000 in mini-grants Monday to local organizations and agencies supporting substance use prevention, recovery and criminal justice programs throughout the county.
The coalition works to reduce alcohol, tobacco and drug misuse through education, prevention, treatment and community partnerships and has served as Montgomery County’s local coordinating council for the Governor’s Commission for a Drug Free Indiana since 1990.
During the coalition’s annual Mini-Grant Ceremony at the Montgomery County Youth Service Bureau, a total of $47,822.61 was awarded through grants funded by county drug user fees. The grants support projects in education and prevention, intervention and treatment and criminal justice and law enforcement.
The coalition, which has served as Montgomery County’s local coordinating council for the Governor’s Commission for a Drug Free Indiana since 1990, said the funding supports programs aimed at reducing substance misuse while expanding education, recovery resources and treatment.
Several recipients highlighted how the grants will directly benefit local residents.
Caroline Erdahl, adviser for the North Montgomery High School Students Against Destructive Decisions chapter, said the group’s $2,350.89 grant will support activities throughout the school year that encourage students to engage in conversations about substance use, mental health, impaired driving and traffic safety.
“We empower students to draw awareness to their peers of destructive decisions,” Erdahl said.
The funding will help purchase meeting supplies, snacks, door prizes and giveaway items for awareness campaigns and lunchtime activities, which Erdahl said make it easier for students to participate in discussions about difficult topics. The grant may also help cover the cost of field trips for SADD members. Erdahl also thanked co-adviser Daniel Maxey.
Integrative Wellness received $4,000 to support its sixth annual Rock Out Recovery event in September during National Recovery Month. The event provides a drug and alcohol-free environment with live music, recovery speakers, community resources and free meals.
Simmons said the event provides a free, substance-free concert where people in recovery, their families and supporters can enjoy a meal, hear recovery speakers and connect with local resources.
“The idea is that our folks in recovery can come out to a free, safe concert where they’re not going to be tempted to potentially use or drink,” Macy Simmons said.
Integrative Wellness also received $750 to create Hope Kits for people experiencing mental health or substance use crises and $680 to provide community training on naloxone, stigma reduction, medication-assisted treatment and trauma.
Simmons said the Hope Kits will give first responders and outreach teams more than informational handouts to offer individuals in crisis.
“Instead of essentially just having a flyer of resources, we’ll be able to actually give them some things to keep for themselves,” she said.
The kits will include items like journals, coloring books, fidget items, lotion, fuzzy socks and other comfort items alongside community resources.
The Recovery Coalition received $600 for its annual Float for Recovery event on Sugar Creek, where participants in recovery spend the day kayaking, canoeing or tubing together. Esra said the event helps people build friendships and shows those early in recovery that they can still enjoy life without drugs or alcohol.
“It’s just a way to show people in recovery that you can have fun in recovery,” Esra said.
The coalition also received $5,530 for Recovery Rec Center programming and $5,000 to support the center director’s position.
Other education and prevention grants included $2,000 for the Montgomery County Youth Service Bureau’s National Night Out event which will be on July 28 this year.
Intervention and treatment grants also included $1,550 and $2,150 for Boys & Girls Club of Montgomery County summer life skills programming and SMART Moves, $1,989.72 for the City of Crawfordsville Mobile Integrated Health Quick Response Team hotline, $2,500 for Montgomery County Probation emergency and transitional housing assistance and $1,682 for Volunteers for Mental Health in Montgomery County to support Youth Summit T-shirts.
Criminal justice and law enforcement grants included $1,100 for Cummins Behavioral Health Systems’ Crisis Intervention Training program, $1,200 for the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department’s Hidden in Plain Sight program, and multiple Montgomery County Probation projects, including $5,000 for Drug Court incentives, $1,500 for substance use education, $2,240 for youth drug testing, $3,000 for Moral Reconation Therapy programming and $3,000 for Veterans Court incentives.
