ASAP coalition wins award for work to reduce underage drinking

Posted at 1:03 am December 10, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention of Anderson County (ASAP) has won a GOT OUTCOMES! Coalition of Excellence award by the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America, or CADCA. ASAP won in the “Milestones Award” category for their efforts to reduce underage drinking rates in the community, a press release said.

Sponsored by CADCA’s National Coalition Institute, the GOT OUTCOMES! Awards give national recognition to coalitions that make a strong case for their contribution to population-level substance outcomes by using an inclusive, data-driven, and comprehensive community problem-solving process. Coalitions complete a competitive and rigorous two-phase application process and are judged by a panel of experts at the federal, state and local levels.

The Milestone category provides newer coalitions—or those with more recently implemented strategies—the opportunity to highlight their contributions toward achieving community-level reductions in one or more substance abuse or substance abuse-related issues, the press release said.

“Reducing youth drug use is no easy task but by implementing effective strategies, ASAP achieved impressive results reducing underage drinking in their community,” said General Arthur T. Dean, CADCA’s chairman and chief executive officer. “CADCA is proud to call this coalition a member of ours, and we are excited to be able to honor them with this award.”

The release said that ASAP coalition members identified that local businesses were a point of access of alcohol for adolescents, primarily due to the lack of training resources available locally to clerks. Through partnering with TopShelf Responsible Beverage Service and Beer Boards, the ASAP coalition was able to make a training program available within the county and through the Underage Drinking Task Force and worked with County Commission and city councils to pass ordinances mandating responsible alcohol sales training.

“Local businesses were key in helping identify problems and help develop solutions,” said Stephanie A. Strutner, executive director of ASAP of Anderson County. “Their embrace of this initiative ultimately ensured its success.”

Strutner continued: “ASAP is honored to be recognized with this prestigious award. We are delighted to be the recipient of the ‘Milestones Award’ recognizing our achievements. More importantly, we are thrilled our efforts have made strides in reducing underage drinking and related negative consequences in our community. The greatest praise is due to our partners, without whom this award would have never been possible. From planning to implementation, they are our boots on the ground.”

Strutner said a special expression of gratitude should be extended to the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, Clinton Police Department, Oliver Springs Police Department, Norris Police Department, Rocky Top Police Department, Oak Ridge Police Department, local beer board members, Kim Pouncey with TopShelf Responsible Beverage Service, Catherine Brunson, Underage Drinking Task Force members, and local businesses.

The coalition will receive their award on stage during the Awards Luncheon at CADCA’s 2015 National Leadership Forum, held February 2-5 at the Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center just outside of Washington, D.C.

To learn more about CADCA’s GOT OUTCOMES! Awards, visit www.cadca.org/gotoutcomes.

About Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention for Anderson County

ASAP (Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention of Anderson County Inc.) is a coalition of volunteers representing each of the 12 sectors of the community, working toward a drug-free Anderson County. By collaborating with community partners to implement effective intervention strategies, ASAP’s volunteer strive to prevent and reduce youth substance abuse in Anderson County. For more information, visit www.asapofanderson.org.

About CADCA

CADCA (Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America) is the national membership organization representing more than 5,000 coalitions and affiliates working to make America’s communities safe, healthy, and drug-free. CADCA’s 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. Learn more at www.cadca.org.

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