ASAP of Anderson, a nonprofit organization that works to prevent substance abuse in Anderson County, has moved into a new office in Clinton that was provided by county school officials.
ASAP dedicated the new space with a ribbon-cutting and open house on October 24.
ASAP, which celebrated 10 years of prevention last year, started out in a small space at the Child Advocacy Center of Anderson County, but its operations quickly grew. The organization next occupied space within District Attorney General Dave Clark’s office in Clinton, and the ASAP staff eventually landed, in 2011, on the fourth floor of the Robert Jolley Building on Main Street in Clinton. That space was provided by the Anderson County schools director at the time, Larry Foster.
In August, ASAP moved into a building not far from their original offices. The big difference? A space all their own, a press release said. A space where they can host their own coalition meetings, community trainings such as responsible alcohol sales classes and opioid overdose trainings, and host meetings for other community agencies.
“At the building dedication, ASAP acknowledged a huge debt of gratitude for Dr. Tim Parrott, director of Anderson County Schools, and the Anderson County Board of Education for providing this new space,” the press release said. “They have granted ASAP an incredible opportunity to grow and serve the people of Anderson County.”
“We are incredibly grateful to Anderson County Schools and the Board of Education for providing this space for us and for their dedication to substance use prevention among youth and adults in Anderson County,” ASAP Executive Director Stephanie Strutner said. “Over 460 volunteer hours were given to the building renovation, including numerous donations from local businesses, civic organizations, and community members. Over $12,600 in in-kind materials and resources were donated to enhance the space.”
The volunteers who helped make the new office space a reality are too numerous to name, the press release said. But major contributors included Anderson County Sheriff Russell Barker and Deputy Pete Sexton and a team that allowed trustees to oversee the labor that installed new flooring and doors; Clinton Lions Club, which oversaw the installation of new entrance steps and a handicap-accessible ramp; coalition volunteers who painted and cleaned the entire space; Home Depot of Oak Ridge; and students from the Jones Center for Leadership at the University of Tennessee, and Seller’s Realty, which donated time to landscape and maintain the integrity of the exterior of the building, the press release said.
In the years since ASAP first started, the organization has increased its annual operating budget by more than 500 percent, increased staff by four full-time staff, and collaborated with community partners to reduce youth substance use by 53.5 percent, as measured by past 30-day use of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and prescription drugs (PRIDE Surveys 2012-2018), the press release said.
You can visit ASAP of Anderson at its new office space on 131 South Charles G. Seivers Boulevard in Clinton. To partner with ASAP, learn more about its mission, or make a donation, go to www.ASAPofAnderson.org or call (865) 457-3007.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
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