Contact: Ernie Blazar 202.224.7627 Shana Stribling 202.224.0309
Wednesday, September 17, 2003

WASHINGTON, DC U.S. Senator Kit Bond today announced that Missouri will receive $1.3 million in federal funds to protect Missouri's youth.

"Our children are our most precious resource and it is our responsibility to protect them," said Bond. "These funds will help keep Missouri's youth safe from drugs, gangs and a number of other dangers that threaten them."

The Department of Justice (DOJ) will send Missouri $1,343,694 in federal funds for the following programs designed to prevent juvenile crime and substance abuse.

* Douglas County Health Department in Ava - $99,694. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention funds will be used to reduce substance abuse, especially among juveniles and to build anti-drug coalitions. The Department will employ a number of strategies to meet these goals: continuing to offer afterschool activities; training high school students to mentor sixth, seventh, and eight graders in the afterschool program; offering Teens Against Tobacco Use training to middle school students; including physical activity in the afterschool programs offered at the middle school; enlisting high school students to direct and organize physical activity during afterschool programs; organizing the middle school students participating in the afterschool program to present a play, musical, puppet show, etc.; and training students in media influence.

* Community Movement for Urban Progress in Kansas City - $100,000. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency funds will be used to reduce substance abuse, especially among juveniles and to build anti-drug coalitions. Move Up will employ a number of strategies to meet these goals: increasing alcoholic beverage retailer training, retailer compliance, retailer participation in coalition meetings, and effective law enforcement to prevent illegal sales to minors; reviewing and analyzing existing school and community policies and practices and deciding on appropriate courses of action for necessary changes; developing focused messages related to clear policies and guidelines for the use of alcohol by youth and family and disseminating these through parent training in conjunction with the current middle school prevention curriculum; and implementing a character education model in elementary schools.

* Missouri Department of Public Safety - $1,144,000. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention funds will be used to boost state and local juvenile prevention programs. There are a number of program areas funds can be spent in, including gang prevention and substance abuse prevention.

Kit Bond is Missouri’s senior Senator and is now in his third term after having served the state previously during two terms as Governor.