Washington, D.C. - Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34) is pleased to announce the award of $625,000 over five years in federal grant funds to the Boyle Heights Coalition for a Safe and Drug-Free Community to reduce substance abuse among youth in the Boyle Heights community.

“In awarding this five-year grant, the Drug-Free Communities Program recognizes the great potential of the Boyle Heights Coalition for a Safe and Drug-Free Community to prevent and reduce substance abuse among our youth,” Congresswoman Roybal-Allard said.  “I am equally pleased that the award of this federal funding will enable the coalition to apply for additional grant funds made possible under a 2006 law I authored called the STOP Underage Drinking Act.”

Established in September 2007, the Boyle Heights Coalition for a Safe and Drug-Free Community is made up of vested community stakeholders dedicated to reducing and preventing substance abuse among area youth through education, advocacy and prevention programs.  Under the banner of the SMART Moves Initiative, the coalition works to empower community members to encourage and support self-sustaining prevention programs to keep youth in positive and healthy life styles.

“The Salesian Boys and Girls Clubs of Los Angeles are proud to lead the Boyle Heights Coalition for a Safe and Drug-Free Community.  We will work with key community members through the SMART Moves Initiative to reduce violence and substance abuse in our community,” said Denis Quiñonez, Director of Government Relations at Salesian Boys and Girls Clubs of Los Angeles.  

The coalition consists of the following organizations:  La Opinión; City of Los Angeles (Gang Reduction Program); Office of Hon. José Huizar; Office of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa; Salesian Boys & Girls Clubs of Los Angeles; AltaMed Health Services; Boyle Heights Chamber of Commerce; SCE Federal Credit Union; The Voice; Ramona Opportunity High School; Roosevelt High School; Jovenes Inc.; Hollenbeck Police Department; St. Mary’s Church; Salesian Community; Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council; and United Youth Keystone.

Kicking off its prevention outreach efforts, the coalition sponsored a drug-free campaign at Roosevelt High School in June in Boyle Heights.  More than 200 students participated in the activities held throughout a week at the school. The campaign included an agency resource fair at which information was distributed about prevention services.  The coalition also organized a lunchtime music performance that highlighted drug prevention announcements.  In addition, prevention literature was passed out to students during a BMX Extreme Game Demonstration, including an extreme skateboarding performance.

“The Anti-Drug Safe School Campaign at Roosevelt High School was a great success. We were able to reach out to our students with positive messages on living drug free.  The message was presented in a fun and entertaining manner that engaged both students and the Roosevelt High School staff,” said Marisol De La Rocha, the Healthy Start Coordinator at Roosevelt High School.

“The Drug-Free Communities program helps communities get the hard work of prevention done,” said Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Administrator Terry Cline, Ph.D.  “By connecting local programs, systems, and funding streams through these new grants, the full force of the community will be brought to bear on preventing drug abuse and promoting healthy, productive lives.”

Congresswoman Roybal-Allard has a long history of leadership in the fight to stop underage drinking.  

She is the author of the STOP Underage Drinking Act (P.L. 109-422), which was signed into law in December of 2006.  The STOP Act makes permanent an Ad Council national media campaign directed at parents that started in 2005.  The measure coordinates all federal programs and research initiatives on underage drinking, and provides grants to institutions of higher education, states and non-profit organizations to combat underage drinking in communities. The STOP Act also supports crucial research on the health effects of underage drinking and requires the federal government to produce an annual status report on underage drinking in our country.

In addition to her work to pass the STOP Underage Drinking Act, Congresswoman Roybal-Allard launched The Century Council’s We Don’t Serve Teens program during the Federal Trade Commission’s National We Don’t Serve Teens Week last fall.  

The congresswoman also hosted The Century Council’s Brandon Silveria Tells His Story and Tony’s Tips events at Downey High School in March and Roosevelt High School in Boyle Heights in May.  During the school assemblies, Brandon Silveria and his father, Tony, spoke about the importance of “making the right choice” about alcohol.  For students who are under the age of 21, they emphasized that the only responsible decision is not to drink.  Brandon is a young man who was involved in an alcohol-related crash at age 17 just before his high school prom in his hometown of Los Gatos in Northern California.  The accident left him with a permanent brain injury.

More information about the coalition is available by contacting Denis Quiñonez at the Salesian Boys & Girls Club of Los Angeles at (323) 980-8551, or by e-mail at mylifemychoice@salesianclubs-la.org}