On April 30, the Coalition for a Drug-Free Greater Cincinnati held its Community Awards Breakfast.  Hosted at the Hyatt Regency in Downtown Cincinnati, the breakfast is an opportunity for the Coalition to recognize the organizations, individuals and youth in greater Cincinnati making a difference in our community’s success with regard to substance abuse prevention and youth.

This years winners include:

2010 Founders Award for Commitment to Drug Free Communities

This award is given in honor of the Coalition’s founder, former Congressman Rob Portman, to a community partner whose vision and strategic leadership has made a significant contribution to the Coalition’s overall mission of reducing adolescent substance abuse.

The Coalition is deeply grateful for the opportunity to present this award to the Farmer Family Foundation.  The Coalition selected this honoree in recognition and appreciation for its provision of resources to agencies which help people achieve their full potential, including its continued support of the Coalition’s efforts to create a drug-free community.  Mary Beth Martin, the Foundation’s Director accepted the award on their behalf.

2010 Youth Volunteer of the Year Award

The Youth Volunteer of the Year award is given to an individual who has chosen a drug and alcohol-free lifestyle and who motivates his or her peers to take an active role in substance abuse prevention.  In 2010, the Coalition honored a total of three youth and one organization for their achievements.   First was a special recognition of a local student group from the School for Creative and Performing Arts.  

Led by their teacher Mary Lenning, the student members of the SCPA Drama Ensemble put together an amazing play to demonstrate the importance of not using drugs and alcohol to that they performed at the Red Ribbon Week Celebration held here in Hamilton County last Fall.  In recognition of their exceptional talent and excellent example of leadership for the young children in the audience that day, the Coalition presented them this token of appreciation and recognition.  

Next, the Coalition awarded honorable mention to two local students for their work in substance abuse prevention among their peers.   

The first honorable went to Jenny Abplanalp, who was nominated by the Dearborn County Citizens Against Substance Abuse. Jenny is a senior at East Central High School this year and is heading off to Indiana University in the fall.  She began working with the Dearborn County Citizens Against Substance Abuse three years ago and serves as an active member of the coalition’s Youth Planning Committee.  

In addition to her work in substance abuse prevention, Jenny volunteers with a number of causes in her community.  Her Nominator stated that “her genuine caring about the community and its citizens is inspiring.”  

The next honorable mention went to Dana Sanchez, nominated by the Partners for a Drug-Free Milford/Miami Township.  

Dana is a junior at Live Oaks this year.  She is a hard working member of the Partners for a Drug-Free Milford/Miami Township, actively engaging her peers to help them understand the importance of not using drugs or alcohol.  According to her nominator, “she is the glue that holds our coalition together.  To say that she is an active and positive example to her peers is an understatement."

Finally, our 2010 Youth Volunteer of the Year, Casey Baxter-Wilms, is an active member of the Coalition for a Healthy Community-Oxford and serves on the Youth Initiative Team.  She is a senior at Talawanda High School this year.   

Casey is an excellent student and has a deep and demonstrated understanding of how to make connections in a community that are so vital to local coalition work.  Casey leads the Youth Initiative Team for the Coalition for a Health Community-Oxford, regularly and publicly promoting the healthy, drug-free lifestyle of the this group.  In the words of her nominator, “When it comes to coalition work, she just gets it! Her confidence and commitment to the mission of our  coalition is tremendous.”  

2010 Outstanding Coalition Award

This award is given to a local neighborhood coalition that has significantly increased organizational capacity, implemented strategies to sustain the coalition, and, over time to reduce local youth substance abuse, and demonstrated outcomes in the past twelve months.

This year, the Coalition was pleased to present the Outstanding Coalition Award to the Northeast Community Challenge (NECC) Coalition.

The Northeast Community Challenge Coalition has attained high levels of achievement related to their coalition’s development and progress towards the reduction of substance abuse among youth. Founded in 1983, Northeast Community Challenge Coalition (NECC), the second oldest prevention coalition in the state of Ohio, encompasses the cities of Blue Ash and Montgomery and the townships of Symmes and Sycamore. For twenty-six years, the NECC Coalition has worked collaboratively to identify and implement strategies to promote the development of Healthy Communities ~ Healthy Youth.  Notable accomplishments include a reduction in parties held at a private residence, a monthly reduction in alcohol usage by grade (7-12), and an increase in the percentage of parents who talk to their children about alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs.

2010 Commitment to Community Award

This award is given to a volunteer whose passion and innovative leadership contributed significantly to advancing substance abuse prevention in their community.

This year, the Commitment to Community award was given posthumously to Dr. Raymond Bauer.  

At the time of his passing last Fall, Dr. Bauer served as Principal of the Milford High School, where he took and active, caring role in the lives of his students.   He strongly believed in the concept that the whole community has a role in caring for its young citizens.  Ray was one of the founding members of the Partners for a Drug-Free Milford/Miami Township.  For his commitment to the students of Milford and his community, we honor his legacy today.  

Ray’s wife, Mrs. JoEtta Bauer accepted the award.