LOCAL ANTI-DRUG PROGRAM EARNS NATIONAL HONOR

But Bush Plans To Cut Its Funds

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recognized an
east Madison drug prevention program Thursday as one of eight in the nation
that shows exceptional promise in keeping children off drugs.

However, President Bush has proposed eliminating the grant that provides
most of the program's funding.

The Positive Options Program, operated out of the East Madison Community
Center, 8 Straubel Court, provides children ages 5 to 18 with four hours of
supervised activities on Friday nights. Bush has proposed eliminating the
$309 million Housing and Urban Development grant for drug abuse prevention
in low-income housing on which the program relies for about 90 percent of
its funding.

In a ceremony in Washington, two Department of Health and Human Services
agencies cited 20 programs as models for national prevention efforts; the
Madison program and seven others were honored as worthy of further study to
determine whether they should be adopted as national models.

Tom Moen, executive director of the community center, started the program
in 1989 based on a three-pronged approach: keeping children supervised and
safe, teaching them about drug prevention and then working on self-esteem
and peer pressure issues.

"The irony of this is that in the same week we received confirmation that
we had won this award, President Bush was in the news citing a need to cut
back drug prevention programs like this and reallocate money elsewhere,
possibly to the faith-based groups," Moen said.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development said the program was cut
because it duplicates other federal drug prevention programs. An
administration official at the award ceremony said the Bush administration
is dedicated to reducing the demand for drugs, but that each region of the
country needed to deal with prevention locally.

Moen said that while he may be able to find other federal funding, the
grant also funded additional security officers in public housing, who make
a big impact on safety.

In the Madison program, staff members work with children for one hour on
drug abuse prevention and then do three hours of activities, which can
include field trips to go swimming or rock climbing.

Center employees LeTaurius Robinson and John Harmelink were in Washington
to receive the award.

"The award validates the work and prevention we're doing as a community and
that we're having an impact on children," said Harmelink, who has worked at
the center for almost 10 years. "It's praise for the people involved with
it for taking control and the children - they're making the commitment."

Robinson, who plans to go back to school this fall to become a high school
math teacher, said he enjoys working with the kids in the program as a way
of giving back the help he received from the community.

Robinson, 22, participated in activities at the center while growing up and
worked for the center while attending Madison Area Technical College.

"I soaked up so much from the community center," Robinson said. "It's
responsible for who I am today. John and Tom gave me great advice and
helped me make positive choices in my life and I want to be a positive role
model for area youths."

"John and Tom do a lot, but kids can relate to me because I grew up in the
area," Robinson added.

He gave the example of a youth he helped who raised his grade point average
from .9 to 2.6 during his six months in the program.

More than 160 youths, the majority of whom are from families making less
than $12,000 annually, participate in the program, according to the data
collected by the program to apply for the award.