CIRCLE OF HEALTH AWARDED $500,000

Teaching a community about drug abuse takes so much more than just
reaching out to one person one time.

Gaye Terwillegar and others involved with the Circle of Health
Partnership realize that, and that's part of the reason the
collaboration has received $500,000 in federal money to keep the ball rolling.

It's A Big Win.

"First of all, thank God we got this grant," Terwillegar, the
partnership's executive director, said Wednesday night at a reception
announcing the grant. It means the partnership has $100,000 for each
of the next five years, which will pay for implementation plans. She
still will write mini grants to pay for other projects, she said.

The money is from a Drug Free Communities Support Grant from the
federal Health and Human Services and the Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services administrations.

Part of the reason the partnership was awarded the money is its goal
of raising awareness with youths and parents by reaching them in many
different forums, lots of times, staying positive and collaborating
with other agencies and organizations to get the work accomplished.

"We can't look at just our youth, we've got to look at our parents,"
said Charlie Russian, chair of the partnership's board, adding that
effort includes help from all sorts of community groups, schools and
Northwood University.

"Coalitions are a real cheap way to get a lot of work done,"
Terwillegar said, adding the partnership has three employees, in
addition to a board and other committees.

Terwillegar illustrated her point by listing the many programs the
partnership has a hand in, including community presentations, school
programs, holding workshops and inservice events, the Taste of
Diversity fundraiser, Fences, community training events, a town hall
meeting on minors in possession of alcohol, and a new youth group
called START, which stands for Students Tackling Alcohol and
Resisting Temptations.