The Escambia County Children’s Policy Council Coalition has been awarded a $125,000 federal grant to help expand its drug education and mentoring programs.

The award is part of a $25 million Drug-Free Communities Support Grant.

The county’s grant award was given in cooperation with the Office of National Drug Control Policy and Mental Heath Services Administration.

Locally, the program has worked to sponsor the “Drugs Erase Dreams” program and the religious leaders symposium.

“These funds will help make the CPC more robust,” said x Judge Jeff White. “It will also allow us to pursue those projects we’ve been working on such as “Minding Our Future” program and others, as well as expand our effort to provide more to help increase the perception of risk of substance abuse.”

White said it will also allow for the placement of school sector representatives, or people in each high school, to coordinate and facilitate those programs.

“We are so excited to receive this money since it will allow us to more fully serve this county,” White said. “It will give us more resources to expand. We have lots of plans. It’s really going to be exceptional for our county to have this resource.”

-Stephanie Nelson

The Brewton Standard