Communities That Care
www.lynnctc.pbwiki.com

The Communities That Care system takes a practical, research-based, outcome-focused approach that involves the whole community in promoting positive youth development by reducing risk factors and enhancing protective factors.  The Communities That Care system can help our community use prevention science research to enhance how our community, schools, families and youth groups operate to prevent youth behavior problems and promote healthy development.  It can also help us use our money, efforts, and energy efficiently and effectively, by using objective data to determine priorities, by implementing programs that have been shown to work, and by giving us the tools to measure and track results.

Lynn has been awarded a $25,000 grant through Purdue Pharma Drug Company to support the implementation of the Communities That Care initiative.  Additional funding has been obtained from participant donations from American Refill, Willow Labs, North Shore Medical Center, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, the City of Lynn, the North Shore/Cape Ann Community Health Network, and North Shore Imaging Center.  Project COPE is serving as the lead agency for this project.  This initiative will include the establishment of a community coalition that will work as a team over the course of a 12 to 18 month period to look at existing trends and determine priorities, and to develop a plan of action.  We are continuing to enlist the involvement of key community leaders who would meet periodically over the course of this  12 to 18 month period and oversee and guide this initiative.  In addition, we are looking for individuals who would also be available to be a part of a coalition designed to implement this initiative.

A successful Communities That Care effort will need the commitment of dedicated community leaders like you, representing all the significant segments of our community.  Community leaders have been identified from education, local government, law enforcement, juvenile justice, social services, health services, parent groups, students, religious and business leaders, the media, and other important stakeholder groups.  If you are interested in participating in this coalition or know of someone who would, please contact Wendy Kent at (781) 593-5333, extension 322, for more information or to confirm your interest or e-mail wkent@projectcope.com