Our Programs
Camp Mariposa
Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America
CADCA In Action
Drug Free All-Star Basketball
Drug Free Communities
HRSA NAS Education Program-BIBS
IdentoGO
Mercer County Coalition for Healthy Communities
Monroe and Summers Quick Response Team
Police Explorers Programs
Prevention Enhancement Project-SIEEP Grant
Princeton Renaissance Theater
State Opioid Resource Program
Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT)
Teen Court
The WV Partnerships for Success
Programs are listed in alphabetical order.
Camp Mariposa
Camp Mariposa Southern West Virginia is a year-round addiction prevention and mentoring program for youth affected by the substance use disorder of a family member. Youth ages 9-12 attend weekend camps up to six times a year. Weekend camps offer fun, traditional camp activities combined with education and support sessions led by mental health professionals and trained adult mentors. Additional social activities are offered for youth and their families throughout the year. All program activities are offered free of charge to families. Camp Mariposa Southern West Virginia is part of Eluna’s national Camp Mariposa program.
Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA)
The Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) is the nation’s leading substance misuse prevention organization. Representing more than 5,000 anti-drug coalitions worldwide, CADCA strengthens coalitions while providing a comprehensive array of coalition support and education, community education and collaboration, and advocates for stronger public policy. Signature events include the National Leadership Forum, Mid-Year Training Institute, and the Drug-Free Kids Campaign Awards Dinner. In partnership with Community Connections, Inc., CADCA delivers intensive, customized education for coalitions across the state of West Virginia. In addition to world-class coalition assistance, CADCA’s West Virginia trainings include the National Coalition Academy, the Graduate Coalition Academy, and the CADCA Youth Leadership Initiative.
CADCA In Action
Drug Free All-Star Basketball
For nearly 20 years, the Drug Free All-Stars have been entertaining audiences with their blend of humor, talent on the court, and a message for strength and resilience. The goal has always been simple: Combine the universal sport of basketball with a universal message of making good choices and staying away from alcohol, tobacco and other drugs.
This high energy group of athletes has performed nearly 500 times over six states and has had many former professional players on its squad.
“The All Stars are amazing for our kids and they really care about the well-being of our school. They know when to push a message and their skill level on the court is top notch!” – Principal Green, WV
To book the All Stars, send a message to drugfree@strongcommunities.org or call 304-922-2551.
Drug Free Communities (DFC)
Drug Free Communities is a grant created to support communities to establish and strengthen collaboration among community coalitions to reduce substance use among youth and families.
HRSA NAS Education Program-BIBS (Babies in Better Situations) HRSA (Health Resources and Services Administration) Grant
The HRSA NAS Education Program is a collaborative effort with Southern Highlands CMHC, Community Connections, Inc., and local OB-GYNs to provide education to those struggling with mental health and/or substance use disorders. The program focuses mainly on female candidates of childbearing age in Mercer, McDowell, and Wyoming Counties; however, males have been admitted due to the number of single fathers within our region. The goal of this initiative is to reduce the incidence and impact of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) by improving systems of care, local conditions, social determinants of health, family supports, and creating a systematic change to promote all pathways of mental health and substance use treatment and recovery.
IdentoGO
IdentoGO is the exclusive live scan fingerprinting provider for the State of West Virginia and is a certified FBI Channeling Agent. IdentoGO provides a wide range of identity-related services in safe, professional and convenient locations. Its primary service is the secure capture and transmission of electronic fingerprints for employment, certification, licensing and other verification purposes.Each year, the Community Connections location submits approximately 2500 background checks.
Mercer County Coalition for Healthy Communities
Mercer County Coalition for Healthy Communities is a voluntary collaboration between groups and/or sectors of the community in which the group/sectors withhold their identities while working together toward a common goal of creating a safe, healthy, drug-free community.
Monroe and Summers QRT Pilot (Quick Response Team)
The Quick Response Team Pilot Project was authorized by the WV ODCP (Office of Drug Control Policy) to establish opioid overdose follow-up and intervention in Monroe and Summers Counties. The program is designed as a three-prong tactic to bring together social workers, emergency medical services, and law enforcement as a collective team to intervene directly with those effected by overdose. In Region 6, we’ve added faith-based and recovery centered supports to help with the traditional three-prong team in order to bring a more holistic approach to intervention.
Police Explorers Programs
The Police Explorers Programs in Mercer County [Princeton, Bluefield, Bramwell, Matoaka, and Athens]; McDowell County [McDowell County Sheriff’s Office]; Summers County [Summers County Sheriff’s Office]; and Monroe County connect youth to police officers in meaningful ways. Additionally, the programs aim to improve youth perception of law enforcement officers and discuss modern policing topics in a safe, welcoming environment. This can include in-person, community-based programs or Safety Day at local schools.
Prevention Enhancement Project-SIEEP (Statewide Implementation, Enhancement, and Evaluation Projects)
The Prevention Enhancement Project is a two-fold initiative in McDowell, Webster, and Wyoming Counties to help establish non-existent coalition prevention programs in areas lacking needed supports and further develop current coalition-based prevention programs needing more support. Although the main focus is substance use prevention, the PEP works in all areas of prevention ranging from adolescent to adult supports, truly taking on the motto “working together for strong communities.
Princeton Renaissance Theater
The Princeton Renaissance Theater is the renovated space of the historic Lavon Theater, formerly the Royal Theater, which first opened in 1911. The building was purchased by Community Connections Inc. in 2013 as part of its mission to build strong communities and is located in the Grassroots District of downtown Princeton.
Its main purpose will be a movie theater, but it will also serve as a venue for live performances, studio area for artists, and space for educational art programs. A new community theater group, the Renaissance Players, has been formed and many of the group’s performances will take place in the Black Box Theater, located on the second floor of the building. Also included in the space will be the Bob Denver Museum.
State Opioid Resource (SOR) Program
The State Opioid Response (SOR) Grant provides funding to address the opioid crisis in West Virginia. The first goal is to increase statewide access to evidence-based prevention and early intervention services by 20%, to reduce or support the number of individuals who initiate substance use such as stimulants, opioids, or nicotine product. Region 6 is made up of the following 11 counties in Southern West Virginia: Mercer, McDowell, Monroe, Wyoming, Summers, Raleigh, Fayette, Nicholas, Webster, Greenbrier, and Pocahontas.
Coalition Engagements Specialists work to engage the sectors in the community to prevent substance use. Those sectors include but are not limited to: Youth, Parents, Business, Media, School, Youth-Serving Organizations, Law Enforcement, Religious/ Fraternal organizations, Civic/Volunteer groups, Healthcare Professionals, State, Local or Tribal Governmental agency with expertise in the field of substance use, and other organizations involved in reducing substance use. They bring needed resources to each county coalition through training, curriculum, and community education products. One of our newest curriculums is the SecondStep curriculum. This provides units on Social-Emotional, Bullying and Child Protection geared to 4 to 8-year-old population.
Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) Block Grant
The Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) Block Grant creates communities where individuals, families, schools, faith-based organizations, and workplaces take action to promote emotional health and prevent or reduce the risk of developing a behavioral health problem, such as underage alcohol use; prescription drug misuse; and illicit drug use.
Teen Court
Teen Court is a unique “second chance” justice program for youth between the ages of 11 and 18 who are alleged to have committed a status offense or an act of delinquency which would be a misdemeanor if committed by an adult. Upon successful completion of the program charges against the defendant are dismissed.
In addition to the obvious benefit of interrupting a developing pattern of inappropriate behavior, the Teen Court program helps to reinforce self-esteem, provide motivation for self-improvement, and promote a healthy attitude toward authority. Teen Court addresses responsibility for one’s behavior and accountability to one’s community and peers and enhances respect for the judicial process. Each participant in Teen Court, whether a defendant, juror, bailiff, teen attorney, or adult volunteer; is involved in a positive and meaningful way.
The WV Partnerships for Success (PFS)
Angela Watkins, Kathy Brunty, and Cheryl Jonese
The WV Partnerships for Success grant prevention program aims to decrease underage drinking, intravenous drug use, and marijuana use among high-risk WV students aged 9-20, through selective and indicated prevention strategies informed by the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF); local, state, and federal data; and targeted and culturally and age appropriate evidence-based practices (EBPs).
West Virginia has a solid prevention foundation, and this SPF-PFS grant builds upon the state’s existing prevention infrastructure to strengthen and create new partnerships, bolster the State Epidemiological Outcomes Workgroup (SEOW), and enhance the overall strategic prevention framework processes at the state, regional, and county levels. Partnerships include, but are not limited to colleges, child-serving agencies, schools, and behavioral health providers.The WV prevention workforce and other key stakeholders (law enforcement, schools, community members, youth serving groups, physicians, families, and more) will plan, implement and sustain effective and culturally relevant evidence-based prevention practices, programs and policies to address underage drinking, marijuana use and intravenous drug use among persons aged 9-20.