Grants Available for Underage Drinking Prevention Town Hall Meetings

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is providing $500 stipends to community-based organizations to conduct Underage Drinking Prevention Town Hall Meetings THMs in the Spring of 2014.  SAMHSA has asked DBHR (the Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery) and RUaD (the Washington State Coalition to Reduce Underage Drinking) to submit names of organizations that would be interested in hosting a THM. If you would like your coalition to receive an invitation from SAMHSA to host a THM, please e-mail Ray Horodowicz (Ray.Horodowicz@dshs.wa.gov) as soon as possible.  Include the following information: Name of your group Your name Your e-mail Your phone number Need more information about THMs?  General information can be found here: www.stopalcoholabuse.gov/TownHallMeetings/.  The site contains many free tools, downloadable materials, and other resources to help you hold a successful THM.  At that site, you can sign-up to receive  THM E-alerts.  The most recent E-alert has information specific to the 2014 THMs.  It can be found here:  www.stopalcoholabuse.gov/TownHallMeetings/resources/full-alert.aspx?ID=63.  The goals of Town Hall Meetings are: Educating community members about underage drinking consequences; Empowering communities to use evidence-based approaches to stop underage drinking; and Mobilizing communities to support underage drinking prevention initiatives at the local, state, and national levels. SAMHSA has some very specific rules about these stipends.  Here are a few things to keep in mind: Stipends cannot  be used for food and beverages, entertainment, door prizes, discounts, incentive giveaways, promotional products (e.g.: t-shirts, baseball caps, coffee mugs) or for anything not specifically related to planning and conducting your THM; Stipends are not intended to promote community meetings primary focused on issues other than the prevention of alcohol use by minors; and, Stipends will only be issued to organizations with a Tax ID number.