What's Happening at

Substance Abuse Free Environment (SAFE)?

SAFE now has a newsletter!

SAFE wants to keep our community partners updated on our successes, upcoming events, current initiatives, and many more! Please use the following link to invite others to stay up to date.

Call-to-Action Link


From the Desk of the Executive Director

 Winter 2024

Welcome to the first edition of our new quarterly newsletter. We have had a tremendous year and lots of new initiatives coming in 2025. If you haven’t heard, SAFE is a community-based organization whose mission is to engage our community in working together to prevent and reduce substance use. We are honored to collaborate with many valuable public and private sector partners to create a healthier and safe community.


We are thrilled to report that we were awarded $359,301 from Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles Highway Safety Office to support our drug-impaired driving initiatives. You can read more about the DMV grant in this edition.


We are also working to update our website and will send out an e-blast once the site goes live. It is our hope that the new website is more user friendly and focuses on a variety of events and resources directly related to our organization.


In January of 2024, SAFE was awarded a 3-year Community Innovation grant for a total of $99,000 from Virginia Foundation for Health Youth to develop and implement a youth-tobacco use prevention campaign focused on reducing youth exposure to second-hand smoke. We are currently working with our Tobacco & Nicotine Task Force members to develop campaign materials, so stay tuned.


In May, SAFE’s Board of Director, Dr. Mervin Daugherty, stepped down as he began his retirement and relocation to another state. Dr. Daugherty was honored at a luncheon in June and presented with an Award of Excellence for his unwavering support and dedication to SAFE. He will be missed tremendously.


Prior to Dr. Daugherty’s departure, the SAFE Board of Directors appointed a new Board Chair, Heather Snyder. Heather is a nurse with Chesterfield County Public Schools and has served on the SAFE Board for over 3 years. We welcome her and thank her for stepping into the role of Board Chair.


In August and September, SAFE staff members and volunteers attended twenty-two Back to School Nights and Orientations, distributing over 31,000 resources to parents. Also in August, SAFE partnered with CCPD and the SAFE Opioid & Heroin Prevention Task Force for Overdose Awareness Day in which volunteers visit local hotels and motels to distribute over 5,700 opioid resources to include Narcan to hotel managers in an ongoing effort to meet the needs of high-risk individual in Chesterfield County. We have also been attending ongoing New Drivers’ Licenses Ceremonies where new drivers and their parents are provided with a variety of resources related to impaired driving.


SAFE staff have been working hard to revitalize the Stay Smart Presentation that is provided to all 6th grade students in Chesterfield County Public Schools. The new version will be called STAY SAFE.


In October, SAFE partnered with Colonial Height Public Schools, DEA, Virginia Army National Guard, Colonial Heights Police, Fire, and EMS, students from Virginia State University for a Red Ribbon Week Event. At this event, students heard messages from a DEA agent and VSU student athletes about the importance of living a drug-free life. At the conclusion of the event, students got a chance to witness a Lakota helicopter landing, and visited various “stations” where they were able to climb in a military tactical vehicle, try on DEA tactical gear, watch a K9 and drone demonstration and more.


In November, we held our Annual Meeting. This year’s theme was “The Power of ‘WHY’ in Prevention”. The keynote speaker was Coach Michael Coleman who led the audience on a journey to discover their “why” for being involved with the substance abuse prevention work that we do. SAFE also highlighted our successes in 2024 and presented several awards to individuals who played a key role in the work that we have done this year. Thanks to all who attended and all who volunteered!


To those reading this edition, thank you for your continued commitment to the substance abuse prevention movement. Your dedication to this cause allows our organization the opportunity to provide the tools and resources to create a safe, healthy, and drug-free community. If you are not already involved with SAFE, we invite you to join us in our efforts.


Kindly,



Kathy Reed, MA, ICPS

Executive Director

Grant Updates


DMV:


SAFE just finished the FY24 cycle of the DMV grant and started the FY25 cycle!


The 2024 Young Adult Survey results are finalized and can be viewed on our website. Respondents addressed their perceptions and knowledge of impaired driving.


SAFE is currently working on three projects:

  • An impaired driving toolkit is being created for all CCPS 9th graders to participate in during health class this spring. This program includes a pre- and post-test, a virtual presentation, and reflection activity.
  • At the beginning of the new year, a focus group will be conducted as the first step of created a SAFE original marijuana-impaired driving brochure.
  • SAFE plans to host an impaired driving workshop this spring. Organizations from various perspectives are planning to attend as speakers and vendors. This event will be open to the public. If you or someone you know may be interested in speaking and/or hosting a table at this event, please contact Navvy Messer.


SAFE hosts the Drug Impaired Driving Workgroup every two months on the second Wednesday at 10am. This group is making a difference in Chesterfield County by educating their peers and adults in our communities regarding the risks of drug and alcohol impaired driving. The next meeting is December 11th. Please email Navvy Messer at messer@chesterfieldsafe.org to join the group.

SAFE's New PSA Campaigns


In addition, SAFE and Mnemonics created two new PSA campaigns. The 21+ campaign is entitled "Sober Media". The under 21 campaign is entitled "Unboxing the Hard Facts". Both campaigns have been well received by partners and stakeholders and depict familiar platforms tailoring to the target audiences. Following DMV approval, SAFE plans to air these campaigns via radio, cable, social media, and billboards soon!






OAA:



SAFE recently collaborated with the Virginia Army and National Guard (VARNG), DEA, CHPD, Colonial Heights Fire & EMS, the Office on Youth, and Colonial Heights Public Schools to develop a Red Ribbon Week event for middle school students. Students heard firsthand from VSU student athletes about the importance of making safe choices, learned about the roles of community first responders, and got to watch a helicopter land on school grounds!


SOR:


Our Opioid and Heroin Prevention Task Force recently created Spanish-language resource cards, complete with a comprehensive, scannable list of substance use recovery resources in the Central Virginia area. If your organization would like some of these cards, please contact Lindsay Cunningham at 

cunningham@chesterfieldafe.org.

VFHY:


Recently, SAFE met with Delegate Michael Jones to discuss the work we do with our VFHY funding. The Tobacco and Nicotine Taskforce is currently working on the upcoming #804SmokeFreeRide Initiative, raising awareness to the effects of secondhand exposure and asking community members to pledge against nicotine and tobacco use in vehicles. In addition, two staff members recently attended the VFHY Champions for Youth Summit in Reston, VA.


CARA:


Stay SAFE is a virtual presentation for all CCPS 6th graders, educating and raising awareness to substance misuse prevention. This program will be live soon and those results will be analyzed in April. In addition, the annual PSA Contest among CCPS high schoolers will be taking place soon. This contest includes creating a 0:20-0:25 video focusing on the dangers of "fake" and/or "counterfeit" pills, educating their peers that specifically warn them of the deadly consequences of ingesting anything that is not prescribed and obtained by a licensed physician and pharmacy.

Upcoming Events

December 11th - Drug Impaired Driving Work Group meeting

January 14th - Opioid and Heroin Prevention Task Force meeting

Resources

SAFE has a variety of substance misuse prevention brochures in the office! Please reach out to safe@chesterfieldsafe.org if you are interested in receiving resources. Here are a sample of our current inventory:


Naloxone: What You Need to Know

Opioid Addiction: What You Should Know About Treatment and Recovery

Tips for Teens: Heroin

Tips for Teens: Opioids

The Opioid Epidemic

Tips for Teens: Methamphetamine

Tips for Teens: Marijuana

Secondhand Marijuana

Medical Marijuana

How to Quit Marijuana

Quitting Vaping: A Guide for Young People

Rethink Vape

SAFE DID Young Adults

SAFE DID Local Data

A Parent's Guide to Drinking, Driving, and Drugs

Marijuana and Driving: Doped Up and Dangerous

Driving Under the Influence: A Crash Course

Tips for Teens: Marijuana (Spanish)

Just the Facts: Prescription Drugs (Spanish)

Rethink Vape (Spanish)

Tips for Teens: Heroin (Spanish)

A Parent's Guide to Drinking, Driving, and Drugs (Spanish)

Marijuana and Driving: Doped Up and Dangerous (Spanish)

Driving Under the Influence: A Crash Course (Spanish)

Articles

We wanted to share some current news and articles relating to substance misuse and impaired driving. Check them out!


Chesterfield Inmates Reflect on Performing with Jelly Roll

Virginia Organization, Grieving Chesterfield Parents Advocate for Responsible Driving this Holiday Season

Chesterfield County Swears In New Police Chief: SAFE Board Member and Lt Colonel Frank Carpenter

VA Public Schools That Include Grade 9-12 Shall Provide Opioid Overdose Prevention and Instruction

Cocktails To Go Are Now Permanent in Virginia

Stay Up To Date!

SAFE wants to keep our community partners updated on our successes, upcoming events, current initiatives, and many more! Please use the following link to invite others to stay up to date.

Call-to-Action Link


Substance Abuse Free Environment (SAFE) | Website

Facebook  X  Instagram