Maine Community Youth Assistance Fund

MCYAF implemented and coordinated community initiatives and education programs to prevent and reduce adolescent drug and alcohol use and to promote positive mental health for all teens in Maine Township which has an overall population of 135,000 people. MCYAF continued to partner with the Park Ridge Police Department and the Des Plaines Police Department to develop and pass a local vaping ordinance which encourages education over monetary penalty for vaping. MCYAF and the Park Ridge Police were leaders in the nation implementing the vaping ordinance with an education alternative. Over 300 people have participated to date. MCYAF was featured as a guest 2 times and reached 45,000 people in the Chicagoland Metro area on WCGO Legal Eagles AM 1590 radio station to talk about vaping. MCYAF participated in numerous health fairs at elementary, middle and highschools in the Community.

Over 50,000 pieces of literature on drug and alcohol prevention were handed out to parents and teens on in Maine Township at these events and other partner events such as National Night Out in Niles, Des Plaines, Park Ridge and unincorporated Maine Township. MCYAF served an internship site for nursing students from Loyola University, and social justice majors from Northeastern Illinois University. The executive director trained the students on how to communicate information on drug and alcohol prevention to teens and their parents. We also worked with over 100 high school students offering service projects Do Good to Feel Good initiative. We also launched Say Know to Drugs which encourages talking about drugs directly and giving out correct information. We sponsored monthly community lectures on Teens and drugs, and how to communicate with your teens featuring community agencies with whom we partner on drug and alcohol prevention.

Partnerships with community organizations such as Des Plaines Youth Commission in events like the Youth Empowerment Seminar, Friday Night live, Halloween at Prairie Lakes, allowed us to a pass out drug and alcohol prevention information to over 10,000 teens. Programs at Des Plaines Library and Presence/Amita Resurrection Health Systems allowed us to reach parents concerning information they could share on vaping with their teens and middle school children. Fund raising events sponsored during the year included the annual MCYAF Community Heroes Dinner, MCYAF Holiday Boutique, Pashminas for Prevention, and Restaurant Sharing Days.