C-COMPASS, Campus & Community Partners Advocating for Safe Students, a coalition formed by Erie colleges and universities was awarded $11,500 in grant funds today by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board to support its mission of preventing underage and high risk alcohol use.

The PLCB selected C-COMPASS and 62 organizations throughout the commonwealth to receive a share of over $664,000 in funding for comprehensive community-based initiatives. The grant to C-COMPASS will be dedicated specifically for building relationships with local establishments in their communitment to reduce underage and high-risk alcohol use in the Erie community.

“Today’s awards continue the Board’s dedication to engaging local partners in the fight against underage and high risk college drinking,” said PLCB Chairman Jonathan Newman. “This grant money will bolster the collaborative effort between the PLCB and C-COMPASS and expand the resources in the fight against underage and high risk consumption.”

This year’s total grant award is an increase of 34 percent over the ’05-’06 funding level and is the largest award, to-date, by the PLCB for prevention and high risk use initiatives.

“This increase in grant funding shows the PLCB’s unwavering commitment to protect youth and communities by heightening the effort in the fight against underage and high risk alcohol use,” said PLCB Board member, Thomas F. Goldsmith. “The Board will continue to set higher and higher goals and dedicate the financial support and resources for continued successes in education and prevention initiatives.”

The ’06-07 grants targeting underage and high risk use of alcohol, are one component in support of the PLCB’s mission to provide leadership and resources in reducing alcohol misuse in the commonwealth.

“Today’s awards are part of the PLCB’s comprehensive approach to fighting alcohol misuse,” said Patrick J. Stapleton, a PLCB board member. “The PLCB recognizes that strategies which change the college environment affect a change in perception about alcohol among young adults. Providing funding to support these environmental changes is one of the best ways the PLCB can help prevent life-long alcohol misuse.”

The PLCB grant monies will support a range of initiatives including law enforcement training and community and youth outreach and prevention programs. The PLCB is an independent state agency that manages the alcohol beverage industry in Pennsylvania. It is responsible for licensing the possession, sale, storage, transportation, importation and manufacture of wine, spirits and malt or brewed beverages in the commonwealth, as well as operating a system of liquor distribution (retailing) and providing education and prevention services to reduce the harmful effects of alcohol misuse. The PLCB grant program is administered by the Board’s Bureau of Alcohol Education.

For more information, visit www.lcb.state.pa.us and www.dontletminorsdrink.com.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 6th, 2006 at 5:24 pm and is filed under Educational Initiatives. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.