Agency Details:

Franklin County Caring Communities

Caring Communities promotes conditions to build healthy communities in Franklin County by supporting positive youth development and substance abuse reduction. We do this through a collaborative process that engages community members in dialogue and in identifying issues, connects members to resources and information, and recruits and equips members as community leaders.

Description:
The Franklin County Caring Community Project was initiated in 1997 in response to the high need for drug and alcohol prevention among county youth. Focusing on the geographic region encompassing Franklin Northeast, Central, and Northwest Supervisory Unions, the project pulled together parents, community professionals, businesses, and schools in a comprehensive effort to foster resiliency in youth and bring about a reduction in drug and alcohol use and school drop-out rates. Caring Community teams formed to promote healthy, safe, substance-free alternatives for youth in Bakersfield, Enosburg, Montgomery, and Richford in Franklin Northeast; Fairfield, St. Albans Town, and St. Albans City in Franklin Central; and Franklin, Highgate, Sheldon, and Swanton in Franklin Northwest. Franklin County Caring Communities, Inc. incorporated April 2, 2007.

Caring Communities works with town teams, schools, and other institutional members and partners throughout the county, as well as promoting community-wide initiatives and campaigns. Caring Communities supports a website, newsletter/news column, promotional events such as Family Day – A Day to Eat Dinner With Your Family, Red Ribbon Week, and Alcohol Awareness Month, and disseminates information about funding, informational, and human resources. Caring Communities also sponsors, organizes, and implements trainings and conferences related to prevention and positive youth development.

Caring Communities Drug Free Communities Support Program (DFCSP)
The goal of the DFCSP program is a reduction in youth substance use, and ultimately adult substance use, by changing community norms. Caring Communities aims to change norms through broad community participation in assessing and defining needs, building capacity, coordinating and implementing prevention strategies, and evaluating results. Through DFCSP, Caring Communities supports training of health, school, social service staff, parents, and community members and allocates funds to town teams to develop and carry out strategic efforts to address prevention needs at the local level. Interested in becoming part of a town team focusing on substance prevention in Franklin County? Call us at 527-5049!

Watershed Mentoring:
Watershed Mentoring links youth in need with adult mentors. Mentoring is a highly effective way to reduce risk behaviors and increase school success. It requires a commitment of about 2 hours a week for at least a year. If you can make this commitment to a young person in Franklin County, please call us at 527-5049. Watershed Mentoring is funded through a combination of private and public sources.

Guiding Good Choices™ and parenting programs:
Caring Communities strengthens families by providing prevention resources to parents, including Parent Success Kits, tips and information in “Caring About Kids,” and parent programs such as Guiding Good Choices™, a five-week skills-based networking program, and Parenting Wisely™, a computer-based self-paced program. Interested in helping us coordinate and implement these effective programs in your Franklin County community? Give us a call at 527-5049.

Youth Network(YN)
The Franklin Grand Isle Youth Network brings together together teens from two counties to publicize positive youth contributions and perform community service in their communities. Original the Youth Advisory Council, Youth Network has evolved as a collaborative effort of the teens of Franklin County with leadership from Franklin Grand Isle United Way, the Franklin Grand Isle Tobacco Prevention Coalition, the Grand Isle County Clean Team, and Caring Communities.

Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF):
This federally funded initiative focuses on reducing underage and high risk alcohol use. Our initiatives include parent education, youth/young adult involvement, public education about and enforcement of DUI and underage drinking laws. Young people ages 18-25 are welcome to contact us to help us change community norms concerning high-risk and underage drinking. Call 527-5049 for more information.

Contact people:

Elisabeth Crane, Executive Director, (802) 527-5049 x 1, (email) Cindy Cook, Youth And Families Outreach Coordinator, (802) 527-5049 x 2, (email) Mary Fletcher, SPF Project Coordinator, (802) 527-5049 x 5, (email)

Office fax number: (802) 524-3952

Address:

39 Barlow Street St. Albans, VT 05478 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.fcccp.org

Directions:

Barlow Street Community Center (the Old Barlow Street School) at the corner of Barlow and Upper Weldon. Off Rte 104 at exit 19, St. Albans, or from South Main Street (Rte 7) St. Albans.

Miscellaneous Information

1. What target populations does your agency serve?
	Residents of Franklin County
3. How many paid staff (FTE) do you have?
	3
The organization's main phone number is
	(802) 527-5049
4. Please indicate your organization type:
	Independent 501 (c)3
How many clients do you serve annually?
	About 6000 either directly or indirectly
Volunteers for this agency can serve in these county(s):
	Franklin County

Last updated on August 12, 2009