Governor Bredesen Announces Grant Awards for Anti-Meth Program

01/25/2007 -- Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen today announced nearly $1 million in funding for after school programs to help kids develop anti-Methamphetamine messages to persuade their peers not to try Meth. The money was made available through a federal grant to Volunteer Tennessee, formerly the Commission on National and Community Service.

“Methamphetamine destroys everything it touches - lives, families, neighborhoods and communities - no one is safe from this plague,” said Governor Phil Bredesen, who initiated the state’s coordinated anti-Meth effort three years ago. “Education plays a critical role in preventing people from trying Meth, and these grants will be another tool communities can use to educate our kids about the consequences of Meth use. I’m proud to see young Tennesseans take a leading role.”

Tennessee once ranked second in the nation in Meth lab incidents, with over 1,500 labs seized in 2004. Since the Meth-Free Tennessee Act became law, the rate of Meth lab seizures has been reduced by over 54 percent, largely because Meth precursors were removed from store shelves in the state.

A total of 18 awards for three-year installments are made to 17 agencies across the state to assist strong after school programs that support integration of service-learning to further Meth prevention initiatives, by helping youth create anti-Meth products for their peers.

They were competitively selected, based on specific criteria, including:

• A minimum of 30 youth annually will participate for a minimum of 20 hours per semester.
• Over three years, three anti-Meth communication products will be produced and disseminated to local schools and/or youth serving organizations, aimed at resulting in the decline of Tennessee teen Meth abuse. Examples of communication products include: informational brochures, posters, display boards, murals, local radio/TV PSA’s and/or advertisements, etc.
• Clearly-defined plans for guiding participants in research to identify community partner(s) and explore community needs around Meth abuse.
• Plans to facilitate student development or involvement in Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of service project.
• Plans for sustaining use of service-learning methodology in after school programming after grant ends.

A special focus was given to areas with a high concentration of low-income residents. The grant money will cover anti-Meth communication products, supplies, training, transportation fees and other related program costs.

A list of the awards is attached.


Meth Free TN: Youth Edition Applicant Roster
County $ Requested
1 Bells City Schools Madison 10,000
2 Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley (Lenoir City/Loudon County Club Site) Loudon 10,000
3 Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley (Vestal Club Site) Knox 10,000
4 Break the Cycle, Inc. Smith 10,000
5 Cannon County REACH Programs Cannon 10,000
6 1st Mission. Baptist Meth Awareness Montgomery $10,000
7 Franklin County Board of Education Franklin 10,000
8 Little Children of the World - Camp Etowah After school Program McMinn 10,000
9 McNairy School District McNairy 10,000
10 New Hope Educational Institute and the Jackson Sun Madison 10,000
11 Northeast Middle School Madison 10,000
12 Sonshine Avenue Ministry Hamilton 20,000
13 South Carroll Special School District Carroll 10,000
14 Tennessee Tech University -UC- CCR&R Putnam 30,000
15 Tennessee's Community Assistance Corporation (TCAC) Hamblen 10,000
16 Tracy City Elementary Grundy 10,000
17 Trenton Housing Authority Gibson 10,000
18 YWCA Bristol Johnson 10,000

Volunteer Tennessee works through grants, training and partnerships with service organizations across the state to help ensure that the Volunteer State lives up to its name. The commission administers AmeriCorps, the domestic Peace Corps where hundreds of Tennesseans give a year of their lives in service to meet community needs in education, environment, public safety and human needs in return for help with college or loan repayments. The commission partners with the Department of Education, Lions Clubs International, schools and afterschool programs statewide to support service-learning, a teaching methodology that combines academic and behavioral learning with volunteer service for K-12 youth. Federal funding comes from the Corporation for National and Community Service. For more information, see www.volunteertennessee.net

Source: Tennessee Governor's Office