The San Juan Island Prevention Coalition (SJIPC) is grateful for the caring community members that have supported our mission through the years. The mission is to reduce youth substance use and create a community culture supporting healthy choices and responsible behaviors in youth and adults. It truly takes a village to bring positive and lasting change to help raise healthy youth. While we don’t have the opportunity to thank everyone individually, we hope you’ll take a moment to smile and reflect on your role in supporting the SJIPC, no matter how big or small you feel your contribution was. Be assured everyone’s efforts got us to this major milestone!
The SJIPC was started in 2003 with a Drug-Free Community (DFC) grant, which the coalition could grow for ten years. This investment in prevention brought over one million dollars into our community to support local youth and families by collaborating with our prevention partners. The coalition supports programming, curriculum, and training with the San Juan Island School District, Joyce L. Sobel Family Resource Center, San Juan County Health Services, Island Rec, San Juan County Sheriff’s Department, and Madrona Institute, to name a few, in addition to, mentoring the Lopez Island Prevention Coalition and the Orcas Island Prevention Coalition. All the while investing in youth leadership opportunities, we planted the seeds that continue to grow today!
The goal of the DFC grant was to build a sustainable coalition after their funding ended. Under the leadership of our coalition’s Executive Coordinator, Cynthia Stark-Wickman, we celebrate twenty years of “Growing the Good!” Cynthia’s expertise and dedication to our island communities have helped the coalition continue its support of island youth and families with the WA Health Care Authority’s (HCA) CPWI (Community Prevention and Wellness Initiative) funding, a mix of federal block grant funding (Substance Abuse Block Grant/SABG), and state Dedicated Marijuana Account (DMA) dollars. As a CPWI coalition, the SJIPC also has been able to receive federal Partnership for Success (PFS) supplemental funds that helped to pilot the very successful Second Step program in grades K-5. These prevention efforts support health and wellness in our youth.
SJIPC helps fund, through HCA State Opioid Reduction dollars, the Community Based Mentoring and Strengthening Families Program provided by the Joyce L Sobel Family Resource Center. The coalition supports Second Step in our elementary school, LifeSkills Training in Grade 6 at FHMS, and the SAP (formerly the Prevention Intervention Specialist full-time position with now titled the Student Assistance Professional) that provides full-time prevention intervention support at the middle and high schools through support of the NWESDs and the Coalition’s CPWI partnership. Most importantly, CPWI has helped the SJIPC to support the growth of youth leadership prevention clubs, Rock Solid, HOTS, and HOTS, Jr. Our Peer 2 Peer Training empowers youth to teach younger students the risks associated with underage substance use while promoting health and wellness.
While we take a moment to celebrate our successes, we know this work is never done. If you want to help “Grow the Good” in our community, please contact us at media@sjipc.org. Thank you for being so supportive and collaborating for the greater good! See you at the fair! Our signature event, “Make a FREE healthy message T-Shirt,” at our fair booth is again sponsored by PeaceHealth, Community Health fund! Over 600 “healthy messages” t-shirts were created by kids last fair! Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs) build a child’s sense of belongingness and connection.
A few of the friendly faces in our Coalition doing the work!
