News Release

April 28, 2006
News Release Contact:
Becky Gettings - (804) 213-4419
E-mail: pubrel@abc.virginia.gov

Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Awards Grant Money to the Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) for Underage Drinking Prevention Activities

Committed to providing underage drinking prevention messages and initiatives for high school students, Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) announced yesterday a $30,000 grant to the Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) School Resource Officer's program.

"This grant honors ABC's commitment to be a provider of educational and prevention programs," said Frank Monahan, Director of ABC Bureau of Law Enforcement. "We are happy to be able to assist with the efforts of DCJS in focusing on underage drinking prevention."

This grant was funded through a federal grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) to support its Enforcing the Underage Drinking Laws (EUDL) program. The purpose of the grant program is to enable law enforcement programs to expand and to enhance community coalitions and programs at schools and college universities throughout Virginia.

With this grant, DCJS plans to support involvement in the 22nd Annual Youth Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Project (YADAPP) by providing numerous scholarships for high school students and school resource officers to attend this summer's YADAPP conference and by providing mini-grants to enhance opportunities for high schools to sponsor a regional YADAPP conference in their area. This grant will also play a key role in helping schools deliver youth-led underage drinking prevention activities and will increase the interaction between students and their school resource officers.

The YADAPP project has been successful due to the ongoing partnerships between many state agencies including ABC and has provided leadership opportunities in the ongoing efforts to keep Virginia schools and communities safe and drug-free.

Dedicated to decreasing the illegal use of alcohol, ABC promotes responsible distribution of alcoholic beverages by licensees, responsible consumption by those of legal age and zero tolerance for underage consumption.