Mission Statement: The mission of the Partnership for a Drug Free Wayne County is to promote, support and encourage the prevention, education, treatment and law enforcement of substance abuse and substance abuse related issues including alcohol, tobacco and other drugs.

History:  Organized in 1987, the local coordinating council in Wayne County has completed 21 years of service in the prevention, education, treatment, intervention, justice and law enforcement of alcohol, tobacco and other drug issues. In 1995, the LCC received Articles of Incorporation under IC 23-17-1-1 et seq. for "any lawful purpose," but has since gone back under the umbrella of Wayne County Government. The Partnership operates as a community coalition with the membership comprised of any interested citizen willing to serve their community in this area. The membership has evolved over the years to include teachers, school counselors, substance abuse program directors, program counselors, clergy, judges, attorneys, law enforcement, not for profit agencies, senior citizens, government officials, doctors and community members.
  The Partnership operates with a Board of Directors and employs a part-time Executive Director. The Wayne County Auditor's office is responsible for the fiscal operations of the Partnership. Upon the recommendation of the funding committee, the Wayne County Commissioners allocate funding on an annual basis and the County Council appropriates the funding. The Auditor's office then distributes checks to awarded agencies. The Partnership on rare ocassion has awarded funding mid-year for worthwhile programs, following the same protocol.
  The Partnership has been instrumental bringing new initiatives that have been an intregal part of our Comprehensive Plan for several years. Teen Court was started as an alternative for juvenile probation officers for non-violent first time offenders. The Court operated for several years through the Probation Department. Hope House Addiction and Recovery Services is a treatment program housed on the grounds of the Richmond State Hospital serving indigent clients with substance abuse. The Hope House was modeled after "The Healing Place" program in Louisville, Kentucky. These two initiatives were brought to Wayne County through our Comprhensive Plan.
  In 2005 the Partnership served as the lead agency for a Drug Free Communities Grant administered by DOJ. Collaberation of several agencies and school districts worked together to receive this funding. In 2007 we applied for and were awarded a Strategic Prevention Frameswork State Incentive Grant. This grant allowed us to hire 2 new full-time staff to lead this initiative and has brought many new community members into the efforts of the Partnership. Additionally, our Partenrship applied for and was awarded a Safe and Drug Free Schools Grant- Governor’s Portion. With these dollars we were able to bring the evidence-based program “Guiding Good Choices” to Wayne County.
  In 2007 the Partnership began a series of educational opportunities we named “Lunch and Learn.” At the Lunch and Learns we have covered the areas of abuse, addiction and treatment. The L and L’s have been well attended and have exceeded the expectations of the Partnership. In 2008 and 2009 SPF-SIG has continued the development of our community capacity to address substance abuse prevention by bringing training and sponsoring speakers for the community.