Who We Are

The Waukesha County Drug Free Communities Coalition is a countywide network of individuals and organizations who are committed to the reduction of underage use of alcohol and drugs. The organization is a 2008 recipient of a federal Drug Free Communities grant, funded through the Office of the National Drug Control policy. Grantees are located in all fifty states. A grant award of $125,000, renewable for ten years, will provide an opportunity to build a firm base for proactive work to extend across the entire county.

The grant's focus is to build a sustainable coalition that will work to reduce substance abuse among Waukesha youth. It has a strong evaluation component which focuses on tracking four core elements: age at onset of use, 30 day usage, perception of parental disapproval, and perception of danger or harm. Initial data for the grant utilized the Waukesha School District's Social Norms, Safety, Academics, and ATOD Survey which is administered to 100% of their students in grades seven through twelve generally every two years.

Presently the Coalition has one hundred plus members representing one or more of the twelve community sectors required by the grant: organizations involved in substance abuse, health care professionals, civic and volunteer groups, state or local government agencies, law enforcement agencies, media, business community, schools, faith-based community, parents, youth, and youth-serving organizations. 

 DFC HISTORY 

The Waukesha Drug Free Communities Coalition has been in place since 2005, as concern about the growing use of alcohol and drugs by youth. Using data collected over a ten-year period by the School District of Waukesha, through a survey completed by students from middle school through high school, this initial Coalition was able to document the increase in use as students passed through middle school.

This information led this Coalition to apply for a DFC grant in 2006. Although a full DFC grant was not awarded at that time, the group was awarded a mentor grant with IMPACT, a Milwaukee based prevention organization. With the help of Duncan Shrout, Director of Government Relations at IMPACT and additional IMPACT staff, the Waukesha group was able to better position themselves to apply again, while building a countywide consistency through sponsoring town hall meetings addressing underage usage.

In 2007, the Waukesha County Drug Free Communities Coalition, through the Waukesha County UW Cooperative Extension office, again applied for a DFC grant, which was awarded in September 2008. The grant was renewed for a second year in September 2009. Waukesha County UW Cooperative Extension serves as coordinator and fiscal agent of Waukesha County's Drug Free Communities grant. Drug Free Communities (DFC) is a federal grant-funded program through the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). UW Cooperative Extension provides equal opportunities in employment and programming, including Title IX and ADA.

DFC 2012 Year 4 Report - English

DFC 2011 Year 3 Report - English

DFC 2010 Year 2 Report - English

DFC 2010 Year 2 Report - Spanish

DFC 2009 Year 1 Report - English

 DFC Leadership Team & staff 

Contact information:
Officers of the Coalition were installed as of January, 2013.

Co-Chairs:
Sandra Schultz & Larry Nelson

At-Large Members

Tammy Caputa

Sara Carpenter

Julianne Davan

Dianna Forrester

Pat Kashmerick

Renee McHale

Tracy Mitchell

Sharon Thiede

Dinah Van Krevel-Polzin

Drug Free Communities Staff Members:

Project Director:
Jerry Braatz 262.548.7786
Jerry is the Director of the UW Extension office and an Associate Professor of Community Development. 

Coalition Coordinator:
Irene Secora 262.896.8263

Program Assistant:
Julie Walker 262.896.8263

 GET INVOLVED WITH DFC 

There are a variety of ways Waukesha residents can support the work of the Waukesha County Drug Free Coalition.

• Join the Coalition
  Membership is open year round to Waukesha County residents or individuals who work in the community. Contact the Project Coordinator for our Coalition meeting schedule. 
  
• Volunteer for or donate to specific activities
  Throughout the year there are opportunities to volunteer to support a specific short term DFC activity, such as the Prescription Drug Collection. Those opportunities are listed here:
  • Attend events
    Throughout the year educational events are offered to the Waukesha Community. The specific information for each event is on our Home Page
  • Make a contribution
    The Coalition has embarked on a fund development program to identify funds which will assist in supporting its activities.
  • Join a Committee
    Committees are developed to address a specific project need.  Currently, DFC has 6 active Committees:
    • Media
    • Education
    • Drug Collection
    • Alcohol Compliance
    • Sustainability
    • Parent Alliance