Happy Leap Year Everyone!

RFP #852P009 - Due March 19th

As your calendar flips over to March, remember that the one-year grant proposals are due in to our Richmond office by 4:00 p.m. on March 19th. The proposal development training in Blacksburg was a big success. Over 40 individuals were in attendance and the evaluation feedback was overwhelmingly positive. If you have additional questions or need assistance with your finishing touches, be sure to contact us!

Site visit follow up

* REMINDER *

If you have already had your VTSF site visit, please be sure to complete any follow up items outlined on your site visit action form and send them in. I'm slowly but surely finishing up all grantee visits in the next couple of weeks and will get those remaining reports emailed back to you soon. If you have questions, don't hesitate to call or email me.

FREE School Signs Available

YES FREE STUFF!

I will be getting a quantity of these heavy-duty plastic tobacco free signs to distribute throughput our region. Let me know asap if you our your schools are interested in one or more.

Now we'll see who the regular VTSF blog readers are...

April 5th - Y Street Training

Calling all high school youth!

Ydouthink will be hosting a Y St. Training in Abingdon at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center on Saturday, April 5th.

Y St. is a youth-led movement where young people advocate against tobacco use. As part of the ydouthink campaign, Y St. youth advocate for smokefree lifestyles and educate other youth through events and activism. In Y St., youth aren’t just volunteers; they are a promoter, designer, activist, event planner, and leader. Youth can earn valuable credit for community service hours, and other rewards like cash, gear, scholarships, and prizes.

Currently, there are over 1,500 youth statewide that have attended Y St. Trainings and are now official Y St. Members. There are only 50 available invitations for this training session however, and typically over 200 youth apply. Youth must be invited to attend so encourage interested high school age youth to apply today at http://www.ystreet.org/. Or let us know if you could use brochures and posters to support your recruitment efforts and some can be sent directly to you. If you have questions or need more information, feel free to contact me or our Marketing Director Danny Saggese at 804-225-3624.

Youth Leadership Conference - March 15

The 2008 SWVA Regional YADAPP

(Youth Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Project)

will be held on Saturday, March 15, 2008 from 9:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.

at Hollins University in Roanoke.

This is a great leadership opportunity designed for teams of

youth and adult leaders (middle and high school) from all areas - schools, youth serving organizations, faith communities etc.

Contact the Roanoke County Prevention Council for more information or to register (540-772-4341).

Pass it on!

GOSAP grant opportunity

The Governor’s Office for Substance Abuse Prevention (GOSAP) is pleased to announce the 2008-2009 Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act (SDFSCA) Grant Program. The Request for Proposals (RFP) outlining the program components and specifics is now available at http://www.gosap.virginia.gov/SDFSCA/announcement2008-2009.htm .

GOSAP SDFSCA grant programs are intended to supplement the SDFSCA funds that flow directly from the Virginia Department of Education to every local school division for substance abuse and violence prevention programming. In addition, community needs assessments regarding youth substance abuse and violence may also seek GOSAP SDFSCA funds.

Organizations who intend to submit a proposal for this funding are required to have a representative attend one of the three RFP Workshops. Workshops are being held in Newport News on February 29, 2008, in Wytheville on March 5, 2008, and in Stafford County on March 7, 2008. Please see the web site (see above) for specifics regarding the workshops.

If you are not able to reach the web site, or still have questions after reading the RFP and information, please contact Joy Rogers-Murphy at the VCU Center for School-Community Collaboration at (804) 828-1482 or rodgersmurlj@vcu.edu.

Help Teens Quit Teleconferences

The Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the University of Pittsburg School of Medicine is hosting a series of conference calls for health care providers in tackling teen cessation.

The "Let's Talk" Series will run from March-November with five differnt topic areas including interviewing tobacco using teens, pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic aids, and partnering with local tobacco cessation programs. You can find more information and registration details at http://www.paaap.org/.

Sheraton goes Smoke Free

Great news! According to Yahoo News Sheraton Hotels & Resorts and Four Points by Sheraton Hotel brands will ban smoking at more than 300 hotels and resorts throughout the U.S., Caribbean and Canada. The new policy follows one implemented at Westin Hotels & Resorts, which became smoke-free in 2006. Westin and Sheraton are both owned by Starwood Hotels & Resorts.

Some 8,000 rooms at the hotels will be cleaned, including treatments for air conditioning, walls, rugs, upholstery and hard surfaces. Smoking will also be banned in public areas in the hotels but there will be a designated outdoor area at each property for guests who smoke. There are already 70 Sheraton and Four Points by Sheraton hotels in the U.S., Canada & Caribbean that are smoke-free. Both hotel brands expect to be completely smoke-free in the U.S. and Canada by Dec. 31.

Any American Idol fans out there?

One of the new Y? Campaign television spots named "Kiss," will air tonight during the American Idol broadcast on Fox.

Others soon to be released are "Revolution" and "Meatbelt" (don't ask!) so keep watching for the latest and greatest Ydouthink? ads.

They'll definitely get you and your kids' attention!

Inhalant Abuse Prevention Info

The Virginia Inhalant Abuse Prevention Coalition is sponsoring the Inhalant Abuse Prevention Awareness Institute March 12, 2008 (8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.) at the Stonewall Jackson Hotel in Staunton. Cost: $55 before February 15. $65 after February 15. Registration is handled through Rockingham Memorial Hospital. Call 800-433-4580 or register online at
www.rmhonline.com. Select Classes and Events from the main menu and then Event Calendar. CEU/SACAVA hours will be available through JMU.

Congratulations Bristol Youth Services!

On January 24, 2008 our very own Bristol, Virginia was announced as a winner of the 100 Best Communities for Young People award from America’s Promise, the nation’s largest alliance dedicated to children and youth, in partnership with Capital One. The winners were announced on NBC’s Today show and were honored at an awards reception in Washington, D.C.

Bristol Youth Services, a VTSF grantee, applied for this award and highlighted the wide range of programs available for young people and families in their community. Applicants for the award submitted detailed information on existing community programs and initiatives that help deliver to youth the Five Promises – resources identified by America’s Promise as being critical for success in life: caring adults, safe places, a healthy start, effective education and opportunities to help others. One of their winning factors was their VTSF grant-funded Life Skills Training program, an ongoing collaboration between Bristol Youth Services and Bristol City Schools.

Kudos to Bristol Youth Services and the city of Bristol on their outstanding new distinction!