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NEWS: SCAN Receives Three-Year Grant for Strengthening Families 

September 15, 2015

September 11, 2015

healthyyouthbrochure2014_final-1The Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth has awarded a three-year, $180,000 grant to SCAN of Northern Virginia to support parent education/engagement that facilitates youth tobacco use prevention in the city. SCAN of Northern Virginia, Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) and Alexandria Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) will work together over the next three years to provide a series of Strengthening Families trainings in ACPS schools, Risky Behavior forums for parents, and a variety of other public education and outreach events.

“We are thrilled to have this new support to educate families about more effective parenting and the role it plays in reducing risk factors, as well as directly educating students about the dangers of tobacco and drug use,” said Marisol Morales, Parent Education Program Manager at SCAN of Northern Virginia.  SCAN will lead the first Strengthening Families training at Hammond Middle School in late September.

The Family and Community Engagement Center (FACE) at Alexandria Public Schools will provide access to schools and outreach to parents in the district, as well as staff support during trainings. Alexandria DCHS will be responsible for implementing community awareness initiatives that

build a school environment against youth tobacco use.

“Working with community partners like ACPS and DCHS, we know our work can have an even greater impact on families in our community,” said Morales. “This grant is a valuable opportunity to reach students—where they are—as well as parents and other adults in the community who can connect with kids to make a difference.”

About the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth (VFHY): Established by the Virginia General Assembly in 1999, the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth empowers Virginia’s youth to make healthy choices by promoting active, nutritious and tobacco-free living. Since the Foundation began its work in 2001, high school smoking in Virginia has been cut by more than 60 percent and the number of middle school smokers has dropped by more than 75 percent!

The Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth directly reaches about 50,000 children each year through classroom-based prevention programs in public schools, after-school programs, community centers, day cares and prevention programs across the state. VFHY’s award-winning marketing campaigns deliver prevention messaging to more than 500,000 children annually.