Monday, January 30, 2006

CLEAN celebrates 20th Anniversary

In 2006, CLEAN, Inc. - Community Connections for Youth and Family will celebrate its twentieth anniversary year.

Community and Law Enforcement Against Narcotics, Inc. was created in 1986 from the union of two grassroots organizations – Operation CLEAN, which was basically a law enforcement group, and the Community Core Team, a group of professionals. This non-profit community coalition, along with Kids Are Our Concern, has been working to support the development and implementation of community-wide programs directed at substance abuse prevention with special attention towards youth.

This organization has provided a forum for collaboration between nearly 40 community organizations and agencies, including schools, parents, law enforcement, mental health, civic and community groups, social services, faith community and business, as well as other interested persons from Winchester, Frederick and Clarke counties. Throughout CLEAN’s history, the goal has been to foster cooperation and collaboration among all community efforts in the area of substance abuse resistance, prevention, education and treatment.

For 12 years, volunteer members of CLEAN worked quietly behind the scenes networking, sharing information and resources, and monitoring that duplication of efforts was minimal to ensure that limited local and state dollars were used as efficiently and effectively as possible.

Things began to change for CLEAN in 1998 as we were recognized by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy with the awarding of the Drug-Free Communities Support Program grant. This funding has allowed CLEAN to hire staff to support the tremendous work of our volunteers. This grant has opened up many other opportunities for CLEAN, as we have partnered with other national, statewide and regional initiatives – which has further enhanced the work we are able to do in the community.

In 2000, things changed for CLEAN once again when Shalom et Benedictus was forced to close. CLEAN assumed the oversight and administration of the very successful Community Assistance Program and the Court Intervention Program, which represented new direct service provision into CLEAN’s services. Also in 2000, CLEAN, Inc. and Kids Are Our Concern officially merged.

To mark the twentieth anniversary of serving the Winchester, Frederick County and Clarke County community, CLEAN is planning to hold a gala anniversary awards banquet on April 7. In addition, CLEAN has formed the 1986 Society for members of the community to show their support for the work CLEAN has done over the past 20 years.

CLEAN, Inc.’s 20th anniversary logo contest was held and all local public and private schools in Winchester City and Frederick and Clarke Counties were invited to participate in this contest to help us commemorate this momentous occasion. The winning entry was created by Taylor Henderson, a second-grader from D.G. Cooley Elementary School in Berryville. Taylor’s logo will be used on CLEAN’s stationery, literature and other publications during the 20th anniversary year of 2006. Taylor also won a $100 U.S. Savings Bond and two gift cards to local businesses.