BRAIDWOOD AREA HEALTHY COMMUNITY COALITION

The Braidwood Area Healthy Community Coalition (BAHCC) is a nonprofit organization committed to creating a safe, healthy, and drug-free community for Braidwood and its surrounding communities. Our mission is “Working with our neighbors to ensure a promising tomorrow by preventing youth substance use and providing opportunities that promote healthy life choices today.” Our goals include: • Educate youth on healthy life choices • Prevent substance use among our youth • Teach parents how to keep their children drug- and alcohol-free • Provide alternative activities that promote healthy lifestyles • Lower substance use/misuse in our community • Bring more mental health services to Braidwood and surrounding communities • Build partnerships to affect community change • Mobilize our communities to create and maintain an environment where substance abuse is no longer the norm The BAHCC promotes, coordinates, and collaborates to lower youth substance abuse while making efficient use of limited community resources, by connecting multiple sectors of the community in a comprehensive approach. Some of the things we do: • Youth Prevention Education in our elementary, middle, and high school • Sponsoring and partnering with our youth group “Reed-Custer Against Drugs” (RAD) to provide activities during Red Ribbon Week and National Prevention Week • Sponsoring and partnering in alternative drug and alcohol-free activities for youth (e.g., post prom, national night out, homecoming tailgate party) • Safe Passage Program • Sponsoring Art Therapy services • Sponsoring scholarship opportunities • Sponsoring area youth athletic teams • Hosting/facilitating SMART Recovery and SMART Recovery Family & Friends support meetings • Hosting Drug Take Back Days • Providing Narcan training and distribution to our community through collaboration with the Will County Substance Use Initiatives • Collaborating with neighboring organizations to gather data, share data, share resources, and generate i