Evan Foundation’s ‘No First Time’ Drug Ed Program Receives Grant

In recognition of its work to warn the region’s youth and parents about the dangers of drugs, The Evan Foundation and its ‘No First Time’ Early Education Drug Awareness Program have been awarded a Community Spirit 9/11 Mini-Grant by the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation. The announcement was made by Foundation Chair Eric H. Schultz and President Karen Voci. ( @harvardpilgrim, #harvardpilgrim )

It’s estimated that, during 2017 some 2,000 Mass. residents died of drug overdoses -- about six per day. The Evan Foundation, a unique, grassroots non-profit, was founded by Stephanie and John Greene of Easton who lost their 19 year-old son Evan to an overdose in 2014.

The grant award states, “The Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation greatly appreciates the work that you do in our communities and is proud to award you this grant. Thank you for your continued work. We wish you every success in all your programming endeavors.”

Stephanie Greene says grants and individual and corporate donations support the ‘No First Time’ ( http://evangfoundation.org/ ) community outreach program which includes presentations at schools and other venues, educating students and all community members on the danger of experimenting with drugs and engaging in risky behavior. She adds, “During 2017, we sponsored about 30 ‘No First Time’ programs and reached 6,500 students, mostly within the Route 495 belt. Our goal is to increase the number of teams so we can bring our message to the rest of the state and beyond.”

Each presentation includes remarks by Stephanie and John Greene, a Mass. State Trooper / Drug Recognition Expert, and an individual in recovery. There is also a PowerPoint presentation followed by a question-and-answer period. Donations pay for educational materials, brochures, ‘No First Time’ program promotion, and honorariums for guest presenters.

‘No First Time’ has been featured on local cable TV, in The Enterprise, and on N. E. Cable News (https://www.necn.com/multimedia/Early-Education-Program-Aims-to-Help-Fight-Substance-Abuse_NECN-460785283.html .) The Evan Foundation is listed on The Giving Common website as a transparent nonprofit option for prospective donors. The site is operated by the Boston Foundation.

Harvard Pilgrim and its Foundation created the Community Spirit 9/11 Mini-Grant program to commemorate those Harvard Pilgrim members who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. The program enables employees to award an annual grant, funded by the Foundation, to the local charity of his or her choice. Since the program began in 2002, employees have directed almost $5 million to hundreds of organizations throughout the health plan’s service area.

For more information and/or to make a tax-deductible (501 C 3 charity) donation, visit http://evangfoundation.org/. To schedule a presentation for your school, organization, or community program, email nofirsttime@gmail.com . Checks made payable to ‘The Evan Foundation’ may be mailed to The Evan Foundation, 234 West Center St., West Bridgewater, Mass. 02379

• By Stan Hurwitz / stanhurwitz@gmail.com

(Photos: - John Greene, Gov. Charlie Baker, Brockton Mayor Bill Carpenter)

- Evan Greene