Delco Community College Gets Funding To Fight Underage Drinking

MARPLE, PA — The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board recently awarded funds across the state to help combat underage and dangerous alcohol consumption, and Delaware County Community College got a cut of the money.

Nearly $2.8 million is being given to schools, community organizations, municipalities, law enforcement organizations, nonprofit organizations, for-profit organizations, and institutions of higher education through the 2020-22 Alcohol Education Grant Program.

This year, of 94 grant applications received, 84 organizations from 36 counties across Pennsylvania were awarded a total of $2,787,922 in grants. The maximum award for each two-year grant is $40,000.

Delaware County Community College got $35,387.

The funds will be used to support acquiring a Fatal Vision — also known as "drunk goggles" — campaign kit; bringing in guest speakers; instituting Save a Life Tour Virtual Program, which focuses on impaired and distracted driving; Red Watch Band training for student athletes, which is designed to provide students with the knowledge, skills and awareness to prevent death from toxic drinking; and development and delivery of training to local employers and campus faculty.

Of the grants awarded:

• 24 will fund community law-enforcement efforts for targeted underage patrols, training, community outreach, and equipment.
• 22 will be used to support community and nonprofit organizations by funding initiatives such as MADD’s Power of Parents, and Parents Who Host Lose the Most, Project Northland, public service announcements, and enforcement efforts.
• Two will go to primary and secondary schools to fund various programs aimed at reaching students, such as social norms media campaigns, guest speakers, and impaired driving simulation activities.
• 34 college and university grants will help schools develop strategies to reduce underage and dangerous alcohol use through surveys and assessments, enforcement efforts, attendance at alcohol education conferences, training for resident assistants, peer education programs, and evidence-informed programs like EVERFI AlcoholEdu, and SafeColleges.
• Two will go to for-profit organizations aimed at peer-to-peer outreach and public service announcements.

In addition to the provision of millions of dollars in alcohol education grants to communities, educational institutions, and law enforcement agencies, the PLCB works to educate the public about the dangers of underage and dangerous drinking through a variety of other avenues, including a free annual alcohol educational conference, a prevention campaign — "Know When. Know How." — targeted to underage drinking, the creation and distribution of a wide range of educational materials, Responsible Alcohol Management Program training and resources for licensees, and training and technical assistance for organizations working to address the issues related to irresponsible consumption.