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Wallowa Valley
Together Project, Inc. (WVTP)
was first formed
in 1983 as the Wallowa County Alcohol and Drug Council. In 1992, the
organization was granted tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) status under the Internal
Revenue Code. The name was changed to Wallowa Valley Together Project,
Inc. in 1995 to reflect the organization’s involvement with Oregon
Together! Oregon Together! was a pilot project funded
through a Federal grant for the states of Washington and Oregon to
implement the Risk and Protective Factor Theory Framework of Drs.
Hawkins and Catalano (University of Washington) in numerous
communities. Through extensive study and research, the Together!
pilot project has been accepted as an evidence-based, model program
known as “Communities That Care.” WVTP has chosen to continue operating
it’s prevention efforts within this structure.
In the
mid-1990’s, WVTP also began collaborating with community partners
through the Partnership for a Safe Community, which was designated as
the Traffic Safety Commission for Wallowa County by a County Court
Resolution in 1996. The PSC-TSC addresses traffic safety-related
concerns and needs (bike-auto-pedestrian, child passenger safety seats,
etc.), and over the years has become a subcommittee of WVTP.
As a non-profit
organization, WVTP is completely funded through grant and contract
dollars. Historically, the grants have been limited in amount and were
primarily from the State of Oregon Department of Human Services/Office
of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OMHAS), the Oregon Department
of Transportation (ODOT), and ACTS Oregon (Alliance for Community
Traffic Safety in Oregon). Independent contractors were hired to
fulfill the requirements of the grants, which unfortunately did not
provide adequate compensation and therefore made it difficult to retain
any one person for long. This approach was changed in late 2003, with
one person hired three-quarters time to serve as the Director beginning
January 1, 2004. As of July 1, 2004, the Director’s position became
full-time.
WVTP currently
receives two grants to address traffic safety-related issues throughout
the County, providing for a third of the organization’s focus. These
issues include bicycle, pedestrian, and motor vehicle safety. The bulk
of our funding comes from various grants and contracts to address
prevention efforts, with the most significant emphasis on alcohol,
tobacco and other drug (ATOD) prevention and reducing underage drinking.
Each grant has its own requirements, guidelines, and projects, making it
a complex blend of duties.
WVTP’s current
Director, Andrea Tyler also serves as the designated Prevention
Coordinator for Wallowa County (as required of each county by the
State), which involves providing technical assistance and support and
being a liaison to local partners and throughout the community.
Additional responsibilities include developing and implementing
awareness and media campaigns; increasing public awareness of prevention
issues; providing school and community education, presentations, and
trainings; grant writing and reporting; staying informed of State and
Federal legislation; performing administrative functions; and numerous
day-to-day operational duties.
Each county is
required by the State to have specific biennial Implementation Plans,
including a Plan for ATOD Prevention. In addition to those requirements
and projects designated in specific grants, WVTP must fulfill the goals
of the Implementation Plan. Under the current 2005-07 Implementation
Plan, WVTP has three primary goals:
(1) Community
mobilization through formation of citizen coalitions in each of the four
incorporated cities of Wallowa County. Coalition members will identify
local community specific issues to address, with particular emphasis on
unhealthy norms related to youth alcohol, tobacco, and other drug (ATOD)
use. They will also develop strategies to begin promoting positive
changes in their individual communities.
(2) Develop and implement a media and
marketing campaign that will increase public awareness and provide
community education about ATOD issues in Wallowa County, including
identifying and changing unhealthy community norms, underage drinking,
and youth access to and use of ATOD.
(3) Provide ATOD-prevention
education in local schools using research and evidence-based curricula.
These are complex issues, and these efforts will continue far beyond
the current biennium. There is a significant amount of groundwork that
must be laid if the efforts are to be successful and demonstrate
long-term impacts which continue beyond the initial implementation. The
past year and a half have been spent laying this foundation. We have
begun moving forward with projects and prevention efforts that are more
visible to the general public.
In accordance
with State legislation and County regulations, the Prevention
Implementation Plan must reflect
Wallowa County’s Comprehensive Plan. In 1999 the Oregon
Legislature adopted Senate Bill 555, which established a state policy
requiring state agencies to work in partnership with local communities
to plan, coordinate, and provide services accordingly for Oregon's
children and families. It defined the role for the state and local
commissions on children and families in coordinating and facilitating
community-based comprehensive planning. (1) Wallowa County’s Board of
Commissioners must approve the Prevention Implementation Plan in order
for it to be included within the Comprehensive Plan.
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