MECHANICSBURG – The Champaign County Drug Free Youth Coalition (CCDYFC), Youth Advisory Council (YAC), will be attending the Ohio School Board Association’s Capital Conference on Nov. 15. This is the second-largest education convention in the nation, and it is an invitation-only event.

The late Warren Stevens, who was a member of the Urbana City School Board of Education and the Mental Health, Drug & Alcohol Services Board of Logan-Champaign Counties, served as a local celebrity at the YAC fundraising dinner in spring 2016. Impressed by the efforts of these young people to create positive community change and their commitment to reduce youth substance abuse in Champaign County, Stevens nominated the group to present their accomplishments and their future goals at the Capital Conference this month.

Next week, YAC members Haylee Johns (Urbana City Schools), Emma Lockwood (Mechanicsburg Exempted Village Schools), Molly Hamilton (Graham Local Schools) and Madison McCreary (Triad Local Schools) will honor the nomination made by Stevens and represent local schools in the county at the event. It is expected that over 9,000 school board members, administrators, district staff, students and guests will attend. YAC will feature highlights from the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America Youth Leadership Institute they attended in July, the strategic plan they cooperatively developed to address community norms – specifically, adults drinking and utilizing alcohol messaging to fundraise at youth oriented sporting events, and discuss their implementation of the Scholastic Over-The-Counter Medication Safety program within county fifth and sixth grade classrooms. The Youth Advisory Council would like to send a special thank you to the family of Warren Stevens and the Urbana City Schools administration for this opportunity that has been granted to the coalition.

For more information about the Drug Free Youth Coalition, call Stacey Logwood at 937-465-1045. To learn more about YAC, call Jessica Doggett at 937-652-2646.