• LiveFree! has 646 individuals in the Key Leader Collaborative (including youth and adults), which represents a 240% increase since 2008. More than 25 members attend regular monthly meetings as part of the Key Leader Council and Key Leader Collaborative. The coalition also has the following five active Sustainability workgroups: (1) Executive/Comprehensive Community Action Planning, (2) Needs Assessment, (3) Resource and Capacity Assessment, (4) Implementation, and (5) Monitoring and Evaluation.

• LiveFree! has the following 8 active school clubs: (1) Pinellas Park High School/Pinellas Park Criminal Justice Academy, (2) Dunedin High School, (3) Northeast High School, (4) Largo High School, (5) Osceola High School, (6) East Lake High School, (7) Largo Middle School, and (8) Seminole Middle School. LiveFree! also has the following two active community clubs: (1) St. James AME Church, and (2) St. Petersburg Police Athletic League, in addition to four active family clubs: (1) Jack and Jill of Pinellas County, (2) Starling School and Day Care, (3) Sumter Home Day Care, and (4) New Beginnings at Sumter Day Care.

• LiveFree! is working collectively with Pinellas County Justice and Consumer Services and the Prescription Drug Task Force to maintain the prescription drug ordinance moratorium, which includes best-practices utilizing Short, Brief, Intervention, Referral and Treatment (SBIRT) and recommending pregnancy testing.

• As of August 2012, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office has distributed a formal letter released by the Sheriff to 190 retail establishments asking for their assistance in combating “synthetic products.” The letter outlines changes in Florida law, describes chemicals deemed to be “synthetic substances” and reminds establishments of the side-effects these products. The letter recommends the removal of products from stores and informs the establishments that the PCSO will be conducting checks of products to ensure illegal items are not available to the public.

• During 2012, LiveFree! celebrated prevention leadership in Pinellas County by honoring 14 youth and adults with the LiveFree! Excellence Award. Presentations were held at the meeting entitled, 2012 Florida Kids and Alcohol: A Town Hall Meeting – Synthetics, Prescriptions and Peer Pressure at WEDU on April 3, 2012, in addition to a Pinellas County School Board meeting on November 13, 2012.

• The 2012 Florida’s Kids and Alcohol: A Town Hall Meeting – Synthetics, Prescriptions and Peer Pressure was filmed on April 3, 2012 and first aired on WEDU PBS-TV on April 19, 2012. The program aired a total of 11 times with the potential reach to 1.8 million families. LiveFree! in partnership with WEDU and numerous community partners hosted the meeting with a discussion surrounding underage alcohol use, binge drinking and prescription drug misuse and abuse in the Tampa Bay area. To watch the production online at WEDU, please visit the following link: http://video.wedu.org/video/2232796391/

• From October 1, 2011 to September 30, 2012, LiveFree! volunteers contributed more than 550 volunteer hours, representing an in-kind value of $12,034.53.

• From October 1, 2011 to September 30, 2012, the coalition distributed 210,428 prevention materials (web-based and print materials) and provided 4,985 prevention education hours thanks to the Operation PAR Keep Kids Drug Free Prevention Center and its Speaker’s Bureau. Go Prevention!

LiveFree! members include the following: Drug Free America Foundation; Eckerd College; Family Resources; Florida Poison Information Center, Inc., Tampa General Hospital; Narcotic Overdose Prevention Education of Pinellas; Mothers Against Drunk Driving; Operation PAR, Inc.; Personal Enrichment through Mental Health Services, Inc.; Pinellas County Department of Justice and Consumer Services (Substance Abuse Advisory Board); Pinellas County Health Department, Tobacco Free Coalition and Students Working Against Tobacco; Pinellas County Schools Prevention Office; Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office; Pinellas Park Police Department; Police Athletic League, St. Petersburg; St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church, Clearwater; St. Petersburg College; Save Our Society From Drugs, Inc.; St. Petersburg Police Department; Suncoast Centers, Inc.; Suncoast Safety Council; University of South Florida, Bayboro Campus, St. Petersburg; WEDU-TV; WestCare Gulfcoast Florida; Central Florida Behavioral Health Network, Inc.; Florida National Guard; Gulfcoast Jewish Family and Community Services; Healthy Start Coalition of Pinellas County; BallyWho, LLC.; BayCare Behavioral Health; Juvenile Welfare Board Children’s Services Council of Pinellas County; Tampa Bay Times, Newspaper In Education; Pinellas County Council of PTAs; Pinellas County School Board; AAA Auto Club; American Association of Retired Professionals Work Search Foundation; Hospice of the Florida Suncoast; Jack and Jill Foundation- Pinellas County Chapter affiliate; St. Petersburg College Multijurisdictional Counterdrug Task Force Training (MCTFT); Clearwater Police Department; Hillsborough County Anti-Drug Alliance, Tampa Alcohol Coalition; Metro Wellness and Community Centers; City of St. Pete; Gulfport Police Department; Eckerd Community Alternatives; Religious Community Services; Power Broker Magazine; Turnaround Achievement Network; Pinellas Park Fire Department; Directions for Living; Eckerd Youth Alternatives; Good Living Magazine; Florida Alcohol and Drug Abuse Association Prevention Committee, Prescription Pill Subcommittee, Marijuana Task Force; Florida Coalition Alliance Board of Directors, Executive Committee and Legislative and Advocacy Workgroup; Florida Department of Children and Families; Florida Department of Juvenile Justice; Floridians for Recovery; Florida Keep Kids Drug Free Foundation; Florida School of Addictions Studies and the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration.

Contact LiveFree! today at livefree@operpar.org. For more information, explore our website at www.pinellascoalition.com

We hope you can join our cause.
E-mail today at livefree@operpar.org or call 813-503-5658.

Jackie Griffin, MS
LiveFree! Executive Director