The Wahluke Community Coalition’s mission is to promote a healthier, drug and alcohol-free community for our youth through education, advocacy, and prevention strategies. Coalition efforts have made it possible to reach WSD families and communities by hosting community meetings, events, training opportunities and sharing resources that foster conversations about prevention, stress, stigma, and substance use.
The Wahluke Community Coalition was recently highlighted in a National Training Webinar for creating a cohesive coalition. It was a great opportunity to have the Wahluke Community Coalition be selected from 70 other coalitions from Washington State. They shared the work they have done in ensuring the coalition is working efficiently toward its overall goals and how they have built cohesion among its members. Cohesion efficiency refers to the work ethic and task focus of the coalition and the coalition's ability to utilize its resources to deliver services in a well-organized and effective manner.
They also shared how they have managed to work through the current COVID-19 pandemic obstacles by hosting community events, meetings, and training virtually. You can check out the presentation here (LINK) at minute 59:58. People and organizations form coalitions to accomplish together what they cannot accomplish alone. Often coalitions are working with limited resources and require nimbleness to respond to a quick and changing timeline.
Gigi Calaway, the Prevention Program Director, and Brisa Sanchez C., the Community Coalition Coordinator, graduated from National Coalition Academy. This accomplishment was possible with the financial help with the Community Grant the coalition received late in 2019. The received grant also made it possible to hire the Community Coalition Coordinator. Mrs. Calaway and Ms. Sanchez received a certificate on behalf of the Wahluke Community Coalition on February 2nd, 2021, in a virtual ceremony and have been invited to Washington DC next year to be "formally" awarded for this effort and hope they will be able also to take some coalition members along to receive the certificate. The Wahluke Community Coalition is currently being interviewed by a Northwest Prevention Newsletter for its various accomplishments and achievements.
Wahluke School District is honored to have such a powerful and knowledgeable coalition leading the prevention and promotion of a healthier, drug and alcohol-free community for our youth.
Learn more about the Wahluke Community Coalition here and visiting their Facebook Page and Instagram.
*New Wahluke Community Coalition website coming soon*