Will County Sheriff's Office Receives $1.25M Drug Free Community Grant

WILL COUNTY, IL — The Will County Sheriff's Office has received a $1.25 million grant from the Office of National Drug Control Policy's drug free communities program, according to the sheriff's office Facebook.

The grant is for the Will County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition. Only 80 grants were awarded throughout the country, the sheriff's office said.

This is the second time that the Will County Sheriff’s Office has been awarded the Drug Free Communities Grant, which will funnel $1.25 million dollars over a five-year period for substance use prevention efforts in Will County, according to the sheriff's office.

When the grant was first awarded, the Will County Sheriff’s Office was the only law enforcement agency in the country to be a first-year recipient of this grant.

Will County Sheriff Mike Kelley started the Will County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition in 2016 for the purposes of educating the dangers of drug use to parents and youth in Will County, the sheriff's office said.

The coalition is represented by 12 different sectors of stakeholders that either work or live in Will County. The coalition is represented by the youth, their parents, law enforcement agencies, faith-based organizations, schools, businesses, media, youth service organizations, civic organizations, health care providers, substance abuse agencies and government entities, the sheriff's office said.

"The Will County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalitions’ dedication in educating the youth of Will County regarding the dangers of drug use has been remarkable. This is the second time that these dedicated individuals have secured instrumental grant funding that will be providing youth focused education and prevention programs in Will County regarding drug abuse and misuse," Sheriff Mike Kelley said in a release.