PLCB Awards Grants to Prevent Underage and Dangerous Alcohol Use

HARRISBURG, Pa., July 16, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Committed to providing financial support to address underage and irresponsible alcohol consumption, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, PLCB, today announced it has awarded more than $1 million through the 2012-13 Alcohol Education Grant Program.

"The PLCB understands the many issues communities face as a result of underage drinking and irresponsible consumption," said Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board Chairman Joseph E. Brion. "These grant awards allow us to make a positive impact on the health and well-being of Pennsylvania families and their communities."

The PLCB grants help fund prevention programs focused on underage and college-age alcohol consumption and support related law-enforcement activities. Since 1999, the agency has awarded more than $8 million in competitive grants to hundreds of community groups.

"Over the years, our grantees have used different approaches to decrease underage drinking and promote responsible consumption for those over 21," said board member Patrick J. "PJ" Stapleton III. "The strategies are varied and unique to each community and we applaud their efforts."

Of the grants awarded:

• Twenty-nine will fund community law-enforcement efforts;
• Fifteen will be used to support social norms campaigns, such as making sure teens know that most teens don't drink, implementing environmental management strategies such as increasing enforcement efforts and providing training for law enforcement officers;
• Three will go to school districts to help fund AlcoholEDU, an online alcohol assessment tool used to gather information on student behaviors while educating them at the same time, the Safe Proms program and a program to include alcohol education in different classroom settings; and
• Nineteen college and university grants will help schools develop strategies to reduce underage and dangerous alcohol use including enforcement efforts; social norms campaigns to change how students think about alcohol and binge drinking; Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students (BASICS), which is a program to help those students who drink heavily make less risky alcohol-use decisions; and college alcohol risk assessments of the campus and surrounding areas to identify alcohol-related issues.

To encourage an even greater level of participation, the PLCB will change to a two-year grant cycle in 2013 and increase the maximum grant award to $40,000.

"While drinking rates among our youth have gone down over the past decade according to national surveys, alcohol is still a significant public health issue and more work must be done," said board member Robert Marcus. "We believe the increased financial award and the two-year grant period will allow participants the additional time and resources needed to make an even greater impact."

Additional information will be released early next year when the 2013/2014 grant application becomes available.

For more information on Alcohol Education or the PLCB, go to www.lcb.state.pa.us.

Media Contacts:  Stacey Witalec or Stacy Kriedeman, 717-783-8864

Editor's Note: To see a complete list of the 2012-13 grantees, visit http://www.lcbapps.lcb.state.pa.us/webapp/Press_Links/ListofGrantees2012_2013.pdf.

SOURCE Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board