:: Safe Community Coalition ::

Welcome

Dear Friends of our Community,

Welcome to the website of the Safe Community Coalition! For well over a decade, the SCC along with parents, teachers, faith and business leaders has provided a crucial support system for the young people of our community. We partner together with our local schools, public and private, so that our children will make good choices, stay healthy and commit to be alcohol and drug free. We provide excellent programming for the students as well as their parents. Our hallmark programs consist of Teen Summit, Middle School Forum, and 6th Grade Ethics Day. These events are held each year in our community.

There are ways in which you can begin to help the SCC or ways in which you can continue your service:

Consider giving of your time. Continue to explore our website for our programs and activities.
Make a donation of financial resources. No donation is too large or too small. Your donated funds will be spent wisely and within our mission.
Donate in-kind services such as space for meetings; food, drinks and prizes for youth activities; printing and marketing help.
Let us know what we can do to further help the young people, parents, and schools of our community.

I stand along with the entire SCC board ready to serve you and this community. We are a strong, committed group of volunteers determined to make a difference. We hope you will join our mission and support the young people of our community!

Best regards,
Cameron R. Edgar

About Us

The Safe Community Coalition was founded as a result of the federal government making funds available, through local school systems, to help localities prevent alcohol and drug abuse, as well as prevent violence, among youth. The Fairfax County Public School System arranged to distribute these federal funds through its Office of Alcohol and Other Drug Use Prevention (AOD) to the school pyramids (elementary, middle, and high school) representing each of the Fairfax County high schools. (The AOD office was later renamed the Safe and Drug Free Youth Section .)

In the spring of 1995 AOD sponsored symposia for the school pyramids in St. Michael's, Maryland. The symposia provided representatives from the FCPS pyramids with up-to-date information on drug and alcohol use and violence among young people, as well as information on prevention efforts and guidance in establishing community programs for school-aged youth. The attending representatives from the Langley and McLean High School pyramids decided to create a coalition that would serve both pyramids jointly. It became the first coalition among the 22 in Fairfax County that consisted of more than one high school pyramid. It also was the first one to incorporate under Virginia law (December 1995), establish a board of officers, and obtain non-profit status under the Internal Revenue Code. This has given SCC the ability to receive contributions and undertake fundraising activities to supplement its funding through SDFY.

A steering committee selected at the 1995 St. Michael's Symposium staffed a coalition booth at McLean Day, drafted a brochure, ran a "Name the Coalition" contest, and hosted a kick-off meeting at Spring Hill Elementary School that drew 120 people. At the kick-off, a former policeman provided information with a demonstration on how youth use substances to get high; afterwards, participants signed volunteer sheets from which the first SCC working committees were formulated.

In November 1995, the Safe Community Coalition (SCC) established four goals and initiatives that have continued as the backbone of the Coalition's efforts:

Early Intervention—getting into preschools and elementary schools and involving parents and children in education and identification of risky behavior before behavior is set.
Law Enforcement—encouraging enforcement of laws already on the books, and serving as a proactive force for policies and enforcement.
Parental Responsibility—reaching out to parents to increase parental responsibility and holding parents accountable for illegal/inappropriate behavior.
Coordination of Community Efforts—this goal was added as a way to achieve the foregoing goals.

Since its inception, SCC has offered a variety of programs and resources to help parents and children in our community make responsible decisions in a safe, healthy and drug and alcohol free environment.

For more in depth history, click here .

More About Us

The Safe Community Coalition, Inc. (SCC) serves the area defined by the McLean High School and Langley High School pyramids. These pyramids include public and private elementary, middle, and high schools, as well as pre-schools in McLean, Langley, Great Falls, Vienna, and Falls Church, Virginia -- communities near Washington, D.C.

The SCC is an all-volunteer organization. Its Officers, Board Members, and Committee Chairs :

Promote a caring and safe community for our youth
Foster an environment free of violence, alcohol, and substance abuse

The members of SCC work to maintain a safe community for youth by improving communications and interaction among community schools, businesses, religious organizations, and citizens. Our activities and events:

Promote prevention efforts and increase community awareness of violence, alcohol, and substance abuse
Increase communication and collaboration among all entities involved with youth
Help youth develop the skills and knowledge to resist dangerous activities
Promote positive opportunities for youth during the hours after school dismissal
Support parents in their tasks of raising healthy and responsible children

SCC activities are supported through grant from the Safe and Drug Free Youth (SDFY) section of the Fairfax County Public Schools , grant the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, and the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Administration's Drug-Free Communities Act, as well as donations and occasional fund-raising activities.

Membership in SCC is free.

Join SCC and help achieve its goals:

Parental Responsibility - organize or participate in Parent Networks, share concerns and solutions, increase parental control
Early Intervention - support early childhood, parent and staff education
Law Enforcement - encourage enforcement of existing laws and support your police by serving as a proactive force for policies and enforcement
Youth Development - sponsor prevention programs, education and leadership training

If you are a member of a business or community organization, encourage your organization to provide jobs and alternative activities for youth.

Find out what your place of worship offers as alternatives for youth. Ask how you can help.

Know where your children are going and with whom they will be spending time.

Volunteer to be a mentor. Many schools have programs that team one child with one adult.

If you are a parent, support your children by getting to know the parents of their friends - don't wait until your children start school - begin now.

Help an SCC Committee:
Parenting Network, Early Intervention, Youth Involvement, Middle School After School, Insiders Program (kids helping kids), Business Community, Religious Community, Newsletter, Law Enforcement, Programs, Publicity & Membership.