WASHINGTON—Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control, today announced that the Mason City Youth Task Force will receive a $75,000 Coalition Mentoring Grant from the Office of National Drug Control Policy. This funding is part of the Drug Free Communities Grant Program.'

This grant will support the Mason City Youth Task Force's efforts to continue to help anti-drug groups in Kossuth, Hancock and Floyd Counties expand their current activities so they can grow into self-supporting coalitions. The Mason City Youth Task Force received $75,000 last year as well to support anti-drug coalitions in these communities.

"Drug use hits virtually every community in this country. It’s an equal opportunity destroyer," Grassley said. "With the support for this program, we are expanding our efforts in Northern Iowa and helping even more young people avoid the pitfalls of drug use."

The Coalition Mentoring grants are designed to increase the number of viable community coalitions by providing additional resources to established Drug-Free Community coalitions who then mentor groups in neighboring communities. Like the original Drug Free Communities Grant program, which awards matching grants to establish community coalitions for amounts up to $100,000 through a competitive grant award process. The Coalition Mentoring grant matches up to $75,000 to an existing Drug Free Community grant recipient.

Grassley first sponsored the Drug Free Communities Act in 1997. He took the lead to see that the legislation was reauthorized in December 2001.

In the late 1990s, Grassley launched an extensive first-of-its kind statewide initiative to address Iowa’s drug problem at the grassroots. Called "Face It Together," or FIT, the effort was designed to help Iowans work together to keep their schools, workplaces and communities drug-free.

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