About Us
The Coalition was formed in 2003 when the Fairfield City School District responded to their Student Drug Use Survey results by calling together key people in the community and schools to review data and establish a plan. A youth summit was planned to gather further input. Through this initiative, in collaboration with the Mayor's office, Law Enforcement, Family and Children First Council and Fairfield School Nurses, the Coalition was founded. Our mission is to build and strengthen the capacity of all within the community to create a safe, healthy and drug-free Fairfield. Our vision is that every child in our community will grow up in an environment that is safe and drug-free.
A community assessment indicated that Alcohol is easy to get and not considered harmful. Kids are starting to drink and use drugs at a young age and become increasingly, harmfully involved as they progress through adolescence. Parent and peer disapproval is reflective of a community that tolerates this risky youthful behavior as a “rite of passage.” Since 2004, we have been working to address key risk and protective factors identified by the youth survey results.
In the fall of 2008, the Coalition for Safe and Drug-Free Fairfield was awarded a federal grant called the Drug Free Communities (DFC). This program now supports over 700 drug-free community coalitions across the United States. It is the cornerstone of Office of National Drug Control Policy's National Drug Control Strategy. Drug Free Communities program provides the funding necessary for communities to identify and respond to local substance use problems.
Mission and Vision Statements
Mission: To build and strengthen the capacity of all within the community to create a safe, healthy and drug-free community.
Vision: It is our vision that every child in our community will grow up in an environment that is safe and drug-free.
About Our Staff
Coalition Director
Jen Campbell
fairfieldcoalition@gmail.com
Jen has nearly 10 years of experience working in substance abuse prevention and coalition building. Jen has worked with many communities in the Greater Cincinnati area building strong and resilient coalitions. Jen pushed communities to take a deep look at the root causes of why substance abuse was happening in their local neighborhoods and then work collaboratively with different community sectors within that neighborhood to implement environment changing strategies to decrease the access of those problem substances in their neighborhoods while promoting healthy behaviors.
Jen holds a Bachelor of Science in Education, with an emphasis in Community Health from the University of Cincinnati. She is also an Ohio Certified Prevention Specialist.
Coalition Coordinator
PatVan Oflen
pcvanoflen@cinci.rr.com
Pat has combined her nursing background‘s primary interest of Pediatrics and Maternity with her passion for Drug Prevention, since 1985 when she attended the first White House Conference for a Drug Free America, in Washington, D.C. At that time she was a School Nurse at Fairfield Middle School and had attended a week-long training with 10 other staff members who were interested in preventing substance abuse among youth.
With the help of this group and the support of Fairfield District Staff, the Fairfield City School District became one of the first in the area to develop a school-wide Comprehensive Drug Prevention Program! Pat was the Coordinator of this program from 1987 to 1997, as well as serving on United Way Planning Committee and the Butler County Alcohol and Drug Addictions Services Board.
When she retired from School Nursing in 2005, Pat turned her energy toward developing a community-wide Coalition for Safe and Drug Free Fairfield, and she continues to serve in this capacity. She has four grown children who have graduated from Fairfield City Schools, and lives with her husband Rick, in Fairfield City.
Our Board Members
- President - Marcy Martin, Fairfield Lane Library
- Vice-President - Chris Skolnik, Fairfield City School District Supervisor of School Nurses
- Treasurer - Mike Rieger, MBR Consulting, Inc.
- Secretary - Jen LaCombe, Paychex
- Howard Dirksen, Founder of Community Connections & Fairfield Community Foundation
- Marilyn Coburn, Fairfield City School District, Advisor of Fairfield
- J. Kyle Braid
- Bill Miller, Fairfield City School District, Curriculum
- Karen Murray, Butler County ADAS Board, County Coalition Coordinator
- Lou Silverberg, Omni Printing, Inc.
Action Council
- Dr. John Bohley, Executive Director of Butler County Alcohol Drug Addiction Services Board
- Ron D’Epfanio, Mayor of Fairfield
- Mike Dickey, Chief of Fairfield City Police
- Jolyn Hurwitz, Executive Director of Family Children First Council
- Cathy Milligan, Superintendent of Fairfield City School District
- Richard St. John, Chief of Fairfield Township Police
Coalition Members
- Judy Darwish, Fairfield City School District, Middle School Liason
- Kelly Dziech, Fairfield City School District, Middle School Liason
- Cindy Koenig, East Butler YMCA
- Gregg Lamb, Dare Officer
- Christy Lockhart, Chair of After Prom
- Randy Oppenheimer, Fairfield City School District, Public Relations
- Christi Valentini, Alcohol Council, Prevention Specialist
- Dennis Valentini, Fairfield City Police Department, Community
- Heather Wells, Family Children First Council
- Bridget Werner, Fairfield YMCA
- Jean Wessler, Juvenile Diversion
