Will Receive $125,000 Per Year for the Next Five Years
During a recent press conference at the YES Community Counseling Center in Levittown, U.S. Congressman Tom Suozzi presented a check for $125,000 to The Levittown Community Action Coalition (LCAC). The funding comes from the Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Grant. It was announced the LCAC will receive $125,000 a year for the next five years. The DFC Grant funds coalitions like LCAC, which establish local nonprofit and community support services for the Levittown and Island Trees school districts to combat substance use among local youth and adults.
Suozzi (D-Glen Cove) was accompanied by students from Levittown and Island Trees high schools during the announcement. The speakers included Adrienne LoPresti, LCSW, the executive director of YES Community Counseling Center; Corinne Alba, LMHC, CPP, CASAC, the associate director of community outreach and training at YES Community Counseling Center; Noelle Marvelli, the DFC coalition coordinator for LCAC; and Larry Lamendola, a parent who lost his child due to a fentanyl overdose.
“Social media, peer pressure, and anxiety are all contributing to a rise in drug and alcohol use among kids in every community across the country. The Levittown Community Action Coalition’s work serves as a role model for what can happen when people come together for the greater good,” said Suozzi. “Working together, the Levittown and Island Trees school districts, the YES Community Center, and LCAC are affecting real positive change within the Levittown community.”
“This is not a short-term fix, and we’re meeting this challenge head-on,” LoPresti said. “LCAC has created a solid foundation with its community partners to implement evidence-based strategies to work together to create a safe, healthy, and secure community through the prevention of substance use. This funding acknowledges our efforts in response to this crisis, and we thank Congressman Suozzi for his continued support and advocacy.”
“This is a national emergency. I am committed to ensuring that Congress and the Federal government do all in their power to stop the deadly scourge of substance abuse,” said Suozzi. “It’s way past time that America takes action. Bishop Desmond Tutu famously said, ‘There comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they’re falling in.’ The work that LCAC and the Levittown community are doing is stopping people from falling the river in the first place, and that’s what we need to do as a society.”
As Nassau County Executive, Suozzi spearheaded the implementation of a groundbreaking “No Wrong Door” human services system, which gained national recognition. This innovative system established a centralized campus housing all health and human services offices, offering a comprehensive “one-stop shop” approach to addressing the needs of every individual seeking assistance.
“We need to adopt and expand the ‘No Wrong Door’ approach in communities, schools, and youth centers across America. We must do more to address the needs of our young people and those most vulnerable,” Suozzi said. “The Levittown community can and should serve as an inspiration and a blueprint for us to follow.”