The Drug Free Cecil Youth Coalition (DFCYC), located in Cecil County, Maryland, is honored to be named the recipient of CADCA’s 2025 Dose of Prevention Award. This award recognizes the coalition’s efforts throughout October, in educating youth, promoting healthy choices and strengthening substance use prevention throughout Cecil County. Throughout the month, DFCYC brought together student leaders, schools, and community members to inform about opioids and medication safety through education, events, and community engagement. Taking on this challenge was both a rewarding and challenging experience.
During October, 10 schools across Cecil County educated students about opioids, sharing what they are, how they are used, the dangers of addiction, and the short and long term effects of misuse. These educational lessons were taught by student leaders at their DFCYC’s student-led, adult guided prevention clubs. The coalition’s 50 student leaders prepared and delivered the message to their peers, reaching 206 students in the county throughout the month.
DFCYC also used many different platforms to reach as many people as possible throughout the county. During October, opioid prevention messaging was shared through radio stations, social media, and the Drug Free Cecil Youth Coalition’s Website. Using different platforms allowed the coalition to connect with community members in a variety of ways and better promote DFCYC’s prevention activities and spread awareness about opioid misuse.
One of the month’s largest events was the DFCYC’s 9th annual Spooktacular Trunk or Treat Drug Take back. This community event brought families together for a safe and fun trick or treating experience while sharing an important substance use prevention message. Volunteers decorated 76 trunks and distributed candy to children and families, with 999 people attending the event. During this event we encouraged community members to hand in their unused prescription medications so we can properly dispose of them. Throughout this event we collected 14 pounds of prescription medicine that was then safely disposed of.
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DFCYC also hosted a Johnson & Johnson Over the Counter Medicine Safety Train the Trainers event, where eight students learned about the dangers of improperly consuming over-the-counter (OTC) medicines and how to effectively teach the Johnson & Johnson OTC Medicine Safety curriculum. Students reviewed lesson plans, then presented portions of the lesson to their peers in order to demonstrate their understanding. Following the training, these eight students received certification, preparing them to educate other students about the differences between OTC medications and prescription medicines as well as the importance of using medications safely.
DFCYC provided Cecil County Public Schools with a digital Red Ribbon Week bundle containing daily social media posts, posters, lessons, and coloring pages. These resources had the opportunity to reach all of Cecil County Public Schools’ 15,000 students across all the county schools. In addition, two high schools hosted Red Ribbon Week activities during their lunch periods, which directly reached 55 students.
DFCYC’s Youth Leadership Summit provided an opportunity for students to create messaging. Students created posters, billboards and public service announcements (PSAs) addressing substance use prevention, including two campaigns focused specifically on medication and opioid safety. The “Cope Healthy” campaign received almost 330,000 impressions, while the “This is the lethal dose of Fentanyl” received almost 490,000 impressions. The posters for these campaigns are in all public elementary, middle, and high schools throughout our county. Each poster receives an estimated 21,000 impressions, providing an ongoing opportunity to keep prevention messages visible throughout the school year.
DFCYC’s recognition through CADCA’s 2025 Dose of Prevention Challenge reflects the power of youth-led prevention. Throughout October, DFCYC used education, media outreach, community events, and youth leadership to deliver prevention messages to thousands of people across Cecil County. The coalition is proud of the work accomplished during the Dose of Prevention Challenge. Together, we continue to build a healthier, safer, and drug-free Cecil County.
