Daughters of Zion Awarded $125,000 Federal Drug-Free Communities Grant to Strengthen Youth Substance-Use Prevention Across Memphis
September 28, 2026 By Shelby County Observer Community Affairs Department
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Daughters of Zion is formally announcing to community leaders, schools, churches, businesses, youth-serving organizations and community partners that it has received a $125,000 federal Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program grant to support the Memphis Youth Drug Free Coalition and strengthen community-wide efforts to prevent and reduce youth substance use.
The federal award supports the coalition’s work during the current July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027 budget period as part of a five-year period of performance extending through June 30, 2031.
Memphis Youth Drug Free Coalition Community Prevention & NIL Pledge Poster.
The Memphis Youth Drug Free Coalition will bring together young people, parents, schools, churches, businesses, healthcare organizations, law enforcement, civic organizations and other community sectors around a shared goal: creating community conditions that make healthy, drug-free choices easier for Memphis youth.
The coalition’s prevention work will address youth use of alcohol, marijuana, tobacco—including vaping—and prescription-drug misuse, while strengthening protective factors that help young people make healthier decisions.
From Programs to Community Change
The coalition’s work will extend beyond individual presentations and one-time events.
Its strategy emphasizes environmental change—working with community partners to strengthen policies, practices, expectations, prevention messages and community conditions that can continue influencing young people after an individual event has ended.
That approach will include expanding community prevention partnerships, encouraging youth-serving organizations to strengthen drug-free standards, placing prevention messaging in visible community locations, engaging young people as prevention leaders, and developing initiatives that reinforce healthy community norms.
One emerging initiative is the NIL Memphis Youth Drug Free Coalition Pledge, which challenges young people and student-athletes to protect their name, image and future by making healthy, drug-free choices.
Community Partners Invited to Participate
Daughters of Zion and the Memphis Youth Drug Free Coalition are inviting community leaders and organizations throughout Memphis to become active partners in the initiative.
Schools, athletic programs, churches, businesses, neighborhood organizations, healthcare providers, youth organizations and other community stakeholders can participate by displaying coalition prevention materials, reinforcing drug-free standards, sharing prevention information, participating in coalition activities and helping identify environmental conditions affecting young people.
The message to Memphis is straightforward:
Youth substance-use prevention is not the responsibility of one organization. It is a community responsibility.
The coalition will continue building partnerships designed to make prevention visible not only inside a meeting room, but throughout the places where young people learn, play, worship, compete, socialize and grow.
Federal Support for Local Prevention
The Drug-Free Communities Support Program is a federal initiative of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and is managed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The program supports community coalitions working to prevent and reduce youth substance use by mobilizing local partners and addressing community conditions associated with substance use.
Daughters of Zion expressed appreciation for the federal investment and for the community organizations and leaders who will help translate that investment into measurable prevention work throughout Memphis.
Memphis Is Invited to Join
Community leaders and organizations interested in participating in the Memphis Youth Drug Free Coalition, receiving prevention materials, displaying a coalition poster, implementing the youth pledge or becoming a community prevention partner are encouraged to become involved.
Memphis Youth Drug Free Coalition
A Project of Daughters of Zion
24-Hour Hotline: (901) 570-3220
Healthy Youth. Stronger Families. Safer Communities. Brighter Futures.
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