About Us
United For Safe, Healthy & Drug-Free Communities
Join The Movement
Contact Us
Our Vision
We believe preventing and reducing youth substance use is a collective responsibility. We envision a community-wide collaboration to promote safe, healthy and positive youth development in Hampden and Wilbraham. Together, using effective, evidence-based public health and educational strategies, we can reduce youth substance use so that our young people will have the best opportunity to grow into strong, happy, healthy, productive adults.
Who We Are
We are a diverse group of community members and agencies working to reduce youth substance use in the broader context of promoting physical health, mental health, and safety for all Hampden-Wilbraham students. The Coalition is coordinated by the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District and supported by a five-year grant from the federal Drug Free Communities (DFC) program, awarded in the fall of 2014. Since the passage of the DFC Act in 1997, this program has funded more than 2,000 coalitions and currently mobilizes nearly 9,000 community volunteers across the country.
Sector Representatives/Steering Committee
Parents
Autumn Mathias, Wilbraham Parent
Danielle Maurice, Wilbraham Parent
Youth
Abyssinia Haile, MRHS Class of 2024
Schools
To Be Announced
Business Community
Maureen Margolis, DDS, MS Margolis Orthodontics
Media
Anthony Aube, Executive Director, Wilbraham Public Access
Healthcare Professionals
Melissa Lonczak, RN, BSN, HWRSD Nurse Care Coordinator
Law Enforcement
Chief Scott Trombly, Hampden Police Department
HWRSD SRO Dan Ryan, Wilbraham Police Department
Religious/Fraternal
Reverend Ralph Clark, Evangel Assembly of God Church
Larry N. Ottoson, President , Zbigniew (Joe) Kielczewski, Member, Rotary Club of Wilbraham Hampden
Civic Vlunteer
Kathy Fuss, Wilbraham Junior Women’s Club
State & Local Government
Anthony G. Gulluni, Hampden County District Attorney, District Attorney Office
Youth Serving Organizations
Dexter Johnson, CEO & President, Springfield YMCA, Debbie Kelder, Executive Director, Scantic Valley YMCA
Other Organizations
Jared Proulx, LMHC, Clinical Supervisor, West Central Family and Counseling – Substance Abuse
The Drug Free Communities model engages representatives from a variety of community sectors:
Coalition Members
In Hampden-Wilbraham, the Coalition is comprised of a far-reaching and growing list of individual stakeholders of parents, guardians, youth, area professionals, local legislators, and other interested people, as well as community partners such as:
Above the Influence MRHS Student Club, Al-Anon , American Medical Response , American Society of Suicide Prevention, Baystate Medical Center ,Bethlehem Church , Big Y ,Behavioral Health Network, CHD, Christ the King Epiphany Church , Collaborative for Educational Services , Crossroads Agency , CVS Pharmacy , Evangel Assembly of God Church , Wilbraham Jr. Women’s Club , Hampden Board of Health , Hampden County District Attorney’s Office ,Hampden County Addiction Task Force , Hampden County District Attorney’s Youth Advisory Board , Hampden Police Department ,H-W Parents and Guardians , Hampden Public Library ,Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School Committee , Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District , Institute for Health and Recovery , Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine ,CHD Goodwin House , Learn to Cope , Luso Federal Credit Union , Margolis Orthodontics , Medical Reserve Corps of Hampden and Wilbraham , Mercy Hospital ,Mental Health Association, Inc. , Monson Savings Bank , HWRSD Student Representatives , Pathways for Parents , Rick’s Place , St. Cecilia’s Catholic Church, St. Mary’s Catholic Church , Springfield Catholic Diocese , State Representative Brian Ashe ,State Representative Angelo Puppolo, State Senator Eric Lesser , Ultimate Party , United Way of Pioneer Valley , University of Massachusetts School of Public Health, Western MA Parents Support Group ,Wilbraham Fire Department , Wilbraham Hampden Rotary Club ,Wilbraham-Hampden Times , Wilbraham Public Access , Wilbraham Select Board , Wilbraham United Church ,Wilbraham Public Library , Wilbraham Park and Recreation Department , Wilbraham Police Department, Wilbraham Select Board , and YMCA Scantic Valley.