SFA In The News
Selected by CADCA as Best of in 2022 (Top 5 Coalition in Action efforts)
CLICK IMAGE TO READ ENTIRE ARTICLE (November 2022)
SFA Partners
Herren Project Clubs are school-based, evidence-informed prevention and wellness clubs for high school and middle school kids.
Herren Project Clubs create a peer network in schools to empower youth to make healthy choices. They encourage overall wellness, development of coping skills and leadership in schools and communities. Empowering Youth to Make Healthy Choices, Live Substance-Free and Be True to Themselves.
The National Coalition Against Prescription Drug Abuse (NCAPDA) is a national 501(c)3 non-profit organization based in San Ramon, CA that works to prevent prescription drug and opioid related substance use disorder (SUD) and fatal overdose through community education, policy change and legislative advocacy at the local, state, and national levels along with the distribution of Naloxone.
Natural High is a youth drug prevention program that provides easy, effective, and fun resources for educators, mentors, and parents to deliver protective measures in a relevant way for today through storytelling. Our Storyteller library contains a roster of 40+ Natural High Storytellers — athletes, artists, musicians, designers — people who kids admire and trust. Click here to learn more about their approach, how the program works, and to access videos and activities. Flyer for same.
Advisory Board
Brian Gleason - Senior Sports Program Manager - Mothers Against Drunk Driving - San Francisco Bay Area Affiliate
Amy McNamara - Associate Superintendent - Acalanes Union High School District - Past President - California Interscholastic Federation
Dr. Stephen M. Taylor, MD, MPH, DFAPA, FASAM – Psychiatrist & Medical Director - NBA/NBPA Player Assistance/Anti-Drug Program
Alice Tang – Mother – of a high-school, substance-free athletic warrior and committed D1 athlete; Retired Corporate Owner and Officer
Dr. Katie DeFea, PhD – CEO and Co-Founder - PARMedics, Inc - Research Scientist – G-protein receptors (opioids and cannabis)
Dr. Libby Stuyt - Board-Certified Addiction Psychiatrist; Board Secretary IASIC (International Academy on the Science and Impact of Cannabis)
Corinne Shea – Executive Director - Institute for Behavior and Health (IBH)
Dr. Caroline Dupont – Vice President IBH & Board-Certified Doctor in Psychiatry, Neurology and Addiction Medicine
Dr. Sion Kim Harris - Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical & Co-Director, Center for Adolescent Substance Abuse Research (CeASAR) - Boston Children's Hospital; Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner
[Emeritus] Sue Rusche – President & CEO – National Families In Action - Retired after 46 years in public health, prevention and parenting
Funding will help us with:
Audio/visual upgrades throughout
Ongoing graphic design support
Online curriculum (build, implement and manage) - to expand the ways SFA can be delivered - to meet more needs across the country
Policy best-practices and tools library - finish developing initial offering, manage overtime and make available for free
Expand research and existing survey scope - to more efficiently understand the effectiveness of SFA, enable communication about it’s value and identify potential improvements
Train-the-trainer methodology - expand current program design
SFA Teen Athlete Leadership Council (Ambassador Program) - continue develop program to empower high school athletes involvement in SFA
Multi-tiered implementation options - develop more detailed plans especially for do-it-yourself, free version, online training modules
Aggressively roll-out SFA nationally
General operating costs, i.e. tech platforms, insurance, etc…
Help us with connections:
Substance-Free Athletics is a powerful curriculum with impact and we are always looking for:
Partners in sports
Appropriate board and science advisory partners
See the descriptions below and let us know if you’re interested in being a part of this exciting new program
High school & club sports organizations - We hope to attract all manner of organizations, that administer or oversee high school sports, to the Substance-Free Athletics mission. Please let us know if we can count you in!
Collegiate organizations - Whether teens end up attending college or not, whether they end up playing sports at the collegiate level or not, all high school kids look towards college with some degree of reverence. The stated support of collegiate organizations will send powerful messages to high school athletes, coaches and parents, i.e. "choosing not to use is best," "we want you to achieve the most you can in high school - athletically (academically and socially),” and many more.
We know collegiate support for Substance-Free Athletics will help get our message into more high school organizations.
Pro-athletes and pro-athletic organizations - Stated support by pro-athletes and pro-athletic organizations would be unparalleled in its ability to encourage high school athletes to choose not to use. The brave kids that already make this choice “not to use” generally get little “street cred.” While SFA hopes to change that through its education, recognition of and communication with all stakeholders as well as a social media campaign led by teen-athletes, a pro-athlete that believes in the Substance-Free Athletics mission and/or has experience of their own (non-use or negative-outcome use in high school) will go miles in supporting these kids and encouraging others to follow-suit.
Sports scientists and sports research organizations – Substance-Free Athletics endeavors to be a voice and repository for how athletic performance is affected by common intoxicants and powerful neurotransmitters that are used recreationally. We would like to be an organizing force for scientists and other experts working in these subject matter areas.
The use of drugs recreationally is not without consequence, yet the general public is rarely advised of these consequences. We can validate and develop the next level of understanding to keep young athletes safe and performing to their greatest potential.
Funding - Just like so many organizations, SFA could do more amazing things with more money. We are a 501-c3, and we are grateful for and welcome any organizational or individual contributions from those that believe in the Substance-Free Athletics mission. There are ongoing operational and improvement costs, and SFA would like to provide multi-tiered implementation free-of charge to school districts that can use this kind of support. Click here for more details and links to donate.