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Yuma County anti-drug coalition asks Board for ongoing support and funding for Grad Night
Summary
Yuma County Anti-Drug Coalition leaders told the Board March 16 that the coalition has grown substantially and asked for sustained organizational support and funding to keep Grad Night free for graduating seniors, citing prevention gains and stable youth DUI data.
Gina Thompson, President and CEO of the Arizona Impact Center, and Joanne Fiser, Executive Director of the Yuma County Anti-Drug Coalition (YCADC), asked the Yuma County Board of Supervisors on March 16 to consider ongoing support for the coalition and financial backing for the county’s Grad Night program.
Thompson described YCADC as a countywide prevention network partnered with the Yuma County Public Health Services District and emphasized the need to sustain prevention efforts beyond individual leaders. Fiser said the coalition expanded from roughly 40 members in 2023 to more than 350 participants statewide, and she highlighted measurable community outreach and coordinated prevention activities.
Fiser noted that Grad Night — a substance-free celebration for graduating seniors that had not been held for about a decade — has drawn strong community support since being reinstated. According to the presenters, over 3,600 seniors have attended since the event returned, and public-safety data shared by presenters indicated stable or decreasing DUI-related incidents and no increase in youth DUI arrests tied to the event.
County Administrator Ian McGaughey told the Board that Grad Night 2026 was being supported through health-district grant funding and that future funding options could be discussed at the Board’s direction. Thompson and Fiser asked the Board to consider aligning ongoing support with available resources, including potential opioid settlement funds, while underscoring that prevention work should be sustained irrespective of individual staff or volunteer leaders.
Chairman Martin Porchas acknowledged the program’s community contributions and thanked volunteers and partners. The Board took no formal action on the funding request at the meeting.
