The Alberni Valley Drug and Alcohol Prevention Service (ADAPS) provides a spectrum of free programs and services to youth and their families in Port Alberni and surrounding areas.
They are one of four services in the Alberni Valley delivering quality of life services that are vying for a $10,000 grant from Alberni Fundraising Co-op, which runs Pot Luck Ceramics.
The other finalists are Bread of Life; AV Hospice Society; and co-finalists ADSS Breakfast Club and Alberni Valley NeighbourLink Society’s elementary school Read and Feed program, who would split the $10,000 donation equally.
ADAPS provides prevention, support and counselling services to youth and their families at no charge.
“Our services understand the complex relationship between substance use, mental health and experiences of violence and trauma,” says an ADAPS spokesperson.
ADAPS provides a spectrum of free programs and services to youth and their families. We provide prevention, support and counselling services to youth and their families at no charge. Our services understand the complex relationship between Substance Use, Mental Health and experiences of Violence and Trauma.
In addition to their offices on 10th Avenue, they work in schools and in the community to engage youth who may not otherwise have access to their services.
“ADAPS serves approximattely 10 youth each day in our offices and the community,” the organization wrote in its profile to Pot Luck Ceramics.
“Two new youth are referred to our service each week. In addition, each month we receive multiple requests from community agencies for education and awareness support. ADAPS is experiencing an ever expanding waitlist for our services, and we desperately need to increase our presence in the community.
“With our existing organizational structure, and by supporting whats already being done well in this community, we can create enormous impact with a $10,000 donation.”
Their quality of life plan would see $5,000 provide an additional four hours of outreach work to at-risk youth. Another $5,000 would provide an additional five hours per week of support and intervention to at-risk youth at Eighth Avenue Learning Centre (VAST).
READ MORE: Pot Luck Ceramics launches new way of giving
Members of the public has until Nov. 10 to make their choices known at the Pot Luck Ceramics cottage. Then the Port Alberni Fundraising Co-op board members will make their final decision. An announcement will be made at a public event on Saturday, Nov. 24 at the Pot Luck cottage, 4473 Gertrude St.
The Alberni Valley News has profiled the four finalists leading up to a final decision.