In 2003, The Alliance envisioned a collaboration among their sister Drug-Free Communities coalitions in the tri-county Metropolitan Atlanta Area (Cobb County, DeKalb County and Fulton County) to plan and implement at least one collaborative activity across geographical boundaries to model on the local level what we were mandated to do on the national level – build coalitions and collaboration. Drug-Free Communities is a program of the White House Office of National Drug Control & Policy (ONDCP), initially administered by the Department of Justice (DOJ), and currently administered by the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (SAMHSA/CSAP) since 2004.

After considerable brainstorming between the leaders and key partners of the sister coalitions, the Cobb Community Collaborative suggested National Youth Service Day as an excellent opportunity to demonstrate our capacity to execute an efficient and effective activity. We adopted the goals of the national strategy, with the added goals of helping young people better understand the value and self-satisfaction derived from helping others; and to raise awareness and educate about alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, methamphetamine and other illegal substances.