PreventEd

Leading the conversation on alcohol and other drugs

SAINT LOUIS, MO   |  prevented.org

Mission

PreventEd works to reduce or prevent the harms of alcohol and other drug use through education, intervention and advocacy.

Ruling year info

1965

Executive Director

Nichole Dawsey

Main address

9355 OLIVE BLVD

SAINT LOUIS, MO 63132 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

43-0827852

NTEE code info

Alcohol, Drug and Substance Abuse, Dependency Prevention and Treatment (F20)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Blog

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

We are in the midst of the worst drug epidemic the US has ever seen. Its reach has stretched into every corner of the country, and the Eastern region of Missouri is not exempt from its devastating effects. Substance use disorders do not discriminate based on age, race, gender, ethnicity, geography, or economic status. Everyone knows someone dealing with, or affected by, the problems that accompany alcohol and other drug dependence. Substance use disorder is the leading contributor to death and injury among young people. This is unacceptable. Teenagers and young adults—with their lives full of promise and untapped potential—are too often struck down from a condition which is not only treatable, but preventable.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Prevention Education

PreventEd's substance use prevention programs are current, engaging and interactive. Our staff is comprised of experienced teachers and counselors who know that prevention works, and who share a genuine passion for making a difference.

A leader in the field since 1980, PreventEd has been developing, delivering and constantly improving its prevention programming for nearly 35 years. Now serving over 70,000 children annually, PreventEd's prevention programs have received local and national recognition, are research based and regularly evaluated.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth

Since 1980, PreventEd has been conducting Teen Institute for Prevention Leaders (TI). TI is a powerful, 4-day seminar designed to train 75-100 high school students to prevent substance misuse among their peers. Specifically, TI provides up-to-date information regarding the consequences of alcohol and other drug use and misuse; develops an understanding of prevention; teaches leadership and programming strategies; and motivates participants to implement and/or enhance prevention programs in their schools and communities.

Teens have the time of their lives at TI! They participate in workshops, games, sports, and dancing and have plenty of time to hang out with new friends. Teens arrive as strangers and, after four days, leave with close, enduring friendships. As TI comes to a close, a bonded group of motivated and knowledgeable teens emerges ready to change the world. In fact, for over 30 years, TI graduates have created ongoing and very powerful change for themselves, their friends, their schools and communities.

Population(s) Served
Adolescents

Red Ribbon Week is the oldest and largest drug prevention program in America, reaching millions of students each year during the last week of October. By wearing red ribbons and participating in community anti-drug events, young people pledge to live a drug-free life and pay tribute to DEA Special Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena (1947-1985).

In the midst of the worst drug epidemic in recorded history, PreventEd is working upstream in the community to combat it. We provide free Red Ribbon Leadership Training for 6th-8th grade students who are dedicated to living a drug-free life and seek to create a healthy environment for their peers. We give them the latest facts on substance use and teach them hands-on techniques to lead Red Ribbon activities in their schools.

Population(s) Served
Adolescents

The GuidEd program (formerly Transitional Counseling program) was developed as an early intervention and substance use disorder prevention program for adolescents. It’s here to help kids who are exhibiting the beginning signs of substance misuse from developing into full-on alcohol or other drug dependence disorders.

Most of the teens that come through our doors don’t meet the requisites of substance use disorder, but are at risk of developing alcohol and other drug-related problems without positive change occurring in their lives.

GuidEd is a non-punitive, motivation-based, family and community approach to prevent teens who have made some unhealthy decisions with substances from falling further down that hole, and instead develop healthy outlets to deal with life’s changing troubles and stressors, find greater engagement at school, and at home with their families.

We provide counseling for teens and their parents (both individually and together), workshops to educate them on decision-making, positive outlets, addiction, the risks associated with alcohol and other drug use, and tutoring to keep students up to speed in school.

Population(s) Served
Adolescents

PreventEd offers several learning opportunities for professionals to receive training hours. Our target audiences for these programs include prevention professionals seeking certification or re-certification; community coalition members; teachers and other professionals implementing programs in schools; and staff from social service agencies.

Population(s) Served
Adults

Where we work

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

Number of youth who demonstrate that they avoid using illegal substances

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Related Program

Prevention Education

Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Increasing

Number of students receiving information on alcohol and other drug use

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Children and youth, At-risk youth

Related Program

Prevention Education

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Number of clients who achieve and maintain abstinence from alcohol and drugs

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Related Program

GuidEd

Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

The pool of overall individuals enrolled in the program has decreased year over year due to funding and staffing cuts.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

PreventEd is a community organization with a vision of a community free of alcohol and other drug addiction, misuse, and related problems. In the midst of the worst drug epidemic in the history of our country, PreventEd is actively working to reduce or prevent the harms associated with alcohol and other drug use through education, intervention, and advocacy.
We provide an array of programs from prevention education and early intervention, to youth leadership trainings and public awareness campaigns. We know that this is a comprehensive, multi-faceted issue, and that one solution won't fix it. We are working with many different parts of our community to combat this problem and best equip our children, friends, neighbors, and other community members with the most effective tools to live a healthy, drug-free life.

preventEd works from all angles to tackle this issue, including:
-Emphasize protective factors like family support, positive role models and peer influence, emotional and relationship development, integrity, honesty, decision making, and self-esteem.
-Guide middle and high school students through youth leadership trainings, to teach them how to be positive influencers for their peers.
-Encourage families to "Talk About It" with their kids, effectively opening the dialogue around substance use between caregivers and their kids and cutting substance misuse in half.
-Provide a safe place for adolescents to work with peers and counselors to alter unhealthy behavior patterns.

PreventEd has been providing resources to help our community since 1965, and has been the authority on prevention education in the area since 1980.
PreventEd is the state Prevention Resource Center for the Eastern region of Missouri. We provide community-based prevention education, run town hall meetings, support many community coalitions, and offer professional trainings.
We reach over 100,000 people every year, and last year we provided prevention education to 64,000 K-12 students across our seven-county area, and over 80% of our budget goes into prevention education.
We are a 2018 BBB Torch Award recipient for outstanding service and high accountability, a United Way organization, one of the two 2018 Community Prevention Award Recipients from the DEA’s National Headquarters, a key partner in the Missouri Opioid-Heroin Overdose Prevention and Education Project, and for the past six years, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has named PreventEd a regional "Top Workplace" among small firms.

Last year, PreventEd provided:
-359 adult substance use assessments, 189 adolescent assessments, and answered 1,094 helpline calls.
-138 adolescents with early intervention through the GuidEd Program.
-64,000 K-12 students with evidence-informed, research-based prevention education.
-10,812 community members with training and technical guidance focused on drug and alcohol prevention.
-7,833 people with heroin/opioid education presentations, and 36.5 million with virtual heroin/opioid information and education.
-5,684 Narcan doses to prevent overdose deaths in our community.

Everything our community and PreventEd have done is a huge step in the right direction. We're making progress, but it isn't yet enough. We'll keep working to expand our reach, boost awareness, diversify programs offered, and increase our impact.

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?

    Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc.), Paper surveys, Focus groups or interviews (by phone or in person), Case management notes,

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve,

  • What significant change resulted from feedback?

    PreventEd constantly uses feedback to inform our program and service delivery. PreventEd's GuidEd program (formerly Transitional Counseling Program) was designed to bridge the gap for adolescents between assessment and admission into a treatment program. However, after beginning the program, we came to see that many of the teens who came to PreventEd for assessments did not need treatment, but just needed some help to get back on track. Their substance use was problematic, but they did not have a substance use disorder. For these teens, a residential substance use treatment program would do more harm than good. GuidEd switched gears to early intervention. Now, the GuidEd program provides counseling and educational workshops for teens and their caregivers, and has changed hundreds of lives.

  • With whom is the organization sharing feedback?

    The people we serve, Our staff, Our board, Our funders, Our community partners,

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection,

Financials

PreventEd
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

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PreventEd

Board of directors
as of 07/08/2021
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Becky Nelson

Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner

Becky Nelson

Bryan Cave LLP

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 7/8/2021

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Female
Sexual orientation
Decline to state
Disability status
Decline to state

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

No data

Equity strategies

Last updated: 11/18/2020

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data
  • We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
  • We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
  • We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
  • We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
  • We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
  • We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
  • We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
Policies and processes
  • We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
  • We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
  • We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
  • We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
  • We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
  • We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
  • We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.