Fighting Back Partnerhip's Board President,
Kathy Hoffman, helps to paint a garage.

We hear stories every day. The woman found dead in the park behind City Hall surrounded by empty liquor bottles; the little boy growing up in a drug using household who is scolded by his teacher for not doing his homework; the teens who bring alcohol to school concealed in plastic water bottles. Behind the numbers represented on this web site are real, everyday tragedies that impact the quality of life for all of us.

Fighting Back partnership is proud that our volunteers, partners, and staff come from virtually every segment of the community. This is our strength. We believe that it is their efforts which are responsible for the reductions we are seeing in crime in revitalization neighborhoods and data that indicate decreased sale of alcohol to minors. We will be calling on them to redouble efforts to decrease rates of chemical dependency and increase abstinence among young people.

In the coming years, we will continue our work to revitalize neighborhoods and decrease problems associated with alcohol sales. We will be launching an expended initiative. Project CONNECT, to significantly increase the number of residents who enter treatment. And, we are working to strengthen our relationships with the justice system to ensure that most criminal offenders will benefit from treatment under court supervision. Finally, for our youth, we are carrying out the CASA plan to reduce use among students.

Community Council Chairperson Suzanne Harrington-Cole and Kathy Hoffman relax with a neighborhood puppy during a cleanup.