In 2014, resident and parent John Mueller had the opportunity to serve on Pleasantville 2026, a five-year strategic plan of health and well-being for the students of the Pleasantville School District. His specific task was to determine regional strategies employed by other school districts to combat youth substance and alcohol use and abuse. He began touring other municipalities to research prevention activities. What he found was alarming; a number of local municipalities were already deeply affected by the opioid epidemic among youth to an extent far beyond what Pleasantville had experienced. Deliberate steps would be required to ensure Pleasantville youth were appropriately protected in the present and in the future. John recognized any successful initiative would have to include community-wide involvement including partnering with the Pleasantville Police Department and the Pleasantville School District.
Believing time was of the essence, John approached the school district about adding a substance abuse prevention counselor to the school’s staff. John and his wife Donna wasted no time; they held a pig roast to raise awareness of the issues, initiate funding of the position and send a clear message to both the schools district and the local government that this issue was on the forefront of many minds of parents and community members. Over two hundred Pleasantville residents gathered and raised in excess of $10,000. Pleasantville School District’s response was one great support; they quickly partnered with concerned parents. A part-time counselor was hired for the district.
John then reached out to Student Assistance Services. They guided the burgeoning group through the process of applying for and ultimately securing the Drug Free Communities grant for Pleasantville. This was the genesis of Pleasantville STRONG. The initial funding covered five years with the option to reapply for a second five-year period. STRONG received the second round of five-year funding in 2020. We are currently in year 9 of our funding. We will be eligible for the DFC Grant for 1 more year. We are always looking for new members to join our committee and help us promote our mission to provide a healthy, drug-free environment for the youth of Pleasantville.