A legislative committee has signed off on $315,000 in state grants to 21 groups to combat substance abuse among youths after learning that $105,000 of the grant money would go to a Little Rock advertising and public relations firm for advertising.
The grants would be financed through a $1.7 million-a-year federal grant to prevent underage drinking and abuse of prescription drugs, state Department of Human Services officials said Wednesday. In total, $377,500 of this money would go to Advantage Communications of Little Rock, a department spokesman said Thursday.
The department has proposed giving $15,000 grants to 21 groups such as Healing in the Hood Inc. of Blytheville, Curtis & Wilson Work Ethics Solutions in Montrose and the Ministry of Intercession in Little Rock.
During a meeting of the Legislative Council's Review Subcommittee on Wednesday, Sharron Mims, a department grant analyst, said $5,000 of each $15,000 grant is allocated to advertising, and the contract for advertising has been awarded to Advantage Communications of Little Rock.
The firm has already helped the state with anti-tobacco efforts, she said in response to questions by Rep. John Burris, R-Harrison.
"We were looking for a successful substance abuse campaign and so when we began to look out there [what] really jumped out was the Stamp Out Smoking [campaign]," she said.
Advantage Communications is founded and led by Michael Steele, who is the brother of state Division of Youth Services Director Tracy Steele. Tracy Steele is a former Democratic state lawmaker from North Little Rock. The department selected Advantage Communications for the advertising contract before Steele started work for the division, which is part of the department, department spokesman Kate Luck.
Mims said the advertising financed through the grants would be used to "build skill sets" to help develop youths as leaders in various counties.
State Sen. Linda Chesterfield, D-Little Rock, said Advantage Communications is one of the best-known black advertising companies in Arkansas and surrounding areas.
"We are talking about getting fliers to churches saying invite the young people in your church [on Sunday] to come to this program so you can find out what we need to do," she said. "That's why the amount of money does not have to be extravagant to get the message out [through each $15,000 grant].
"These programs -- many of which are in my home district -- can [go] a long way toward abating the difficulty that so many young people have and I would ask that we look at the greater good rather than not understanding the difference between advertisement that we traditionally think of and the advertisement that I know many of these entities in our community use."
Burris, who chairs the House Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee, said he's "OK" with the grants.
The Legislative Council will consider the Review Subcommittee's review of the proposed grants during the council's meeting next month.
The other $15,000 grant recipients would include Arkansas Human Development Corp. in Little Rock, the Boys and Girls Club of Benton County, Bridging the GAPS of Arkansas in Texarkana, City Youth Ministries in Jonesboro, the Community Alternative Prevention Program in Ashdown, Fort Smith Round Table, Gartrell Alumni Association in England, Generations of Faith in El Dorado, Life Skills for YOUTH in Little Rock, and Madison County Health Coalition Inc., according to the department of human services.
The other grant recipients would be Mt. Olive Church of God in Christ in Humphrey, Pettis Memorial CME Church Daycare and Learning Center Inc. in Helena-West Helena, Pilgrim Outreach Ministries Inc. of Pine Bluff, Randolph County Cornerstone Coalition in Pocahontas, Shady Grove Baptist Church of Tucker, Sharing and Caring Development Program in Little Rock, The Family Development Center Inc. in Little Rock, and West Macedonia Baptist Church in England.
Luck said Thursday that nine schools also were awarded $15,000 grants and asked to use $5,000 per grant to purchase media for prevention strategies.
The department will award 30 $15,000 youth leadership grants each to 30 local groups and schools with $5,000 reserved for media for each group per year. That reserves $150,000 in total of the $450,000 in grant funds for Advantage Communications, she said.
In addition, the department will award nine adult coalitions $50,000 grants each, with $22,500 a year reserved for media for each group, Luck said.
She said $25,000 of the grant funds also would be reserved for Advantage Communications for an underage drinking and prescription drug abuse and misuse video, booklet and micro-website.
Metro on 07/25/2014