'Wake Up' Gets $98,664 Boost
Written By: Wendy Stiver (Express Community Editor)
Published: September 3, 2005
LOCK HAVEN - "Wake Up, Clinton County," the local coalition against underage drinking, has received a $98,664 two-year grant from the federal government. U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pittsburgh, delivered a giant-sized check to the coalition and met parents, students and community volunteers at a forum Friday morning at Lock Haven University.

Clinton County District Attorney Ted McKnight, who spearheads the "Wake Up" campaign, said the grant will piggyback with other grants to fund more public information and educate high school students about underage drinking. He credited Santorum with previously getting a grant for Communities That Care that worked with a grant obtained through U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter to reach out to students in grades three through eight.

Santorum in turn credited McKnight for providing the leadership for the campaign and noted the university also has decided to make education about the issue "a priority." McKnight said, "The problem goes right up to the college level."
University President Dr. Keith T. Miller said after the presentation, "What affects this community affects us, and we're certainly very interested in this, for obvious reasons."

"I've seen the problem grow in the 28 years I've been here," he said. Grenninger said education is key to stopping problems before they start.

Lt. Dennis Grenninger, LHU law enforcement department, says education is the key to stopping problems.

"I'd much rather prevent the crime than have to investigate it later on," he said.

Preventing underage drinking also is key to preventing the crimes that can stem from it including sexual assault, vandalism, criminal mischief and domestic problems, he said. He told the senator he is a parent of two, "plus the 4,000 children on this campus," and he has seen changes over the years "in the way they drink and in the way their parents have brought them up to drink."

Several parents, including George and Cathy Gedon, spoke about the parents' role in combating underage drinking.

Sue Stover, parent of two, said, "A lot of parents have the attitude that it's only drinking, at least it's not drugs... At parties, parents will provide the alcohol." They don't realize, she said, "They're damaging their brains."

"And they're setting them up to be lifelong abusers," said Patty Carroll of Valley Prevention Services.

"And it's a gateway drug," Stover added.

"It's so evident drinking is at our school," said a young man who is a Central Mountain High School senior and a member of Students Against Driving Drunk. (Coalition members asked the media not to identify the young people who attended the forum.)

Invitations seem to be issued almost every day to attend a parent-supervised alcohol party, he reported.

"Something needs to be done about it," he said. "This is the first step."

An eighth grader told the senator the face the problem wears is "getting younger and younger." Parent Michelle Terry agreed.
"It seems that the problem is really trickling down," she said.

McKnight also recognized Matthew Gartner, president of Impact Advertising.

He reported the firm's billboards and print ads for "Wake Up" have been chosen to appear in "The 2005 Creativity 35 Annual," out of entries submitted from 40 states and 31 countries.

Phase II of the public information campaign will begin in the next month, Gartner said.