Prevention.
PACT is people working together to prevent the serious and often fatal effects of underage drinking and substance abuse. We want to prevent these issues from destroying the lives and the futures of our community’s most precious asset…our children.

The 2008 Florida Youth Substance Abuse
Survey for high school students in St. Johns County reports that:
• 2 out of 3 students reported drinking alcohol in their lifetime.
• Nearly 1 out of 2 students reported drinking alcohol in the last 30 days.
• 1 out of 4 students reported binge drinking (drinking to get drunk) in the last 30 days.
• Nearly 1 out of 5 students reported being drunk or high at school within the last 12 months.
• 1 out of 3 students reported smoking marijuana in their lifetime.
• Nearly 1 out of 5 students reported smoking marijuana in the last 30 days.

According to nationwide research done by FACE (Facing Alcohol Concerns through Education), nearly 75% of 7th graders who drink alcohol get it from their parents (with or without their knowledge).

Advocacy.
PACT strives to enlist and engage every parent in the St. Johns County community by offering resources, support and educational tools that can assist them in providing a drug- and alcohol-free environment for their children. You can help. After all, what better gift to give a child than that of a future bright with promise?

Choices.
PACT believes that community awareness of alcohol, tobacco and other drug problems and the knowledge of how to make healthy choices, are the keys to making crucial societal choices that will lead to a safer tomorrow for our children and our community.

Teamwork.
PACT. It’s you, it’s me, and it’s those around us, working within our community to bring about responsible choices for the futures of our children. After all, we’re all in
this together.

Let’s make a PACT to keep our youth alcohol and drug-free.

PACT began in 1989 as the Prevention Council for Safe and Drug-Free Schools. Originally, we were a volunteer organization with no full-time staff. In 2004, the Prevention Council changed its name to the Prevention Coalition of Saint Johns County and through one of its members, EPIC Community Services, we applied for a federal grant to fund coalition development. Based on the Coalition’s long history of success in the community, we were awarded the Drug-Free Communities grant which has allowed the Coalition to hire staff and focus our efforts more sharply. 

In 2005 we refined our name to PACT, to reflect the strong promise and partnership our members make to each other and to the community.

While we provide no direct programs or services, our goal is to bring the resources of multiple agencies together to develop solutions to the problems substance abuse can lead to in our community.

Membership in PACT is membership in a committed group of smart, caring people with a real track record of success in our community. Membership is open to any community agency, business or resident who is interested in making St. Johns County a better place to live.