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Mary Rupert-Housely, tri-county executive director of Grand Futures Prevention Coalition, which operates in Grand, Moffat and Jackson counties, poses for a shot Wednesday at the Grand Futures office in Craig.

Craig — Taking a stand.

It's the concept Mary Rupert-Housely, Grand Futures Prevention Coalition tri-county executive director, uses when talking about preventing underage drinking in Northwest Colorado.

It's also an action she believes shouldn't be done alone.

"If you're trying to get something done in a community, would you like to stand holding a sign by yourself, or would you want to stand with 100 other people standing beside you at the same time?" she said.

A state grant could help Grand Futures, other substance abuse prevention agencies and local authorities accomplish that end.

Grand Futures works to prevent youth substance abuse in Moffat, Grand and Jackson counties by providing education and encouraging community involvement, the organization's Web site reported.

The state Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division awarded the $34,458 Colorado Prevention Partners Grant to the tri-county organization to help it curb underage drinking.

The grant stipulates that the organization must use the funds to create a policy board that includes representation from community leaders, other area substance abuse prevention programs, local law enforcement and the judicial system.

The board's duty: "Research other communities and how they tackled underage drinking" and advocate for more stringent ordinances against the violation, Rupert-Housely said.

As it stands, she said current ordinances aren't doing enough to prevent underage drinking.

"Something needs to be done differently," she said. "And if Grand Futures can play a role -a more supportive role - in providing information to the retailers and restaurant owners (so) they can protect themselves when compliance checks do occur, that would be a huge success."

Currently, Grand Futures informs liquor license owners of upcoming compliance checks and provides them information about preventing underage sales.

As a first step to reducing underage drinking, Grand Futures plans to partner with OMNI Research and Training to survey the community's perceptions about underage drinking and its prevalence.

The group also plans to use The Healthy Kids Colorado Survey, which assesses substance abuse in students in middle and high school across the state. The survey is scheduled for release in May.

On the survey, Moffat County residents also can gauge Grand Future's effectiveness, said Misty Schulze, OMNI regional prevention consultant.

The grant means more work for Rupert-Housely, who currently is commuting from Grand County to fill the organization's Moffat County directorship.

The former Moffat County director, Chad Kiniston, resigned from his position last month.

In coming months, Rupert-Housely will have to hire an evaluation liaison to help conduct Grand Futures' surveys and find members to join its policy board.

She also has begun receiving applications for the Moffat County directorship and plans to have a hiring timeline in place by the end of this week.

Still, the possibilities the grant presents helps allay the weight of Rupert-Housely's added responsibilities.

"Everybody's invited to apply (for the grant) but because we were selected, we feel pretty special."

Bridget Manley can be reached at 875-1795 or bmanley@craigdailypress.com