Communities Organizing for Prevention Quarterly Progress Report
Grantee Geographic Area of Focus
Montrose Communities That Care (CTC)
East Montrose County
Agency
Hilltop Community Resources
Phone Number
970-244-0495
E-mail
meghani@htop.org
Names of those contributing to the writing of this report: Meghan Ingle
Option A/CTC Only for this section:
Coalition Mission and Vision
Montrose Communities That Care is a welcoming coalition that invests with all youth to meet the needs of our vibrant community through collaborative efforts.
Prioritized risk and protective factors (with dates prioritized)
Early Initiation of Substance Use (4.28.23)
Community Opportunities for Pro Social Involvement and Connection (4.28.23)
Prioritized prevention evidence-based programs (with dates prioritized)
Not yet determined. Data workgroup began discussion on 9.6.23 on the following programs: Positive Action, Guiding Good Choices and Strengthening Families
Prioritized prevention strategies from the Menu of Systems Change Strategies (with dates prioritized)
Not yet determined
All Grantees:
1. Momentum: Please reflect on your local COFP work over the past three months and provide specific examples in your responses to the following questions:
a. What recent coalition actions will move your work forward the most?
In June of 2023, Hilltop hired Collaborative Navigator (CTC Champion), Karen Funke. Karen’s role works towards: communicating with partner agencies and natural supports, maintaining and nurturing community relationships, attending community events, developing selected presentations and then facilitating to the community and engaging support. As mentioned in last quarter’s report, Karen has worked diligently during her time at Hilltop on building authentic relationships with diverse community members/agencies in order to work towards shared power in decision making and community ownership of local prevention efforts. During this quarter, Karen has attended and networked at 24 community events to discuss Montrose CTC. These community networking conversations have lead to 3 orientations attended by a total of 44 people. Additionally, in the last quarter, Montrose CTC has been invited to be a member of Rotary.
b. What situations or experiences have impacted your coalition’s momentum? If something has slowed your momentum, how are you working through that situation?
Our CTC team consists of: Program Manager-MK Hooley-Underwood, Community Mobilizer-Meghan Ingle, Community Champion-Karen Funke and a Program Assistant. The Program Assistant role manages various logistics to ensure smooth community meetings such as: managing contact lists, meeting schedules, follow ups, food ordering, gift card management and material preparation. This team has found this position is important to maximize retention at meetings. During the last quarter, internal staffing changes have prevented Support Services from fully engaging in CTC work which has slowed our momentum and caused confusion with December meetings in particular.
Recently, Support Services has hired a new staff member who is being on boarded into CTC responsibilities. Additionally, this team meets on a monthly basis for planning meetings to discuss all meeting logistics for the month. Lastly, Meghan Ingle and Teresha Taylor (Support Services Supervisor) worked together this month to create a flow chart to train staff and provide clarity on needed tasks to ensure smooth meeting facilitation.
2. Positive Change: Please reflect on your local COFP work over the last several years and provide specific examples in your responses to the following questions:
a. How does your coalition functioning contribute to positive change in your community?
In September of 2023, the Data Workgroup met at a community partner agency to discuss selection of evidence-based programs. The Key Leader (Executive Director) of the agency came into the meeting and said, “…CTC is the vehicle that is bringing our community together.”
b. How has this grant funding helped create change in your community?
The grant funding has helped create change in our community in that it has paid for the meeting costs and incentivization of community members to come together to discuss needed collaboration, risk/protective factors and data driven decision making.
A big win this quarter has been the creation of our Youth Involvement workgroup. The Structure Workgroup Leader, Stephanie Carroll, has worked diligently on collaboration between the Montrose County High School Environmental Club and the coalition, which has now been named the “CTC Club.” The club has eight youth which is opening the doors to youth-lead voice to address the local change they would like to see. The CTC Club meets twice a month and has been involved in a community cleanup activity and a trunk or treat. Additionally, the CTC Club is in the midst of organizing a youth-lead resource fair that will take place in the spring. The feedback from the youth is that they are thrilled to receive gift cards and pizza during activities, a great use of our grant funding!
3. CTC/Option A Only – Community Action Plan (CAP) Part 1 and 2 (CTC CO CAP Guide)
a. If your coalition created a CAP Part 1, please share the plan.
Please find attached
b. If you have not yet created a CAP Part 1, please share what progress you have made toward completing this work with the community and your goal date for completing CAP Part 1.
The CAP is being completed as the coalition completes the required component. A plan is created at the beginning of each fiscal year and reviewed during each coaching call. Per our fiscal year plan, CAP 1 should be completed during Quarter 3.
c. If your coalition created a CAP Part 2, please share the plan. If you have not yet created a CAP Part 2, please share your goal date for completing this work with the community.
Please find above answer in 3b. Per our fiscal year plan, it is our intention to complete CAP Part 2 during Quarter 4.
d. Please describe your plan for sharing the CAP throughout your community.
The CAP will be shared in our quarterly newsletters, coalition meeting, and Key Leader meeting. Additionally, Meghan Ingle will distribute the CAP to Collaborative Management Program (CMP) stakeholders.
4. Option B ONLY: Written policy/Written policy language
a. Please share the final proposed policy language. This includes submitting research on model policies.
b. If you do not have a final proposed policy language, please share what obstacles you faced.