The White County Board of Commissioners has approved the use of opioid settlement funds to be used for drug education in the county.
Sheriff Rick Kelley made the request to the commissioners during this week’s commission work session and a called meeting.
The sheriff wants the settlement amount of $80,876 to be designated for drug education over the next five years. The money would be used to fund the Junior Deputy C.H.A.M.P.S. program and other drug awareness events.
“With the ever-growing opioid drug problem in our community, these funds would be a great opportunity to make a positive impact on our children,” Sheriff Kelley told commissioners.
C.H.A.M.P.S. stands for Choosing Healthy Activities and Methods Promoting Safety. The Georgia Sheriff’s Association started the program in 2003 to educate young people about important issues. According to the program’s website, C.H.A.M.P.S. includes lessons on such topics as drugs and alcohol, internet safety and social media, bullying, child abduction safety, water safety, and hunting and firearm safety.
Kelley said the C.H.A.M.P.S. program is, by far, the most important program the sheriff’s office sponsors, but they’ve been struggling to fund it for several years. He said using the opioid settlement for drug education would be a “win, win” for the county and its youth.
