Our darien "06820"
In July 2015, The Community Fund of Darien (Connecticut) was awarded a competitive $500,000 grant to use over a five year period from Connecticut's Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. The grant was awarded for the purpose of developing a strategic marketing campaign that would educate teens and their parents on the potential risks of binge drinking, promoting and supporting underage drinking, and the benefits of making healthy choices related to alcohol.
The statistics surrounding the small, affluent community of Darien, CT are astonishing. ONE in FOUR Darien residents are reported binge drinkers, the average Darien teen first tries alcohol at only 13.7 years old, and OVER HALF of Darien teens believe their parents approve of them drinking underage. Many parents are also unaware of the state's social hosting laws and the legal consequences that come along with them.
The "Our Darien" campaign launched February 1, 2017, consisting of a microsite, posters, postcards, media coverage, informative town events, and the launch of Facebook and Instagram pages where we would deploy eight weeks worth of promoted content. The campaign accrued town-wide support and gained attention on local, state and national levels, setting the bar for community awareness campaigns everywhere. "Our Darien" was selected in a highly competitive application process to be presented at the 30th National Prevention Conference in Anaheim, CA in September 2017.
