Grant Funding Expands Officer Training and Youth Outreach Across Volusia County
VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — L.E.A.D. — Law Enforcement Against Drugs & Violence — has received a Volusia County Opioid Abatement Award to support prevention education and youth-focused community awareness efforts across Volusia County.
Through partnerships with local law enforcement agencies, schools and youth organizations, L.E.A.D. provides a science-guided, life-skills-focused program designed to help students build decision-making skills, navigate peer pressure and make healthier choices.
The grant funds have helped L.E.A.D. continue its mission of community awareness and prevention education across Volusia County.
In the wake of the nation’s opioid crisis, many governmental entities throughout the U.S. filed lawsuits against opioid manufacturers, distributors and retailers, holding them accountable for the damage caused and to recover monetary damages for past harms and future abatement efforts. The Volusia County Opioid Abatement Funding Advisory Board was established to fund services and programs aimed at preventing addiction in the future.
The Board chose L.E.A.D. as an abatement grant recipient, and the funding enabled L.E.A.D. to host three 2025 training sessions in New Smyrna Beach and Holly Hill. The New Smyrna Beach and Daytona Beach police departments and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Volusia and Flagler Counties have now implemented the L.E.A.D. curriculum, and representatives from multiple agencies participated in the training.
“This award helps us strengthen prevention where it matters most — in the places kids already learn and grow. With strong local partners, we can reach more young people with practical skills they can use in real life.”— Julie Ann Zeigler, Regional Director and Executive Vice President of Programs, L.E.A.D.
The funding will support an expansion of prevention education in schools and youth-serving settings, training and implementation with local partner agencies, and community awareness efforts to reinforce prevention messaging.
The grant allowed New Smyrna Beach Police to continue and expand their existing L.E.A.D. program. Both Daytona Beach Police and the Boys & Girls Clubs are new L.E.A.D. partners. Law enforcement officers from across Volusia County and beyond, as well as Boys & Girls Club staff, joined training sessions in August.
“Grants like the Volusia County Opioid Abatement Award are instrumental in our efforts to spread our message across municipal, county and state borders. Our message resonates with law enforcement professionals and the students they encounter, and funding like this helps us to amplify that message and achieve our mission.”— Nick DeMauro, Executive Director & CEO, L.E.A.D.
IMPACT IN SCHOOLS
Since the training sessions, the New Smyrna Beach Police have introduced 756 students in grades two through eight to L.E.A.D.’s prevention efforts, and the Daytona Beach Police have reached more than 130 students in grades five and six.
New Smyrna Beach Police have helped to train School Resource Officers (SROs) serving at six local schools: Read Pattillo Elementary, Coronado Elementary, Chisholm Elementary, New Smyrna Beach Middle, Sacred Heart Catholic School, and Bethel Christian Academy. Daytona Beach Police have trained SROs from Champion Elementary and David C. Hinson Middle School.
EXPANDING OFFICER TRAINING
The New Smyrna Beach sessions trained 30 law enforcement officers from agencies across the county, including Mount Dora and the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, as well as agencies from outside Volusia County, including the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office and Windermere Police. Two out-of-state officers also attended, from the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office (Kentucky) and the Inver Grove Heights Police Department (Minnesota).
“Our relationship with L.E.A.D. has been a steady and reliable part of our youth prevention efforts. This funding helps us maintain that partnership, support additional grade levels, and provide students with the resources they need to fully engage in the program. The Opioid Abatement Award provides essential funding that continues this support through the Police Department’s Youth Explorer Camp summer program, enabling us to offer valuable leadership, teamwork, and community awareness activities for elementary-aged children, which further supports the relationship with L.E.A.D.”— Capt. Jason Reve, Support Services, New Smyrna Beach Police Department
BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF VOLUSIA/FLAGLER COUNTIES
Thanks to the grant funding, the Boys & Girls Club has introduced L.E.A.D. to members in seven club locations — DeLand, Lake Helen, Deltona, Edgewater, New Smyrna Beach, Daytona Beach and Holly Hill — across Volusia County, reaching approximately 120 fourth and fifth graders and 80 sixth and seventh-grade students. By the end of the 2025–26 school year, the Boys & Girls Club hopes to introduce L.E.A.D. to more than 300 student-members.
“These opioid abatement funds are critically important to our mission, as they allow us to expand prevention, education, and early intervention efforts that directly support the youth and families we serve across Volusia County. Our partnership with L.E.A.D. strengthens our ability to address substance misuse proactively, equipping young people with knowledge, resilience, and positive alternatives before they ever face crisis. We are deeply grateful for this continued collaboration and the shared commitment to building safer, healthier communities.”— Camesha Whittaker Samuel, Ph.D., CEO, Boys and Girls Clubs of Volusia/Flagler Counties
Photo Caption: Thanks to the Volusia County Opioid Abatement Award, the Boys & Girls Club has introduced L.E.A.D. to members in seven club locations — DeLand, Lake Helen, Deltona, Edgewater, New Smyrna Beach, Daytona Beach and Holly Hill — across Volusia County.