Heidi Bainbridge

“My goal is to make the community in which I live one that I am proud of, that is a safe and healthy environment for children and families. I want this not only for my children but all children who live in this community as well as my grandchildren and great grandchildren to come. I work hard to reach this goal by reducing youth access to drugs, alcohol and tobacco through the work of the Van Buren County SAFE Coalition. The coalition has seen success over the past 10 years with the reduction of both alcohol and tobacco use by youth. The coalition would not have seen these successes if it was not for CADCA. The SAFE Coalition has utilized the Institute for a wide range of training and technical assistance and is grateful for all this organization has provided. It is an honor to be a part of the Coalition Advisory Committee to continue to improve and enhance what makes CADCA great!” 

Heidi Bainbridge is the current Coalition Coordinator for the Van Buren County SAFE Coalition in Keosauqua, Iowa. She has been a part of the SAFE coalition since 2003 when she began as a volunteer. She then became a part-time assistant in 2005 before moving into her current role as the coordinator for the organization and the Project Director for the Drug Free Communities Support Program Grant in 2006. The coalition has seen many successes over the last 5 years after they received the Drug Free Communities Grant. Coalition successes include items such as a Keg Registration in the county prior to the state making this a law. The coalition has worked closely with the local law enforcement to implement semi-annual compliance checks and a policy that guides the process for these checks, along with a training program for merchants. The coalition with the guidance of Mrs. Bainbridge has worked closely with the local school district to implement a revised code of conduct for all students involved in extracurricular activities that went into effect at the start of the 2011/12 school year.  In February, 2011 the coalition was honored with CADCA’s Got Outcomes Coalition of the Year Award.

Mrs. Bainbridge has provided presentations at the Iowa Governors Volunteer Conference on volunteer retention, Iowa’s Alliance of Coalitions for Change Retreat on engaging parents and coalition marketing materials. She has spoken as a year 6 panelists for the Drug Free Communities New Grantee Training and as a coalition expert during a session on merging state, local and federal partners. Most recently, she presented at CADCA’s Midyear on Coalition Consideration for Rural Settings with Carlton Hall. As a board member for the Iowa Alliance of Coalitions for Change and the Training and Resources Chairman she has organized and facilitated trainings for coalitions across Iowa at the state level. Mrs. Bainbridge is an IC&RC board Certified Prevention Specialist with a BS in Exercise Science and Wellness from Iowa Wesleyan College and is currently pursuing her masters in Prevention Science through the University of Oklahoma.