This session will cover the efforts of both the Elevate Communities Project and the Washington County Heroin Task Force to create systemic change at both the state and local levels, and how attendees can take the same principles back to their own communities. The Elevate Communities Project is a school-community partnership, formed with the idea that local problems need local solutions. Attendees will learn how to engage community stakeholders in the Strategic Prevention Framework to create systemic change. The Washington County Heroin Task Force holds an annual Legislative Breakfast and a Breakfast with the Board, which over time has led to local and statewide policy changes surrounding AODA prevention and intervention. Attendees will learn to utilize strategies to educate local, state and federal elected officials to leverage the knowledge that will create lasting policy change.