The largest volunteer drug awareness program in the United States
Prevention powered by people who care
The Elks are committed to eliminating the use and abuse of illegal drugs by all members of society and believe that in order to ensure a bright future for our country, it is essential that our children be raised in a drug-free environment.
Welcome to the resource center for the Elks National Drug Awareness Program - the largest volunteer drug awareness program in the United States. We are very proud of our dedicated army of volunteers who freely give their time and talents to this most noble cause.
The Elks are committed to eliminating the use and abuse of illegal drugs by all members of society and believe that in order to ensure a bright future for our country, it is essential that our children be raised in a drug-free environment.
As a 150-year-old organization, the Elks are 100% inclusive with a membership of over 1 million diverse men and women in over 2,000 Lodges nationally, and while they consider themselves faith based, they are nondenominational and open to all creeds. The Elks have always prided themselves on civic duty, and the Elks DAP program is the nation's largest all volunteer Kids Drug & Alcohol Use Prevention program. The Elks are also strong supporters of our brave men and women in the military, having built and donated the nation's first VA Hospital to the U.S. government. The Elks have donated more than $3.6 billion in cash, goods, and services to enrich the lives of millions of people!
A Little About Our History
During the 1980s, America was in the middle of an illicit drug epidemic that was growing seemingly unchecked. That is when the Elks introduced the DAP, reaching hundreds of millions of youth and parents, educators, and the community. The first Program Chairman was a retired Navy veteran and Elk from Ashland, Oregon. In its early years, DAP counted success by volume of educational material distributed. Yet still today we offer these life-saving resources free of charge.
Expanding Reach
By the end of the 1980s, the Elks DAP had already reached over 1.54 million youths. In just the last two years, our educational videos and outreach programs alone have reached over 27 million viewers. The Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 marked the Elks' participation in a White House Conference for a Drug-Free America. President Reagan even acknowledged the DAP's important work in his welcoming speech at the 1988 Grand Lodge Convention.
New Alliances
As times changed, so did the leadership. Under the guidance of Director Kent Gade, new alliances forged with nationally recognized organizations and government departments placed the Elks in a leading role in drug education policy and action.
The New Millennium: Evolving the Program
Moving into the new millennium, the Elks DAP continued to expand its program to include essay and poster contests, adding a video contest. We formed partnerships with other organizations and professionals in the drug education arena.
Leveraging Technology
Recognizing its need to communicate with today's youth through today's medium, the Elks DAP diversified its online presence. We partnered with MARVEL Entertainment to create educational comic books, and we even secured free ad space on ABC's marquee in Times Square.
Collaboration with the DEA
This has led us to have a very good working relationship with the Drug Enforcement Agency, being active participants of their bi-semester Drug Take-Back programs, among other community-centered initiatives. Our work with the DEA has also produced several award-winning videos.
Speaker Programs
In addition to hard-core material, we've produced a speaking tour with Ray Lozano, the country's best speaker, at Prevention Plus. Our speakers quickly transitioned to webinars when COVID19 ended inperson events.
Conclusion
We have lots more to do, but our dedicated membership and partners keep us moving forward to educate the nation about the perils of drug abuse. We face the future with optimism, promising to meet the challenges ahead.