Safe and Sober targets nationwide expansion

It's been a year of expansion for Safe and Sober Inc., and the Springfield-based nonprofit has nationwide growth plans in the works.

Jill Finney, the nonprofit's executive director since January, said the drugs and alcohol youth education program first expanded beyond Missouri late last year, when Florida and Texas schools signed on for the initiative. The program since has added schools in seven states: Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Dakota and, most recently, Alaska and Georgia in April, she said.

"Ultimately, we’d like to have schools in all 50 states using the Safe and Sober program," Finney said via email, noting a timeline for the goal has not been set.

Finney said the current goal is raising funds to provide its services to schools.

"It costs about $1,000 to deliver the program to one school," she said. "Last year, we served 476 schools – that amounts to nearly half a million dollars in just program costs."

With an operational budget of roughly $550,000, Safe and Sober works with youth to educate them about the dangers of drugs and alcohol. The nonprofit has two full-time staff members and one part-time intern, Finney said.

Safe and Sober has scheduled an Oct. 20 virtual fundraiser to support its expansion plans. Dubbed The Mystery HourS, the fundraiser is slated to be emceed by Jeff Houghton, host of Springfield late-night talk show “The Mystery Hour," according to a news release.

Nonprofit officials say growth has been organic amid the coronavirus pandemic, as the program was able to be transitioned to a virtual experience.

“Safe and Sober has grown and developed during the last 15 years, but significant growth has taken place in the last six months,” said Kurt Larson, the nonprofit's founder, in the release. “When a global pandemic shut down schools, we were able to deliver virtual content across the country.”