BOSTON, Jan. 31, 2014—Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley this week delivered more than $10,000 in seized drug money to Boston non-profit groups that help the city’s youth stay away from drugs, gangs, and risky behavior.
As part of his annual Asset Forfeiture Community Reinvestment Program, Conley visited Project RIGHT in Dorchester, the Laboure Center in South Boston, and the Hull Lifesaving Museum in South Boston on Monday, presenting youth workers with a total of $11,500 in cash grants representing assets seized during Suffolk County narcotics trafficking prosecutions.
Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley (in suit) presents a check for $4000 in seized drug money to Sue Heilman (in blue scarf), interim director of the Hull Lifesaving Museum in South Boston, which offers the Maritime Apprentice Program to at-risk, inner-city youth seeking to improve their lives through a challenging but rewarding trade.
“As prosecutors, we do important work in court, but we’re just as active out in the community, too,” Conley said. “Providing young people with good role models and healthy life choices is just as important as removing violent offenders from their communities. We’re showing kids and teens that this is a big city with countless opportunities to succeed if you work hard and stay out of trouble.”
Conley presented a check for $4,000 to the Hull Lifesaving Museum’s Maritime Apprentice Program, which offers at-risk youth from Dorchester, Roxbury, and Hyde Park an opportunity to learn a trade while achieving goals and meeting adult responsibilities. In addition to receiving counseling, program participants engage in the construction, restoration, and handling of boats; learn CPR and OSHA safety regulations; study marine plumbing, rigging, and welding; and become stakeholders in Massachusetts’ maritime history.
Suffolk County DA Dan Conley donates $4000 in seized drug money to Project RIGHT (Rebuild and Improve Grove Hall Together). With Community Coordinator Michael Kozu (left) and Executive Director Jorge Martinez (right), Conley affirmed his support for one of Boston’s most effective anti-violence and community-advocacy groups.
Conley presented a second $4,000 check to Project RIGHT (Rebuild and Improve Grove Hall Together), a long-time community improvement organization that works with dozens of public and private agencies to reduce violence and encourage success for individuals and the neighborhood. The funds will help expand the Peer Educator program, which helps successful community members – especially younger ones – build positive relationships with disconnected youth.
District Attorney Dan Conley presents a check for $3500 in seized drug money to the staff of the Laboure Center in South Boston to help fund a program that supports the children and other family members of adults in substance abuse recovery.
Finally, Conley presented a $3,500 check to the Laboure Center to help fund the organization’s Recovering Connections initiative. The initiative offers support services to children and other family members of adults in substance abuse recovery, easing the stress and burdens on both the recovering substance abuser and the family members who want to see them succeed.
Groups across Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop will split about $50,000 in cash awards this year at no cost to taxpayers: every cent comes from assets seized during drug trafficking prosecutions. State auditors last year reviewed the process in Suffolk County and gave it high marks for turning “the profits of crime into something positive for the community” while carefully documenting all forfeiture-related income and expenditures.
The annual grant process begins in the summer, with application forms available on the Suffolk DA’s website: http://www.suffolkdistrictattorney.com/partnerships-and-prevention/asset-forfeiture-reinvestment-program/. Awards are typically distributed in the winter.
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