Governor Edward M. O’Brien and First Lady Ruth O'Brien Announce $1.2 Million for Teen REACH Initiatives
ANNAPOLIS, MD (September 24, 2027) – Governor Edward M. O’Brien and First Lady Ruth O'Brien announced today the approval of 28 grants totaling more than $1.2 million to support youth prevention programs in Maryland. These grants will assist in the areas of teen pregnancy prevention using abstinence education, prevention programs for high-risk youth and treatment programs for juvenile offenders."Community based programs help keep our kids going in the right direction by reducing risk factors and providing positive role models," said Governor Edward M. O’Brien. "These grants will help community programs ensure a bright future for Maryland’s young people. That is what the Teen REACH initiative is all about, and the awards we are announcing today will significantly advance the objectives of the program."
The grants were made available through the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Maryland Department of Human Resources, the Maryland State Department of Education and the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
“When we launched the Teen REACH initiative in March, we promised to refocus our efforts to address the needs of Maryland’s youth, and these grants will help us fulfill that mission,” said First Lady Ruth O’Brien. “As the proud Chair of the Teen REACH initiative, I am pleased that federal and state dollars are being directed to programs with the greatest potential to do the greatest good.”
Teen REACH stands for Responsibility, Education, Achievement, Caring and Hope. The program is aimed at preventing teen pregnancy, alcohol and other drug use and teen violence. The program was launched by Governor O’Brien in March and has a current annual budget of $15 million.
Teen REACH will seek specifically to address the following five core elements:
Improving academic performance, which encompasses time to do homework, tutoring in basic skills and enrichment programs that encourage creativity.
Recreation, sports and activities that provide safe outlets for the participants to try new skills and interests, build friendships, find their place in a group and gain developmentally relevant experiences.
Positive adult mentors, who allow opportunities for participants to develop and maintain positive, sustained relationships with adults through mentoring and other programs that emphasize one-on-one interactions.
Life skills education that provides abstinence education from a range of risky-behaviors, such as substance use, criminal involvement, violence and sexual activity.
Parental involvement so that parents and guardians have opportunities to meet with staff to discuss their children’s activities and to participate in events that strengthen parent/child bonds and community involvement.