On Thursday, April 23, from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., the Evanston Substance Abuse Prevention (ESAP) Coalition will visit local retail liquor establishments to hang materials from the 2015 YOUR ACTIONS MATTER! Campaign, a statewide initiative sponsored by the Illinois Liquor Control Commission, to help prevent underage drinking.  Posters, cooler decals, bottle tags and coasters from the YOUR ACTIONS MATTER! Campaign will be distributed to several Evanston businesses to remind patrons of the risks involved with selling alcohol to minors or purchasing alcohol on their behalf. 

The ESAP Coalition’s mission is to increase the health of Evanston youth by preventing alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use through community-level strategies. Data collected from Evanston youth show that adult provision of alcohol for youth is a concern in the community. According to results from the 2014 Illinois Youth Survey, 59 percent of Evanston youth that drink alcohol obtain it from a knowing parent, another knowing adult, an older sibling, or a stranger. 

To help combat that statistic, Evanston businesses are participating in the YOUR ACTIONS MATTER! Campaign to help reduce the number of minors served. Businesses include D&D Finer Foods, Jewel-Osco on Chicago Ave., Evanston 1st Liquors, Vinic Wine Company, Food 4 Less, La Macchina, Bar Louie, Bat 17, Buffalo Joes, Dave’s Italian Kitchen, Fire House Grill, The Celtic Knot, Smylie Brothers Brewing Company, Tommy Nevin's and World of Beer. 

The ESAP Coalition would like to thank these businesses for their commitment to keep Evanston youth alcohol-free. Preventing underage drinking is a shared responsibility among adults, youth, law enforcement and retail stores alike. 

To learn out more about the YOUR ACTIONS MATTER! campaign, please contact the ESAP Coalition Coordinator Karen Finstad at esapc.coordinator@gmail.com or esapcoalition.org.    

The ESAP Coalition’s Alcohol Committee and its volunteers, include group members from the Evanston Police Department, Evanston Township High School, and the Music Institute of Chicago’s Institute for Therapy through the Arts