The Van Buren County SAFE Coalition came together originally in 1993, after the floods, as a way to get community members together to work on a specific issue. This group was organized to assist with flood efforts and clean-up after the flood. The group met sporadically over the next few years. It was not until December of 2002 that the group became organized. There were 11 members at the first organized meeting, and the group has now grown to over 45 members. The SAFE Coalition became certified as a SAFE community on February 16th, 2004. Their efforts have been primarily focused on Drugs, Alcohol, Tobacco, and Domestic Violence, and this remains the focus today. The SAFE Coalition was recertified on July 21st, 2007. Their certification is good for 3 years with the Iowa Department of Public Health. On June 11th, 2010 the SAFE Coalition submitted their application for a one-year re-certification based on their Drug Free Communities workplan. This application was accepted and the coalition will be certified again until June 11th 2011.
