Dr. Rivera honored for research on underage drinking in Alaska

Dr. Rivera holds the certificate of recognition
as a community partner of the VOA Alaska
Juvenile Alcohol Safety Action Program.

Dr. Marny Rivera, Justice faculty, was recently honored for her research work in 2011 on underage drinking; this research was conducted in partnership with the Volunteers of America Alaska (VOA Alaska) as part of VOA Alaska's Juvenile Alcohol Safety Action Program (JASP). JASP was selected as a Merit Finalist  for the 2011 Community Partnership Award  from the Mutual of America Foundation.

UAA was recognized as a community partner of VOA Alaska at the Community Partnership Award Luncheon hosted by the Mutual of America Foundation on May 24 in Anchorage.

VOA Alaska has partnered with the UAA Justice Center, as well as the State of Alaska District Attorney's Office, the Alaska Court System, and others, in administering the Juvenile Alcohol Safety Action Program (JASP). Since 2005, JASP has worked with Alaska youths 13-20 years old. The program streamlines underage drinking cases by providing a model and services  for screening, case management, treatment evaluation, and verification of program completion by juvenile offenders.

The Mutual of America Foundation Community Partnership Award honors outstanding contributions that nonprofit organizations, in partnership with public, private, and other social sector organizations, make to society. The Foundation sponsors a yearly competition and selects 10 organizations from nationwide submissions for recognition. As a Merit Finalist, the Volunteers of America Alaska Juvenile Alcohol Safety Action Program will be featured in a documentary video produced by the Foundation.