The mission of the Burlington Healthy Community Coalition (BHCC) is to support and promote healthy environments and opportunities for all youth to gain skills and receive positive recognition in order to prevent and reduce youth substance use.

The BHCC is a partnership of schools, families, and community members representing the diversity of the broader Burlington area. BHCC was first established in 1985 with a group of parents and Burlington-Edison School District members convening to create a safe and drug-free community. Today, a core group of members has maintained BHCC to continue its 35-year history as the hub that links stakeholders and resources to youth and families throughout the school district.

When youth perception is that adults only notice them if they do something wrong, we need to do better. BHCC saw an opportunity to do just that and created the annual Citizenship Awards for 8th-grade students. This award recognizes and celebrates 8th-grade students whose attitudes and contributions make a positive impact in their classroom and among their peers. Each year, recipients of this award are added to a perpetual plaque that hangs in the hallway of their school and receive a $25 gift card. 

Additionally, BHCC supports after-school clubs at B-EHS, such as Varsity in Volunteerism, an after-school activity to match students with community-based organizations to provide volunteer opportunities & and job skills training by completing 100 hours of service.

We also support the after-school club, Tiger CLAWS (Community Leaders Advocating for Wellness & Safety), created by B-EHS students at the end of the 2022/2023 school year. Tiger CLAWS club members, alongside BHCC Program Coordinator Käaren Flint and B-EHS District Nurse & BHCC President Tessa McIlraith, MN, BSN, RN, focus on creating a drug-free school campus and creating substance-free safe spaces that are safe, healthy, and fun for all teens in our area.