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The Wilmington community gathered Monday night to celebrate a year of working together to create a healthy community at an open house at the Wilmington City Hall.

The "Coalition for a Healthy Community," has enjoyed the support of the city council, the police department, the schools and the residents, member Paula Ekstrom said. "It's been a really great response."

The group grew out of a series of community forums focusing on drug and alcohol addiction, including heroin. In the fall of 2006, a series of meetings were held after law enforcement officials determined heroin use was a growing problem in Wilmington.

Karleigh Cherveny, 16, was one of a group of teens representing Wilmington High School's Teens Against Tobacco Use. They present skits highlighting the pressures teen encounter.

Amy Kerulis, 16, another teen from the group, said that each weekend students face the challenge of parties where drinking or drugs might be encountered.

One initiative undertaken within the last year is the Safe Homes program. So far, 150 students have had parents sign pledges to only host drug and alcohol free parities.

Wilmington High School senior Pat Lacey said the goal is to learn "about other options." One goal identified by the teens would be a place for young people to gather.

Ally Cherveny, a senior, said "drinking and drugs are very available and very common." It would be good for the town to have a "youth center where teenagers could go," she said.

Success stories

The founding of a Family Anonymous program held each week at the Wilmington Public Library, and work on a directory of community resources were among the successes of the Coalition cited by chair Mary Soucie, director of the Wilmington Public Library.

Families Anonymous is a group of concerned relatives and friends whose lives have been adversely affected by a loved one's additions to alcohol or drugs. The meetings are held on Thursdays from 6 to 7 p.m., at the library, 201 S. Kankakee Street.

During the open house, the group recognized its many volunteers.

Darla Neises is working with the Coalition for A Healthy Community through the Americorps Vista program. Other supporting organizations include the Wilmington Public Library District, Education Service Network and the Illinois Coalition for Community Services.

"It's important that the people in this town know this is going on. This is needed in every small town," Wilmington Alderman Russ Gilmour said. "The city is 100 percent behind this. The council accepted this whole heartedly."

'Start with kids'

"It's for the kids and that is where it has to start, with the kids," said Will County Board member Debbie Rozak of Custer Park. "I can't say enough good about it.

"Whenever you can help children, how can you go wrong? In fighting the war on drugs, we need to do everything we can."

Police Chief Wally Evans said the year long program has "really brought the community together. The kids are involved at the schools."

Denise Issert of the Mar Theatre is working with the city to create a program for random drug testing of employees. "We hope a majority of employers in town will participate," she said.

As a parent, she said, she would want her child working and visiting a business that promotes the testing.

Alderman Jonathan Mietzner said the program is important simply because "there are families that are hurting that maybe don't know where to go."

The Healthy Communities Coalition is a community resource that can help, he said. Residents can "look at this group as a resource that they can go to and get the help, whichever direction is needed."

The group's hard work and determination is what has made the success, he said. The old term is "grassroots -- that's really what it was."

Will County Circuit Court Judge Raymond Nash said that as the former chief of the criminal division and chief of the gang crimes unit for the state's attorney office, he's seen plenty of hardship caused by abuse. The effort in Wilmington materialized because the community said it wanted to work on the problem: "The wonderful thing is that nobody in this community is in denial."