About LaPlace Gives

The LaPlace Gives Coalition (LGC) is a community-anchored prevention coalition founded in 2019 by parents and community leaders in response to rising youth vaping and underage alcohol access across LaPlace and St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana. The coalition reached a major milestone by securing funding through the federal Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program, an initiative administered through a partnership involving the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Operating as a permanent community oversight body, LGC leverages this federal award to partner with local school systems, law enforcement, municipal leadership, and public health entities to establish a robust primary prevention infrastructure across the parish.

With the attainment of the DFC grant, LGC executes its operational plan through a contracted partner agency management model, collaborating with Public Health Research Solutions (PHiRSt) for evaluation, data collection, and federal reporting compliance. The grant supports a comprehensive suite of evidence-based strategies—including merchant age-verification outreach, parent education on social hosting and adolescent brain science, youth and resident advisory groups, and policy advocacy trips to Baton Rouge. By integrating local core measure data with regional health networks and state health plans, LGC utilizes its ONDCP/CDC-backed funding to dismantle health disparities and construct a permanent protective safety net for local youth.

Mission: To prevent underage substance use throughout LaPlace and Saint John the Baptist Parish. 

Core Location: The primary service area is LaPlace and St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana. Located about 25 miles west of New Orleans along the Mississippi River, LaPlace acts as a major population hub and regional crossroads between Baton Rouge and New Orleans.

Local Identity: Known as the "Andouille Capital of the World," the area has strong agricultural roots and rich Cajun culinary heritage.

Target ZIP Codes: The coalition serves ZIP codes 70068, 70084, 70090, 70449, 70049, 70051, 70076, and 70069.