CONLEY DELIVERS $7k IN SEIZED DRUG MONEY TO YOUTH GROUPS IN CHELSEA, DORCHESTER March 6, 2008 Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley yesterday delivered two checks totaling $7,000 to youth groups in Chelsea and Dorchester, turning seized drug money into positive opportunities for teens in both communities. The checks, part of Conley’s annual Asset Forfeiture Reinvestment Program, were delivered to the Improbable Players, an educational performance troupe that uses theater to teach about and prevent substance abuse among teens, and the Dorchester Youth Collaborative, a non-profit agency that serves some of Boston’s most at-risk youth. “The non-profit agencies that serve Suffolk County’s young people operate on tight budgets to keep those kids safe and healthy,” Conley said. “Their work is so important, so valuable, that I’m honored to support it.” At a lunchtime presentation yesterday at Chelsea’s Clark Avenue Middle School, Conley presented Principal Linda Breau and Lynne Bratley, founder and artistic director of the Improbable Players, with a check for $3,000 that will go toward a series of performances with and for area teens. The Improbable Players regularly engage young people with interactive discussions on substance abuse, addiction, dating violence, and other real-life topics. Late yesterday afternoon, Conley presented a $4,000 check to Emmett Folgert, executive director of the Dorchester Youth Collaborative, and about a dozen young participants. The DYC has worked with at-risk Boston youth for more than 25 years, diverting them from drugs and violence while promoting health and safety. A part of the money is earmarked for a drug abuse prevention program targeting younger members of Dorchester’s Asian community. State law allows the return of up to 10% of cash and assets seized during narcotics investigations to the community’s jurisdiction. Each year, Conley’s office invites non-profit organizations from across Boston Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop to apply for free cash grants drawn from those funds. Conley will deliver $50,000 in seized drug money to youth groups this year – the same amount as last year and $32,500 more than those distributed in the first round of reinvestment grants 15 years ago. “They’re heroes,” Conley said of Folgert, Bratley, Breau, and the youth who joined them. “It’s a pleasure to work with and support them.” Return to the Press Releases page.