Bad News for Wayland Volunteer Group

Wayland Cares, a local volunteer organization dedicated to reducing substance abuse among teenagers, announced Thursday it would run out of money to operate by the end of September. 

In a statement, the group said it had lost bids for two separate grants it previously received. Come October, Wayland Cares will no longer officially operate in Wayland.

From October through April, “coalition volunteers will work to educate Wayland voters about the importance of Wayland Cares’ mission, and explain through outreach why Wayland Cares is a valuable community resource,” the statement reads.

Specifically, the town lost its bid to receive the federally funded Drug Free Community Grant. A separate federal grant was also not awarded to Wayland cares.

 “The DFC Grant program is highly competitive and the funding has been significantly reduced due to sequestration over the last five years. Of the 490 applications, only 150 grants were awarded for 2013,” the statement reads.

The announcement comes after previous efforts to assist the group. Town meeting voters in 2012 rejected, by 28 votes, awarding funds to the group, leaving grants as its only sources of money, according to the statement. Also, a town committee previously made recommendations on how the group could sustain itself.

The group is urging residents to educate themselves on its work and results by visiting waylandcares.org