A newly formed coalition in Carpentersville will hold its first communitywide meeting Thursday, Oct. 13, to attack head-on the growing problem of teen substance abuse.

The Carpentersville Police Department announced in a Friday news release that it has joined forces with Renz Addiction Counseling Center and JA2SOON to form the Carpentersville Substance Abuse Prevention Community Coalition in an effort address what officials are calling “one of the major issues affecting our youth.”

The communitywide meeting will be held at 8:30 p.m. Thursday at the Carpentersville Public Works Building, 1075 Tamarac Drive. Community members, parents, agency providers — especially those who work directly with 11- to 18-year-olds — and those who share a strong interest in the topic of substance abuse prevention are invited to attend.

Those interested in attending the meeting should RSVP to Ricardo Gasca at rgasca@renzcenter.org.

Carpentersville Police Chief Michael Kilbourne said the coalition’s purpose is to provide potentially troubled youth with the resources they need to grow up into healthy, functioning members of society.

“The Carpentersville Police Department is eager to work with the Renz Addiction Center and JA2SOON to form a coalition made up of community members, agency providers, parents, business owners and other government agencies to bring resources and ideas to our community to address the issue of substance abuse prevention,” he said.

JA2SOON Founder Terri Dudar said hard issues like substance abuse can be addressed effectively if the community understands the issue and takes action.