Building a Resilient Community
The Power of Prevention
About Us
Prevention and Resiliency Services, Inc. (PARS), is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation that has provided
prevention services in Shawnee County since 1965. The organization has undergone several name changes as the prevention industry has evolved. When PARS was initially incorporated, it was known as the Topeka Council on Alcoholism and then updated to National Council on Alcoholism, Kansas. The agency’s original focus was on increasing the understanding of alcoholism, its nature, and its treatment and decreasing the harms and incidence of alcoholism. In 1993 the name was changed to Shawnee Regional Prevention and Recovery Services to include other substances and alcohol. The name was changed one last time to Prevention and Resiliency Services Inc, also known as PARS, in 2020.
As issues have changed and knowledge has evolved, PARS has continually responded to emerging trends, research on the prevention of addiction, and how programs, practices, and policies influence individuals and the environment in which they live. Our programs and activities recognize that the individual, family, school, and community domains are interconnected, influencing substance use, school dropouts, violence, suicide, teen pregnancy, and other problem behaviors. PARS has a strong foundation of community, neighborhood, and school partnerships and is committed to evidence-based programming that educates, engages, and empowers our community to reduce substance use and create a more resilient community.
Key Values
- Evidence-based and researched-based strategies are effective in reducing substance abuse and crime.
- Community members play an essential role in preventing crime – it takes a community to impact change.
- We must be current with substance abuse and behavioral health trends and learn from our work with community members.
- To affect change within our community, we must partner with diverse stakeholders.
- We must employ multiple strategies to reach our target audience; this is critical to our work.
- Our community is defined by the people we serve.
Meet The Team
Mandy Czechanski
Executive Director
Lynn Smith
Community Prevention Consultant
Sarah Coats
Substance Abuse Counselor
Eric Tweedy
Communications Specialist
Haley Gil
Community Prevention Youth Coordinator
Meet The Board
Neb Cabrilo
President
CoreFirst Bank & Trust
Tracey Stratton
Vice-President
Advisors Excel
Sandie Bayless
Secretary
Evergy
Zachary Thompson
Treasurer
Mainstreet Credit Union
Aaron A Starr
Edward Jones
Brynn Mroz
Kansas Lawyers Assistance Program
Lt. Matt Danielson
Topeka Police Department
Mike Brozek
Blesk Consulting LLC
Navise Clark
Midland Care
Nicholas Casarona
Heartland Regional Alcohol and Drug Assessment Center
SFC Angel Romero
Stormont
Tana Griffith
Topeka Bar Association