PHOTOS BY JOHN FRYMAN / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
WILLIAMS COUNTY YOUTH LEADERSHIP COUNCIL … The Williams County Youth Leadership Council was represented from left, Hannah Martin, Lexa Wright, Olivia Kannel, and Sessley Burroughs all of Montpelier High School as they gave a presentation at the Regional Substance Use Prevention Breakfast held on Thursday, February 26 at the Northwest Ohio Educational Service Center in Archbold.
By: John Fryman
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
john@thevillagereporter.com
The annual Regional Substance Use Prevention Breakfast was held on Thursday, February 26 at the Northwest Ohio Educational Service Center.
Co-sponsored by Healthy Choices Caring Communities, Defiance County Drug Free Coalition, Henry County Health Partners, ECHO (Educating Communities on Healthy Opportunities), the Four County ADAMhs Board and Northwest Ohio Educational Service Center, the event also featured two main presentations along with youth perspective student presentations representing high schools in the four county area (Defiance, Fulton, Henry and Williams Counties).
The event was well-attended with representatives from law enforcement, school officials, social workers, and health partners within the four-county area in attendance for this annual event.
Maggie Lutterus, who is involved with the Prevention Action Alliance as an advocacy and public policy coordinator, gave a presentation on “From Issue to Impact: Building a Comprehensive Prevention Advocacy Plan.”
Lutterus spoke about how to advocate in which she used a starting point to create a ripple of meaningful change in the community.
Her presentation enabled the attendees to participate in several short group discussion sessions with a worksheet already provided regarding advocacy within the community.
One of the questions she asked the attendees to respond to was, “What is the problem, and what is the solution?”
She suggested they have to clearly define the issue with a proposed solution and how to explain it simply while preparing for a realistic solution or policy change.
In her final thought, Lutterus challenged the attendees by saying, “What is the one thing you are going to take away or incorporate into your advocacy efforts?”
Nicky Ferguson, who has served as a mental health liaison since 2024 for the Multi-Area Narcotics (MAN) Unit serving Defiance, Fulton, Henry, Paulding, Putnam and Williams Counties, gave the second presentation.
Ferguson noted that the MAN Unit, composed of various law enforcement agencies in the six-county area, covers about 2,500 square miles and a combined population of 199,020 citizens.
Ferguson also reported several drug-related seizure statistics from 2025, broken down by county.
-Cocaine: Defiance County recorded the highest cocaine seizure in the four-county area (155.4 grams) followed by Fulton County (11.2 grams), Henry County (4.0 grams) and Williams County (0.3 grams).
-Crack: Defiance County topped the list (198.1 grams) followed by Henry County (24.3 grams), and Williams County (1.1 grams). Statistics for Fulton County were unavailable.
-Fentanyl: Defiance County saw 24.7 grams seized, followed by Fulton County (2.0 grams) and Williams County (2.0 grams). Statistics for Henry County were unavailable.
-Marijuana: Defiance County recorded 2,336.8 grams, followed by Williams County (1,835.4 grams) and Fulton County (749.5 grams). Statistics for Henry County were unavailable.
-Methamphetamine: Henry County recorded 703.3 grams followed by Defiance County (426.3 grams), Williams County (212.3 grams), and Fulton County (170.9 grams).
The MAN Unit also handled a total of 50 non-fatal overdoses and six fatal overdoses in 2025.
“A fatal overdose loss is traumatic and it’s a very specific type of grief,” said Ferguson. “We are lucky in our four-county area to have grief and support group recovery services. To have local people who can help is a great thing in our community and not having them referred to another county.”
Youth Perspectives
The event concluded with presentations from students representing several area high schools.
-Patrick Henry Peer to Peer Group represented by Ashley Mullins, Gavin Schwiebert, Kelsey Schwiebert, and Mia Amador.
-Defiance County Leadership Council represented by Addie Thomas of Tinora High School.
-Fulton County Youth Advisory Council represented by Sophia Liggett of Evergreen High School and Haidyn Howard of Wauseon High School.
-Williams County Youth Leadership Council represented by Olivia Kannel, Hannah Martin, Lexa Wright and Sessley Burroughs representing Montpelier High School.
The Fulton County Youth Advisory Council (YAC) is a group of Fulton County youth grades 9-12 who are interested in making good choices, building relationships, and becoming a leader in their community. YAC is a youth-led prevention organization that promotes a safe substance-free atmosphere for youth, through the creation and implementation of projects. They meet monthly and learn how to communicate and collaborate to make a positive change in their local community.
The Williams County Youth Leadership Council (YLC) is a group of 9th-12th grade students representing six county high schools, Bryan, Edgerton, Edon, Hilltop, Montpelier and North Central.
The YLC empowers youth to lead prevention efforts through school-based programs, public education, and advocacy. Members develop leadership skills, engage with peers and adults, and represent youth perspectives at events and through policy discussions.
The YLC works collaboratively to shift attitudes and behaviors, promoting healthy choices across Williams County. Through youth-led action and adult support, the group fosters healthier schools and a more informed, prevention-minded community.
For more local news, see Tornado Watch Issued For Williams & Fulton Counties Until 11:00 p.m..