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Forty-One Years of Showing Up for Dallas.
CARE‑Dallas was founded in 1984 to confront rising alcohol and substance use in our community. Four decades later, the work has widened — into mental health, trauma, and the wellness of the adults who carry all of it.
Our History
Founded in 1984 to address rising substance and alcohol use, CARE-Dallas continues to grow, expanding its reach by offering education, support, and referrals. Recently celebrating 41 years, CARE continues to empower our youth and community by raising awareness about the dangers of underage drinking and substance use in Dallas.
Our Mission
Educate and empower the community to make informed decisions about alcohol and substance use, ultimately leading to a safer and healthier Dallas.
Our Vision
A DFW community where prevention is proactive, conversations about substance use and mental health are free of stigma, and every person can reach education, support, and harm reduction resources — including Narcan — when they need them.
WHAT WE ARE BUILT ON
Four Pillars
Everything CARE-Dallas does sits on one of these four.
Education
Teaching students, staff, and families what substances actually do — and how mental health works alongside them.
Awareness
Making the conversation visible and free of stigma, so people recognize what they are seeing early enough to act.
Resources
Putting real tools in real hands — Narcan, test kits, plain-language guides, and referrals that go somewhere.
Support
Standing with the students, families, and school staff carrying this, and staying with them past the first conversation.
A NOTE FROM OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
We Are Not Only a Drug Prevention Organization.
When people hear the name CARE, they usually think of one thing: drugs. And for four decades, prevention education around alcohol and substance use has been at the center of what we do. But that has never been the whole story, and it hasn’t been for a long time.
The students we sit with are rarely dealing with a substance problem alone. There’s anxiety underneath it. Grief. A home that isn’t safe. A phone that never stops. And the teachers, counselors, and campus staff who show up for those students every day are carrying their own weight too — most of them without ever having been trained for any of it.
So CARE has grown into the space our community actually needs. We still run SoberU. We still hand Narcan to anyone who asks, at no cost and with no questions. But we also train school staff in trauma-informed care, in de-escalation, in recognizing burnout in the person sitting across the hall. We keep a plain-language library of what these substances actually are, so a parent doesn’t have to guess. And when someone needs more help than we can give, we connect them to people who can.
Our 16-week professional development and wellness program is the clearest picture of where we’re headed. It exists because a school district was willing to say out loud that supporting students begins with supporting the adults who serve them. I would like every district in North Texas to be able to say the same thing.
So if you’re a parent trying to make sense of what you’re looking at, a principal who knows your staff is running on empty, or someone who just wants Narcan in the glovebox — call us. That is what we are here for. Nobody in Dallas should have to figure this out alone.
Clint Carlton
Executive Director, CARE-Dallas
What CARE‑Dallas Does
Nine lines of work, one purpose: get people accurate information and real support before a hard situation becomes a crisis.
Age-appropriate prevention programming for K–12 campuses across the Dallas area.
School Assemblies
Free four-session prevention education for young adults, open to anyone regardless of age or background.
SoberU Classes
Awareness campaigns, parent education, and partnerships with districts, churches, and civic groups.
Community Outreach
Professional Development
Training for educators, counselors, administrators, and support staff — substance use, mental health, and wellness.
Free Narcan Distribution
Life-saving naloxone for anyone who needs it, plus group training on how to use it.
Referrals & Resources
Warm hand-offs to counseling, treatment, and recovery support when someone needs more than education.
Practical, judgment-free sessions on what keeps people alive while they work toward change.
Harm Reduction Seminars
Free kits for families and individuals seeking safety, prevention, and peace of mind.
Drug Screening & Test Kits
Student Ambassadors, summer internships, and scholarships that put prevention in students’ own hands.
Youth Leadership
