NEWESD 101's Jessica Deutsch named the West Plains Safety Alliance’s 2026 Ally of the Year
Posted on 07/21/2026
NEWESD 101's Jessica Deutsch has been named the West Plains Safety Alliance’s 2026 Ally of the Year in recognition of her dedicated service to public safety, youth well-being and communities across the West Plains.
Jessica serves as coalition coordinator for TALK 2 Healthy Choices, a community substance-use prevention coalition serving Cheney and Airway Heights. Through education, collaboration and community action, the coalition works to reduce youth substance use and help young people make healthy, informed choices.
Jessica also leads Cheney High School’s High School Health Helpers youth coalition. The student group promotes healthy decision-making while supporting mental wellness, school engagement, positive family relationships and prosocial skills.
Her commitment to children and families spans more than two decades. Earlier in her career, Jessica coordinated volunteers for Communities In Schools of Spokane County and Cheney Public Schools. She also led the PrimeTime Mentoring program, which connected more than 500 students with positive adult role models and helped expand the organization’s reach from six schools in two districts to 35 schools across five districts.
A founding board member and secretary of the West Plains Safety Alliance, Jessica is known for quietly stepping forward wherever help is needed. Her colleagues describe her as a servant leader who readily gives her time, talents and resources to support others and advance the shared goal of creating safe, healthy communities where children can live, learn and play.