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High schools helping hungry students

Seen in: The Post Star
Story by: Bill Toscano

 

Two area high schools are setting up facilities to allow students to obtain food and health supplies at no cost.

School officials in Whitehall and South Glens Falls are pursuing the idea, though both schools are avoiding the use of the phrase “food pantry” because of its stigma.

“We are going to call it ‘The Country Cupboard’ and it will have a separate entrance so it is not that visible,” said Deb Mackey, food services director at Whitehall schools, who helped develop the idea along with her staff.

“It’s a marvelous program,” said Whitehall Superintendent Patrick Dee. “Deb Mackey is a heck of a lady and she and her staff came up with this idea. I think it’s just spectacular.”

Mackey, who is new to Whitehall, said she and her staff had heard students telling them that they did not have enough food, especially on the weekends, and decided to pursue the program.

Community effort
In South Glens Falls, the outreach is a combined effort of a high school club and the Moreau Community Center.

In both cases, the focus is on high school students.

Many school districts, including Whitehall and South Glens Falls, have backpack programs for younger students in the lower grades on weekends and holidays, and those do include food for the whole family.

But there has been no specific focus on the high schools in the backpack programs.

At South Glens Falls, Michelle Smallwood, who coordinates a class and a club called Reconnecting Youth for the Prevention Council, started running a drug and alcohol prevention class.

“Mrs. Smallwood and her club have shown a tremendous amount of initiative and compassion in thinking of our students who are struggling to have basic needs met,” South High Principal Peter Mody said of the Weekend Bridge Food Pantry, which is located in the office area of the school. “This is part of the South Glens Falls culture — to act directly in support of others who are in need.”

The Reconnecting Youth class has been running at South High for 14 years, and this is Smallwood’s first year as its teacher. One of the first things she did was organize a club to follow up on issues discussed in the class, which focuses on self-esteem and helping the community.

Sophomore Danka Henderson and freshman Nick Matrazzo are co-presidents, and other members include freshman Dylan Greco and senior Hayley Bills.

“At the beginning of the year, we were brainstorming ideas and a food pantry was one of the first ideas,” Matrazzo said.

The program will start at the high school and then expand to the middle school. South Glens Falls elementary schools already have weekend backpack programs.

“I thought it was awesome that everyone was so willing to help the community,” Henderson said.

Bills agreed.

“It really has shown me that we are South Glens Falls and it brings out the caring in South Glens Falls in more ways,” she said.

Hannaford supermarkets has already donated 30 food boxes, and Smallwood said the school is looking for more partners.

“We want to be building partnerships,” Smallwood said. “It’s really important for our students to be doing that. We definitely want to build it up and be able to maintain the pantry.”

At SUNY Adirondack, Yasmin Lopez, director of SUNY Adirondack’s Community Hub, saw a need as well. At the end of October, the college opened its Community Food Source in the Student Center.

The college’s Food Source is open to any students and there is no charge.

 

Media must tell the truth about gambling

Seen in: The Daily Gazette

October 5, 2017

Letter to the Editor:

I currently work for The Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention Council of Saratoga County as the youth outreach coordinator, partnering with the New York Council on Problem Gambling on the You(th) Decide Project. I’m writing to express my concern regarding media literacy.

Despite the fact that gambling is illegal for anyone under the age of 18, approximately 68 percent of American youth between the ages of 14 and 21 report having gambled in the last year.

Media could be one of the reasons why so many kids are gambling. Media is all around us. We receive messages through television, radio, billboards, print publications, the internet and many other ways.

Gambling is usually shown as exciting, fun and a way to financial freedom, while stories of gambling addiction and related loss of large sums of money, jobs and relationships too often go untold.

When you are watching a movie or TV show, looking at a magazine or website, pay close attention to the messages that are being sent. Who are they targeting? What are they trying to entice that person to do or to buy? Are the messages realistic? Are they telling you the whole story?

Know all the facts before you decide.

Kara James

Saratoga Springs

Saratoga Springs, Schenectady remember addiction victims

Seen in: The Daily Gazzette
Story by: Ned Campbell
Link to full article: https://dailygazette.com/article/2017/08/31/what-s-happening-thursday-aug-31

 

SARATOGA SPRINGS AND SCHENECTADY — Death from a drug overdose is not a natural death. It’s whispered about. It generally isn’t reflected in an obituary, Maureen Provost said Thursday to a somber crowd at Congress Park in Saratoga Springs.

“This can make the loved one’s passing even more heart-wrenching because it may be difficult to be honest about their death,” said Provost, whose son, Dan, was 23 when he died of a heroin overdose in 2014. “We are here tonight to show our support for those lost as a result of addiction and to support one another following those losses. To show our families and community that their lives mattered. That despite their demons of addiction, they were loving and caring family members, goofy and funny friends, helping and compassionate neighbors and contributing co-workers.”

The Saratoga Springs woman spoke during a candlelight vigil on International Overdose Awareness Day hosted by Recovery Advocacy in Saratoga (RAIS). Amid a national opioid epidemic, communities around the world, including Schenectady, held similar events to honor the memory of addiction victims and to call for better access to substance-abuse education, treatment and recovery services.

When Brian Farr, president of  RAIS, asked the crowd of more than 100 how many were in recovery, more than half of them raised their hands.

 Members of the community, family members and friends gather for a overdose awareness candlelight vigil in Congress Park, Saratoga Springs, on Aug. 31, 2017.
“We need to make treatment easier to obtain than illegal substances,” said Provost, who is a member of RAIS. “We need to reduce the stigma of addiction so that we’re not afraid to speak out and stand together.”

Earlier in the night, about 40 people gathered at the Saratoga Springs Public Library to be trained in administering Naloxone, a medication commonly known as Narcan used strictly to reverse overdoses. People at the vigil in Schenectady’s Central Park Rose Garden were also offered the course.

“They might be able to save a life, and they’re showing that they care as a community,” she said.

The Rev. Dave Haig, the priest at St. Luke’s on the Hill Episcopal Church in Halfmoon, said he attended the training so he can help his parishioners.

Haig is a recovering alcoholic, “so it’s very much part of my ministry, and I understand what addiction is all about,” he said.

“The reason I support this so much is that you can only enter into recovery if you’re alive,” he said. “If you’re dead, there’s no recovery.”

Letter to the Editor: Saratoga County Could Raise the Age

Seen in: The Saratogain 

Twelve counties across NYS have changed the age of purchase for tobacco from 18 to 21. Saratoga County could be the next to adopt a law that will save future lives from nicotine addiction.

As The Director for School Based Education for The Prevention Council of Saratoga County, I would like to share some information relevant to this topic. My colleagues and I travel to twelve school districts within Saratoga County delivering evidence based drug and alcohol prevention curriculum to students in grades K-12. Kid’s attitudes towards alcohol and drugs differ dramatically depending on their developmental stage. As students enter middle and high school, they develop more favorable attitudes towards drugs based on advertising, media, peers and a lack of seeing or acknowledging real consequences of using these products.

Research shows that delaying the age of use, lowers the risk of addiction for many drugs including, but not limited to, tobacco. Most of this research focuses on brain development and the fact that the adolescent brain is still not fully developed until the mid-twenties, and therefore more susceptible to addiction. Raising the purchase age until 21 will limit access to tobacco products for younger adolescents and therefore result in lower risk of addiction and tobacco related diseases.

For kids alive today, 4.2 million years of life would be saved by virtue of this logical, simple policy change. Other important impacts include a 12 percent decline in premature births and 16 percent drop in SIDS cases. Most adults favor making 21 the minimum age of sale for tobacco products. If Saratoga County chooses to raise the age of tobacco purchase to 21 years old, they will be creating a healthier community for all of us.

Jennifer Oliver-Goodwin,
Director of School Based Education
The Prevention Council of Saratoga County

 

 

Letter to the editor: Don’t give lottery tickets to youths

Seen in: The Post Star

 

Editor:

I currently work for the Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention Council of Saratoga County as the youth outreach coordinator partnering with the New York Council on Problem Gambling on the You(th) Decide Project. I am writing to express my concern regarding lottery tickets given out to youth by family members and friends during the graduation season.

Why adults should not offer lottery tickets to youth as gifts: Only individuals of legal age are allowed to buy these products. The law restricts minors’ access to lotteries because of the concern that it may act as a gateway to other forms of gambling. Did you know that adolescents and adults with gambling problems report that they were first introduced to gambling through lottery tickets? These tickets were often bought by family members. During this graduation season, discourage friends and family members giving tickets to underage children. Make them aware that it is not an appropriate activity or present for your child.

Youth Gambling in New York state according to NYCPG:

48 percent of 7-12th graders reported they had gambled in the past year.
10 percent of adolescents in NYS (about 140,000) have had problems due to their gambling.
An additional 10 percent are at risk for problem gambling.
In 2010, state-sponsored gambling generated approximately $3.2 billion in revenues for NYS.
Remember: There is not just one person, nor one group of people, who are affected by underage gambling. There is not just one factor in someone’s life that alone leads to underage gambling. There is also not just one strategy that will alone prevent underage gambling.

If you, your group/organization, or child, would like to get more involved in YOU(th) Decide in your community, please contact me at ccfw-youth@preventioncouncil.org.

Kara James, Saratoga Springs

Great way to get dirty: Hundreds attend Tuff eNuff Challenge

Featured in: The Saratogian
Story by: Paul Post

Link to full article: http://www.saratogian.com/general-news/20170603/great-way-to-get-dirty-hundreds-attend-tuff-enuff-challenge

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. >> Compared to what’s coming, a 5K obstacle course was a cakewalk for 18-year-old Silas Dionne of Corinth.

PHOTOS: 2017 TUFF ENUFF CHALLENGE

On June 12, he’ll be headed to U.S. Marine Corps boot camp at Parris Island, S.C., where grueling drills start early and last throughout the day.

Dionne and his brother, Elijah, and sister and brother-in-law, Harmony and Brandon Wagner, were among the 600 people who slogged through mud, climbed hills and navigated water-filled ditches on Saturday in the Tuff eNuff Challenge, a Prevention Council fundraising event.

“I couldn’t be more proud of him,” Harmony Wagner said.

“I’m not worried about him, he’ll do fine down there,” her husband said.

“I think he’s ready for it (the Marines),” Elijah Dionne said.

Tuff eNuff is character building, too, and fits in with the Prevention Council’s mission of “Helping Youth Navigate Life’s Challenges” by avoiding drugs and alcohol.

 

The day’s activities started with a 1K kids run, followed by the 5K for adults, which went off in three separate waves of runners.

The emphasis isn’t on winning, although 19-year-old Chase Collins of Saratoga Springs was the first to cross the finish line, among first-wave entrants, in a time of 22:59.

His prize?

“A mud pie,” Collins said grinning.

Tom Portuese, of Queensbury, finished close on his heels. His three sons — Tim, Andy and Marcus — completed the 1K course.

“It’s a great way to get dirty and get some exercise with the kids,” Portuese said. “The mud just keeps coming — waves and waves of it.”

The course, at the F. Donald Myers Education Center on Henning Road, was prepared by BOCES heavy equipment operator students. BOCES kids also helped out with security and parking, and culinary students offered refreshments.

The race, in its sixth year, is sponsored by AYCO, whose TeamWorks Program volunteers helped mark the course.

“We couldn’t do this without the help of our community volunteers, many of whom return year after year because this event is so special,” said Erin Smith, volunteer coordinator.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Louis Falcon, a Spa City resident, took a day off from duties at Fort Drum, where he’s stationed, to compete in Tuff eNuff. Like a true warrior, he came dressed in a gold plastic Spartan’s helmet, accompanied by his 5-year-old son, Maddox, who did the kids run.

“It’s intense, it’s fun and you get a good workout,” Falcon said. “And no one’s yelling at you. I could do 15 miles of this. I’m going to tell my soldiers to come next year.

Opioid Epidemic Forum Looks to Prevent Addiction

Story by: By Michael Howard
Link to video coverage: http://www.twcnews.com/nys/capital-region/news/2017/05/10/opioid-epidemic-forum-looks-to-prevent-addiction.html

An informational forum in South Glens Falls was aimed at educating families on opioid addiction, in hopes of saving lives. The forum was hosted by the Community Coalition for Family Wellness, a non-profit organization started in 2010 that aims to help anyone affected by addiction or violence. Officials say the need for their group has increased over the years, likely due to the accessibility of drugs at a younger age.

 

County Leaders Unite to Fight Drug Addiction

April 13, 2017
Story by: Larry Goodwin
Seen in: Saratoga Today
Link to article: https://saratogatodaynewspaper.com/home/item/6395-county-leaders-united-to-fight-drug-addiction

 

WILTON — With his laptop in hand on a recent Thursday evening, James Norton politely informed the Wilton Town Board about his group’s coordinated efforts to tackle opioid addiction in local communities.

“If you have any questions as to how we, as a government, can help your organization, let us know,” responded Wilton Supervisor Arthur Johnson. “It really is a big problem in this area.”

Norton, a coordinator for The Prevention Council in Saratoga Springs, shared his findings with the board on April 6. He said drug addiction is not caused solely by heroin and fentanyl sold illegally in the streets.

He talked about the hundreds of pounds of prescription pills—most containing synthetic opiates—that people have thrown out during drug take-back events.

Norton said more than half of “misused medications” are emanating from cabinets inside the homes of friends or families, which often leads to more serious problems.

“Four out of five individuals in treatment for heroin misuse started with a prescription opioid,” Norton says in a written compilation of his research.

“There has been a 222 percent increase in treatment rates in upstate New York and a 136 percent increase statewide,” Norton added.

He also described the measurable impacts on both drugged and drunk driving.

“The younger generations tend to drive under the influence of drugs more than they do alcohol,” Norton said.

Norton went on to promote the next prescription drug take-back event scheduled for April 29, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., at eight locations from Clifton Park to Moreau.

The Prevention Council supports a variety of programs that are aimed at young people and funded mostly through state and federal grants. The group “is always looking for new members” to help out, Norton told the board in Wilton.

The council’s motto is “Helping Youth Navigate Life’s Challenges.” It is part of a coalition of groups and law-enforcement agencies organizing the pill take-back events, including another on August 26, with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.

On May 10 at the South Glens Falls High School, the group Community Coalition for Family Wellness is organizing more informative presentations on the subject of “Addiction and the Opioid Epidemic.” That event starts at 6 p.m.

“We’ve got to get the drugs out of the medicine cabinets,” insisted Janine Stuchin, executive director of The Prevention Council, in a subsequent interview arranged by Norton.

Stuchin admitted her surprise three years ago when a family member was prescribed two bottles of painkillers for the removal of a wisdom tooth. Many of those pills went unused and were later discarded, she said.

According to Stuchin, there was a time when opioids were prescribed by doctors only for intensive medical care at the end of life. But by the late 1990s, she said, economic markets motivated doctors to rely more heavily on pills for all sorts of “palliative” relief among their patients.

That, in turn, fueled much higher abuse rates for opioids, which are classified in federal law among the most addictive of all drugs.

Stuchin thinks that medical professionals should prioritize finding solutions for such problems right alongside cancer research. But the public stigma of opioid addiction prevents the emergence of more compassionate strategies, she added.

“People relapse with addiction,” Stuchin said, “and they need community support.”

The Prevention Council, in conjunction with Project Safe Point, offers training classes and free kits every month to parents, teachers, nurses and many others to administer the nasal spray Naloxone (or Narcan), which can prevent opioid overdoses.

According to Mike McEvoy, a coordinator for Saratoga County Emergency Medical Services, there was a substantial increase last year in overdose calls to 911— an average of roughly 30 per week—but they appear to be decreasing in frequency.

“There are occasional spikes but the steady increase we had been seeing prior to and during 2016 seems to have leveled off,” McEvoy said in an email.

Saratoga County Commissioner of Mental Health, Dr. Michael Prezioso, said equally important addiction services are provided to individuals by emergency departments, drug courts, counselors and treatment centers.

He said establishing short-term detox facilities also should be considered by local officials as a means to address drug addiction.

“It’s not just the arrests” that make a difference, Prezioso said.

On April 10, both Prezioso and Saratoga County Director of Public Health, Catherine Duncan, were scheduled to give reports to the county’s Public Health Committee.

At that meeting, Duncan was pressed on efforts being made in the county to counteract drug addiction.

She explained that her department, among other measures, is working with the Saratoga Performing Arts Center to reduce drug problems during seasonal concerts.

Clifton Park Supervisor Philip Barrett ended the discussion by emphasizing how the Saratoga County Sheriff ’s Office routinely posts related updates on its Facebook page.

A major difficulty, according to Barrett, is that certain opioids are “easy to get” and “cheap” in the streets. He said those basic facts affect “every single community in the country.”

Saratoga County High School Students Have Fun Tackling Serious Issues

Story By: Lou Roberts
Featured on: 101.3 The Jockey

Link to full article: http://1013thejockey.com/saratoga-county-high-school-students-have-fun-tackling-serious-issues-photos/

Several students from high schools in Saratoga County joined forces at Skidmore College yesterday (March 16) at the 35th annual Safe Spring Leadership Conference. Safe Spring is held by The Prevention Council. The conference featured various seminars and workshops that gave the students skills to use for their local groups for issues like drinking and driving, bullying, suicide prevention, tobacco marketing towards young people, media literacy, e-cigarettes and several other.

Thanks to Heather LaSalvia, I was asked to help judge a public service announcement (p.s.a.) competition in the workshop where the participating students wrote copy for a p.s.a. to make kids aware of how the tobacco industry targets them. The student with the winning p.s.a’s. will come into the 1-0-1-3 The Jockey studios and record it. After the p.s.a. is produced, we’ll be putting it on the air.

When we all gathered for lunch, everyone was treated to music from d.j. Andy Pratt. That’s when the students got a chance to cut loose and dance. I took some pictures many of the groups from the schools that were participating

Partnership with Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office

February 9, 2017

The Sheriff’s Office is happy to announce that it has received a Ver-Mac® PCMS-320 trailer mounted portable changeable message sign that will be used to combat “drugged driving.” The sign was purchased under the Partnership for Success grant through the Community Coalition for Family Wellness (CCFW). The Prevention Council is the fiscal agent for the CCFW.

The device will see extensive use at sobriety checkpoints and to provide messaging for these events and other DWI/DWAI enforcement details. The Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the CCFW and the Prevention Council for their continued partnership in ensuring a safe, drug-free community for the residents of Saratoga County.