Prevention Council News
Prevention Council News
Partnership thanks community for support of All Stars Camp
Saturday, August 27, 2011 Letter to the Editor The Saratogian The Saratoga Partnership for Prevention, a program of The Prevention Council, would like to send its sincere thanks to the administrators, office staff and custodians at Maple Avenue Middle School for their help and cooperation in carrying out the 10th annual All Stars Summer Camp (formerly known as the D.A.R.E. All Stars Camp). The camp, a collaborative effort between the Saratoga Springs City School District, The Prevention Council and the Saratoga Springs Police Department, was begun in 2002 to help ease the transition from elementary to middle school. Each year, [...]
County survey hopes to curb teen drinking
Thursday, August 25, 2011 By GLENN GRIFFITH Community News A survey is underway in southern Saratoga County to assess the extent of underage drinking and teen binge drinking. The survey is being promoted by the Shenendehowa Community Coalition with an $800,000 grant from the state Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services. The state agency is managing a much larger $8.2 million federal grant that is being distributed across the state to 10 other community coalitions for the same purpose. The three-year local grant allows the Coalition to present the survey to adults and students and analyze the results. Once [...]
Survey finds local support for broader clean air laws
August 23, 2011 Post Star A recent survey commissioned by the Southern Adirondack Tobacco-Free Coalition found overwhelming support for broader clean indoor air laws in Saratoga, Washington and Warren counties. The survey, which was conducted by the Siena Research Institute, found high levels of support for expanding clean indoor air laws to playgrounds, municipal pools, entryways, public beaches and public parks. Support is highest for playgrounds. Support in each county ranged from 52 to 83 percent for stricter laws in those areas. The survey was conducted from June 20 to 23 using a random sample. This year, several municipalities have [...]
Robbie Davis honored
Friday, August 19, 2011 By Jeannette Jordan Inside Saratoga/The Saratogian Visit us on Facebook for lots of great pictures. There was a great spirit of community at the Prevention Council’s fourth annual Dare to Dream gala Monday, Aug. 15, at the Hall of Springs. In spite of the rain, nearly 200 people gathered to support the agency, which is celebrating its 30th year of education, counseling services, family programs and community engagement to prevent alcohol and substance abuse. The evening kicked off with tasty passed hors d’oeuvres, which were available as guests perused two huge tables of silent auction items. [...]
Glens Falls smoking ban aims to clear the air
August 18, 2011 By MAURY THOMPSON Post Star GLENS FALLS -- Jeff Steves was among a group of young adults that were smoking cigarettes in Glens Falls City Park on Tuesday afternoon, about 40 feet from a sign that states smoking in the park is prohibited. Steves, a 23-year-old from Fort Edward, said that when he was smoking in City Park the evening before, a Glens Falls Police officer approached him and told him that smoking is prohibited in the park and a new local law taking effect soon would have stiff penalties for smoking in the park. Steves on [...]
Glens Falls park, playground smoking ban takes effect
Posted: Wednesday, August 17, 2011 3:07 pm By MAURY THOMPSON Post Star GLENS FALLS -- A local law banning smoking at city-owned parks, playgrounds and recreational facilities in Glens Falls is now in effect, said City Clerk Robert Curtis on Wednesday. The law prohibits smoking cigarettes, cigars, pipes or any form of tobacco products at any city-owned parks, beaches, pools, outdoor sporting arenas, outdoor stages or on the sidewalks adjoining such places. Any person convicted of violating the law can be punished by a fine of up to $250 or imprisonment of up to 15 days or both. City officials [...]
Glens Falls lights up smokers’ anger
August 14, 2011 Post Star Editorial By Ken Tingley A controversy is smoldering in Glens Falls. The Common Council quietly passed a law this past Monday that gave teeth to a previous no-smoking ban for city-owned parks, pools, beaches, playgrounds and other outdoor recreation areas. The previous ban had no penalties. This law says that those convicted can be punished by a fine of up to $250, or imprisonment of up to 15 days, or both. That startled some people and enraged others. There seemed to be a vision of the Glens Falls Police Department backing up the paddy wagon [...]
Former jockey to tell his story at Dare to Dream Gala
August 13, 2011 By SUZANNA K. LOURIE The Saratogian SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention Council of Saratoga County will host its fourth annual Dare to Dream Gala at 6:30 p.m. Monday. The gala’s guest-of-honor wil be local resident and retired jockey Robbie Davis. Each year, the Prevention Council holds the aptly named gala to send the message: “Dare to dream” of a world without alcoholism or substance abuse.” The event celebrates the mission and work of the Prevention Council, whose mission is to give young people the skills to choose healthy behaviors, provide families with the [...]
Prevention Council scrambles to meet demand as D.A.R.E. programs are slashed
August 11, 2011 By MICHAEL CIGNOLI The Saratogian SARATOGA SPRINGS — An influx of requests from area school districts and state funding cuts have created a perfect storm for The Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention Council of Saratoga County and its officials now must decide how to meet the county’s growing demand for anti-drug education. The Saratoga County Sheriff’s Department is axing its D.A.R.E., or Drug Abuse Resistance Education, program out of its budget, a move that will allow Sheriff James D. Bowen to allocate the costs associated with the program elsewhere in his department. While the Board of Supervisors [...]
Students Become All Stars at Specialized Camp
By DANIELLE ST. PIERRE The Saratogian SARATOGA SPRINGS — A group of about 25 soon-to-be 6th-graders sat in a semi-circle inside the Maple Avenue Middle School auditorium last week and discussed bullying, verbal self-defense and alternatives to violence in school, and explained what values helped inform their decision to “say no” to various social pressures. All-Stars Camp Program Director Erin Lloyd led the discussion, asking the students not only to agree or disagree with decisions made in simulated scenarios, but to also articulate why they believed it. Later in the day, the deep discussion erupted into water games, with students [...]