Prevention Council News
Prevention Council News
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 [...]
Graphic new images will warn smokers
June 21, 2011 By Mark Mulholland WNYT Channel 13 For video footage, click here. SARATOGA SPRINGS - If the cost, $10 a pack, isn't a deterrent, then new warning labels to be placed on all cigarette packs beginning in the fall of next year, might be. The FDA unveiled the images and the warnings on Tuesday. Rick Conlee says graphic pictures won't make him quit. "I'm well aware of the risks," says Conlee. "I've seen them in science textbooks. If people can't stomach that, then that's their problem." The FDA says the warnings must occupy at least half of the packaging [...]
Graduation rites should never include drinking
June 19, 2011 Reader's View The Saratogian Graduation season is here, and with it come graduation parties and a perennial question: Should parents help their children learn how to drink responsibly by allowing them to drink at home with supervision? According to new research, the answer is a definite no. Many parents believe that if their kids have had no experience with alcohol before leaving home that they’ll drink to excess in college and put themselves at risk for alcohol poisoning, sexual abuse and who knows what other scary situations. But studies show this is false. People often point to [...]
Teenagers Speak Out Against Tobacco Ads
May 31, 2011 By Kumi Tucker WNYT WATERVLIET -- These are the students that anti-smoking advocates do not want to see become "replacement smokers," the new, young consumers who replace those who have quit or died. This group of teenagers at Watervliet Junior Senior High School is showing their resistance to the advertising that targets them in stores. Watervliet Junior Jessica Mahoney says they have already made a difference in the shops around her school. "We walked around and saw the whole store would be covered with tobacco advertisements, so we went in and talked to them and a lot [...]
Students Gather for World No Tobacco Day
May 31, 2011 YNN WATERVLIET -- Teens across the Capital Region gather for World No Tobacco Day. A group of students from across the Capital Region held a demonstration at the Watervliet Junior-Senior High School to discuss the dangers of marketing in the tobacco industry. The teens joined on stage, blindfolded, as a way of saying that they've seen enough cigarette ads. The students said some convenience stores put the ads in areas where there is candy and toys, and they want that to stop. Saratoga Springs High School senior Alexandra Smith said, "Through tobacco displays in stores, they show [...]
Partnership for Prevention’s All Stars Camp Celebrates 10th Anniversary
May 27, 2011 Saratoga Today SARATOGA SPRINGS - There are still spaces available for the 10th annual All Stars Camp, a highly-regarded program that promotes smart decision-making and instills the core values of the recently discontinued D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program. Registration is open to fifth graders in the Saratoga Springs City School District for all four summer camp sessions: July 11-15, July 18-22, July 25-29, and August 1-5. There are plenty of spaces still available, but families should be sure to send their registration forms as soon as possible to ensure their children’s participation. To sign up or [...]
Six members join Prevention Council board of directors
May 23, 2011 Saratoga Today SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention Council of Saratoga County announces the addition of six new members of its board of directors. James Lee is president of Lee Investment Management and a member of the board of directors of the Northeastern New York Chapter of the Financial Planning Association. He is a graduate of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Saratoga program and was named one of "40 under 40" and a "Person Who’ll Make a Difference" by The Saratogian. Lee lives in Greenfield Center with his wife, Holly, and 9-year-old-son, [...]
Prevention Council Fashion Fling a Harbinger of Spring
May 3, 2011 By JEANETTE JORDAN The Saratogian I’m back and ready to bring you some tidbits of what’s going on around town. After this season’s record-breaking winter, The Prevention Council’s Fashion Fling April 3 at Saratoga National Golf Club was a welcome harbinger of spring. The beautiful, sunny day brought out a great crowd of more than 125, which raised nearly $9,000 to support the agency’s wide range of prevention education services. As guests climbed the stairs to the second floor, they were greeted by dozens of vendors whose tables were festooned with beautiful eye candy for sale, including [...]
Drop them off, no questions asked
April 30, 2011 FOX23 News Coverage Drop them off, no questions asked. That was the message behind the National Take Back Initiative when people could bring unused, unwanted prescription nationwide on Saturday. Several locations were set up in the Capital Region, including in Saratoga Springs. Local law enforcement agencies teamed up with the DEA across the country to make sure the drugs are disposed of properly and don't get into the wrong hands. Lt. Gregory Veitch of the Saratoga Springs Police Department says they have noticed an increase in prescription drug abuse among young people in that area. This is [...]