In honor of June being National Safety Month, an important safety topic I would like to discuss in this blog pertains to the dangers of drunk driving, drugged driving, and underage drinking. With the official start of summer looming coupled with the anticipation that comes with social isolation lockdown restrictions being eased, people are gearing ...
Mercer Council News
Summer Camp is back at Ewing High School. It is a first come first served, up to 15 students can attend. Students will enjoy a variety of activities, games, and 3 field trips throughout the summer. Please see the attached flier for further information and to sign up.
Mercer Council and the Prevention Coalition of Mercer County were pleased to sponsor 5 county law enforcement officers to attend Sgt. Scott Kivet's Street Cop Training Class: Drug Identification, Paraphernalia and the Motor Vehicle Stop on Monday, May 24th. This course gives police officers the skills they need to formulate effective an...
As June is Pride Month, as well as Canadian National Indigenous History month there is a recognized need to provide services in areas that may seem more unreachable. To provide resources to a population that may not have otherwise been given access to information is an important part of prevention education. This gives the opportunity to educators ...
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. A huge part of being aware, and hopefully moving on to acceptance, is removing the stigma associated with mental health, and getting help for mental health challenges. Mercer Council and Prevention Coalition of Mercer County is proud to have been a part of several events calling to shatter the stigma ...
May is Mental Health Awareness Month! Be good to yourself and make sure you are mentally okay. If not, then seek help. Please enjoy the PSA that ASYSST along with Ewing High School(EHS) Student Council created. This is a message for their fellow students and those in the community. Please share below, a tip to r...
Asia Panzino, first GA Scholarship Awardee, 2018 Taylor Escher, 2019 GA Scholarship Awardee Gianna Anselmo, 2020 GA Schcolarship Awardee Four years ago, Geetha Arulmohan, Executive Director and leader of Mercer Council passed away. In her memory, a scholarship fund was created to support individuals pursuing their education in...
Virtual Learning, Covid-19 pandemic and isolation from friends are just some of the struggles our teens have been facing since March 2020. In honor of May being Mental Health Awareness Month, Talking Points for Teens will focus on how teens can manage their emotions when life doesn't seem to be going their way. Please click the link below to access...
So many faces and voices of recovery have paved the way for countless others to reach their goals with the hope and healing that is generated through connections, support and a shared peer recovery experience. One of the faces and voices making a huge impact in the recovery community is Mercer Council's own, Stacey Ross, a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist with our Opioid Overdose Reco...
Mercer Council and The Prevention Coalition of Mercer County are pleased to announce their 8th Annual Excellence in Prevention Awards Event to be held on Wednesday, June 9th. This annual event honors those individuals, agencies, associations and companies from around the county that have made significant contributions over the past year to ensure the health, safety and well-being of various ...
Recovery Specialists Stacey Ross and Marc North joined me to visit Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton, one of Mercer Council OORP's key partners, to regroup after a period of Tele-Recovery Support services. The team pivoted to Tele-Recovery Support because of a pandemic that completely consumed our hospital partners, our community and the world. In order to do our part to...
April not only brought showers, it was also Alcohol Awareness Month. Although we are seeing a decline in teenage drinking, the numbers are still too high. In this session of Talking Points For Teens, we focus on the dangers of alcohol and underage drinking. Please click the link below to access our YouTube channel to view the Talking Points For Teens video. Enjoy the video. Stay Safe, Stay Safe He...
Mercer Council is seeking applications for a full time Program Director to oversee the School Based Youth Services Program at Ewing High School. Master's Degree in Counseling/Social Work/Psychology is required, along with a minimum of 3 years experience working with adolescents. Job position includes leading the team, as well as planning activities/programs to meet the requirements of SBYSP and be...
Mercer Council would like to thank Mercer County and the Park Commission for having Vanessa DeRosa, PYPM Program Coordinator, join them at a Bike Drive they hosted at several locations throughout the county on April 10, 2021. Bicycles were accepted (no matter the condition) and were transported to the Trenton Bike Exchange (located in Ewing, NJ). There, they will be fixed by volunteers and then so...
Every year, we recognize April as Alcohol Awareness Month. You might ask why this is still important, given the fact that so much media attention is given to illegal drugs, like heroin, fentanyl and misuse of prescription opioids. In February, the American Psychological Association conducted a nationwide survey and found that one in four adults reported drinking alcohol more this past ...
Hello Community Members! While New Jersey has become one of the pioneers in underage marijuana usage and law enforcement reform, the new marijuana legislation has led to frustration and confusion with parents, business owners, and law enforcement alike. While there have been news outlets and educational resources mitigating some of that confusion, the Prevention Coalition of Mercer County an...
Mercer Council extends a thank you to all participants who joined us on March 17, 2021 for the Brain Awareness Zoom webinar, “Learn Neuroscience: Alcohol and the Developing Brain”. A special thank you also to Dr. Rola Bekdash from Rutgers University for providing the students an insightful and informative presentation about the inner workings of the human mind and effects of alcohol on the develop...
Our recent antiracism training facilitated by Kimme Carlos put me in touch with many of my personal emotions. I have always felt uncomfortable discussing issues associated with racism. I know it exists and I know it is sometimes necessary, but as a black man who has lived through it, the idea of discussing it at a times when I don’t necessarily have to is very difficult. Not only does it harbor di...
The Mercer Council on Alcoholism and Drug Addiction is hosting a special event on Thursday, April 8th at 7pm - "The First Choice and a Second Chance" featuring Stephen Hill, founder of Speak Sobriety. Stephen is a motivational speaker, author and advocate for substance abuse prevention. He graduated with honors from John Jay College of Criminal Justice and Brooklyn Law School.After suf...
Last Thursday March 25, 2021, we lost a dear Board Member of Mercer Council, Phyllis Marchand. She has been a fixture in Mercer Council's 40+ year history, being a Board Member for 26 years who held various offices within the Board during this time. She was the longest standing Board member who witnessed the transformation Mercer Council has gone through both internally in the leadership of the or...