Press Release

Contact:

Heidi Williamson, Director of Communications

heidiw@bccf.org

610.685.2223

Reading (September 9, 2008) – Berks County Community Foundation announced today that it has awarded a $100,000 grant from the Berks County District Attorney’s Anti-Drug Fund to the Reading School District for a drug-and-alcohol prevention program at the district’s alternative elementary school program.

The alternative elementary school program was created to help children who are considered very disruptive in the regular school setting. The drug and alcohol prevention program, which is called Creating Lasting Family Connections, will be required as part of the curriculum for all third, fourth and fifth grade students in the alternative program.

“Creating Lasting Family Connections has several components,” said Richard C. Mappin, vice president for grantmaking at the Community Foundation. “These include teaching children about alcohol, drugs and tobacco use, improving their communication and conflict resolution skills, and helping them find coping mechanisms to resist negative social influences.”

In addition, the program involves the child’s family and encourages them to seek outside help when personal or family problems arise.

“The goal is to help these children have respect for themselves and others, and take personal responsibility for their actions and their future,” Mappin said. “The results of the program in other communities have been impressive, including a statistically significant decrease in drug and alcohol use by kids who are involved in the program. We hope to see the same kinds of results for the children in Reading.”

Reading (August 29, 2008) – Berks County Community Foundation announced today that it has awarded $40,000 in grants from the Berks County District Attorneys Anti-Drug Fund to support drug treatment courts in Berks and Philadelphia counties.

Drug treatment courts have been put into place across the country to provide an alternative to incarceration for non-violent drug offenders. The goal of the courts is to help people convicted of drug offenses turn their lives around and avoid prison time.

“Sending a guy convicted of a minor drug crime to prison is akin to providing him with an advanced education in how to be a drug dealer,” said Richard C. Mappin, vice president for grantmaking at the foundation. “Drug courts offer an alternative that at least gives addicts a fighting chance to rehabilitate themselves.”

A $20,000 grant to the non-profit group Friends of the Berks County Drug Treatment Court will be used to provide life necessities for participants, as recommended by any member of the Berks County Drug Treatment Court Team, including probation officers, the assistant district attorney or public defender. These recommendations are forwarded to the judge who presides over the court.  After the judge reviews a request, he will either deny it or forward it to the Community Foundation for consideration.

The items funded by the grant will include things that will benefit a participant recovering from addiction, including a first month’s rent to allow an addict to start his or her sober life in a new environment, a bus pass to provide transportation to work or treatment, tuition for a GED class and books, or food and utility payments.

According to the Friends of the Drug Treatment Court request for funding, when a former addict’s only resources place that person back into the same situation that fostered their addiction, the treatment process is not only hampered, but sometimes destroyed. The Friends’ goal is to give each participant the best possible opportunity to remain sober and become a successful member of society.

A $20,000 grant to the Philadelphia Treatment Court will be used to improve access to the court by providing funds for transportation so low-income addicts can comply with court requirements for drug and alcohol treatment, case management and educational and vocational services.

According to the grant request, addicts in the Philadelphia Drug Treatment Court often do not have the $30 per week they need to pay for transportation to the court-ordered services.

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Berks County Community Foundation is a nonprofit corporation that serves as a civic leader for our region by developing, managing and distributing funds to meet existing and emerging community needs. The foundation currently manages $47 million in charitable assets, which provide more than $2.3 million in grants and scholarships annually for the region. For more information, log on to www.bccf.org or call 610.685.2223.