Mercer Council News

Not to be corny, but we're just popping in to let you know about this awesome fundraiser! The Black Student Alliance club at Ewing High School is hosting a virtual fundraiser event to raise money for future trips and events. Participants can choose from a variety of popcorn flavors and collections, with orders shipping directly to th...

Last Tuesday evening, our ASYSST program celebrated the culmination of Black History Month by helping to host Ewing High School's first ever Afro Arts Fest! The ASYSST-supported Black Student Alliance (BSA) club at Ewing High partnered with NAACP to plan the event - which turned out to be a tremendous success! Students and ...

Earlier this week, we celebrated the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a day of community service!  The ASYSST team joined the Upward Bound program at Mercer County Community College's James Kerney campus to work on a number of projects on Monday, January 16. Working alongside many local organizations, community members a...

Hello My name is Angela and I am a person who struggled with nicotine use disorder for nearly 20 years. For most of my life, smoking was a subconscious autonomous action. Something I did in-between living. You may be wondering why I did not stop sooner? Well, I was not ready or more specifically the stinky thinking from my mental health condition. ...

Since 1978 Mercer Council has been creating pathways to reduce mental health challenges in Mercer County. Through unifying our constituents, providing education, and intervention services Mercer Council has begun building the world we collectively envisioned. As we highlight in October the various preventable measures and intervention services avai...

Margarita L. Leahy, Ed.S., NCC, LPC, LCADC, ACS

After a thorough and inclusive interview process, the Executive Board and the Mercer Council on Alcoholism and Drug Addiction (MCADA) staff are pleased to announce hiring their new Executive Director, Ms. Margarita Leahy. She officially joined our team on May 23, 2022.  Ms. Leahy comes to the council leadership position as a bilingual, bicultu...

As we reflect on Overdose Awareness this month, we often hear stories of the role of an overdose in individuals' lives. Too often it is said that this is an individual issue, but anyone who has been around addiction knows it is a family disease. Our guest blogger is a high school student who is active in the recovery community.  She is a ...

On Tuesday, August 30th, 2022, we are hosting the 7th annual Mercer County Overdose Awareness event in Ewing, NJ from 5:30-8PM, at the Ewing Community and Senior Center. This will be our seventh annual IOAD- Here is a brief video of some of the highlights from 2021's event- This event is presented by the One Voice Initiative, a partnership between ...

Catch up on what you missed!!! For more Tuesday Tips follow us on Facebook  Or sign up for our blog  July 5 988 There is hope. July 12 Safe use of OTC medications. July 19 Tips for Teens - The truth about Marijuana.

Elder abuse refers to intentional or negligent acts by a caregiver or trusted individual that causes harm to an older person. Elder abuse takes many forms including neglect or isolation, physical abuse, sexual abuse, financial abuse and exploitation, and emotional or psychological abuse (including verbal abuse and threats). The costs of elder abuse...

On April 9, 2022, several Mercer Council staff members participated in the second annual Bike Drive hosted by Mercer County and the Park Commission. Bicycles were accepted (no matter the condition) and were transported to the Trenton Bike Exchange (located in Ewing, NJ). There, they will be refurbished by volunteers and then sold to the public for ...

Catch up on what you missed!

Exercise is a great way to manage feelings and stress in life-affirming ways. Join Mercer Council in supporting the Boys & Girls Club of Mercer County to improve access to bicycles for Mercer County's youth through the annual Bike Drive hosted by Mercer County and the Parks Commissions. This bike drive accepts bikes in any condition and do...

Established by Congress in 1961, Poison Prevention Week (held the third week of March every year) aims to raise awareness to poison control centers, the Poison Help Hotline (1-800-222-1222), and lower the incidences of unintentional poisonings. These poisons include and are not limited to animal bites and stings, carbon monoxide, household, and che...

This week is National Sleep Awareness Week. A campaign that began in 1998 with the intention of sharing information on the importance of sleep. It is commonly stated that adolescents sleep a lot and this is in fact a biological need to assist in their development. Did you know teenagers' bodies require an average of 9 hours of sleep per night?...

At the beginning of February, Regional Coalition Coordinator, Malissa Arnold and I were given the opportunity to attend the Community Anti-Drug Coalition of America (CADCA) Annual Leadership Forum. There, we were introduced to a rolling attendance of youth and community leaders from all across the United States and its territories. With people who ...

I have had the privilege of working with Jocelyn Cooper for the past eight years and am grateful for this opportunity to reflect and celebrate her successes. Her passion for counseling and supporting people has been evident in her interactions with everyone. She started as an intern and stayed on with the Council holding different positions fu...

You hear a rumor about a friend. Will you…(A) Repeat that rumor(B) Say nothing(C) Not Sure TGFD Take a Stand Activity Grade 7 As the new Mercer County Prevention Grant facilitator, I am excited to have these tough conversations with middle schoolers. I am thrilled to have joined a team of energized people seeking to address addiction thro...

From Deborah Dunn, on behalf of the Board of Trustees"Please join us in expressing good wishes to Jocelyn Cooper as she begins her next chapter. We are grateful for her contributions since she started in 2014 as a Prevention Educator working directly with our beloved Geetha Arulmohan. In July 2017, Jocelyn became the Council's Executive Director. T...

Greetings to our Mercer Council Family, Extended Family, Community Partners, and Mercer County Community - A warm and heartfelt thank you for your continued loyalty and support of our agency and work throughout the year.  Wishing you and yours all the peace and joy in this holiday season and the New Year!  

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In the field of Prevention, we are especially concerned about the developing adolescent brain. We want to protect it as much as possible while also encouraging our students to seek positive experiences that create lasting positive infrastructural change. The introduction and passing of the Cannabis legislation did complicate the discourse on how we...

Vicarious trauma or secondary trauma is defined as a condition experienced by people who have been working with people living with trauma in which they themselves begin to demonstrate physical and emotional responses to the other person's trauma exposure. Hearing sad things may impact us. However, some individuals in response to the sadness they he...

 As you all are well aware, December 31st is the day Barbara Sprechman will be retiring from Mercer Council. Of the 29 years Barbara has worked in Prevention, she has been with the Mercer Council for the past 11 years. During this time, she has greatly enjoyed working alongside her colleagues and community members excelling as Mercer County Pr...

Giving Tuesday is an opportunity for people around the world to come together to thank, help, give, show kindness, and share what they have with those in need. Make a contribution today so together we can make a healthy, safe, and responsible community become a reality! Donate Mercer Council is a private, non-profit agency dedicated to th...

We want to thank Brian Bittings, OORP Patient Navigator, for the 4 years he has spent leading our OORP team.  Brian decided to move on from the Mercer Council mid-October. We wish him all the best in the next chapter of his journey. We want to congratulate David DeCamp, who has fully transitioned from the role of Assistant Patient Navigator/Re...

On Friday November 5th, 2021 Mercer Council was honored to participate in the inaugural "Open Access To Recovery" (OATR) outreach event. This event was organized by Recovery Advocates of America and the Mercer County Operation Helping Hand Program (OHH) under the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office. OHH offers those arrested for n...

Thursday is the Great American Smoke Out. This is an opportunity to challenge yourself to live a day without nicotine. This event was established by the American Cancer Association in order to encourage people on their journey to quit. Stemming from a local community event in 1970, it has grown to become the national event it is today. The American...

No one ever imagines their child will just vanish one day. However, commercial sexual exploitation of minors is one of the various sad realities of why children leave home. November is National Runaway Prevention Month. In shining a light on the intersection of substance use and sex trafficking of minors, MCADA wants to highlight that the leading f...

We are excited to announce that we are on GreatNonprofits.org—a review site like Yelp, but for nonprofits! Do you have a story or experience with Mercer Council that you would like to share with others? If so, please leave us a review—we'd love to hear from you! Mercer Council On Alcoholism And Drug Addiction Reviews and Ratings | Lawrence Township...