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...
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 ...
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 ...
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...
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!
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...
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...
On February 22, 2021, Governor Phil Murphy signed three bills into law that addressed the legalization of cannabis (the legal word for marijuana). With this, the legalization of cannabis pushed forward a discourse for all New Jersey citizens to take part in. With questions and concerns so large about the impact on youth, the justice system, and the...
A blog post was written in October 2020 to recognize October as National Eat Better, Eat Together Month. The purpose of National Eat Better, Eat Together Month is to promote healthy eating habits among individuals of all ages. Research shows there are many benefits of families frequently eating dinner together including improved social skills in ch...
Choosing what to eat for dinner is a simple decision we can make without much thought. Difficult decisions such as where to go for college require careful and more serious thinking. In this session of Talking Points for Teens, the focus will be on making those tough decisions. We will examine the pros and cons for the different outcomes of each tou...
Mercer Council is looking to hire a full time Prevention Educator. Prevention Educator will offer a variety of prevention curricula in Mercer County schools and community organizations. Bachelor's degree required. Social service field preferred. We are also looking for team members who have the ability to split their time betw...
July 26, 1990, was a date many people in the United States celebrated due to the passing of The Americans with Disabilities Act. This law, signed by President George H.W. Bush, prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities. It is not nationally recognized, but due to the historic nature of such an event, it is celebrated in the United S...
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.
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 ...
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...
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...
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...
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...
During the pandemic, violence, both physical and verbal, against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) has increased dramatically -- hate crimes of this nature, as reported by NPR (cited in a report from the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University), in approximately 16 cities increased by 150% in 2020. Multiple sources, including NPR and&nbs...
Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with Rider University's Dr. Jonathan Karp and Issac Harris on their Health 411 program! Together, we had a beautiful conversation that not only allowed me to highlight Mercer Council and our programs, but to engage on a multitude of topics, including: Career paths and opportunities in the field Societal factors, including social and racial justice ...
Mercer Council is committed to envisioning a Healthy, Safe and Responsible Community. We are striving to provide more information on Government and community efforts as they relate to COVID-19. The information and links are below. Mercer County Covid-19 Dashboard For more information on positive-test cases in Mercer county please use the Dashboard link below. Dashboard Vaccinatio...
Your brain is the command center and boss of your body. It enables you to think, learn, move, create, feel emotions, as well as, controlling every blink, breath, and heartbeat. Please join us for a free virtual Zoom event where you will learn all about the human brain from a neuroscientist, discover what makes it so fascinating, and why it is especially important to protect it as you grow! T...
Mercer Council on Alcoholism & Drug Addiction
1931 Brunswick Avenue
Lawrence Township, NJ 08648
Tel - (609) 396-5874
Email - mcada@mercercouncil.org
Hours - Mon - Fri 8am - 4pm
