2005 Press Releases
The Community Comes Together to Give Rome’s 5th Grade Students A Chance at a Future Without Substance Abuse ROME, New York – “When the D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program – which had formerly been presented by the Rome Police Department – lost its funding and was no longer being presented, I knew something had to be done,” said Rome Memorial Hospital’s Director of Education Gale Barone, B.S., R.N. “To not have a drug resistance program would have meant such a significant loss to our community,” she added. So in stepped several community agencies to create “Be Cool,” a two-day substance abuse resistance program for area 5th graders. The first day program is entitled, “Smoking Is Not Cool,” presented by Rome Memorial Hospital Repiratory Therapist Cindy Soares and Rome Memorial Hospital Community Educator and Volunteer Coordinator Miranda Von Matt. The second day program is entitled “Fun Without Drugs,” presented by Marion Brenon, CASAC, an adolescent substance abuse counselor at Rome Memorial Hospital’s Community Recovery Center. The program focuses on the harmful effects of smoking, alcohol and drug use. On March 9th and 10th, the program was presented for the first time to 5th graders at Stokes Elementary School. The program will also be offered to 5th graders at other area schools, including parochial schools and the New York State School for the Deaf. For eight years, the hospital had been offering area school 5th graders the “Smoking Is Not Cool” program, said Barone. “With the added expertise of the hospital’s Community Recovery Center’s Adolescent Substance Abuse Counselor Marion Brenon, I knew we could help fill the void left by the loss of the D.A.R.E. program,” she said. “The only stumbling block was getting the funding to purchase materials and “Be Cool” t-shirts. The Chamber Education Committee came forward to help,” said Barone, who is co-chair of the committee with Kathy Gratch, Rome Sentinel Marketing and Promotions Director. “The Chamber was able to fund the program with a $2000 grant, made possible by the Sears Family Foundation and the Rome College Foundation,” said Chamber President Bill Gugliemo. It was also funded by a $150 donation that Stokes 5th graders had made to the Chamber in 2004. The students of Stokes school teachers Carol Mungari, Lisa Evangelist and George DiFabio had decided to donate the money to coincide with the school’s Career Day program about the daily world of work. “We decided to have the first program at Stokes because the students had made a generous contribution to the Chamber,” said Gratch. “We wanted to thank them and show them how their money was being put to good use,” she added. “I thought it was very generous and thoughtful of the students to donate the money because they had to forego a trip,” said Stokes Elementary School Principal Judy Mullin. The team that helped put the two-day program together also include Jeff Simons, assistant superintendent for curriculum for the Rome City School District, who helped secure funding for | 