Oversight committee has been reduced to nine members from 27
By: Courtney Gross
To kick off a new season, Corner House has spearheaded programs to combat adolescent substance abuse, all while beginning its adjustment to a new board an oversight committee that has been reduced to nine members from 27.
Princeton’s longstanding Witherspoon Street counseling center for adolescents and families, Corner House has scheduled several fundraising initiatives and events, including participation in Princeton’s Race for the Cure and a "Rising Above Conference" in November at John Witherspoon Middle School to raise awareness of issues facing adolescents, Corner House Director Gary DeBlasio said.
While continuing its programming tradition, the joint agency is also under new leadership a drastically downsized board that Mr. DeBlasio said is a small working group that represents Princeton Borough and Princeton Township effectively and equally.
The oversight board created during the summer and approved by both the Borough Council and the Township Committee shifted the responsibility from the 27-member Princeton Alcohol and Drug Alliance, or PADA. Several members of PADA had described the process behind the creation of the new Corner House Board as "rushed" during its approval process.
Following the newly formed board’s second meeting last week, board liaison and Princeton Township Committeeman Lance Liverman said the nine-member group is getting educated on the ins and outs of the nonprofit organization from fundraising to the clinical side of the agency.
"The new board is working out extremely well," Mr. Liverman said. "We get tons of detailed information," he added.
In addition to the new board, Corner House is gearing up to contribute to several upcoming events as it continues to concentrate on its counseling initiatives.
Corner House was one of several treatment centers asked to join a national training program geared toward implementing adolescent motivation therapy for substance abuse, sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Two clinicians at Corner House received the training and implemented the new program, "Motivation 180," this summer, representatives said.
Closer to home, several a cappella groups from area high schools including Princeton High School, Princeton Day School, The Hun School of Princeton and Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart will be performing at the Princeton Public Library next week.
Decked out in Halloween apparel, the groups will perform in costumes 8 p.m. Oct. 27 in the Community Room to promote alcohol- and drug-free events. The event was organized, Mr. DeBlasio said, by Corner House’s student board and the library’s teen advisory board.
The library will remain open until 11 p.m., and only high school students may attend.
Corner House will also send representatives to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Race for the Cure at Bristol-Myers Squibb in Lawrence on Oct. 29 to distribute information on adolescent issues.
Next month, Corner House is hosting a "Rising Above Conference" at John Witherspoon Middle School, where student leaders from Princeton High School will perform skits and conduct workshops on substance abuse that also encourage individuality, Corner House representatives said.

