NCADD of Middlesex County, Inc

Each year NCADD of Middlesex County, Inc. publishes a report on its work and its concerns throughout the community. 2011 was another exciting year at NCADD of Middlesex County, Inc. The organization continues to grow and expand programs and services throughout the county. We thank all of our supporters for helping us achieve our mission of building healthy communities in Middlesex County. View NCADD's Annual Report, which presents an overview of major NCADD activities and accomplishments for fiscal year 2011.

A Message from the CEO

Leadership. Innovation. Quality. Empathy.

For over three decades, these are the core values we have woven into the fabric of everything we do to help our neighbors thrive without the burden of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug problems. Our public health perspective is driven by a strength-based philosophy. Our job is not to fix what is broken, but rather to enhance what is working so everyone we touch is better able to live up to their fullest potential. Whether it is through a curriculum we deliver in a classroom, collaborations we foster in the community, guidance and opportunities we provide to youth, resources we provide to a family, or simply our contributions to a discussion at a meeting, NCADD's values set us apart. As we progress through the coming year, we will undertake a significant strategic planning process to guide us through 2015. In the three short years since our last strategic plan was adopted, the world has changed dramatically. Never content to follow, we do our best to anticipate the changes to come and adapt to meet the new challenges our communities will face. Click here to read the rest of Steve's message.

2011 - THE YEAR IN REVIEW

In 2011, we expanded our eLearning efforts while maintaining our position as the preeminent addiction prevention agency in the county. We saw one of our original programs, Footprints for Life™, receive recognition through its listing on the National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP), the first program from New Jersey to be listed in the 15 year history of the registry. Click here to read more of The Year in Review.
 

                                                WHO WE SERVE

NCADD provides services to all residents of the Middlesex County.  Our commitment is to provide our services regardless of an individual’s, family’s, or community’s ability to pay.  However, due to the nature of our offerings and our non-profit status, the majority of our efforts are concentrated in those communities with the fewest available resources.  We are proud to have strong presence throughout the County, and we provide educational programming in communities traditionally considered to have above average means, such as East Brunswick and Metuchen. However, our efforts are focused on three communities identified in our strategic plan where we have committed to “going deep”. These are communities most in need of our services and include New Brunswick, Carteret, and Perth Amboy. In 2011, our services were distributed by community as follows:

School Services

Program Highlights in our target communities

• Pathways, our School-based Youth Services Program in Carteret, provided individual or group counseling services to 350 of the 1,100 students in the high school.  Pathways also runs the largest student organization in the high school. 
  The program, Partnering, Achieving, Leading, Supporting (P.A.L.S.) is a recreational program developed to provide the students of CHS an opportunity to positively impact their social environment. The program includes peer to- peer tutoring services, in-school based community service and offsite community services, such as Habitat for Humanity and walking for a cause.
• We began providing a full range of educational and support services to each of the five high schools in the Middlesex County Vocational School District.

Family Services

Program Highlight in our target communities

• For the first time, we were able to provide the nationally-recognized Strengthening Families program entirely in Spanish to families in New Brunswick and Perth Amboy.

Community Services -

Program Highlight in our target communities

• Our Youth Community Leadership Academy completed the rehabilitation and rededication of Duffy Park in Perth Amboy.  This is the only public park in the city of Perth Amboy with a BBQ grill and is used every weekend for family parties and celebrations.

 HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2011

Referrals
Our staff handled 361 referral requests by phone or in person. Our website handled 169. This translates to more than two individuals or families receiving help each day.

Requests for information
NCADD responded to almost 32,000 requests for information, including over 1,000 in-person visits to our offices in East Brunswick.

Media
NCADD appeared in regional radio and TV stations including NJ 101.5, WCTC-AM, and News12NJ as well as numerous newspapers. Our outreach through various media outlets generated over 80 media mentions of NCADD and over 1,170 column inches of exposure.

Student Services
NCADD preventionists made 970 in-school presentations that reached over 25,700 students in the County. In addition to Footprints, agency staff provided presentations in Forest Friends, We're Not Buying It (WNBI), Keys to InnerVisions (KIV), Safe Dates, Wellness Initiative for Senior Education (WISE), and Strengthening Families.

Programs

• Pathways, NCADD's School-Based program at Carteret High School continued its tradition of success in 2011. Hundreds of students came to Pathways seeking services including early intervention. Just as many came for one of the many groups and clubs offered at the facility.

• NCADD's Acts of Prevention Initiative continued to provide the community with an alternative to traditional prevention activities. Performances on a variety of topics were held at area schools, and special programming was initiated at senior centers and veteran facilities.

• The Coalition for Healthy Communities expanded its roster and continued to provide members opportunities to network, plan collaborative events, share ideas and resources, and develop into a primary resource for the community.

Finally, hundreds of individuals from throughout New Jersey and the rest of the USA took advantage of NCADD eLearning courses for addiction professionals.

Events
NCADD continued it's tradition of providing learning opportunities through various events including the annual Middlesex County Prevention Education Summit and it's Tree of Hope (awarded to Blake Recovery Center at Carrier Clinic last September). Agency staff also participated in dozens of community events, culminating with the annual Middlsex County Fair, held each August.

                                          FINANCIAL INFORMATION

We are extremely proud to report that 82 cents of every dollar we spend goes to program services benefiting the Middlesex County community. The Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance Standards for Charity Accountability recommends that charities spend at least 65% of their total expenses on program activities and spend no more than 35% of related contributions on fund raising.