Community raises $12,000 for Shrewsbury Coalition for Addiction Prevention and Education

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By Melanie Petrucci, Senior Community Reporter

Community raises $12,000 for Shrewsbury Coalition for Addiction Prevention and Education
State Representative Hannah Kane, along with members of Host Committee, presents a check to Christine Mowry from Shrewsbury Youth and Family Services at Let Your Spirit Prevent event at Ski Ward.
Photo/Melanie Petrucci

Shrewsbury – Over 75 people gathered for an informal social on Sept. 26 at Ski Ward for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres (compliments of Struck Catering of Shrewsbury,) to kick off the Spirit of Shrewsbury fall festival weekend. Most importantly, they were assembled for Let Your Spirit Prevent, an event that raised $12,000 for the Shrewsbury Coalition for Addiction Prevention and Education (SCAPE.)

SCAPE was formed in 2015 to work collaboratively with families, providers and all community stakeholders to decrease substance abuse and its impact on youth, adults and families in the community. It is overseen by Shrewsbury Youth & Family Services (SYFS).

For a sixth year, State Representative Hannah Kane (R-Shrewsbury) and Selectman Beth Casavant have teamed up to raise funds for a local cause. Past causes include:  SOAR (heating oil assistance,) Library Capital Campaign, Binkeez for Comfort, Veterans Inc. and last year the Shrewsbury Fire and Police Relief Association.

“Without our sponsors support events like this that do so much good in our community wouldn’t be possible,” Casavant said at the Sept. 26 event.

She thanked primary sponsors: Robert “Chief Joseph” Terkanian, the Hannah Kane Charitable Foundation, Howard Grossman, Central One Federal Credit Union and St. John’s High School.

“This is a group of volunteers in the community who feel passionate about the need to ensure that our community members and our youth and our parents all understand that addiction is something that happens in every single community and impacts so many families,” said Kane.

“Our work through SCAPE is really meant to create a community of connection, a community of support because so frequently we see people turning to darkness and isolation…” Christine Mowry, the executive director of SYFS said, as she thanked those in attendance.

“SCAPE is such an important piece of our community…we want to do everything we can to avoid having our kids get sucked into the world of addiction,” Jenn Rifkin, SYFS’s director of clinical services, continued just before the check presentation.

For further information about SCAPE, visit https://scape.solutions.

 

 

 

 

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