Parent Connection Heading To Permanent Home In Hawleyville

The Newtown Parent Connection, a local grassroots substance abuse prevention organization, is putting down roots. The local nonprofit, borne from family tragedies and challenges in the homes of its founders, is opening a new office at 115 Mt Pleasant Road in the coming weeks.

The organization was established by local residents Dorrie Carolan and Donna DeLuca, who told The Newtown Bee this week they are both thrilled at being able to have a centralized headquarters.

“This new space allows our organization to expand existing services, and offer more options to the Newtown community,” Ms Carolyn said. Formerly housed in the Newtown Youth & Family Services building in Sandy Hook, the Newtown Parent Connection has carried on a series of programs, including a weekly support group for parents whose children have struggled with drug- or alcohol- related issues.

The nonprofit organization has served more than 100 families in just its first four years, and Ms DeLuca believes its new location will continue to make it convenient for both Newtown and surrounding area residents to locate support through Parent Connection if it is required.

About 18 months ago, she said, the Parent Connection recognized a need for a monthly bereavement support group for those families who have lost children to substance-related incidents. The group will now meet in the new facility.

“Given the fact that at least 14 young people from Newtown and the immediate surrounding areas have died in the past 22 months, this group has been a refuge for grieving parents,” Ms DeLuca said.

The Newtown Parent Connection (NPC) will be offering a “young people’s” group for those adolescents and young adults who are focusing on recovery and relapse prevention. This group was inspired by the organization’s young clients themselves, who know firsthand how few options for support groups exist locally to address their specific concerns, Ms Carolyn said.

The new office will serve as a centralized location for hosting small workshops and educational programs to meet the current and continuing needs of the community. And the NPC will be able to receive telephone calls and display resource materials.

Among those materials will be the group’s new brochure, which MS Carolyn said is due to be mailed to thousands of Newtown homes in the coming weeks.

Plans for the new NPC headquarters call for a lending library, open to the public, providing critical information about referral services and programs that focus on strengthening families and helping kids in recovery. Videotapes of many of the group’s previous public forums can also be viewed or borrowed.

Newtown Parent Connection is completely committed to serving the needs of the community, Ms DeLuca said. “Our mission is: ‘To educate and empower the community in the prevention of substance abuse, and to embrace families in crisis,’ and it is a mission that Dory and I take quite seriously,” Ms DeLuca said.

The two Newtowners are supported by a dedicated volunteer Board of Directors whose members work diligently to provide for the most current societal concerns, which, they acknowledge, touch everyone’s lives, Ms Carolyn said.

“This new venue will not only enable the organization to continue our current offerings, but we can branch out as various needs arise,” Ms DeLuca said. By expanding program options, Ms DeLuca and Ms Carolan hope to further build a healthy infrastructure of support in Newtown and neighboring towns. To learn more about the services of the Newtown Parent Connection, or those in need of immediate assistance for a current substance-related crisis, parents, family members, teachers, and caregivers are encouraged to call 270-1600, 994-5394, or 948-1254.

For additional information about Newtown Parent Connection, look for the organization’s new flyer in the mail. And to learn about upcoming public forums, visit the Parent Connection website at www.newtownparentconnection.org.