Nyack-Valley Cottage Group Fights Underage Drinking

OCADA (Our Community Against Drug Abuse) welcomes all to Nyack Center on June 2

The Nyack Public Schools’ pro active efforts to stop underage drinking and abuse of drugs received a tremendous boost this year from a Drug Free Communities* $75,000 Mentoring grant awarded to the South Orangetown Community Awareness of Substance Abuse (SOCASA) group.

SOCASA, a well established coalition, has collaborated with the former Nyack Schools’ Task Force to Reduce Underage Drinking to mobilize the community and strengthen its goals through proven strategies and shared services and materials. OCADA (Our Community Against Drug Abuse) is the group’s new name, for the revitalized Nyack School’s Task Force on Underage Drinking and Substance Abuse.

The coalition is sponsoring a community party in celebration of its first year on June 2 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at (corner of Broadway and Depew Avenues).

The party will feature local popular local entertainer Stevan Swann and his band, prizes, free tee shirts to the first 100 children, light refreshments, activities and valuable prevention information from local organizations. OCADA has actively outreached to the Nyack-Valley Cottage community to expand its influence and support, with the goal of becoming community based, not school based. Establishing an ongoing network of community members for awareness, information, support without judgment and change is fundamental to OCADA.’s mission.

Some of O.C.A.D.A.’s efforts thus far include neighborhood meetings in community centers and homes, workshops with local experts and activists, sponsorship of new groups such as a Middle School SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) and High School Heroes and Cool Kids, motivational speaker events for school assemblies. Neighborhood meetings and workshops are also being conducted in Creole and Spanish. The public is encouraged to attend OCADA.’s monthly meetings the last Wednesday of each month in the Nyack Schools’ Hilltop Building.

Both SOCASA and OCADA’s community based approach aims to provide resources for prevention and intervention, while also promoting safe, healthy environments where families can raise children free form the dangers and destruction of substance abuse. Call 353-7053, Lisa Retallack, Coordinator for the group and the Nyack Middle School Family Resource Center, for more information.

*The Mentoring Grant is from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).