I love summer. I love the idea of wearing flip-flops every day, soaking up the sun while sipping on lemonade, enjoying a refreshing dip in the pool, savoring Lancaster County sweet corn, catching fireflies and watching the sunset. . . summer is my season. And yet, October excites me. O-C-T-O-B-E-R. . . football season (Go…
By Anne Schober, Youth Leadership Advocate It was a gloomy Tuesday morning and I had a confession I needed to make to Richard: I was nervous. I was nervous about beginning our new program. I was nervous about change. I was nervous that I was going to fall on my face and not get back…
As the new school year begins, Compass Mark is gearing up for prevention programming in partnership with area school districts in Lebanon and Lancaster counties. Effective and comprehensive school-based prevention programs help students develop social skills, decision-making skills and coping skills, all of which are important tools in avoiding potentially harmful behaviors. Children are often…
When many people hear the word “prevention” in the context of substance abuse, they may recall the prevention methods of yesteryear: emotionally charged school assemblies, disturbing photos of gruesome side effects or a health teacher that tried to “scare them straight.” These sorts of techniques have been proven to be largely ineffective, and they have…
Mark your calendar for the National Night Out on August 7, 2018! The evening aims to bring communities together and to promote positive choices. Showing people that they are a part of strong communities and diverse support systems is an important part of prevention! Compass Mark is excited to be invited to participate in NNO…
On June 17th, 22 Kids Kamp campers arrived in Chester County for a memorable and life-changing week of learning and fun, all organized by Compass Mark. The campers, who are often facing a variety of challenging situations, were joined by seven staff counselors and seven high school students serving as mentors. Campers are often nervous…
Big brands that produce alcohol and tobacco products have seemingly unlimited marketing budgets. Watch TV, use the internet and social media, or just drive down the street and you’re exposed to content that makes smoking and drinking seem cool, or just ‘what people do.’ Try as they might, parents can’t shield children from all of…
A total of 53 5th and 6th graders from Landis Run Intermediate School spent 8 weeks completing the first year of Compass Mark’s Leadership Institute after-school program. There were three separate cohorts of 15-20 students spread out through the 2017-2018 school year working together to first learn about leadership qualities, and then to create and…
As media attention for the opioid crisis grows, local communities have responded. Grassroots coalition groups have sprung up across the United States, and right here in Lancaster. Just within Lancaster County, the number of known grassroots organizations and coalitions has has doubled in the past year. Through funding from the Lancaster Drug and Alcohol Commission,…
There’s strength in numbers, and Compass Mark is now part of a collaboration that brings together key organizations in Lancaster County’s efforts to reduce deaths from opioids and heroin. Joining Forces is a group of local government and community organizations that is working together to strengthen the great work already happening in communities throughout the…